Today is my favorite Harry Potter character’s birthday.

Happy birthday, Luna Lovegood!

In honor of me actually knowing something like that, I thought it would be fun to write up a little post about the things that have been hitting me a little more poignantly as Derek has been reading the Harry Potter series out loud to the kids for the past year and a half or so. (We’re in the middle of book 6 right now)!

Of course, I got up this morning and was trying to remember all the things I’ve been sort of squirreling away in my brain in preparation for a post like this and I’m sure I’ve forgotten most of them.

How very Luna Lovegood of me.

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I am just thrilled to pieces to have so many wonderful guests stopping by to make February is Fantasy Month so epic!

Not gonna lie, it’s also really nice not to have to write 21 blog posts in a single month…

And I’m so excited to be learning about some epic-sounding fantasy books I’ve never heard of before. This one sounds really intriguing… but I’ll let my guest tell you about it!

Please join me in extending a warm welcome here at Safe Return Doubtful to D.T. Powell!

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Happy Lunar New Year

If you know me at all, you know I’m pretty rubbish at remembering holidays in general. If it’s not New Year’s, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, I’m probably pretty apt to not even know it is a holiday. I blame this in part on the fact that I do remember like everyone I’ve ever known’s birthdays… and that takes up the entire “date remembering drawer” in my head.

However, Rachel Ann Michael Harris kindly brought to my attention that today is not only the start of the Lunar New Year in China, but it’s also their Year of the Dragon, which might not actually have anything to do with the fantasy fiction genre, but does sound super fantasy-y, and happens to go along well with February is Fantasy Month here at Safe Return Doubtful.

I’m nothing if not cultured.

Ahem. (I am laughing at myself here, guys, it’s ok to laugh at me)

Anyway, today I am excited to share with you a truly beautiful short story that Rachel is kindly letting me publish here on the blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Good morning out there, fantasy fans!

I’m so excited about today’s guest post, as it is about an author I had never heard of, but after reading this post I went to see if our library system had any of her books and they did so it’s currently in-transit to my library where I should be able to pick up the whole trilogy in a day or two. (our interlibrary loan system here in WI is seriously the best)

Anyway, I won’t take up your time, let me hand the mic over to my guest!

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And the winner of the random giveaway drawing for the first week of February is Fantasy month is……

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I was so blessed to have parents who read to me.

My parents were so instrumental in encouraging my love of reading. The main way they did this was by reading out loud to me. It was through these read-alouds that I first fell in love with books. It was through these sweet times of being read to that I fell in love with fantasy and adventure and heroes and noble themes of honor and loyalty and standing up for what is right and good.

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