The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

by Patricia C. Wrede

I remember listening to my mom read these books to me when I was young, probably on a car ride. This is one of the books that really influenced what I chose to read on my own. From the titles of the books alone you see that THE ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES revolves around dragons. I have probably reread this series the most over the years and it is one that I want to read to my children to give them a sense of wonder and make them think outside of the stereotypical high-fantasy box.

Dealing with Dragons
DEALING WITH DRAGONS follows Princess Cimorene who has no desire to be a conventional princess. Instead of taking dancing lessons, she takes cooking lessons, fencing lessons, juggling lessons, and magic lessons. Her parents finally decide that they are going to force her to marry and bring a prince to meet her. She is not impressed and when she finds out that her parents intend her to marry, even against her will if necessary. While she is talking to herself about her problem a frog directs her to someone who can help. She runs away from the castle and ends up in a cave full of dragons. Kazul, a strong minded female dragon, decides to hire her as her princess. The princess's duties consist of keeping the cave clean, organizing the treasury, and cooking when necessary. Cimorene soon finds herself enjoying her new life.

With the new life comes new troubles. The prince she ran away from, as well as a handful of knights, decides she needs to be rescued from the evil dragon. She meets several other captured princesses, a stone prince, a witch, and a few wizards. In this particular series wizards aren't good people. They steal magic and dragons are looking for any excuse to eat them. Cimorene must use all of her talents to keep herself and her friends safe. Even though the protagonist is a female this book appeals to both genders and all ages.

Searching for Dragons
SEARCHING FOR DRAGONS is the second book in THE ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES. This follows the King of the Enchanted forest, Mendanbar. The Enchanted Forest is not a normal forest. It changes when you aren't looking. Mendanbar has been pressured by his family to get married though he hasn't met anyone who really captures his attention. When he comes across a burned portion of the forest scattered around with dragon scales, he heads to the mountains to talk with the King of the Dragons. Since the King of the Dragons is currently missing, Mendanbar and Cimorene team up to get to the bottom of the missing dragon and burned forest. While they are working on the mystery they call upon the help of Morwen the witch as well as a few giants on a rickety magic carpet and a leaky magic sword.

There are a few things that make this SEARCHING FOR DRAGONS so great. This is one of the first series I read where the point of view character changed from the first book. This is one of the reasons why the series appeals to a wide audience. Mendanbar adds a whole new dimension to the world as well as giving a different look at Cimorene. And I just can't get over about how cool the Enchanted Forest is.

Calling on Dragons
CALLING ON DRAGONS is the third book in THE ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES and is told from the perspective of Morwen the witch. She isn't a conventional witch. She wears black because it is practical. She doesn't like pointy hats and she doesn't own a black cat. She owns at least nine cats none of which are black. Morwen is called in to help Cimorene and Mendanbar when the magic sword goes missing. They enlist the help of the magician Telemain, not to be confused with a wizard. Along their journey across the countryside they end up with a rabbit named Killer. Through the story Killer undergoes numerous changes because of magic. Morwen and Cimorene aren't sure they are going to make it back in time to save Mendanbar and the kingdom even with the help of dragons.

This book adds a new element. Not only do we get to hear a portion of the story from Morwen, but also from her cats. Though the other books you know that Morwen talks to her not so normal cats, but in CALLING ON DRAGONS you get to hear the cats talk back. They have their own individual personalities and you just grow attached to the felines. Fiddlesticks is one of my favorite characters from the whole series.

Talking to Dragons
As I was getting ready to write this review I was surprised to learn that TALKING TO DRAGONS was written and published five years before DEALING WITH DRAGONS. TALKING TO DRAGONS takes place sixteen years after CALLING ON DRAGONS. Daystar grows up with his mother and is given an education involving sword fighting, magic, and manners. When he is sixteen a wizard comes to his house and he watches in surprise as his mother melts him. From there he is given a sword and sent into the Enchanted Forest with no instruction other than to not come back until he can tell his mother why he had to leave. During Daystar's travels in the forest he learns that the sword is no ordinary sword but is in fact magic and belongs to the Sleeping King. He meets a fire witch named Shiara and she sticks with him. They meet a young dragon as well as a few other people including a witch, magician and Kazul.

Now that I know that this book was written first it kind of explains why it has a slightly different feel from the other books. I love this book and it is one that you can read as a standalone novel because it gives enough back story that you won't feel as if you are missing anything but if you read it as part of the series you really get more excited about what is going on in the story and you just want to cheer when the characters you already know and love show up in the story. This is one of my all-time favorite series and it just changed the way I thought about traditional fantasy tropes.

Summer Employment Part 4

My senior year of high school I got my first real job. It was working at a wholesale nursery and I was one of the only girls and one of the oldest. In the spring months that gave me the advantage. My boss figured I was responsible and when the semis came in with the bundled saplings ready for planting. I had all the paper work and kept track of the trees as they were planted in the pots by the other employees.

In the summer my job changed. When we weren't loading the trucks with orders, we weeded pots. This nursery had hundreds of trees and bushes all planted in their own individual pots. I used to think weeded in the flowerbed was bad until this job. We couldn't really kneel down because there wasn't enough room in the aisle between the rows of plants. We kind of moved along in a hulking crouch. It took about four days to work through all of the pots and then we started over at the beginning all summer long for eight hours a day. I still hate weeding and I keep telling myself that it isn't as bad as the job, but it is still weeding. At this time I didn't like getting up early and if I remember correctly I had to be at work by 6, maybe it was 6:30. There wasn't any point in showering beforehand because I would come back filthy from the dirt and mud. I would roll out of bed at 5:50 and drive to work. That seems like a luxury now.

This is where I really learned to appreciate audio books. This is also where I learned the hazards of reading a book before going to see the movie version. I also listened to a variety of books that I wouldn't have otherwise because they were the only ones I had on hand at the time. The job overall wasn't bad but I don't want to do it again. I just don't do well in the sun or heat. I make my husband weed and I normally clean the kitchen.

Writing Groups

I know that some people are very particular about their writing groups. I didn't think I was but I have come to understand that there is an advantage to picking your own group. I love my current group but there isn't as much time, and we don't all have the same interests. While it isn't necessary for your writing group to be writing the exact same type of book you should make sure that those in the group at least like what you are writing and understand the audience. I don't necessarily want someone writing a cook book who only reads motivational novels reading my hard science fiction novel. They probably don't understand all of the little nuances that you are trying to accomplish.

I had a writing group where I previously lived that was awesome. They didn't necessarily help me with my grammar, I had another group for that, but they helped me reach my weekly goals and keep my story going in the right direction. Every week we would meet somewhere around town and explain what we had accomplished. I really needed that because it was the nudge I needed to work on my novel and not just my blog or short stories.

Writing groups are for a variety of uses so you should find people who want to get the same thing out of it that you do. I recommend finding people who won't sugar coat their opinions but those who are also positive. Having people that write similar genres or at least read a lot of what you are writing. Though those who don't write may not understand what it is like to receive critiques. If you are satisfied with a group, you can always find a new one. There are plenty of writing groups online if you live in a remote area or don't mind more screen time.

*Summer Cat, Winter Kitty

Intro: I had every intention of making this a fantasy story. As my husband and I were driving to the gym one morning we saw several cats along the side of the road. One was still fairly young and I said "What a cute kitten." "No," my husband said. "That's a cat. It just shrunk because it is cold. They get bigger in the summer because of the heat." That was where my story was headed. Who knows, maybe I'll write that story later. (And this is my 300th post on Blogger. Kind of cool that it is also the first one of the year.)

Stephanie loved cats, but her mother didn't. They lived in the country and owned a farm. Stephanie helped feed the 10 chickens, 9 cows, 8 pigs, 7 sheep, 6 rabbits, 5 geese, 4 horses, 3 dogs, and 2 goats. She liked counting all of the animals as she fed them. Her father and brother would help her with the larger animals but most of the time they were busy in the field. Occasionally she fed the cats that came around the farm but her mother scolded her.

"Don't feed the cats. They can find their own food."

Stephanie agreed and didn't feed the cats but still tried to pet them every time she saw one. They ran away and sat on top of the fence posts. One cat in particular always came around the same time and left presents for her at the door. The cat was gray and white and looked twice as big as the other cats. The presents weren't pretty and Stephanie wasn't sure what they were exactly, but her mother didn't like them. Her mother would edge around them and use a shovel to take them away and bury them. She never said anything about them.

When winter came the snowdrifts covered the fence posts. Stephanie trudged through the snow in pathways her father and brothers made. Her mother always made sure she bundled up before going out to feed the animals.

Other pathways were in the snow and once or twice Stephanie watched cats walk along the crusted top. She tried to walk on top of the snow but every time her boots broke through and once she had to yell for someone to help her.

One day, when she was walking back to the house after feeding the goats when she heard a meow. She looked up and walking across the snowdrift was a small gray and white kitten. Stephanie stayed completely still as the kitten leapt from the snow and landed on her shoulder. It snuggled its head under her chin and purred. She held the kitty steady and walked back to the house.

"Can I keep it?" She asked her mother. Her mother looked at the kitten and sighed. "Not in the house. Keep it in one of the barns."

Stephanie let out a small noise of delight and hugged her mother. "Thanks. I'll take good care of it, I promise."

All winter long, Stephanie checked on the little kitten and played with it in the barn. When spring came and the snow melted Stephanie let the little kitten out of the barn. The next day as she trudged through the mud she saw two cats, large gray one with a small one following behind. Stephanie went to pet the kitten but they both ran to the fence. When Stephanie went back to the house she noticed two presents lying in front of the door. Her mother stood at the screen looking out at the fence where the summer cat and winter kitty still sat.