Spoiler warning for Strange the Dreamer!

Some of my favorite characters in fantasy and science fiction are the ones that appear human. Characters that you might pass on the street without another thought. The ones that look just like all the other people. But they’re not.

For this list, I’ve included eight of my favorite not human characters from tv and books. It’s weird, I don’t think I’ve written a single character like this. Guess I’ll have to fix.

Monroe from Grimm

Monroe is a blutbad (think werewolf). But he would hate to be pigeonholed into that. He’s also a clockmaker, a historian, and a great guy all around. He’s also vegetarian because he’s decided he doesn’t want to be a hunter and killer anymore.

I love that about him. Not because I have any trouble with eating meat. I really love meat, actually. But it’s part of what makes Monroe a perfect blend of modern and traditional. He’s his own whole person and being a blutbad is just part of the bigger picture.

Wolf from 10^th Kingdom

Kind of the polar opposite of Monroe, Wolf is a big bad wolf, and he remains a big bad wolf right up until the end.

That isn’t to say that his character doesn’t evolve and change as the book goes on. He falls in love with the main character, Virginia, and wants to be a better person because of that. Through the course of the story, they find instead that they’re compromising on what a better person looks like for both of them.

If I just went a little into new age philosophy, that wasn’t by accident. At some point early in the book, Wolf meets a psychologist, who recommends a series of books to help him. He proceeds to cart an armful of self-help books through the nine kingdoms while on their quests.

The entire Other cast from Coraline

I love how these characters could have been just props. But it’s just not Gaiman’s style to do anything by halves. So the Other characters are mirrors of their real-world examples, but better. They all seem to be exactly what a little girl Coraline’s age would want; completely focused on her. That age is a selfish age, no judgments.

Later, the Others become mirrors of their real-world examples, but worse. So, so much worse. They become what we warn children strangers might become, monsters bent on hurting little children.

The True Knot from Doctor Sleep

Much like the Other’s from Coraline, the True Knot preys on children. That’s enough to put them at the top of a nightmare list. But the really scary thing about them, that is made clear through the book, is that you could walk right past these people, and probably have, and never know they were there.

They look like RV people. Boring people, retirees, and free spirits. People wouldn’t look at twice. Unless you happen to be a child with the shining. Then you’ll see more of them than you want.

Lazlo from Strange the Dreamer

I have to admit, I kind of didn’t see this ending coming. I just figured he was from Weep and didn’t remember. But it goes so much deeper than that.

I love that he was just this amazing, mythical figure, and he didn’t know it. He’s just going about his business, as a librarian in love with Weep, until he meets Sarai.

I love that even though he has the physical build of a bruiser, he’s a sensitive and genuinely kind man. I love that the other characters are just baffled that he helps people without expecting anything in return.

The Doctor from Doctor Who

Another great character, who is great because of his goodness. The Doctor doesn’t carry a gun, he carries a screwdriver to fix instead of destroying. He has two hearts, and it shows, in the genuine care he feels for every single creature in the universe. He will live forever, and he feels the honest and painful weight of that.

But he never, no matter how much it hurts, stops caring about people. Can you imagine the weight of that? How many people he’s lost, how many worlds he’s seen the end of. And he keeps seeking out companions, keeps seeking out love. Even though he knows how it will end, he keeps on loving.

Doyle from Angel

I was a kid the first time I saw Angel, and I had no experience with a main freaking character being just killed off in the first season. So, when Doyle died (The good fight, yeah?) I wept. Literally, my eyes stung when I typed that.

Doyle was half demon, half human. Most of the time he looked like a normal person, and he acted like he was running from something dark in his past. We don’t really ever find out what darkness he was running from, but it’s there.

Doyle is funny. He’s a screwup, and he’s not much of a fighter at first. But he has a calling, to help Angel save people, and he commits himself to that. He becomes brave, and he gives his life to save people who would likely kill him if they knew who he was. There’s a nobility there, and I don’t know many people equal to it. (Side note, characters like him are why I love Joss Whedon so very, very much.)

So that’s it. What do you think? Did I miss a character you think should have been on the list? Let us know in the comments below.

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability. Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.

Instead, Lenore finds herself battling against her uncle, Joseph, over her right to the throne. As he stirs the city into civil war, an ancient enemy reveals itself. Brother Brennan, who claims to speak for The Creator, is killing Septa citizens in the streets.

Then, Lenore’s daughters are kidnapped. While Victor and Devon hunt the city in search of the princesses, Lenore and Sultiana must lead her city in a war against her uncle, and a twisted holy man. The canals run red as Lenore fights for her city, her family, and the safety of the world, in the conclusion of Woven.

Get it here now.

Obviously, I love the fantasy genre, both reading and writing it. If you’ve been in this site for more than a few seconds that should be painfully clear to all of you. I’ve written four fantasy novels, working on a fifth one now. And I’ve read, well, countless fantasy novels. I have to assume that if you’re here, you also love fantasy books.

There are countless reasons why the fantasy genre is great. Mythical creatures are awesome, especially dragons. Fantasy settings are great, and so are stories about swords and knights.

By far, though, my favorite thing about the fantasy genre is the magic.

Magic is just so cool! When done right, that is. Because there are sure as hell a lot of bad magical structures. But what makes a magical structure great? I have some opinions, of course.

A good fantasy structure is rooted in reality. I know, that sounds counterproductive, but let me explain. Reality is based on some rules that we all agree in. We all understand, even if we don’t know the specifics, that thread is made my spinning fiber into long strands. Magic that’s not structured in a similar way tends to flutter off the rails without any real bounds. This is a sort of lazy writing. What tension can there be if magic has no bounds and a mage can just snap her fingers and fix everything?

It’s also based in science, sort of. As I learn more and more about science, I understand how these two genres are blended together. Science can seem like magic or at least a step away.

Of course, a magic structure needs to be big enough to save the world. Especially if it’s in the hands of your main character. It needs to be big and bold enough to defeat the bad girl, save the prince, create the happy ending that we need.

But magic is also great when it’s capable of improving everyday lives. When reading a fantasy book, I want to be charmed by the mage who cooks with their magic. Who catches the pickpocket, uses a potion in a mason jar to keep rats out of his kitchen, who has a talisman to keep out prowlers.

Finally, the best thing to do with magic is to base it in steadfast rules, that are broken at the right time. Think of Avatar, the last Airbender, when Katara starts blood bending. Or when Toph starts metal bending. These were understandable barriers that made sense to break.

So what do you think about magical structures? What’s your favorite example? Let us know in the comments below.

Hey guys. I just wanted to jump in here fast to tell you that Sylvermoon Chronicles, an anthology from me and some other amazing authors, came out today. It’s all the things I love, fantasy, science fiction and horror. I just picked up my copy, and I can’t wait to dig into it.

Of course I know you’re going to love my horror piece, The Trouble Door. But all the other stories are awesome too.

Here’s a link.

And happy Valentines Day.

This was a brainstorming project I did a while ago, and it was a lot of fun. So, I decided to share the results with you today.

I don’t really worry much about major themes when I’m writing a book. At least not for the first few drafts. Those come later, and they’re never anything I plan. Once I see them, usually in the third draft, I do my best to bring them out. But the best themes come organically.

For Missing Stitches, several strong themes came out. Sacrifice was a major one, as were relationships between brothers. The biggest theme, at least the biggest one I saw, was refusing to bend or break. Through the whole story, Lenore is told over and over that she can’t break. I didn’t even realize the number of characters who were telling her not to break until I went through and re-read it.

To help myself get into the mood to really bring these themes to life, I made a playlist of songs that inspired those feelings within me. And it turned into a pretty fun playlist. So I wanted to share it with all of you today.

God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Jonny Cash

Ready Aim Fire by Imagine Dragons

Shut the world away by Breaking Benjamin

When we die, bowling for soup

Landslide, by Stevie Knicks

‘Till I Collapse, Eminem

Hero, Skillet

Ten Thousand Fists, Disturbed

If you want, you can actually listen to the whole playlist right now on Youtube.

If you’re a writer, have you ever made a playlist for one of your books? Is there a song that makes you think of a specific book? Please share with us in the comments below.

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability. Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.

Instead, Lenore finds herself battling against her uncle, Joseph, over her right to the throne. As he stirs the city into civil war, an ancient enemy reveals itself. Brother Brennan, who claims to speak for The Creator, is killing Septa citizens in the streets.

Then, Lenore’s daughters are kidnapped. While Victor and Devon hunt the city in search of the princesses, Lenore and Sultiana must lead her city in a war against her uncle, and a twisted holy man. The canals run red as Lenore fights for her city, her family, and the safety of the world, in the conclusion of Woven.

Get it now on Amazon

I did part one and part two of this little series last month. Like most things I write these days, it grew. It was supposed to just be one blog post, and it grew into two. Then, I made the mistake of telling my husband what I was writing.

His response; how could you write an entire two blog posts like that and not include this other list of characters?

So, I felt obliged to share some more fantasy creatures with you all. If you missed part one or part two, you can check them out here.

Now, onto part three.

The Tardis from Doctor Who

She’s more than just a ship, and she’s probably the best relationship that The Doctor has ever had. She’s got a serious attitude and decides whether someone is trustworthy or not in a moment. And she’s never wrong.

Of course, there was the one episode that she took on human form. And she was crazy, charming, and everything you’d expect a constant companion of a crazy Timelord.

Boo from Baldur’s Gate

Full disclosure, I don’t like hamsters. But I do like Boo because he’s not a normal hamster. He’s a miniature giant space hamster. Through the game, he squeaks when you try to pick him up, and he goes for the eyes in battle. He’s a constant loving companion to his master, Minsc.

Hoppy Wheel of Time

Hoppy is one of many wolves befriended by the character Perrin as his abilities with wolves increases. He’s a happy, laughing animal that continues to be a bright spot through the whole series.

What struck me the most about this character was that he didn’t exhibit the sort of loyalty you’d expect from a dog. That’s the blind, unshakable devotion of an animal that thinks you are the world. A wolf, much like a cat, does not see you as their master. They are equal, at best. And there is a mutual respect there.

That’s the relationship between Hoppy and Perrin. This is not a pet, this is an ally on four paws. And a great one.

The loyal bowtruckle from Fantastic Beasts

This creature made me cry. It loves Newt so freaking much that I had to include it even though I already included a Harry Potter creature. This bowtruckle loved Newt and wanted to hang out with him all the time. And because of that, for such a good cause but such a terrible price, Newt almost trades him away. But this little scrapper gets right back to him, and no hard feelings. He just loves him, unconditionally. And Newt loves him, right back.

But now I want to hear from you. Did I still miss some fantastic fantasy creatures? Let us know in the comments below.

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability. Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.

Get it here now