WINDMASTER Blurb:
Revenge set Ellspeth, captain of Sea Falcon, on the path to her destiny, but prophecy controlled the journey. Despite his insolent attitude, she is attracted to the dark-haired dockworker she hires to help unload the vessel’s cargo. But the supposed dockhand is Lord Dal, the last member of the Council of Wizards, and her passenger. Bringing him back from near-death releases Ellspeth’s latent powers and threatens her captaincy. For to have magic she must give up the sea. Dal and magic have another risk associated with them, a cult determined to rid the world of magic and all who wield it.
Trapped within the Oracle’s Temple, Ellspeth must choose between her own survival, saving the future of magic… or love
Excerpt:
Dal’s low tones at last broke the silence. “Captain Ellspeth, I owe you a debt for summoning me back from the void. It is a debt that cannot be repaid.”
Ellspeth chose her words carefully. “You owe no debt, Lord Dal. The Sea Falcon would have been lost without your aid.” Despite the fact that legend said debts to wizards had been known to have steep consequences, her loyalty to clan and ship pushed her into a decision. Taking a breath, Ellspeth gave the formal response of her own indebtedness. “It is I who owe you.”
The wizard’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Then, my fair captain, let’s call it even.” His expression grew serious. “Why did you not pursue the Way?”
Her pulse raced, and she looked away from Dal’s unflinching stare. “Only mages study the Way. I have no power. I’m not a mage,” she answered with more force than she intended. Under the wizard’s scrutiny, she continued in a voice barely above a whisper. “I come from a family of traders and ship captains. From the first time my grandma took me to sea I knew I belonged there.”
“You could be a wizard,” Dal persisted. “The power is within you. Deny you feel it.”
Ellspeth looked over the busy deck, anywhere but at Dal. She knew every crewman. She could tell the depth of water beneath the ship’s hull just by the sound, and the amount of sail needed for any given wind. The Sea Falcon was her ship.
“It was your magic combined with mine that saved the Falcon,” Dal persisted. “And, it was you alone who brought me back.” Ellspeth focused on the pennant flying from the center mast. Only the slap of waves against the bow broke the silence between them.
She stood, breaking the magic that held them private. “I’m Ellspeth of the House of Cszabo, daughter of Mirim, granddaughter of Rima. I am captain of the Sea Falcon. I am not a mage!”
Whatever else she would have said died with the look of disappointment on Dal’s face.
“You can’t deny,” Dal started. His voice faltered at Ellspeth’s icy glare. “I’m sorry. Captain. I did not mean to intrude on this lovely evening.” He pulled his hand back from its gesture of entreaty.
Ellspeth offered only a short word of parting and retreated to the sanctuary of the quarterdeck rail. She watched the mage light slowly disappear and the wizard’s features dissolve into shadow.
The next morning, Dal did not resume the discussion, and in fact, avoided all contact with her. Even though he didn’t pursue the matter, his words haunted Ellspeth. At times only the feel of the sun-warmed gold of her bracelets, the goal she had worked so hard for, enabled her to regain her equilibrium. No matter how hard she forced down the urge to feel the touch of magic or Dal’s hands on hers, it kept returning. The impulse to reach for him surged forward every time she saw him at his usual spot at the foredeck rail. His feet slightly apart as he leaned upon the slick wood, his gaze focused out to sea.
Magic and the sea don’t mix, Rima had always said. Ellspeth sighed, her grandmother had been right. Magic almost sank the Sea Falcon.
An inner voice countered for the side of magic. Dal had saved the Falcon at the risk of his own life.
No, his presence is a threat to the ship. I can’t wait to have him ashore.
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Let’s meet Helen!
NA: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
HH: There was no single inspiration for Windmaster. I am not a sailor and don’t even like being in water over my head so writing about a ship captain is not something I would normally do. I was taking a writing course and there were several specific criteria to be met. I was reading a lot of fantasy at the time so that was the genre chosen. I like strong heroines who can fight as well as any man. Add in a little magic and a touch of romance (courtesy of the talented Carol McPhee) and the world of windmaster was born.
NA: What sort of research did you do to write this book?
HH: Although I have toured more than a few reproduction tall ships, research on sailing vessels was needed to bring the world of windmaster to life. And where would the ships go? To make things interesting for my readers, and in connection with the tagline of being a tour guide, not every scene has the same setting. The epic quest that is Windmaster takes Ellspeth and Lord Dal from a mountain top into the depths of a cavern, and from a temple on a plateau to a Polynesian island.
NA: A fun fact about writing your book.
HH: The morning after a gang of footpads attacked Ellspeth, she stands before the door of the office of the leader of the House of Cszabo. Besides there to report on the event, Ellspeth has to ask her superior for a boon, for the leader to override another member of the house council. She uses the guild mottos above the door to get in the proper state of mind for the meeting. One of the inscriptions above the lintel was inspired by the quote “Loyalty before all else except honor.” (Lt. Vincent Hardy) from the movie Striking Distance
NA: What started you on the path to writing?
HH: Writing in one form or another has been my livelihood for more years than I like to admit. As a computer programmer, I wrote software code. Then as a system analyst I created the technical documentation and the user “how-to” manuals. After riding the tip of the needle that burst the dot.com bubble, I combined the technical and the general to write marketing literature for high-tech and insurance companies until those firms also disappeared.
Then I fell through a back door into a different kind of writing—journalism. Among the more unusual topics I’ve covered over the years are air shows and battlefield archaeology. (Yes, I do know a little something about the subject and have participated in digs using both traditional screen and trowel methods and the new-fangled metal detectors).
Walking a circle, brings one back to the beginning. As a child, I loved to write and tell stories of action and adventure. Despite being told repeatedly that if you write non-fiction you can’t write fiction, because I crossed from technical writing to marketing I refused to believe the rule. I worked on my craft, increased my portfolio. Finally, I took the plunge and started to submit fiction. One by one, pieces left my portfolio to find new homes in e-zines and print anthologies, and eventually to a contract with a small press. Romance learned to take its place alongside action. Eventually those early works grew into a series and the number of titles grew.
NA: What do your friends and family think about your being a writer?
HH: There are two distinct reactions to my being an author. As a rule my family and those friends who are not writers, think it is very cool. It is because of them that when I write, I always have the thought, “Would my mother approve of the writing.” So no super-hot (read explicit) love scenes, and the good guys–and gals–will always win. Those in the profession usually are very low key. They realize the tremendous effort that goes into creating a novel, let alone getting it published. And they know that no matter how hard you work, just getting a book in print doesn’t mean you’ll immediately become rich or famous.
NA: The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer
HH: I always knew that marketing was a major part of being a published author. More than one writer has lost the glow of receiving a contract when they realize that promoting their book is not all fun and travel to book signings. I continue to be surprised at not just the amount of time that it promotion requires, but the amount of luck needed to be in the right spot at the right time, and how quickly things change as social media sites shift. New ones arriving and old ones changing their algorithms so what works today may become near worthless tomorrow.
NA: Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
HH: Plotter and pantser, stream of consciousness or structured forms, I am all of them. I start out with more structure, then the characters take over and less planning is needed. I have to confess in school I hated parsing sentences and the outlining process. Most of the time, I ended up writing the story first, then, in a reverse of the assignment outlined the completed piece, rather than the other way around. An advantage of using the reverse process is that since the deadlines for the outline preceded the story, the assignments were always handed in on time. Today, things have changed somewhat. While I remain more pantser for short works, I create novel notebooks for longer works. Complete chapters have been rough drafted in a single setting during the storyboarding when the muse visited. Organization keeps pages from being lost and characters eyes from changing color. It should be noted my storyboards look more like first drafts, complete with dialog and scene descriptions than the terse, formal outlines of yesteryear some associate with being a plotter.
NA: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
HH: Over the years I’ve dabbled in photography and quite a few other crafts. Beadwork, crocheting, knitting, and cross-stitch embroidery not only help keep fingers nimble and flexible for typing, they provide a creative outlet as well. Another activity (one unfortunately that is no longer available in my area) is to volunteer at historical museums. I’ve donned period costumes to give tours, coordinated events, and managed the museum and its collections. And of course, wrote material for the organization such as interpretive programs and documentaries.
NA: What are your top three favorite books of all time?
HH: I could answer with one of my books. From the first to the last, each are special in their own way. But that would be cheating. The topic is top three favorite books of all time. I pick a series. The Tower and Hive series by Anne McCaffrey, the Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, the Adept series by Katherine Kurtz and Louis Lamour’s series that recount the tales of the Sackett family. Again, cheating. They are series and more than three. The favorite book of all time could be something from a new-to-me author. Who knows it might be Lines of Fire Challenged by Janet Lane Walters or Akira’s Choice by Vijaya Schartz.
NA: Why did you choose the shirt you have on?
HH: Long sleeves keep out the chill at the start of the exercise program, and then can be pushed up to three-quarter length after the warm up. As to the color? Black. I am a volunteer and assist with one of the part pants. Since the instructors wear black, it is easier for me to shift into that mode and to be treated as an instructor if I dress like them.
NA: First thought when the alarm goes off in the in the morning?
HH: This answer will be very short. $%#@$$. I just got to sleep.
NA: What errand/chore do you despise the most?
HH: For the past few years I’ve been participating in a 52-week challenge where you write a blog post based on a specific prompt. This question made me think of two hop topics that were almost identical. In the hop I answered “What Would You Pay Not To Do” and “”If I Never Had To Do This One Task Again.” I won’t go into the answer to those, and instead say “Washing dishes.” No matter how often I wash them, the pile of dirty dishes never seems to end. The counter can be clean, all pots, pans and dishes washed, dried, and put away, then a single meal later, the kitchen that looked so clean a few hours later, looked like nothing had ever been done.
NA: What are you working on now?
HH: Windmaster Golem, a novel set in the world of windmaster that I started during NanoWriMo (also known as the crazy month for authors when we try to write 50,000 words in a span of a month) has snagged a late fall 2020 publication spot. But a twist on a dragon shifter story is fighting for equal time. You’ll have to visit my blog later this year to see which storyline wins.
NA: What is any question we didn’t ask that you would like to answer?
HH: OK, here goes. Describe your writing space.
The room designated as my formal ‘office’ is an organized chaos where only a hardy soul dares to trespass. Volumes on military weapons stand next to books on antiques and traditional crafts. Piles kept close at hand contain standard reference books and more. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Synonym Finder mingle with The Pirate Primer and Gaelic-English dictionaries
However, as with many writers, my office is where I am at that moment in time. Windmaster, was written in a variety of places including the hospital rooms and doctors’ offices where I spent hours as caregiver for a family member. For me, the best place to write is the mountains. The porch swing overlooking the woods or the waterfront dock in the sun summons the muse. My characters have learned to hide during the dark days of winter as the roadblocks to love and happiness grow with the snow drifts.
Author Bio:
Although the author of several local histories, and numerous articles on the topics of American and military history, antiques and collectibles, Henderson’s first love is fiction. Her work in the museum and history fields enables a special insight into creating fantasy worlds. The descendent of a coal-miner’s daughter and an aviation flight engineer, her writing reflects the contrasts of her heritage as well as that of her Gemini sign. Her stories cross genres from historical westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of fantasy romance, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles and The Windmaster Novels. In her books, she invites you to join her on travels through the stars, or among fantasy worlds of the imagination.
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Welcome, Helen! As another technical writer who crossed into fiction, I appreciate your journey. Love the cover of Windmaster!
The cover artist was Michelle Lee. Each time I look at the cover I’m transported to the deck of Sea Falcon.
It really is spectacular. I can’t wait to read this book!
Hi Helen, a fabulous interview, so pleased to meet you this way. You’ve had an incredibly interesting life and career and I love the excerpt of your book.
One question Helen, what do you do with all your spare time???
Spare time? What is that? I think that is what the few hours I sleep are called. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.