Creative Fantasy

There's more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, multi-dimensional characters, fantasy author Deborah Chester guides novices and intermediate writers through a step-by-step process of story construction. Whether offering tips on how to test a plot premise or survive what she calls the dark dismal middle, Chester shares the techniques she uses in writing her own novels.

Haunted space stations? Puzzling totems? Cursed relics? No job's too bizarre for the crew of the Nanshe. Lasadi doesn't like strangers on her ship, but she'll need a bigger crew if she's going to steal a mysterious artifact from a dead pirate's long-lost space station. She takes a chance on a charming grifter named Raj, along with a skilled hacker and her genius little brother. And it's . . . nice? If Lasadi isn't careful, she's going to start enjoying having a crew aboard.

Dead things have been found in the fields of Enfaire, a God-fearing town north of Reams. Not just dead things, but twisted forms…unholy shapes. And there are rumors of a blasphemous union and of fell creatures that haunt the night. Yet even as plague and witch pyres blacken the sky, the town remains untouched by the malady that has already claimed thousands and will claim thousands more. It is here, in Enfaire, that an old Franciscan friar and his ward take shelter from a storm. It is here, in a little town on the edge of civilization, that they will have their faith truly tested.

Billy Todd has always been different. Most people called him odd, and those were the nice people. Though he was born with a learning disability, Billy's parents never allowed him to consider himself disabled. Raised to be self-sufficient, Billy might not be as smart as some, but he was a lot smarter than people realized.

Jason Sterling had a simple life by all accounts. He had worked the same job his entire adult life, he had never married, and he had no children. He was used to doing things on his own. His comfortable life was shaken to the core the day he learned of his fathers death. It was a mysterious meeting that set life-altering events in motion, and the allure of a new life was too great to walk away from. When an electromagnetic pulse brings the modern world to its knees, Jason's choice proves to be the right one.

Bodega. Lover. Sniper. Thief. Scourge of the wicked. In fact, scourge of anyone if there's money to be made. A lawless man in a galaxy overrun by villains, Mork beasts, Dildonians, and the dreaded imperial forces of Crem Slumdump. Aided by his otherwise unemployable crew of drunks, criminals, assassins, and broken down combat droids, Bodega seeks fortune, and trouble seeks him.

Asher of Steel Rim fancies himself a halfway-decent thief, but not exactly the realm’s most popular guy. As an outcast among outcasts, some hate him for his scale-tipped, pointed ears. Others prefer to wish him dead because he’s a magi in a land where those born with etherarchy are outlawed.

Jason Sterling had a simple life by all accounts. He had worked the same job his entire adult life, he had never married and he had no children. He was used to doing things on his own. His comfortable life was shaken to the core the day he learned of his fathers death. It was a mysterious meeting that set life altering events in motion and the allure of a new life was too great to walk away from. When an Electromagnetic Pulse brings the modern world to its knees, Jason's choice proves to be the right one.

Snowboarder Justin is just having a fun weekend in the Utah mountains with his childhood bestie when they have a terrible snowmobile accident. When he wakes up, he knows somehow that his whole life has changed, because the first thing he sees is a beautiful, silvery man named Samuel. Samuel is a winter dragon, isolated from humans in both distance and appearance. With his icy blue, faceted dragon eyes, he can't go into the human world without inspiring fear or awe.

Hundreds of years after a plague-induced apocalypse collapsed civilization back to iron and horsepower, the Hyllises have a genetic tendency to inherit “talents” such as telekinesis, teleportation, and telepathy. Though they aren’t powerful talents, they help the Hyllises diagnose and treat the underlying causes of many illnesses in their role as healers. In this book, their town of Clancy Vail is struck by the plague. In order to save thousands of lives, they must master and use the knowledge of epidemiology contained in their copies of the ancients’ books.

In the wake of the cataclysmic events that reshaped our world in 2020, a sense of relief washed over us all. By late 2023, I think we were ready to just live life again. I know I was. It was a time to make new friends and put the past to rest. Rayne and I hadn’t known each other long, but we were building a solid friendship, nothing more. It was our common interests that sent us on vacation together to my remote cabin. What we didn’t, couldn’t know, was that we were on a collision course with the end of the world as we knew it.

This tale of healers with “talents” is the sixth in a series of stories featuring the psychically talented members of the Hyllis family. Hundreds of years after a plague induced apocalypse collapsed civilization back to iron and horsepower, the Hyllises have a genetic tendency to inherit “talents”. Eva Hyllis and her ancestors became healers because their talents let them feel inside their patients. This helps them diagnose the underlying causes of many illnesses. In this audiobook, they set out on a treacherous journey to treat Eva’s sister who’s dying of cancer.

Telekinetic is the first of a series of post-apocalyptic stories featuring the Hyllis family. The collapse of civilization has reduced their people back to iron and horsepower. The Hyllises tend to inherit “tele-talents” such as telekinesis and teleportation. Tarc Hyllis’ mother (and his grandfather before her) could “feel” things with their talent. Tarc’s father can “push” objects with his mind. Then some strangers show up to scout the town where the Hyllises live. Could Tarc’s powers, weak as they are, play a role in resisting this invasion?

Jason Sterling had a simple life by all accounts. He had worked the same job his entire adult life, he had never married and he had no children. He was used to doing things on his own. His comfortable life was shaken to the core the day he learned of his fathers death. It set in motion life altering events and the allure of a new life that was too great to walk away from. When an electromagnetic pulse brings the modern world to its knees, Jason's choice proves to be the right one.

Hundreds of years after a plague-induced apocalypse collapsed civilization back to iron and horsepower, the Hyllises have a genetic tendency to inherit “talents”. Eva Hyllis and her ancestors became healers because their talents let them feel inside their patients. This helped them diagnose the underlying causes of many illnesses. Eva’s children Tarc and Daussie have inherited telekinetic and teleportation talents.

They banned him from space. But someone has offered him a way back. Can he afford the price? Famed engineer and test pilot Jericho Fox has been grounded for reasons he'd rather put behind him. But a political leader from a rival party offers to send him back to space. Fox finds himself stuck between working for the enemy and doing what he loves again. Meanwhile, high above Earth on Astraea Station, decorated astrophysicist Dr. Evelyn Park is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could make history.

Eva Hyllis and her ancestors became healers because their talents let them feel inside their patients. This helps them diagnose the underlying causes of many illnesses. Having made a diagnosis, sometimes they can do something. Unfortunately, often they cannot. However, Eva’s children Tarc and Daussie have inherited telekinetic and teleportation talents.

Eva Hyllis and her ancestors became healers because they could feel the insides of their patients with their talents. This helps them diagnose the underlying causes of many illnesses. Having made a diagnosis, unfortunately, there is often not all that much that they can do to treat the problem. Tarc Hyllis, Eva's son, has telekinesis so that he can "push" objects with his mind as well as being able to feel inside of people. This gives him the ability to diagnose bleeding inside someone and then stop that bleeding by applying pressure inside the patient.

Healers is the third in a series of stories featuring the Hyllis family who tend to inherit “talents”. The stories are set after a plague induced apocalypse which resulted in the collapse of civilization and reduced mankind back to iron and horsepower. Eva Hyllis and her ancestors became healers because they could feel the insides of their patients with their talents. Then they enter a kingdom where practicing the art of healing is forbidden. Treating patients brings her into conflict with a powerful king.

I thought the day my younger brother waltzed back into my life was the day everything changed. I couldn’t have been more wrong. That didn’t happen until the night of July 4, 2016. That was the night the lights went out and stayed out. That fateful night was only the beginning of 10 months and 1,200 miles through hell. Jason Sterling, my brother, told you his story. My name is Braden Sterling. It’s my turn to tell you the tale of our journey from a tiny town in Kansas to Elko, Nevada, and The Ranch.