Monthly Update: IWSG for April and More

 

This month’s update is a little different from what I originally planned. Life has been a bit challenging lately. I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers. One of my family members has been in the hospital with a serious illness, and I would truly appreciate any prayers and positive thoughts you can send our way. I don't want to share details here, but while this young person is feeling better as I write this and we hope he will be able to go home from the hospital soon, I am still praying fervently for his healing. 

Health Goal:
One of my key goals this year has been to become a healthier, more balanced writer, and I’m happy to report some progress. On the physical activity front, I’m averaging 12,000 steps per day, and when this post goes live, I’ll have hit over a million steps for the year.

IWSG Blog Hop: April Edition

The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day—a chance to share our challenges, triumphs, and encouragement. This month’s awesome co-hosts are Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!. Be sure to check out their posts, too!

This month’s optional question is:
What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

Here's my answers (prepped ahead of time):

• Fight: At first, I couldn’t think of anyone, and then… Puddleglum from The Silver Chair came to mind. He might make some gloomy commentary, but I might be able to take him in a fight. Maybe.
• Quest With: This one’s a toss-up between two of my own characters: Farrald, a Shepherd who is a humble, hard-working character who is incredibly encouraging. In the Dark Blade Trilogy, Farrald sings worship songs and wields a powerful staff, but later, in the Champion Trilogy, we see him primarily as Clara’s father. I would love to go on a quest with him because he would always bring the right mindset. However, I also might want to travel with Klyan, a somewhat standoffish griffin from books 2 and 3 of The Champion Trilogy who could fly me from place to place (if he allowed it!).
• Chill With: Honestly, I’d like to write a few more characters I’d enjoy sharing a meal with, but for now, I’ll go with Kaipo, a Sword Master who is also a master chef from Dark Blade Forged, and I would love to hang out with one of my favorite characters of all time, Bilbo Baggins, because who wouldn’t want to share food, good books, and stories with him? (Well, maybe not when he’s under the influence of the one ring, but otherwise, that would be cool.)

Next week on the blog, I’ll be discussing legendary objects in fantasy stories. After that, I’ll explore the theme of friendship in fantasy adventure novels.