Didn’t want to see Behind the Curtain? Update your subscription preferences now!

Looking for the stories and artwork? Keep scrolling all the way to the bottom to The List of Goodness. There will be a separate post collating everything in June that will be sent out to subscribers, and in the meantime, this page will be updated.

There are some spoilers to be had for the end of book 3 (very little, given that you know there’s a book 4) but I will keep it to a minimum. If you’re not interested in writing or creating art for this collaboration, then I’ll see you in my next email.

Still here? Awesome, let’s go.

Ever long to write about brave sailors at sea? Or perhaps on flying ships? Now’s your chance to dip your toes.

Below I give a brief overview of the state of the world we’re writing in, what’s expected and then you can dive as deep as you like into the meat of this thing: you can take the high concept as presented, or comb through all the world building and other lore.

The Ask

Write a short story, poem, serial, or make artwork on …. well, let me explain in both video and text format:

As you may or may not know, the majority of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles are taken from found journals, letters and other books. I end up making actual physical copies of these to “find”.

One of the artefacts that I will find in the trunk in my attic this year, is a collection of adventure stories about the Aetheric Dirigible Crews entitled Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies.

I could write these adventures as log entries or repurpose a book block, but … I thought a book of adventure stories would be more fun! As I don’t have the wherewithal to write an entire book of adventures (I am writing two, maybe three), would you help write one of them?

The Gist

Think Horatio Hornblower meets Austen’s “Persuasion” meets “Pirates of the Caribbean” (for the vibes). There are indeed sea dragons, dreigiau môr, in this world, although they are currently a government secret, this something you won’t have to worry about. (There are labs investigating them but on the whole unless one is dreigiau môr, or have one in the family, they are unknown or a fairy story.)

The book is a puff piece put out by the British Navy to encourage young people to get tested for their Gift and enlist. (No, no dark undertones in that at all… /sarcasm). It will have a publication date of 1822.

The time period it covers begins in 1817. Unfortunately, the English aren’t at war with anyone (the Gifting in September 1815 has come as a bit of a shock plus everyone is in recovery from Napoleon), but there are natural disasters, pirates, monsters, and generally idiots who go adventuring even when a storm is brewing.

Oh and romance—because who isn’t more attractive than somebody with a Gift who rescues people??

How This Will Work

Format: Do you remember annuals? Those books about a TV show, or those Boys Own or Girls Own collection of stories and comics? That is what this will look like. It could be a profile on a captain (or Gifted person), a poem, ballad, or a story of any length (long or short). Yes, even a comic should you feel so inclined, not that the comic strip had really been invented by 1822 but who’s gonna know? Maybe a Rowlandson style coloured etching?

Restrictions: Remember this is for young people in 1822 and will probably be read by their mothers in order to encourage them to serve. So, if you won’t let your mother read it …

When to Post? Any time between now and Friday, June 6.

Wrap Up Post Goes Live on Friday, June 6, 2026 US time (aka Saturday, June 7th for those of us in Australia/New Zealand/East Asian seaboard). You can also post later; I’ll keep adding posts as they come in for as long as they do.

How: Post your stories, poems, ballads, scribbled letters home, or etchings, onto your publication on Substack. Tag me in the story but please also drop the link to me as a DM or tag me in a Note because we know how reliable Substack’s tagging has been lately. You can link back to this post to encourage others to join in. You can use the “Upon Our Seas…” banner above.

Here’s some suggested text for the beginning or end of your story:

This [story | artwork | poem] is part of the Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies collaboration of stories, poetry and art set in the universe of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles. If you’d like to participate, follow this link for details and lore. You will be able to read all of the submissions here.

Want a thumbnail that vibes? If you have Canva (I only have the free version), download the image below, upload it into your account and add your title. The font is Hertical Serif at 200pts, but you might have to adjust font size to get your title to fit.

The Lore

is a whole separate page, just click on the button below. What you’ll find is:

• a loose description of an aetheric dirigible, how it works,

• what the Aetheric Dirigible Crew does

• a brief history of how the world has reacted to the Gifting.

Lore

The List of Goodness

The following is found in the Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies compendium. A full list with a separate post and sorted by type will replace this section in June.

• Where the Blood Calls by (serial)

• Behind the Curtain by (poem)

Any questions? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer.

Did you know you can subscribe for free and have posts like these, plus fiction, delivered to your inbox? Thank you if you already subscribe! I appreciate you being here! Subscribe to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles:

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Didn’t want to see Behind the Curtain? Update your subscription preferences now!

Again, you’ve been warned. There are some spoilers below. Head to the main page of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles while you still can!

Below, find details about The Gifting, The Aetheric Dirigibles and what they do.

Looking for the collaboration ask/details? Head here.

The Gifting

This even occurred in late 1815 and affected some people, but not all. They discovered they had the ability to heal, to heat, to cool, to move heavy objects, to do various tasks, some more magical than others. Some gifts were deemed dangerous and the afflicted incarcerated for their own safety (again with the /sarcasm).

Those who were Gifted, only received one gift. The Gifting also occurred worldwide. This is a British Navy storybook, remember, but it could be fun to bring in crew members from other countries.

What caused the gifting? Nobody knows, (you will know if you’ve read to the end of A Sword for Wellington—it involves the Chosen Court, but of course). Businessmen and governments were quick to take advantage of it, even though this usually meant the Gifted persons would never see their families or homes again.

Flying Ships

These were invented in late 1816, part of the flourishing of Gifts. Part small sailing ship, part balloon.

The canvas for the dirigible is kept under a brass carapace, which has a clockwork mechanism (and a bunch of sailors) to unfold the balloon. The balloon is made of silk coated with a solution of rubber and turpentine. Below the carapace in a set of glass jars is vitriol. Scrap metal also kept in the middle of the ship below that, in a glass lined pan. Vitriol, aka sulphuric acid creates the inflating gas by being poured over scrap iron. A Gifted person can also make this process happen faster.

In ship form, this dirigible is propelled by three sails: mainsail, fore and aft sail. The foresail is rigid. The mainsail magically folds up (ok, I am hand-wavy here, it just needs to be out of the way of the expanded balloon), and the aft sail is convinced to shorten. (Gifted people are so handy.)

The wheel house is in the ship’s aft, and is an actual wheelhouse as opposed to being out in the open. Accomodation is directly below on the main deck and the decks below. Semaphore is the primary form of communication between ships, or to/from land. The codes were well developed during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Duties of An Aetheric Dirigible

In short, they were to save lives. The dirigible crews roam on short stints, usually using two ports as their base. In my stories, the Acheron sails between Dover in England’s south-east and Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales. They could use any of the cinque ports as a base (Dover is one such), and you don’t need to be restricted to the English Channel!

The Gifted crew consists of 6 specialists, but this can vary depending on Gift availability.

On the Acheron (where my stories are set), the Gifted qualities are:

• one who communes with the ship, keeps her in trim

• one who makes the inflation part of the dirigible work (stays below)

• one who has the ability to move people or objects without touching them (like an invisible crane)

• one who can sense souls in distress

• one who can find objects

• a healer

Use your imagination for yours or borrow some of these.

Any questions? Drop your questions below and I will answer them there.

Did you know you can subscribe for free and have posts like these, plus fiction, delivered to your inbox? Thank you if you already subscribe! I appreciate you being here! Subscribe to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles:

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Some Notes:

Apparently, I thought I was live but I actually wasn’t, so you’ve missed me go through all my existing fountain pens. Not to worry, I’ll be uploading this footage up on to YouTube eventually, and I’ll redo that bit and add it on to the beginning if you want to know when I started using fountain pens etc.

Read the transcript (I copied and pasted it below the rest of these notes). It’s hilarious. Who knew I was a poet?

It took me a few hours (because we had a visitor in the middle of that time), but I finally found my Kaweco Sport pen in the first place I looked for it. (It was also the third place I looked for it when I took ALLLL the pens out and still couldn’t see it. Someone was hiding it on me, I think.)

Here’s the pen:

Here also is proof that I finally got the Jinhao pen to work. The trick was to keep the converter attached to the nib. Which I knew but somehow forgot in the moment. Sigh. It is a very scratchy nib which I don’t love and writes pretty faintly. I think I will have to ink up the other two (brown in the orange pen and, hmm … purple in the blue pen?)

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. Alas, you can’t watch live from your desktop/web browser but at least there’s a recording, yeah?

Get more from Leanne Shawler in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Transcript

So, let’s get to the main event, shall we?

Mary Ellen Brady ( ) turned me onto this.

I’ve always wanted a capless fountain pen, but the Pilot ones are super expensive.

And she mentioned this one.

Do I have a cutting device?

Where is my... Can I show a knife on screen?

Because we’re gonna.

Okay.

It’s just...

wrappy stuff to unwrap this i haven’t even done this bit yet how is everybody going

on this wednesday slash thursday slash tuesday whatever the heck day it is where

you are how y’all doing oh come on watch me stab myself live onSubstack okay

So it’s very shiny.

This set includes one retractable fountain pen and 10 black ink cartridges.

I have a feeling...

Yes, I got a lavender one.

Isn’t it pretty?

Look at that.

Isn’t that lovely?

It’s a Clictek fountain pen.

Don’t put your fingers on the nib cover to prevent stabbing.

Okay.

open oh open oh that is so cute sorry so i have some ink cartridges as well install

the cartridge with the nib up okay very good okay and there are instructions

all right so it’s like we unwrap the barrel unwrap the barrel this is empty i

wonder if you can fill this with ink put that in there let’s open this puppy up i

think this is just black ink i think it’s anything exciting yeah it’s black ink

Pretty packaging, but nothing exciting.

I don’t know if they actually come in any, I think there’s blue ink.

I think black and blue are your two choices.

My favorite color is actually this one, which is a mysterious blue ink.

That’s what I use for,

spoiler,

knocks it ink over in the background,

for writing Eidothea’s journal.

when I do that.

Right, so doing this on a white tablecloth, this may not be very smart.

So we’re supposed to do it side up, right?

Read instructions.

Okay, until you hear a click.

I’m not hearing a click.

everything is moving uh maybe I have to do it like this nope it has a cap here oh

now I already got ink on my fingers it stinks at all

Good grief.

Oh, see?

But I’m not hearing a click.

Why am I not hearing a click?

Well, let’s just see what happens.

It’s not gonna work.

If I forcibly screw it together and make a click.

Alright, so that’s how it looks open.

I don’t think I’ve gotten this to work at all.

Keep the nib down for three to five minutes with smooth ink flow.

Okay, so I’m going to pop it in this filthy but cute little glass jar.

I’ll put it off the side here.

I don’t think I’ve done that right because I didn’t hear a click.

Anywho.

So that is a capless pen that we’re going to try properly later.

I do live dangerously, KJ.

I do.

And so this was an impulse purchase.

Because how else do we live without impulse purchases?

So I got three more fountain pens.

And there’s one missing in that pile.

Do I need three more fountain pens?

No, I really don’t.

But aren’t they pretty?

Look at these colours.

She flips over.

Like, this is my colourway.

110%.

That’s gorgeous.

I don’t even know what kind of ink these take.

I’m hoping they come with converters so I can have fun.

But these are Jinhao pens.

These are dupes, I believe, of the Sailor pens.

They have a nice weight to them.

Shall we pull one apart and have a look?

Is it unscrew?

It’s unscrew.

I think they’re all fine-tipped because I’m an EF fine girly.

And they come with a converter.

How dangerously do you want me to live?

Hehe.

Um, what kind of ink do I want to put in it?

Oh, I do have, I’m not really fully tried this beyond swatching.

Celadon cat, but I think I want it in that one.

So I’ll put this one back together.

Um,

looking around for something that I can use to protect my tablecloth or I can just

whip it off and you can see what’s underneath.

I should probably whip it off.

That would make sense.

That would make sense.

Moving things off camera.

All the pens.

There we go.

Is everybody feeling better about me putting ink in a pen now?

I sure am.

Okay, so take this off.

Take this off.

Pull it out.

Yes.

Pull it out and then it twisties up.

Okay.

I think I need to twist it all the way down first.

Open up the lid.

Oh, here we go.

Don’t get in there.

Twisty up.

That’s a lot of ink.

Okay.

This is going to be messy.

because it’s dripping right back out again.

But should I have done this in the pen?

Probably.

Okay.

Okay.

That’s the tab.

Where’s the bottom?

Okay.

Oh, there it is.

Rolled all the way off.

And I usually, what is this?

Oh, this is just cardboard.

Put the cap back on.

This is how I tend to prime my flows and do hope for the best.

It usually ends up all over the inside of the pen and barrel.

Do we get it?

No.

Well, before I do any damage to myself, put the lid back on the ink bottle.

So I love these colours.

They actually remind me of Korean hanbok.

I suppose they could be traditional Chinese colors as well as it’s a Chinese pen.

But anyway, this has just got Cinderella vibes, which I may or may not have done this correctly.

Wait, let me get some paper paper.

Two.

Did I push it all the way back in?

Is there ink everywhere inside?

Hmm.

as far as it goes all right so these are my new pens that i’m gonna have to

apparently work out to get going anyone freaking out now how badly i treat my pens

what can i tell you maybe they need to sit and drain down like this other one does

oh no i see ink i see ink on the inside it’s just not coming out to the nib

there’s ink on the inside paper towel if you were a paper towel where would you be

on my desk i’ll find it later oh look see that there’s the blue ink there come on

inky it’s come through but it’s not come through spit also not working

All right, well, I’m not going to waste your time by getting this pen to work on camera.

I’ll keep working on it.

This one, which I’m not at all convinced that I’ve put in correctly, still not working.

And it hasn’t retracted.

Worrying.

How do you make it retract?

Because that can’t be the way to do it.

And now I said not to do it this way.

Hey, we got a click.

We got a click, but I can’t get the body back on.

Oh, wait.

Oh, I see.

Oh, I see.

There we go.

And then, woohoo, woohoo, woohoo.

And I’m just going to let that sit there.

So, uh, I was going to make this relevant to, uh, writing the, the, uh, the diaries.

So this is my,

um,

pen that I write all my stories with when I’m not using the phone because I mostly

handwrite my stories.

So this is the pen I use with Quink, Parker Quink ink, which is a black ink.

It’s very nice.

This is a

fine I think or a medium I’m not sure also needs a clean and then transcribing it

was the Kaweco sport and the pretty pearlescent color that has gone walkies I think

it still might be up in the house um and then this pen I used as a dip pen uses a

dip pen for Jasper’s diary when I was transcribing it do you want to peek at that

it’s right here somewhere

This is Jasper’s diary.

And, yeah, so I hand-write the first draft and I hand-write the last draft.

And, yeah, the writing’s different.

This is actually a book I got that’s supposed to be Dr. Jones’ Senior’s Grail diary.

And I just borrowed it.

And it was a Chinese dupe, so it was really cheap.

And the pages were not in order.

Like, not even remotely.

So that was a bit sad.

Have we talked about... Oh, it’s not coming out.

I’ll figure that out.

What about this one?

And the Kaweco Sport one, I used this ink.

for Eidothea’s journal and I used this dip pen and this platinum khaki black for

Jasper’s journal and then for Hugh’s letters I used the coolest ink in the world it

is from Cornelisson and Son in London it’s a Jane Austen ink it’s

I want to show it to you because it’s magical.

Can I get the lid off?

Yes, I can.

It is magical.

I’m just going to dip this one in.

It smells.

All right, so it comes on really faint.

And then watch it darken.

Don’t worry about me.

It will darken eventually.

It will darken.

Now I do need it.

So it eventually darkens to a black.

I was not doing it there.

Why is it not doing it there?

Let me put some more ink into it.

I have to refill it frequently.

But it’s very light here, and it’s getting darker here.

I think that’s so cool.

It’s the oxidization of whatever the heck is in this.

English oak galls, I think.

Or possibly the iron sulfate.

But anyway, if you can find these inks, if you’re in London, easy to get.

I don’t know how well you can get them if you’re overseas.

I need them shipped to you, because I haven’t tried.

But that, next time I’m in London...

Is it not a good thing?

Is it not a good thing that I just want this?

That never happened.

All right,

so let me have a quick look at the comments because I’ve been sitting down with the

camera the wrong way.

It is gorgeous, KJ.

Why don’t the lids match up?

I think it’s fashion, KJ.

I think it’s fashion.

and yes so awesome uh that shook the holder a great deal I will get this to work

and I will where’s the other one gone get this to work which probably should now

let’s try I almost tried to take the lid off oh hello this is apparently celadon

cat {edit: it’s not}

oh my god it writes like a dream this is not scratchy at all this is very smooth

this is very wet this one this is oh and yes my handwriting is this bad not that

bad but surgeon worthy bad okay so

got this to work this is going back up to the house this may become my new

day-to-day pen currently using a Muji gel pen but dust is very pretty okay now I’m

really going thank you for coming to my pen talk and um I’m gonna get this thing to

work for a lot of money I have ink on the inside I’ve got to find a cloth to clean

that

So I’m going to go do that before it dries.

Thanks for watching.

I’ll post the replay and I’ll see you next time.

Bye.

Didn’t want to see Behind the Curtain? Update your subscription preferences now!

You are getting a preview of a new vlog (for the new book) that I’ll be starting over on YouTube, eventually. This is the essay and voiceover version. Video footage (mostly aesthetic, admittedly) will be in the future YouTube version.

I come from a regency romance background and those readers know their stuff. I would go to conferences, pore over non-fiction books, in order to make sure I didn’t make a single misstep in order to avoid getting eviscerated by Regency readers.

When writing historical (or historical-adjacent), knowing the time period, the culture, the mores is so important in creating a story that is believable to the readers. But is there such a thing as too much research?

Did I over-research back then? Well, read (the upcoming) Selene’s Vow and you tell me. Did you need to know how valets were trained to iron cravats? Probably not, but it made for a delightful interlude with our bemused hero and very determined heroine.

My next novel/serial, whichever of the two projects I picked, requires research. I couldn’t decide between the Arthurian prequel to the current series, or indulge in a Silla era Korean fantasy romance (fun but appropriative).

I had no plans to start the next novel/serial until after my trip to South Korea in late April/early May.

My heart was set, more than a bit, on writing that Silla-era potentially sea-dragon romance, but I wanted to return to Gyeong-ju to research and take in the vibes of that magical ancient town, and see if the story had any legs. (Shh, never mind that I’ve already bought props for it on my last trip there.)

Well, life has lifed and has meant those plans are canceled.

The Silla book has been tabled (even as a new research book is winging its way to me.) Which leaves the Arthurian prequel “second chance” romance. There have been moments where I’ve felt absolutely compelled to work on this Arthurian project in the midst of finishing up book four, and I may have actually mapped out a chunk of the plot (which I shall have to redo).

I am refreshing my memory on post-Roman Britain and realised I knew next to nothing about Cornwall, where most of this will be set.

However, a recent article on research rabbit holes by got me wondering: what am I afraid of that I continue to research?

By Luna Asli Kolcu

[Process Note] The Research Rabbit Hole

📌 This essay was written before my maternity break and scheduled in advance. I’m currently offline, resting and adjusting to life with a new person. I’ll be back soon. Thank you for being here…

Read more

a month ago · 4 likes · 2 comments

This article arrived in my inbox with me wondering how much more research I needed to do on where the kings (or dukes, whatevs) of post-Roman Cornwall actually lived.

I should just start writing … or at least delving into the plot, and I have entertained myself with figuring out how my two leads chose different paths in the first place.

But in fact, former writer me started this novel almost 20 years ago … I was trad-published with five books and one novella under my belt. My editor left the publishing house and left me without a champion.

‘Well,’ I thought (or at least this is how I remember it), ‘let me write the book I’ve always wanted to write.’ That was this book.

I grew up on a particular kind of Arthur. (I may have mentioned this before.) I turned my nose up at Geoffrey and Malory. High medieval had no place in post-Roman Britain. From the first time I discovered “Arthur of the Britons”, I wrote or imagined an Arthurian epic, reading one Arthurian retelling after another (Stephen Lawhead, Jack Whyte, Rosemary Sutcliff) and have lived with this tale for over 40 years.

I wrote the partial (three chapters, synopsis, cover letter), got nary a bite from anyone and gave up writing. This book would have meant a third re-invention of my author persona because my sales were not that great. I’m a decent writer, but I’m not a bestseller.

Maybe that failure is why I haven’t started writing it yet. (Among other very real life-related reasons.)

This was the moment I poured myself into a story and a world that I’ve loved since my early teens, predating my Regency obsession; the moment that I could write how I wanted to write.

And I failed.

Ok, so maybe the publishing world wasn’t ready for a “Dark Ages” romance (a period rarely tackled in the romance industry), let alone a “second chance”’romance, which I’m not even sure was a thing 20 years ago.

But those rejections hurt enough that I stopped writing fiction for about 15 years. Walked away. Took up other forms of creativity but not writing.

I tell myself that the ground has changed: I’m no longer seeking validation from agents or editors. This isn’t work or providing income.

This is me writing because I love to write. These are the stories I want to hear.

This is me writing because I love this story.

Here’s another fear holding me back: having written it, will I let go of this story, like I have with others I’ve already told? This one has been a comfort blanket, a story I’ve told and retold to myself, shifting over the years. I’m not sure I could ever release this story and forget it.

Here’s another fear: can I do this story justice? More and more research is coming out about post-Roman/early medieval Britain and not all of it wild suppositions about who King Arthur really was. Still a lot of “they probably did this” which I feel gives me some leeway.

But what if post-Roman Cornish history fans are as vehement about how things were as Regency readers are (even those deeply informed by how Georgette Heyer looked at the Regency world (she did do her research) vs how it might actually have been) — will I get canceled for the wrong detail?

Am I officially spiraling?

Yeaaahhhh…

But this is my precious baby. The first four books have been my way back in to writing, playing and having fun with tropes. I don’t want to get this one wrong. Even though its a second chance romance with sea dragons and an absolutely fascinating sympathetic antagonist.

I’m wondering if my usual timeline of 6-9 months to finish a book will be enough. What if it takes 2 years instead? Remember, I don’t want to let this one go …

I have no pithy wisdom to share with you. I am in the mire and the muck of not exactly imposter syndrome, or perhaps it’s precisely that.

This is the book where I fell off the writing wagon and I need to overcome the fear it will trip me up again.

I am treading the line between imagined history and fantasy and I need to find my way through that.

I might write this book in a different way to others … and I’m going to vlog (on YouTube) about that and all the attendant insecurities, and the highs and lows that go along with writing a book.

Meantime, I’ve declared April a month of research. It feels a bit like saying these fears aloud has taken away their power. Plus, research is fun!

Let me know in the comments if any of this resonates. How do you get through it. Does saying the fear aloud help?

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This piece is part of “Day of the ___ Writer” an open collab on the daily experiences behind the writers of Substack. Check out the growing mosaic of many lives. Thanks to Trevor Cohen of Tredecko for organizing.

I wake. It’s still dark and my heart is dreading the day of waiting ahead but my bladder has had enough of holding.

Pee. Iced coffee. Check Substack, then the news. What will I do with my hours today? The spouse is already being prepped for surgery and my anxiety is spiking so high, there’s no way I’m going to be able to write.

So we’ll collage, arrange stickers, tell the story another way.

I can’t find my cutting blade, my scissors that I just put down and where’s that sliver of paper?

The phone lies like a dark rectangle shadow under a piece of tea dyed paper. Silent. Waiting.

I make lunch, eye the collage but …

Last night, before I fell asleep, I distracted myself from fear and worry with two new characters in a new world I’m cocreating with some lovely folk.

It worked. I fell asleep but the story is alive, tickling my funny bone (I can’t wait for to see the male lead’s name)… so I start writing.

The words flow. I cackle to myself at the name, his rolled-up sleeves, that one line of dialogue that whipcracks and is everything.

Guilt drains it all in an instant. I should be thinking of him, praying for him, but distraction is the only way I can stop from climbing the walls and shrieking my fear.

How long is this surgery? He should be done by now…

I re-read, wonder at the direction of the story, trying to fill in the blanks. It needs to rest, to marinate, so I can see the repeated words, the clunky sentences.

Should I post it for FFF (Flash Fiction Friday)? But it will reveal the world before we’re ready and there are still details to work out…

The urge to satisfy the itch of showing off that I achieved Supernova level on ’s Flash Fiction Friday does not compare to the call that looms.

The phone rings. It went well. Tension eases out. I reach out to everyone who has been praying for him with the good news. I slice printed pages to make booklets. I let anxiety flow out through my fingers and into a puzzle game.

The phone sounds again. There’s been complications; he’s back in surgery. I fall into a chair and sob, afraid and broken-hearted.

Hours pass. Hours. How long does it take to find a bleed? I reheat something for dinner. It sits like lead under my ribs. People call or text but I’ve got nothing. What can I give people who think his surgery went well?

The story is gone for the day, buried, while I wait for the phone to ring again.

To allay the wondering, the only way I could write this is because he survived and is on a slow, upward trend. Surgery was Monday. They woke him, finally, Wednesday. If I think about all that has happened, my pulse races and tears threaten.

This morning (Thursday), I returned to edit the story, which I hadn’t touched outside of filling in some place names. It will probably change and grow as the world building continues.

I write mostly serials, so here’s a chance to binge read one! Obsidian and Flame chronicles the story of Panawr, a sea dragon prince with a deadly secret, and Arddun, who possesses a useless gift and has no desire to marry a prince. When they come together, sparks fly, but they grow aware that something more is at stake than the throne. Can they save their home, Caer Morgana, or will their quest be in vain?

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I’m nervous as all get out about writing this but it needs to be said. It doesn’t feel like enough and yet too much.

The final book in The Môrdreigiau Chronicles hits different than the ones that have gone before. I’ve been reading through the manuscript, making sure it flows well, seeking out any awkward sentences, and so on. (Since writing this, the book is finished!)

It is, if I say so myself, a cracker of a read. I have snorted, I have giggled…

It is also a reflection of these times. I thought I had been subtle, but … nope. I thought I echoed Eidothea’s times when the Luddites revolted and abolition of slavery became a real possibility in the UK. Yes, but also … nope.

I read through the secondary sources I’d created and they are heartbreaking—and harsh.

Why are there even secondary sources? (Newspaper clippings mostly. If you’re new here, this series mostly consists of a series of journal entries.)

Eidothea is so traumatised by what’s happening in her world that she stops writing in her diary, leaving us newspaper snippets and the occasional words from her.

She’s not the only one. Another diary writer in this fourth and final book tears pages out of her diary and destroys them (presumably by burning).

Book four could have been a deep dive into their fight for justice, into all the traumatic happenings (not gonna lie, we do hit a few of them) over the years from 1816 to 1819, but … we have enough of that here and now. I also didn’t feel confident that I could pull off an excursion into early nineteenth century activism.

What I am hoping instead that, even though there’s magic, A Gift for the World will be an indicator of the way forward. A heavy weight to bear for a fantasy romance serial, but my goal is to show instead of demand … so the ending falls into myth. It is (I hope) beautiful, complete, and yet full of promise of the work still to be done. There’s magic, but there aren’t any tidy bows.

There are more voices in this book, lifting up and filling in when others fall silent. You’ll hear from Jasper, Llyr, Sir Hugh, plus there are a couple of new voices to fall in love with.

Like Eidothea, I don’t even write about what’s happening in my journal. I shed tears, feel absolutely heartsick. I had to delete one social media app from my devices because I was literally doomscrolling, not for diversion but for immersion, to witness the pain.

At the same time, I’m relieved that I’m not there, guilty for feeling that way, and worried for those who remain.

The final book, A Gift for the World, starts serialising on June 13, 2026.

Catch up here:

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In the video above, I talk about all my writing goals and dreams for this year. Below, I’m sharing more. While there is some overlap of information, one is much more rambly, ahem.

What’s Ahead in 2026?

A Sword for Wellington finishes in April. Before then, I’m launching a collaboration, a chance for you to write within the universe of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles. Don’t fear, I’m not going to make you write about sea dragons. Stay tuned for that big reveal in March.

Book 4, tentatively titled A Soul for the World (although that might change to Souls for the World), all being well with the editing process, should start before the end of April. It’s at least as long as A Sword for Wellington, so you’ll have at least 40 chapters to look forward to, which if the math is mathing, will take us to the end of 2026.

It won’t be the only thing I’ll publish in 2026 (I’m looking at you, season 2 of Obsidian & Flame, which already has an outline and they’re starting to make some noise). There’s the ad hoc Ardwyad & Branwen series of short stories to continue and whatever story prompts inspire another short story or three.

2027 Serial Options

It takes time to write a serial. I write and edit mine first, from beginning to end, before pressing go on the first chapter. My writing method is far too chaotic to be foisting chapters upon you. The amount of rewriting I’m doing for book four right now (I’m in the midst of edits.)

Option 1:

I’ve wanted to write a particular Arthurian story for a long time. It’s the last manuscript (all three chapters) I worked on 15 or so years ago before I quit writing for publication.

I have lived with this story, in one form or another for a long time. Ever since my young teenaged self (I was 12 or 13) was first introduced to King Arthur through the British “Arthur King of the Britons” series. Low budget and somehow a children’s series (ahh, the 70’s), the costuming wasn’t exactly great but it felt very down to earth. (You can find the series on YouTube. I rewatched it while recovering from some nasty bug last year.) This isn’t the courtly love version or whatever the heck Malory is.

This manuscript is set during the dying days of Arthur’s reign, with one of his captains/generals reuniting with King Mark after the whole Tristan and Isolde debacle. (OK, so I’m not above borrowing from courtly-love stories.) It’s a second chance romance. It’s now also a prequel because I had the zingy idea that Mordred and Môrdreigiau were too close to be a coincidence and so there will be some shenanigans regarding the sea dragons’ grail. I have something of an outline written, thanks to sitting through a symphonic concert.

Option 2:

I’m also going back to South Korea this year. The last time I was there, I had this really cool story idea of a time travel romance set in the Silla period. I plan to spend some time in Gyeongju generally vibing with the place. I bought props for it on my last trip to South Korea. I’ve history books on the era that need reading.

I feel woefully unprepared to write it, never mind feeling like it’s a bit too much like appropriation. The only thing that may yet save this idea, is that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of historically-accurate fiction (or KDramas). The irony that I might be committing a Malory to the Silla period is not beyond me. “Queen Seondeok” might be the exception, but it hasn’t been available to watch in my region for ages, so all I have to go on are snippets on YouTube.

Deciding on….

I’m reserving some time to see if there is a story to be had in the Korean idea. This will take the form of reading history and the time I’ll be in Gyeongju and shortly thereafter. If I’m still not feeling confident, I’ll be returning to the Arthurian story. Given that my New Year’s Day movie marathon included a few King Arthur movies, I think you know my preferences, but being on location? That might change things.

Thoughts? Opinions?

You can share them in the comments below, or email or DM me, but if you want to leave a quick response, here’s a poll:

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There were some spicier pieces of fiction that I absolutely loved but … as most of my readers are here for sweet or slightly steamy fiction, I’m refraining from sharing those (but if you wanna know, drop me a DM.). Some of the other choices below are violent and/or chilling and I mention that before you dive in, in case it’s not your thing.

I am yet again imagining many of you taking a break these last two weeks of December, or at least some time between Christmas and New Year’s. You might be visiting with family, curling up by the fire with a book, or lounging by the pool, or doing whatever you can to beat the heat. This post will cover both hemispheres, for why read a book when you can read…

The Best in Serial Fiction in 2025 (IMHO)

Yep, these are my favourites. Too many to do it in the 12 Days of Christmas style like I did last year. Make sure you save this post either in the Substack app or in your email inbox so you can find it again!

Maybe you only get a week off … then pick your favourites from below, or follow along for however many days of vacation/PTO you were able to grab this year.

Best of all, this doesn’t impact your holiday budget. All of these are free to read.

Only Have Time To Read One?

Make it this one: “Underworld”. It’s the Persephone story like you’ve never read it before and it is amazing. There are some brutal moments in this but they’re utterly necessary. Katharine’s an incredibly gifted writer. She places you in right there in the scene with Kori/Persephone. Absolutely must read this one.

Notes from the Edge

Underworld: TOC

Innocent victim? Dutiful daughter? Goddess? Warrior? Queen of the dead? … Who was Persefóni…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · Katharine Kapodistria

Now for the rest of them… which are also astonishingly good

I’m still reading ’s “Mountain Bond” but when I tell you I was almost in tears by the end of Part 1. OMG. I mean, you are warned up front but Morgan delivers the feels and then some. Also, dragons!

Dimidium Tales

MOUNTAIN BOND I.I

I. The world tilted beneath them, and through Kivith's wings, Ryn felt every shift in the morning air…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · 23 comments · Morgan A.Drake

knows how to write hunky male leads, I mean, sparkling thrillers. This one is so cool as it unravels. Plus, there’s a “season 2” currently underway. Kinley’s a great character with hidden depths.

Tell Me a Mystery

Darkly: Episode 1

Something new to entertain! We start in the near future within a world you might recognize—the FBI and the hunt for a serial killer—but shortly the fantasy will creep in and we’ll see the FBI has a Dark Force Division…

Read more

a year ago · 18 likes · 16 comments · Tell Me a Mystery

’s “The Archangel’s Gift” is still unfolding, but I literally had to remind myself to breathe during a recent instalment. I really didn’t think they were going to make it out of there. If you love adventure and skyships and the Renaissance, check this one out:

The Archangel's Gift: A Fantasy Serial

The Archangel’s Gift: Voyage to Heaven

Serafina was just a girl when her father tried to invade heaven…

Read more

9 months ago · 24 likes · 7 comments · Ryan Kunz

—what can I say. Read anything this man writes. He’ll have your nails bitten to the quick, while you wait for the next episode to come out — or you can binge read everything so far. Don’t forget to check out his “Windtracer Tales” as well. So much fun.

Worlds of Kummer Wolfe

Legends of the Privateers Introduction and Season List

The world ended in 1712. It happened all at once, and the next day no one knew what to expect. Nations, lands, even entire cultures were turned upside down overnight. Refugees from another world now call Earth home. Everything was changed, if not transformed - including people…

Read more

2 years ago · 23 likes · 15 comments · Kummer Wolfe

is a delight and so is her serial “Sticky Witch”. I suspect things have yet to fully hit the fan but it’s cozy witch vibes meets … well, it’s going to be something big involving the fae, that’s for sure. Natalie knows her locales as well. I’m loving the little tidbits she’s drops.

Plotted Out

Sticky Witch I

I wasn’t expecting this,” Mr Galbaldi confessed. His face alternated between bewilderment and glee, clashing with his lime polo shirt and white hair. I called it “Expression No. 5,” which was much be…

Read more

a year ago · 10 likes · Natalie Phillips

OK, if you can handle Victorian gothic horror and chilling vampiric / serial killer description… I thought I couldn’t but I’m not hooked on The Intuition (still running — and it weirdly won’t let me link it in the fancier way).

started writing this vampire story … and again, it gets really chilling toward the end, but if romantic vampire adventures are for you, check out “The Art of Darkness”.

I'm Not Crazy, I Promise...

The Art of Darkness

(Cover art by The Chronicler…

Read more

2 years ago · 40 likes · 23 comments · MaKenna Grace

is writing this super-cute story about Ever, Death’s apprentice, learning on the job in Melbourne. They’re super-short dailies and I’m not quite caught up, but they are an absolute delight.

Slice of Death

Week 1 - Chapter 1: The Wake-Up Call

Ever came to be alive again - if life it could be called. He had a fully functioning body, modest clothes and little else. Most importantly, he had five, human senses that at this point in time, were…

Read more

10 months ago · 64 likes · 56 comments · KJ Harlow

I am super late to this party but if you think “meh, superheroes”, check out and she will change your mind. I’ve read all of them, but start with “Lady Radiance”. You’ll be stomping and cheering for Marissa, Christabel (OK, I may have mostly yelled at Christa), Baz, Lord Hades and … Baby Sparky. Whatever you do — do not skip the comments. Folks are having a blast in there.

The Story Scrapbook

1-1: Scientific Phenomena Verging on Magic

Radiance is a lighthearted fiction serial about one of Earth's darker timelines. It takes place around 2013 in a world where atypical abilities have become increasingly common, with the storyline following a group of minor-league superheroes based in Washington, DC. Our protagonist is Lady Radiance, former teen sensation, aka Christabel Jones, professio…

Read more

2 years ago · 16 likes · 21 comments · E.B. Howard

My fave thus far is her Science Girl! And Chained Lightning:

The Story Scrapbook

Pretend To Be Nice (1)

Science! Girl & Chained Lightning is a spinoff of Radiance; both stories take place around 2013 in a world where atypical abilities have become increasingly common, with the storyline following a group of minor-league superheroes based in Washington, DC. This one is all about belligerent not-quite-a-couple Dr. Marissa Cotlin and her favorite test subjec…

Read more

2 years ago · 12 likes · 13 comments · E.B. Howard

I recommended ’s Samuyzot series last year. He wrapped it up in June 2025 and if you weren’t still reading along. Check. It. Out. It’s an incredible story of an ostracised warrior who … well, that would be spoiling it. I adored this series for the way it broke hearts and mended them.

Falden's Forge

The First Death of Segitars Arpadi

This story is the first anecdote from the The Samyuzot, a nine-part collection of short stories; I won’t say too much more, lest I spoil the beginning below…

Read more

a year ago · 64 likes · 34 comments · Eric Falden

Now, nothing puts me to sleep faster than reading about wars and battles and so on. Boring! Except … Except whose “Daughters of Vei” had me reaching for my wallet to buy the first novel in his “The Shieldbreaker Saga” called “The Last of the Etela” which I highly recommend if only you are slavering for the next part (which is scheduled to go live in January 2026 so go read this and subscribe! His battle scenes have a zoomed-in intimate quality where you know exactly what’s on the line. Incredible stuff.

THE SHIELDBREAKER SAGA

The Daughters of Vei, PROLOGUE: Messengers

(The Daughters of Vei is a prequel to The Shieldbreaker Saga. You can buy the first novel of the series here…

Read more

a year ago · 33 likes · 19 comments · Tom Schecter

wrote a most delightful tale about a forgotten villain character and the crush he has on a ghostly librarian (it’s the sweetest LGBTQ tale), while also trying to stop the hero of his story from trying to kill him and every other villain. Oh, and it’s partly set in Sydney!

Words & Brush Strokes

Let Me Be Your Villain - Index

When Draven—the deleted villain of a fantasy book—finds himself in a library of forgotten stories, he teams up with the reluctant ghost librarian to find his author and rewrite his story before he fades out of existence…

Read more

a year ago · Ivy Bard

wrote another serial set in her Ferris Island alternate universe of the Pacific Northwest. I loved the interweaving of Sayblood’s voice in amongst the telling of the tale.

Talebones ✨

Sayblood's Children - Navigation 🍎

Genre: Folk Horror/Romance…

Read more

a year ago · 12 likes · 1 comment · S.E. Reid

Subscriber has written “The Jester”. I’m still reading it, but I am enjoying the low-key high-stakes medieval-ish adventure.

Serial Production

The Jester: Prologue

“What are you rascals up to…

Read more

2 years ago · 8 likes · 3 comments · Richard Ritenbaugh

Bonus Reading

These really shouldn’t be missed either, but check out ‘s Blackspire series that you can read for free on Substack — or you could go buy the book.

It’s not a serial but .. writes heartbreaking fantasy stories. There’s something grim and deeply beautiful and true about them. Like this one. Read it and then read the rest of his stunning work.

Dunmore Dispatch

The Midwife's War

A summer dawn colored the horizon. The old midwife sat on the front porch of her thatch-roofed shack. A breeze was blowing. The birds were awakening. Rain had visited hours ago; the fields misted like thin smoke. From somewhere out in the woods and rolling dales reported a firearm. She ignored it and continued at her task…

Read more

8 months ago · 52 likes · 38 comments · Ian Dunmore

is in the process of rebooting her publication and she writes beautiful haunting works, some of which hasn’t made it back online yet, but I’m giving her a shout-out because (a) she’s a sweetie, and (b) she’s got an incredible way with words that’s like poetry.

Look, in the presence of such giants, I could be filled with imposter syndrome, but no, I am having way too much fun reading their work and sharing it.

Over the break, I plan to continue to share new instalments of A Sword for Wellington the third book in the series, but if you haven’t started yet, what better time than when you’re:

(a) snowed in, or

(b) sitting in front of the AC

and hoping the power doesn’t cut out?

Want more reads? Check out last year’s post (there is some overlap):

What’s your favourite serial fiction for the year? Share your finds in the comments!

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I’ve talked about it enough on Notes (possibly) about how Obsidian & Flame was a shiny new idea that I couldn’t shake off and how it eventually took over my brain.

But what I have kept under wraps is the story seed.

It probably won’t shock you to learn it came from a KDrama. In particular, a moment in a scene late in a series.

The series? “Lovers of the Red Sky”, a historical fantasy which has the absolute worst first episode I’ve ever seen (somebody was playing with new CGI/AI tech of the time and had absolutely no restraint), a quite evocative and haunting soundtrack and … well, a magic system that didn’t measure up.

The villain of the piece is your typical “I will kill everyone in my way and even destroy the world in order to become the crown prince” villain. Until he wasn’t.

Selfish, at least a sociopath, ruthless, bloody-minded and played with admirable restraint by the actor Kwak Si-yang who could have easily chewed up the scenery, but held it all in for this one moment toward the end.

The prince has been arrested for treason, essentially, and is brought before the king, his father. He cries and begs his father to love him as a son and let him become the crown prince, to let him take the chaos demon into his body because that’s the only way he can live.

Yeah. Basically begging the king to look upon him as his son, to love him more than his kingdom or the world.

(You can watch this scene at episode 15, minute 18:53. It didn’t feel right using a still from the series.)

The villain begged for redemption. He had one good reason for bad choices: his need for a father’s love. But yes, being an ambitious sociopath also had a fair bit to do with it. His wanting to become the crown prince unleashed the chaos demon in the first place.

That character and his inner conflict eventually became Panawr. He’s not as ruthless as his inspiration and soon took on his own persona.

I tried to imagine a redeeming for him, a way he could succeed without continuing to lose his humanity. It’s something I often end up doing for villains who do all the wrong things for the right reasons. I also like to imagine happy endings for second male leads.

The idea of redeeming a bad guy would not let go. I’ve done it before. My first traditionally published book Dangerous to Know was all about redeeming the rake.

I didn’t want to write this as fanfic, so I kept what was important: the need to be loved by a parent, the spreading wound, the need to become king.

The bath scene (a reflective moment in episode 8 (minute 10)) became a series of hot springs/sauna scenes and I gave them a purpose. Ahem.

Ok, we are getting into spoiler territory here, so if you don’t want to get spoiled, stop reading here and head to the serial, if you haven’t read it already:

I obviously moved it into my dreigiau môr universe.

When I did the first round of plotting, his parent, the Esteemed, initially started out male but that did not survive the actual writing. I may have to write Eigr’s and Rhydderch’s love story at some point.

Panawr became reclusive and more morally gray than outright villain. The wound began on his shoulder and turned his skin into shiny obsidian and spread. It’s caused by a monster and infects other people.

He needed a foil, someone who would be on his side. She fell out of the pen in that first scene, and I discovered she had a gift she couldn’t use. I didn’t know what that meant but I plotted a fiery end for her.

Redemption survived the actual writing too but in two earlier drafts it also ended in tragedy. Like, both Panawr and Arddun die in a failed coup. I shared the original ending already, but to summarise Arddun blazed in revenge and took Cynwal with her. Panawr’s redeemed from being the bad guy but doing the right thing doesn’t always work out, especially when the consequences of past actions catch up to you.

I also became intrigued in what would happen if you were chosen to fulfil a role but you missed the boat? That you had to save someone but didn’t know who until it was too late? How far would a person go to save someone if it also meant losing everything?

Did you notice their marks? The shape of Panawr’s remaining infection mark that only Arddun can see. And hers being a round circle? Oh yeah, they’ve been marked for the Chosen Court, only they’ve never been recognised as such, because Panawr never made it to Maeve and has been so isolated since.

I know, right?

I built a playlist to reflect the darker tone. It has a lot of tracks from the “Lovers of the Red Sky” OST which is quite suitably brooding. You can check that out here:

When Panawr took me to task for the original ending (and the second ending) (see here where I talk about characters talking to me), on the third iteration, Arddun’s gift became bigger too. It is still there in her calling for justice and was always meant to heal Panawr. But what started out as a tool of vengeance became one of soul healing. She touches the souls of Eigr, Cynwal and Indeg, and breaks Morfudd at the end. It also enabled Panawr’s redemption: in saving the caer from the spread of disease, he almost gets burnt to a crisp.

“Worth it,” is all Panawr will say on that score.

There are a few KDrama tropes in Obsidian & Flame: the argumentative first interaction, the falling and being caught by him, getting drunk together and him cushioning her head when she passes out, and finally, their meeting as children, which occurred in the short story “Against Destiny” (more on that in a minute).

One KDrama trope that I broke was that they don’t kiss until … the beginning of the third part!!! Way after the usual halfway mark of KDramas.

It would have happened sooner, but the story kept growing.

Enter ’s prompt quest. My short story resulted in a whole new stack of dreigiau môr lore around the winter solstice involving making offerings to dead ancestor, Goddess cakes and the consequences of deliveries not made.

The short story gave me the external conflict to make the story bigger than Panawr or Arddun and made Panawr look outside his own issues for once.

It also gave me wonderful winter solstice scenes in Obsidian & Flame, Panawr actually tasting Goddess cakes for the first time is possibly my favourite thing I’ve ever written.

The story also influenced A River Trembles and A Sword for Wellington, which now has a winter solstice scene. Yep, I went back and rewrote.

Thank You

I need to thank both for that story prompt and for teaching me how a spear-fight could legitimately happen. I also couldn’t have finished this without you: those who encouraged me to follow the Shiny New Idea, as well as those of you who have liked, commented and shared an instalment of Obsidian & Flame.

Future Story Seeds

Attending a symphony (Tchaikovsky’s 6th) resulted in a loose plot outline for another part (or two) of this series. They’re not banging down the door to have it told though, so even though they interrupted my writing of A Sword for Wellington, I think I can safely work on the final book in The Môrdreigiau Chronicles series before finding out what happened to Panawr and Arddun after they left the caer.

That is, if you want to read it.

Ok, is there anything about this story I didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments and I’ll either answer there or write another post about it!

Want to read The Môrdreigiau Chronicles from the beginning?

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wrote two years ago about characters and magical thinking vs knowing your craft. He shared it again recently (ish. May 2025) and it got me thinking, even before I listened to the interview he linked to.1

Write More with Simon K JonesWhen your characters come to life

The interviewee, Sarah Perry, talks about how characters are all imagination and there is no woo woo (not her words), or magical thinking involved in this.

My gut response is both: yes, she’s right, it is all about the craft and especially having it internalised so you don’t think about it, much like the way you don’t consciously think about making a cup of tea or coffee, or tying your shoelaces, you just do it. (Does anyone still have shoelaces??)

And it’s also, no, we don’t fully understand how the brain and our imagination works, and what we don’t understand becomes mystery, magical.

I do subscribe more to the mystery side of things.

A case in point is how one of my characters in Obsidian and Flame bargained with me to save Arddun’s life.

Repeatedly. Obsidian and Flame ballooned from six parts to twenty as a result.

In truth, the original ending felt poetic, dramatic, but didn’t sit right. However, that knowledge came through Panawr telling me to change it.

Panawr took issue with Arddun dying. He was fine with dying, it was Arddun he wanted to save, possibly after being unable to save Trachmyr. After the second time I wrote it (it had grown to 12 parts by this point), he very clearly disapproved. He didn’t want it to end that way.

Fine, I thought at him on a train ride into town, tell me how and I will do it, only the title still needs to make sense. There still needs to be flame.

He reminded me of the dreigiau môr’s core value of life being most important (and if you think that sounds a wee bit Jewish, you’d be right. You can thank my eight years working at a synagogue for that one) and delivered on the way they survive.

I have never had a character talk back at me like that before. I can sense when something I’ve written is untrue (that resulted in a rewrite of book two of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles) but actually make demands? That was new.

I couldn’t do this without knowing the character inside and out. The story seed for Obsidian & Flame is a whole other post (coming soon).

I used to build full character sketches diving into archetypes, baggage, background history, inner and outer conflicts, etc. But these days, it’s more of a forensic bio (eye colour, distinguishing marks) because I spend time imagining the scenes, even rehearsing them before I write them down.

Then I put pen to paper and all being well, the story flows and the characters say and do what I rehearsed and more than occasionally will surprise me with a new twist or knowledge.

When a scene doesn’t work or feel right, it’s usually a sign that I haven’t delved deeply enough into a character and how they would respond in a situation. At that point, I will interview them or take a writing prompt and do a discovery writing session with them … and then adjust the novel or stack of scenes throughout.

If you are a writer, how are your characters formed?

For my readers, can you even tell the difference?

Next week: The Story Behind Obsidian & Flame, where the inspiration for the various pieces came from, especially our hero, Panawr.

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Spoiler, spoilers ahoy. If you haven’t read all of “Obsidian and Flame” yet, then … well, you just better.

Obsidian and Flame began as a six part serial. It grew to 20 parts. I’ll talk about whys and wherefores of that next week, but here is the original ending.

A reminder that this is largely unedited, aside from the typo I found just now.

As you may recall in Act 3, Chapter 6 (of the final version), Arddun had found the infection on her arm and woke to find Panawr missing…

Blinking, she sat up, allowing her sleeve to fall back to her shoulder. In the crease of her elbow, she found a perfect black circle, a finger-width in diameter, its interior filled with a mottled purple and green.

Arddun swallowed. She pulled down the cuff of her robe over her arm.

She had healed Panawr, but the infection had spread to her. She looked around for him. Had her gift of healing been temporary?

Tying her robe about her, she padded out of his bedroom and into the main room. Finding it empty, she called out to Panawr, casting her thought into his mind.

:Stay where you are,: came his response, curt and swift. :It’s safer.:

:Safer than what?:

Panawr didn’t answer.

Her house lay far from the palace but she knew her thought could reach her father. :What’s going on?: she demanded by way of greeting.

:Daughter, where are you? Come to me, and I’ll get you out of the caer. You’ll be safe.:

Arddun clutched her robe about her neck, chills running along her neck. :First, explain. What is going on?:

:The four.: Her father’s thought choked out. :They and their families were murdered last night.:

She sank to the floor, horror stealing all her strength. :What? Who? How?:

:Cynwal has gone mad, Indeg says. The next I heard, the royal guards, their families, the sea-rice gatherers, everyone, are attacking the palace.:

Arddun covered her face. :They’re taking the palace, the throne, by force.:

Her father lowered his thought to a whisper. :It’s rebellion.:

She staggered to her feet and to the door. It failed to open at her touch. She pounded on it.

:Lady Arddun,: an unfamiliar voice broadcast into the prince’s chambers.

:Who is this?: she demanded, fists clenched against the fossilised wood door.

:You don’t know me. I’m Faran, a royal guard. Prince Panawr asked me to keep you safe.:

:I remember you.: The young man at the training ground who’d asked Panawr for justice. :You’ve blocked the door. Prince Panawr asked this of you?:

:We came and freed Prince Panawr. He said—: Faran choked. :—That he couldn’t let them risk their lives without him. He couldn’t let them die for him.:

Arddun let out a sob, covering her mouth. :How long ago?:

:Not long. Indeed, Prince Panawr said it was a wonder you didn’t wake.:

Could she stop it? Stop the fighting, stop Panawr before their political system shattered? Before someone killed him? :I need to get out of here.:

:I can’t do that. I promised—:

:Don’t you want to be there?: She flattened her palm against the door. :Don’t you want to fight alongside him on this historic day?:

Faran hesitated. Arddun listened hard for his next words. :I do, but—:

:Then let me go!: Arddun leaned against the door as if she could push her way through the impenetrable rock.

:I promised the prince to stay.:

Frustrated, she spun away from the door. Returning, she hit the door with the heel of her hand.

The door swung open, Faran nowhere in sight.

Arddun flowed down the steps, her feet barely touching the ground. She hurried toward the Esteemed’s bedchambers, guessing that would be the rebels’ destination. She hoped to catch up to them before —

Clashes and cries up ahead brought her worst fears into reality. The battle had been joined.

The corridors were too narrow for the rebels to fully engage. Still wearing their royal guard sashes, they stood several dreigiau môr deep, pushing forward.

Arddun retreated. They pressed into the royals’ private dining room. There was another way in. She ascended a flight of stairs, hurried along an empty corridor that opened out into a colonnade above the dining room. She hid behind a column, peeking through the rounded arch at the melee below.

The fighting spilled out of the hallway and into the dining room’s open space The massive and heavy dining table had somehow been pushed onto its side. Arddun glimpsed dreigiau môr hiding behind it.

Panawr led the rebels.

In front of the tipped over table, Cynwal and Panawr traded blows with their spears. They used them as fighting staffs, occasionally jabbing with the long blade at one end.1

Both princes bled from various wounds. Dark blood soaked through Panawr’s left shoulder. Cynwal’s robe was also rent and stained with patches of blood.

Arddun held her breath, not daring to distract Panawr. None saw her, or if they did, didn’t see her as a threat. The stewards fought on Cynwal’s side along with members from the extended royal family. They had not the practiced prowess of the royal guards and slowly, they were being beaten back.

Cynwal swiveled his spear and plunged it deep into Panawr’s shoulder. He pulled it out, blood gushing into the water. Panawr sank to his knees.

Arddun screamed. She dove off the other level, diving for Panawr. :No!:

Panawr’s head turned toward her. :Arddun, get out of here! Flee!: He swayed in the current.

:No!:

Cynwal paused in the act of raising his spear for the killing blow, staring nonplussed at Arddun’s advance. Panawr struggled to rise and the movement caught the golden prince’s attention. He plunged the spear deep into Panawr’s chest, twisting the blade as he hauled it back out.

Arddun almost lost sight of his slumped form in the rising miasma of black clouds of blood.

Despite the roaring of her own frightened heart, Arddun landed between the princes. She flung her arms around Panawr, hands cupping his head. If this was to be their last moment moment together, her eyes would hold the image of him and no other.

:Arddun…: Blood spurted from Panawr’s lips. :Ar…: His eyes closed, his body lying still and heavy in her arms.

She tapped his cheeks. :No. No, no, Panawr. Please, no. Stay with me, love.: Slow realisation dawned. :Panawr? Panawr!:

Cynwal’s roar of victory broke through her sobbing litany.

She looked over her shoulder at him. Blood streamed in all directions from the point of his bloody spear. His teeth bared in a rictus of wild-eyed triumph. The spear arched back, aimed at her.

Arddun screamed, leaping to her feet and pointed at Cynwal.

Witnesses say at that moment, Arddun became a living flame. Those who had visited Above Sea, likened her screams to the roar of wildfire. She burned with gold and blue flames, her outline distinctly visible in the conflagration.

Cynwal, stumbled back, astonished and flung his spear anyway. The spear flew wide, clattering useless on the marble floor.

From her outstretched hand, it was not fire that streamed forth, but ash: swirling curlicues of black, glittering dust. It rolled in inexorable waves toward Cynwal, heaving, twisting and surging as if it was a living thing in its own right.

It hit Cynwal’s chest, foaming like a waterfall down his front before spreading across his body to completely engulf him. Some say they heard Cynwal’s terrified screams from within the obsidian maelstrom but others said they heard nothing but the roar of Arddun’s rage and sorrow.

The last of the burning ash left Arddun’s hand, embedding into Cynwal. The glittering blackness hung like storm clouds, hiding Cynwal from view.

Slowly, slowly, the blackness turned in on itself, roiling and flaring. It grew smaller and smaller. Cynwal remained invisible, some thought he’d fallen to his knees, but the black cloud continued to condense, continued to feed, until it vanished utterly. No trace of Cynwal remained.

In an instant, her flame extinguished. Arddun collapsed, her green robes now coloured the pale gray of ash. She lay full length alongside the fallen Prince Panawr, her skin leached of all its warmth.

On Panawr’s bicep, then on Arddun’s wrist, something flared blue and winked out.

It’s often asked why there hasn’t been a Chosen Court in so long. This story is one answer to that question.

Author Notes

Yes, if you haven’t twigged that the wounds that both Panawr and Arddun bear are actually Chosen Court marks, well, now you know.

This last sentence never made it into the “official” version. Why? Because part of me hopes that you will want to read more about Panawr and Arddun’s adventures. II’ll use the sentence eventually.2

A poll is the easiest way to find out your interest, although historically, few of you respond (no pressure, just a noticing). Therefore comment, DM or email me, if you would like to see more with these two.

Next week we’ll chat about how and why the ending changed to its current state and then after that, I wanna share the story seeds of how Obsidian and Flame became a story idea that just wouldn’t Shut Up.

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There will be an edited version of this coming up on my YouTube channel at some point, along with a recent ephemera haul.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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I’m putting this one behind the curtain because this is not just a response to one of the last 30 Days Fantasy Writing Prompts challenge (hosted by and held in July 2025), it’s also a writing prompt for you.

[Not a writer? Keep reading for Rhi’s thoughts on the Branwen Star story and then pop on down to find out who are some of my favourite writers on Substack.]

I’ll let Rhiannon start telling you about it. This was a scrawled note on the back fly leaf of the volume of:

A Star fell. Or rather, she abdicated and left a tiny village on a tiny island far to the north of the Scottish Hebrides for parts unknown.

But the story is so old and has been retold so many times, that the truth has blurred and become muddled, in a way that no other tale by a dreigiau môr bard has done so. Perhaps it is the Above Sea human influence at work.

Some bards say the Star drowned, others say she flew into the heavens and became the only star you can see on a cloudy night. Other bards say she ran off with an advocate and lived happily ever after. Still others say the two decided they’d be better off being friends.

One thing is certain: the Star fell and there were Consequences.

The story of the village after Branwen ferch Seren left her Above Sea abode is of no concern to dreigiau môr. Our world doesn’t contain weather gods and only the undersides of fishing boats.

Yet it’s a story that I often wondered about. Did the god Taranis fade away into cloud and star and simply become Weather? Did he find a new way forward with a new Star? Were the people of Sterah wiped out or did they survive?

When I was a brand-new bard, I was also grieving the death of my dearest friend Gorowyn and sought to drown my sorrow in work. I reviewed all the stories, including visiting the Bardic Library and consulting with the bones there. I journeyed Above Sea, traveling far to the north, finding the island of Unst, but no village by that name.

Among the humans, I learned that a people known as Vikings had claimed the area and very few of the old names remained. As to the story of a broken contract with a weather god? I couldn’t find any direct connection.

One of the potential threads that I like best is the grisly discovery of bones entwined on a bed in a cliff top hut. An elderly woman, one of the last residents of a nearby village, remembered the story of a woman named Mari who ascended the hill and never came back. From that, a poet spun a tale of a man and a woman who met in a cliff top hut, fell in love and lived a quiet, long life together.

I like to think that man was the god Taranis who chose love and mortality over a lonely eternity. However, there’s no evidence that the man was anything other than ordinary.

Alas, The Red Book of Rhiannon is meant for dreigiau môr tales, not human ones, so I cannot include it in this volume.

And now, dear reader/writer, it is your turn. Take any possibility or POV from the excerpt above. Answer one of Rhiannon’s questions or find new ones to answer.

You’ll have a month to work on this … after September 4, 2025, I will do a link round-up (“Rhiannon’s Collected Above Sea Tales”) and I’ll be sure to send reminders via Chat (if you’re a subscriber) and Notes (if you’re not). Share the link to your story in the comments below, so everyone can read it.

Nitty-gritty

Format: ANY! From micro-fiction to as many parts of a serial you can complete in the allotted time and all points in between. It could be poetry, play, or movie script. It could even be a comic or graphic novel (although I realise I’m not leaving enough time for writing and drawing and colouring).

Genre: sub-genre of fantasy: high adventure, mystery, magic realism, romantic, romantasy, high, low, middle of the road, fairytale, sword & sorcery, heck, any genre if you can make the connections.

My only rule: Two Three Rules:

1. No generative AI usage: in either imagery or words. Assistive AI (like spell check) is ok. LLM chat bots are not. If in doubt, drop me a DM.

2. Post your work on Substack and make it free to read.

3. Link to it in the comments below and let us know the sub-genre.

I’m not going to make you read the four stories before this coda (although you can if you like, I’ll link to them at the end), so here’s the gist:

Setting: the village Sterah on the isle of Unst, in the north of the Shetland Islands

Era: pre-Viking, population likely Pictish.

What’s Happened: The weather god Taranis contracted with a woman from a small fishing village to act as a warning beacon to the fisherman when the weather changed. This contract has been broken by the last Star.

Above Sea cast so far:

Taranis (the weather god, blond, buff, wears a loincloth and a cloak made of clouds and stars)

Mari (Star-in-training, bright, pretty, ready to assume the mantle)

Assorted elders, fishermen and fishwives.

Create your own characters and you might even want to play with the idea of descendants of these characters, or even hark back to how the contract was first made (I have dropped seeds on that score in the story).

I’ll be staying Under Sea and hoping Ardwyad and Branwen share whether or not they do get together.

Hey, readers who are not also writers, tune back in here!

I am boldly imagining some of my favourite writers joining in (and you might like to check out their work): , or writing a romance for our two leads; writing about a descendent (of the village, or of the god) ending up on Ferris Island; , who already writes about gods so eloquently; or perhaps looking at the village’s death knell (hey you guys do get a bit dark but surprise me with romance!), , or delivering a rip-snorting adventure, bringing in the Grey, ’s expertise on fairytales, marketplaces and matriarchs, adding her fey touch.

(Note: none of these writers are obliged to write a thing, but they are all worth checking out if you haven’t already.)

There are other writers I could include here but at least one of them just had a baby (can you imagine Judith and Tim honeymooning on the Shetlands, ? I can, although it’s probably not affordable on their salaries. Now, Ferris Island on the other hand ….) so if I didn’t mention you and I’m subscribed to your publication, I already feel more than a little obnoxious about tagging so many already! Join in, please!

Also, if everyone writes about Mari and Taranis, I’d not be mad about it. Romance could use a boost on Substack.

I’ll start a comment thread below for you to declare interest. Once your story is posted, pop back to the comments and leave a link to your story.

The (Non-Essential) Story So Far:

The Stars Were Bright

The Winner Takes It All

Slightly Worn But Dignified

Now I Pay The Price

Now. It’s over to you!

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I know, it’s a scintillating title and I could probably easily describe how I edit in a single paragraph, but instead, let me waffle on about it for 20 minutes, although some of that is taken up by my chatting about A Sword for Wellington, book 3 in The Môrdreigiau Chronicles and revealing the trailer for the book.

This is the third in my new series over on YouTube. If you haven’t seen them yet, I do have a playlist (hopefully that link worked below). A couple of the videos are on topics I’ve already talked about here but I have shared them in my monthly digestibles.

Did you know you can subscribe for free and have posts like these, plus fiction, delivered to your inbox? Thank you if you already subscribe! I appreciate you being here! Subscribe to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles:

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PS. My absolute favourite chapter of Obsidian and Flame is coming out this weekend. Catch up now!

That’s all from me for now!

Feel free to use this recording to write alongside me for about 30 minutes. That could be 30 minutes of writing you wouldn’t otherwise get done! You’ll get to hear the sounds of suburban Australia (mostly birds) as well as me complain about my pen.

I turned off the AI noise reduction because it weirdly—very weirdly—turned birdsong into people talking. Creepy.

I combined two sets of prompts to write this new tale that will appear in The Red Book of Rhiannon. Here they are for you to try!

Gibberish

FFF - MerMay

New To Gibberish? Check out Navigation for Newcomers…

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a year ago · 13 likes · 6 comments · Scoot

Fictionistas

May's Let's Write Together

If you didn’t make it tonight’s Writing Prompt Party, you are not alone — Nicole was! Anyway, that doesn’t mean you’ve missed out on your shot of writing fiction with us this month, scroll down to get your chance to join this month’s fun with a little chat and your opportunity to write to our prompt…

Read more

a year ago · 8 likes · 1 comment · Nicole Rivera and Jackie Dana

Some highlights from video:

2:40 after the show and tell, sharing the prompts

6:44 actually starting the writing

7:20 complain about the pen

7:55 still complaining about the pen

9:30 reads out a line of the story

12:19 rambling a bit about dreigiau môr conversation method

12:45 realises I set the wrong timer

19:45 that screech was a red wattlebird (they sound like an angry chicken)

21:33 notices a new arrival and reexplains everything

28:05 five minute warning

31:44 plot point for book 4 appears!

33:05 time’s up

34:00 taking another look at the new short story journal

And that’s a wrap! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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I just got back from a week long bus tour of South Korea, visiting a bunch of KDrama filming sites and let me tell you it was so magical I was messaging Meg Oolders in the middle of the night to tell someone—anyone who cared—that we were staying in the hotel used as the North Korean hotel in “Crash Landing on You”, for the North Korean hotel. You know, the one with listening devices.

The tour1 is led by Jeanie Chang, a licensed family and marriage therapist, who discovered that setting KDramas as homework for her clients fostered connection and healing. She’s written a book “How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing, and Mental Health”. She asked each of us to answer that question in the first days of the tour.

But first, here’s that stunning interior with me voice over raving about the trip highlights, which I realise will make no sense to you if you haven’t yet got on the KDrama Wagon Train.

How Has K-Drama Transformed My Life?

KDramas (particularly the romantic ones) are like a comfy cozy blanket to soothe myself with. I started watching them before the pandemic, but now, aside from the occasional Western drama and C-Drama, they are all I watch.

Then I realised—wait a minute, the reason why I am writing again is because of KDramas!

If you’ve been here since the beginning, you might remember this post:

But if not, here’s what happened: after having been published with a NY publisher, I burned out. As I wasn’t a best-selling author, I had to remake myself to find that next contract.

I couldn’t have named this at the time, and in fact would have argued strenuously with you about it, should you have dared to suggest it, but the whole publication process didn’t align with my values, my reason for writing, so I quit.

I write to get the stories out, to let my imagination run where it wants to, not to be fitted into some sort of subgenre box within a box.

In K-Dramas, the heroine often has to choose between two men (does this sound familiar?). The second male lead is often just as interesting a character as the male lead and, imho, often more likable. Even the bad boys.

This Second Male Lead Syndrome (where we want her to choose the other guy—yes, this is a thing) led me to making up stories where the second male lead finds true love.

Examples would be Kim Woo-bin’s high school bully in “The Heirs” (or “The Inheritors”), Lee Hyun as the princely cousin in “The King’s Affection”, and Yoo Yeon-seok as Dong-mae, the bad boy Korean butcher-boy turned Japanese samurai. (Can you tell I got invested?)

Don’t they deserve happy endings too?

Fast forward over 15 years of not writing fiction to 2023. I needed to justify a stationery supply purchase and the first idea was to write a fictional journal (that part at least stuck). The story idea was basically a time travel KDrama, a thoroughly-honoured trope in both romance novels and Korean drama.

The story evolved from a Joseon-era time travel to what The Môrdreigiau Chronicles are today: a Regency miss needing to save the world from ecological collapse via finding Arthurian treasures, set mostly in West Wales, with sea dragons. (And Second Male Lead Syndrome #sorrynotsorry)

Thus, thanks to KDramas and the invitation to consider writing as play, I became a writer again, putting out chapters once a week with multiple serials in the works!

This has changed my life from being a person who spends time in the studio painting to one who struggles to find the time to paint.

Both painting and writing are good for my mental health. They both fully engage my brain and give me joy in various ways. While it’s more obvious to me how the painting process helps me work through obstacles or baggage, I’m sure the writing is also cathartic in some way that I just can’t see.

Or maybe it doesn’t have to serve an additional purpose: it can just be to play.

KDramas transformed my life because it gave me back my writing and allowed me to play without toeing some production deadline or outline.

Did this recent trip inspire me? Uhh, yes it did. At the time of scheduling this, I haven’t written any fiction for over two weeks.

The ancient Silla capital of Gyeongu inspired a new story although it is very nebulous despite the handful of supplies I purchased from a calligraphy shop in Seoul. (Because of course we’re talking fictional journals again.)

It was odd: Gyeongu felt weirdly familiar and yet disjointed, like the city had disappeared and yet was hiding in plain sight.

There are hills near the burial mounds that my guide said were natural hills and I’m like no way, those are earthen walls for the palace. Maybe it was the lost archaeologist in me, but maybe I just knew … because I later read that they are the city walls, man-made, not natural!

But the story will require a ton of research because I know next to nothing about the ancient kingdom of Silla, and this story, if I am to do it justice, needs to be well-researched because as someone who writes historicals, you’ve got to know your time period.

While I steered clear of appropriating a culture that’s not mine when I first returned from writing, this era seems so ancient (like it’s a thousand-year time period that ended in 935 BCE), that maybe it would be okay if a non-Korean wrote this story. Or maybe it won’t come to anything, like the story set in Glastonbury and Wells that has a single glimpsed scene in a deja vu moment and I haven’t been able to hang a whole story from it yet.

In the meantime, partly because I love K-Dramas so much and partly because they are such fun story-telling tropes, I obviously can’t help but bring in some elements that would be familiar to KDrama watchers and not jarring to those who don’t. I get a kick out of including them.

Because without K-Dramas, who knows? Maybe this Substack would never exist.

PS. I am thinking of doing a Substack Live answering a whole host of questions (that I already have) as part of pivoting to a more author-y channel over at YouTube. I’ll be talking about writing and probably K-Dramas, so if you have any questions, please get them to me (reply to this email or DM me in Substack or the Chat) before Friday Australia time, as I’ll either be going live or recording on Saturday, depending.

Did you know you can subscribe for free and have posts like these, plus fiction, delivered to your inbox? Thank you if you already subscribe! I appreciate you being here! Subscribe to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles:

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sparked today’s piece about all the different kinds of serials. He spoke of two kinds1, specifically the novel that is serialised and then the entity that is, well, a serial.

But if you’ve been around media of any sort, you know that there are more than two different kinds of serial. I’m counting six seven, although one of those could be considered a stretch. Bear with.

For ease of writing about this, let’s start with some definitions.

First serial is fiction that is shared in instalments. It doesn’t matter what media: online text (like here on Substack), TV, streaming, comics, or thick chunky books. I’ll talk more about reader expectations of serials below, but obviously some genres fit the serial structure better than others.

For ease of talking about serials, I am assuming the instalments come out weekly, but know that instalments could come out daily, twice a week, or monthly. Or if you are George R.R. Martin, potentially decades?? (I know, that was low hanging fruit.)

Let’s start with the one that Simon mentioned. (We’ll pick up the second a little later.)

1. The Novel

Simon calls it the novel that you write and then serialise. It’s your novel, of any genre, that can run for a year or two (posting once a week). It’s written, edited and polished before the first instalment is released.

Instalments are broken into chapters, just like in regular books. Chapters will often end when the scene ends, with the occasional ramping of tension that makes you want to turn to the next page.

I’d argue that the novelist, like the serialist, wants you to keep turning pages. So all that is said about serials in that they have hooks and cliffhangers, to some extent holds true for novels as well. Those page turners we can’t put down until the sun comes up are great serial reading … except with weekly instalments we writers keep the reader waiting.

EXCEPT! There is a difference in that certain kinds of novels ignore this hook-cliffhanger structure. Literary novels as opaque as James Joyce or memoir-ish lyrical slices of life where the story question might be existential, but not deadly. In fact, there would be something lovely about reading a slice of life chapter once a week, gently dropped into your inbox like a bouquet of flowers. It’s still a serial BUT your reader expectations are different — we’re here for the lyrical writing, not the nail biting dash to find the grail.

2. The Novel-Sized Serial

The novel-sized serial takes the serial structure into account. Instead of leaving the novel in its approximately 20 manuscript pages a chapter format, the end of the instalment ends with those story questions and cliffhangers and the beginning of the next instalment reminds the reader what happened last time and situates the characters within their scene/locale even if that would be weird to do in the middle of a scene.

The instalments of a novel-sized serial are geared to being released in a way that keeps the reader reading. Consider editing your already existing novel in such a way that the reader will want to read the next instalment.

A Grail for Eidothea was initially written as a novel (actually it’s a long novella). When I prepped it for publication, I went through it to find strong stopping points that held either a cliffhanger or a story question that would make the reader want to tune in next time (same bat time, same bat channel). I often break mid-scene as cliffhangers do not need to be huge, but at least offer up an intriguing question.

I also try to keep the instalments at about the same length. Lately I’ve gone from around 1,800 words an instalment to 2,500. I think there is no cut and dried number — again, it’s all about reader expectations.

In the Asian drama world, particularly in China, a series can be 50+ episodes — longer than a Peter Jackson director’s cut — and just as beautiful to watch. I don’t know if it’s how Viki edits them for release, but they always end midscene or with a cliffhanger.

3. The Episodic Serial

That may sound oxymoronic but Simon describes it well:

Examples of these are sitcoms and cop/detective/mystery shows. Even family dramas like The Big Valley have episodes that you can watch out of order and pretty much figure out who’s who and what’s what. Enjoying the ride and the short storyness of each episode. Everything is resolved within the 30 minutes or the hour.

These can run for a number of years. Simon’s Triverse is up to three years, for example. (Am I caught up? Not even close.) But the longer the serial runs, the more likely it becomes a:

4. Through Arc Serial

Many TV series today have moved from this “adventure a week” theme and have a through arc. The arc is a longer story told over a series of episodes. It might be a slow burn romance or investigating a longer case while solving shorter ones.

As a reader, you can still drop in and read any episode and get most of what was going on but maybe wonder why that one character is angsting about something over in the corner.

Series like MacLeod’s Daughters have an ongoing “make the farm organic” story, plus the will-they-or-won’t-they romances while peppered with shorter stories that can take a single or multiple episodes.

I have experimented with the episodic sitcom/serial form by writing Hiraeth as a monthly series. However much I wanted each episode to be self-contained, I included a through arc of a slow burn possible romance and one story ran to two episodes. Maybe when it comes back from hiatus, it’ll be more like the old pre-Eccleston Doctor Who serials of three-four parts (like Simon’s Triverse series) along with a slow burn romance through arc because every one knows it’s all over when the leads finally get together. (Unless it’s a KDrama at which point you’re at episode 13 and the external plot and/or childhood trauma is going to hit the fan.)

5 Limited Edition Serial

Then there are the (usually) perfectly paced serials that are Romantic KDramas, or the limited edition serials that you see on Substack by and . They are a set number of episodes (around 10-12 instalments). Both of these authors write them week to week (which frankly astonishes me) but you could easily take the novelist approach with these and write the whole thing before you start to release instalments.

Too important for a footnote:

How you write a serial does not define the work as a serial. What’s important is that you write it and put it out there. Whether you write it in novel-sized chunks or a season at a time, write week to week, or some other way. How you structure the work is key to what makes it a serial.

I’ve been writing my main serial a novel at a time, releasing one novel while I write the next one. As it takes about 9-12 months to release a novel-sized serial in instalments, I have plenty of time (theoretically) to write and polish the next novel.

For example, I’m currently in the last third of releasing book 2. Book 3 is in edits, and book 4 has bits written but the rest is all handwavey.

Romantic KDramas are usually 16 episodes long (although 12 episodes is becoming more common). They have their own structure, but are meant to be watched from beginning to end on a weekly basis.

However, they are still a serial which means each instalment usually always end in a story question or promise. In KDramas, this often means that people stop what they’re doing when someone says or does something huge and stare at each other, cue music and montage.

An example of the larger story structure in romantic KDramas, is that the lead couple (almost) always kiss for the first time in episode 8, the promise being you get to relive that kiss at the start of episode 9.2

Watch enough romantic KDramas and you can be thrilled when they break one of the tropes and kiss as early as episode 3. Ahem.

My upcoming Obsidian and Flame is a Limited Edition serial. It was meant to be 6 parts but it’s ballooned to um, 18.

But wait there’s more.

6 The Soap Serial

Remember I talked about longer running episodic serials that have through arcs? Now take those through arcs and weave them together between multiple families and you have a soap. A new subplot starts while another plot is still ongoing.

Sure, you can walk away from Days of Our Lives and come back after 10 years and still find the staple characters, but you’ll also spend several episodes trying to identify the newer characters, how they are related to the older characters, and what the hell I thought Roman really died last time?! (No, that was just me?)

These are the serials that last for decades, written by a team of writers with multi-season long story arcs. They are basically an episodic serial, but with no end in sight.

It would, actually, be kind of fun to do something like this. I mean, I did coordinate a season 5 of Lois & Clark in the past, so I know it is no easy task and those were stand-alone episodes, not interlinked. Imagine trying to weave in scenes and then have the characters interact cross-story. Mind blown.

I don’t know of a Substack example of this. Is there one? Let me know in the comments.

Last one, I promise:

7. Universes

Marvel movies. The Star Wars franchise. My Môrdreigiau Chronicles. ’s Ferris Island. ’s Cethanwald (he just named it!), ’s Windtracer Tales, to name just a few.

Basically, why be restricted to one kind of serial when you can do all of them within the same universe?

In Substack fiction land, whether they are short stories, long or short serials, or even sharing lore, they all exist in the same world. The variety enables the reader to taste the writing in a shorter work before committing to something that might take years to read.

Outro

There you have it! The seven kinds of serials — and I’m sure it’s not comprehensive, so feel free to drop a comment on that and share how it’s different to the ones I’ve listed.

If you’re a reader, what kinds of serials do you prefer to read?

If you’re a writers, what kinds of serials do you write?

Share in the comments below!

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Write More with Simon K Jones

The Novel vs The Serial: exploring the structural differences

There’s been an odd thing in television in the last decade. The injection of vast amounts of streaming money, combined with HBO raising the production value expectations of TV with Game of Thrones (2011-2019), prompted a shift in the types of stories being told…

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a year ago · 55 likes · 34 comments · Simon K Jones

2

Want to know more? Check out:

Excited Mark!

How to Write a Kdrama Romantic Comedy

Hobbies are crucial to keeping us not just sane but happy. We’ve all got different ways of unwinding: calligraphy, rock-climbing, birding, aerial silks, softball, baking, you name it. For me, I’ve always got novels rattling around in my…

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2 years ago · 5 likes · 3 comments · Esther Bergdahl

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I stopped writing fiction for a long long time before the seed that became A Grail for Eidothea was planted. Now all the ideas have come rushing back. I have a massive four book trilogy to finish (yeah, it was meant to be a trilogy but *shrug*) plus every time I read an instalment of ‘s Arthurian Locksley serial (first section of that is free to read, the rest is behind a paywall), I want to work on my own Arthurian novel.

And then, this happened on the 15th October, 2024.

The Shiny Idea

was on the money. And yes, I’m about to relay this story via screenshots of the Notes I posted as I struggled with this story that Would. Not. Let. Go.

A week later, I started writing it…

It’s definitely not a novelette.

Authorstrator

Dear New Story Idea,

Dear new story idea…

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2 years ago · 100 likes · 25 comments · Meaghan McIsaac

Done “by the end of the week”?? Ahahhahahahahaha. Ahem. Case in point:

“this one is all written” refers to A River Trembles that is currently being serialised.

The Shiny New Idea Story is Obsidian & Flame, the Story That Just Won’t Quit. Twice since mid-November, I have declared that it is finished. Reader, I finally have a draft done (for real this time), but let’s pause at this point where I realise that the new shiny idea is seriously impacting the writing I’m supposed to be doing.

A Sword for Wellington hadn’t lost its shine. Admittedly, it took some juggling to bring the two storylines together.

So what to do?

Should You Ignore The Shiny Idea?

Probably not if your shiny idea is a short story and you don’t have conflicting commitments. However, you can’t indie or trad publish an unfinished novel. That said, even if it hints at something longer, maybe go play with it for a day or so to see if it has legs. We writer are dreamers after all.

If your goal is publication (and being a paid writer) and you’ve never finished a novel before and the Shiny New Idea is novel-sized … don’t follow that shiny idea too far.

I know, it could be your life’s work and it still could be. Just not for the next six months. Spend a day with it, write it down, promise you’ll come back to it, or set it free, back to the muse. writes about this in Big Magic and I too have experienced giving a story back only to see something similar pop up in the book world a year or more later.

If you are under contract to produce X amount of books in Y time, then yes, ignore the shiny idea. You can still promise that shiny idea that you’ll come back to it. Instead, ask yourself: why is the thing I’m supposed to be working on not taking up all my available brain space? Is there something not working in the story? Is there something in my life impacting my writing? You can then work out whether it’s the story or yourself that needs a bit of extra TLC.

[Editing to add that wrote a beautiful piece about resistance to writing and learning your creative rhythms. Check it out in the footnotes!1 ]

One could argue that when you’re producing a serial, then finishing it is a contract between you and your readers. I agree with this. There are two more books to come in the main Môrdreigiau Chronicles so to go off and write a whole other novel serial novel is a bit… rude.

So What Happened to My Shiny New Idea?

I wrote it, allowing it to eat my brain space like a zombie.

Because, it is (and it always is) a case of know thyself.

Hiraeth proved I could write two serials at the same time, although Hiraeth is less of a time commitment. Writing three serials simultaneously turned out to be one too many. Which is why I divided my writing time between A Sword for Wellington and Obsidian & Flame. I can keep the story moving in both. I know, because I’ve tried it with Hiraeth. I ended up giving the month of January to A Sword for Wellington (and finished it at the start of January) and switched gears to Obsidian and Flame in February.

On the 7th February, I finished a first draft, and unlike the previous two times when I declared the story finished (see Note image below), I really mean it this time. I can finally move the original ending to the “Abandoned Scenes” folder.

A couple of weeks ago, while daydreaming about O&F, Panawr, the hero, begged me to find an alternative to that ending that made me cry. He was quite touching. I argued and pointed out problems with his reasoning and he came up with ways around it, and so, the new ending was penned.

The Rewards of Following the New Shiny Idea

I chose to follow the Shiny Idea, even knowing it would upend my progress writing my main serial and I gotta be honest, I don’t regret it. I love these two characters, what I discovered about the dreigiau môr world and all the plot twists and turns. Every time I plot something out, the characters were all “yeah nah”. I’m discovering that I’m a discovery writer.

Over to you: What do you do with shiny new ideas? Do you play with them? Pocket them? Give them the boot? Does it change based on life/work commitments? If you resist, share your tips on how you successfully did that in the comments below. (Or if you’re reading via email, just drop me a reply!)

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mel writes books

the struggle is real...but the suffering doesn't have to be

Confession: there are times when I have hated writing…

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a year ago · 10 likes · 10 comments · Melanie Leavey

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This is one of those enabling “Research rabbit holes are good for your story!” articles.

Remember my recent short story “The Battle for Mother’s Sea-rice Cakes”?

Did you know that sea rice is an actual thing? It was harvested by indigenous people in various places around the world. Recently a chef has tried harvesting and using them as an alternative grain.

Here’s the interesting part. I stumbled across this Instagram Reel, showing how an American indigenous people harvested the sea grains. They did it in such a way so enough seed would fall back into the water for next year’s plants. It doesn’t destroy plants. It’s a more ecologically balanced way of living at least up until the processing of the grain. Watch the video to see how that happens.

With my pre-agricultural sea dragons (they left Britain pre-ish Stonehenge), it makes sense that they hunt and forage for their food under the water too.

Oh wait, I didn’t tell you about that little origin story tidbit.

You know how you go to a museum because both you and your spouse love natural history and history history and you stumble across an exhibit where your whole origin story (which honestly felt a bit sketchy but you couldn’t put a finger on it) changes?

Yep, that happened. I had to update one of the chapters in “A Grail for Eidothea” as a result to send the timeline quite a bit further back than originally conceived.

We visited Victoria BC, Canada in August of this year and went to the Royal BC Museum. They had an exhibit about Stonehenge.

I took a lot of photos. Tidbits like the River Avon being a great place to confuse the dead should they want to come back (I know!) and this:

“The bluestones from Wales may not have been an arbitrary choice. West Wales is thought to be one of the regions where the first farmers set foot on land when they migrated to the British Isles around 4000 BCE. They spread from there across western Britain, as far east as the area around Stonehenge.”

In this piece about Neolithic Britain and the First Farmers, not only do you get a glimpse at a Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherer in Cheddar Man, but through genetics they’ve figured out where these first farmers came from.

I was fascinated that these Hunter-fisher-gatherer people basically vanished from the genetic landscape of Britain, around about the same time the first bluestones were brought to Stonehenge and after a massive feast at Stonehenge that involved both the hunter-fisher-gatherers and the farmers. (You can read a little more about that here at the British Museum.)

Did anyone else think Red Wedding?

The genetic material of the hunter-fisher-gatherers basically disappeared. Wiped out? Or taken by the Lady Morgaine to an underwater city where they live peaceably (ish) hunting, fishing, gathering? … which brings us back to the sea-rice.

There is no way I could have gotten to sea-rice without first having gone to Stonehenge through the research rabbit hole.

My only issue (ha! who am I kidding) is that the Celts came later (like about 2,000 years later) and that’s the mythology I’m using. But as we don’t really know anything about these hunter-fisher-gatherers… … who’s gonna know? Who’s gonna know?

Starting the origin story way earlier has given me a lot more scope to be writing things like Hiraeth and Obsidian and Flame, and of course, The Battle for Mother’s Rice-cakes.

Did you go down any of these rabbit holes with me? What did you find most fascinating?

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Didn’t want to see Behind the Curtain? Update your subscription preferences now!

Next week is the Lunar New Year and it’s the Year of the Snake. This is a bit early but I didn’t want to fill your inboxes with three emails in one week.

I don’t remember exactly how I found out about the Greek healing temples but your first hint was in episode two, “Missing”, when the healer attached to a small village (we’re in southern Spain at this point) is called the Asclepius.

I made it into a title, rather than a name, because why not. But where did he come from?

Asclepius is the god of medicine and it turns out there was a number of healing temples and complexes dedicated to him.

The internet has a lot of the same thing (and I include links further down as references for you). All that can be certainly said appears to be derived from the testimonial tablets found at Epidaurus as well as contemporaries writing about them, so unlike other ancient institutions, this one is actually pretty well documented.

This is probably the best overview article about it:

https://parabola.org/2021/02/19/what-dreams-may-come-ancient-holistic-healing-at-the-asklepion/

The idea was that healing would occur by treating not just the physical symptoms but also the mind and the spirit. The temples were located with beautiful views and the larger ones even had theatres and other entertainments. Of course, there were the prayers and offerings to the god Asclepius and his family.

According to the article above, each patient was cleansed and then set to dreaming. Apparently, snakes were sacred to the temple and would crawl over sleeping patients to inspire dreams.

I mean, I don’t know how you would sleep through that but 🤷‍♀️.

Asclepius or one of his family would visit the patient in their dreams. Based on the temple priest’s interpretation of said dream, a healing protocol would be created and followed. But there was more to it than that, Asclepius was the god of empirical medicine (aka, this thing seems to work, we should do more of this thing), as opposed to his Dad Apollo who was divinely healing, and Hippocrates after him who invented “rational” medicine.

Judging by Aristides (quoted in the above article): it could get pretty weird.

“I had to sail across to the opposite side [of the harbor],” writes Aristides in his Oratio, “eating honey, and acorns from an oak tree, and vomit; then complete purification was achieved”

Sometimes the dream itself cured the person. (See: https://www.greece-is.com/of-gods-and-dreams-the-ancient-healing-sanctuary-of-epidaurus/)

Once I knew about Empurion (the old name for the port of Empuries), I researched to figure out the layout of the city and how the temple itself was laid out.

Sadly, everything is in ruins and a church was built over the old temple. It’s now being debated that it actually might be a Zeus-Serapis temple instead of Asclepius’ but I never let an archaeological controversy get in the way of “what if”.

I also read “The Temples and Ritual of Asklepios at Epidauros and Athens: Two Lectures Delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain” by Richard Caton (purchased off Amazon), which had pictures and which I live-Noted as I read it because it was written in the 1890s and … it shows.

The archaeological side was interesting and there were plenty of images showing photos and layouts and things that were very helpful when I finally got to write about the Asclepius healing temple in “Gold Dust Woman” and “And I’m Here” (episodes 4 and 5).

Caton also wrote about those who could not be cured. He doesn’t site any sources, so who knows if this was “common knowledge” or just his supposition given that he thinks they were quacks. I don’t have a strong background in the Greek classics beyond your basic mythology. Share in the comments if that’s your field!

“We know that in some cases the honour of Asklepios was saved by sending the unfortunate invalid to some distant shrine; but of course it happened that in some instances the patient died while at the Hieron. Now, according to the religion of the Greeks, two events were considered to desecrate in the most dreadful manner any hallowed precinct—namely, birth and death; neither of these must occur within any sacred enclosure.

“While the sick probably met with considerable kindliness, humanity, and real help at these shrines, and much actual benefit resulted, notwithstanding the superstition on which all was based, still, in this one respect Greek tradition and ceremonial were a cause of the most gross inhumanity. The unhappy visitant whose vital powers were finally declining was received and domiciled in the abaton, but when he failed to improve, and was seen by the priests and attendants to be obviously dying, instead of being tenderly nursed and soothed, he was removed from his couch, dragged across the precinct to the nearest gate, expelled, and left to die on the hillside unhelped and untended. Asklepios had rejected him, and no priest or minister of the god must defile himself by any dealings with death. One cannot but hope that the sympathy and humanity which exist naturally in the hearts of most men and of all women, found some means of helping these unhappy beings, and that when death seemed probable such sufferers were conveyed to a hostel outside the precinct, and allowed to die in peace there. A like superstition existed regarding birth. Many a poor woman who was anticipating maternity, and who had been hoping for relief from some ordinary ailment, was suddenly and mercilessly expelled from the precinct at the moment when she needed help and comfort most.” — Richard Eaton

And yeah, short paragraphs are definitely not a 1890s thing.

I mean, it’s a good thing the two of you who voted chose that Braith would live. Being thrown out of the complex would be absolutely heartbreaking for Llewelyn and the Chosen Court.

Other internet resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepieion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emp%C3%BAries#References

Haven’t started reading Hiraeth yet? You can read the whole thing here:

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