Stories Behind the Scenes: Guest Post by Sarah Pennington

It has been so fun this month playing host to so many wonderful writers here at Safe Return Doubtful!

I can’t believe that February only has one more week to go!

Today, another one of my favorite authors is here to give us some tips when it comes to that staple of fantasy writing…. research!

Ahhhh research. That elusive thought or idea or question that can take you down a rabbit hole for hours upon hours just for a single line in your 100k-word story… but it’s often worth it for the feeling of knowing that what you wrote will stand up to being examined under the microscope of authenticity!

But research can also be distracting, and derail you completely from working on your actual story. So… what do you research? How do you pick? Where do you look? How do you decide what to include from your findings?

Here to answer all those questions is Sarah Pennington, author of the Bastian Dennel Files, Blood in the Snow, Through a Shattered Glass, Mechanical Heart, and the new Daughters of Atìrse series!

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How to make your fantasy map feel organic by Emily Golus

World Building

It’s kind of a huge staple of the fantastical genre of fiction.

But it’s such a huge job, and how do you really make an imaginary world feel real? What are some tips and tricks when it comes to thinking about your world and creating a fantasy map?

Well, if you are asking those questions and seeking those answers, you are in luck, because today I have a world building master (and one of my favorite authors) here at the blog to give you some insights into how she goes about infusing realism and believability into her world building!

Please give a warm Safe Return Doubtful welcome to Emily Golus, author of the World of Vindor duology and Crack the Stone!

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Fear: the True Evil - Guest Post by Raina Nightingale

Who here likes stories about dragon riders?

Oooh, ooh! Pick me! Pick me!

How about stories that address the universal idea of good vs evil? Or stories that delve even further into “what is good?” or “what is evil?”

Today’s guest author is here to chat about her trilogy of books that incorporates dragon riders and questions about good vs evil and how to know the difference between what is good and what is evil and also themes of how fear can be our own personal villain.

Please give a warm welcome to Raina Nightingale, author of the Return of the Dragonriders trilogy!

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An Author's Journey: Althea Damgaard Guest Post

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear Reader!

I hope it is a lovely day for you. Today I am excited to have Althea Damgaard over to talk about her own journey through the realm of fantasy, first as a reader, and then as an author.

I am doubly pleased, because today is the release day for her second novel: Truth Bearer, which I recently had the privilege of ARC reading. Truth Bearer is the second book in her fantasy series.

Please help me in welcoming her to the blog today!

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Lessons from Re-Reading Harry Potter

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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