Signs that Spring is on its Way and a Cover Reveal

The first day of spring, 20^th March, is the release date for my latest book
A Symphony of Dragons, a date to look forward to.
So, I’m giving you a peek at the signs that Spring is on its way…

Snowdrops bring us beauty on the edge of winter, arriving on the cusp of spring…

Snowdrops © Lisa Shambrook

Followed by hellebores giving us late winter roses, the crocus pushing through the earth with hope, and dainty primroses, the epitome of spring…

Crocus, Hellebore and Primrose © Lisa Shambrook

Valentines offer love, passion and the first flush of pending spring romance…

Valentine © Lisa Shambrook

Light changes as days get longer and we are welcomed by dawn’s blush as we wake…

Lighter Days © Lisa Shambrook

Daisies begin to brighten our lawns with friendly faces…

Daisies © Lisa Shambrook

Trumpets of gold herald spring with the most famous flower of the season…

Daffodils © Lisa Shambrook

Ballerina blossom, so delicate and flouncy like soft, thin cotton or candyfloss…

Blossom © Lisa Shambrook

And new leaves sprout ready to dress the trees in finery and spring attire…

New Growth © Lisa Shambrook

Magic arrives with fae and fantasy, sunshine and clarity, and I can introduce you to dragons…

Magic © Lisa Shambrook

The first day of spring this year will bring a collection of tales interweaved with gossamer threads of dragon fire, and the first story will launch you into the seasons on the agile wings of dragons…

Enjoy the flowers – lighter, longer days – romance – and the enchantment of spring.

And I’ll let you know as soon as A Symphony of Dragons is available…
You’re definitely going to want to discover the dragon that brings you spring…and those that compose summer, autumn and winter too!

Let the song of dragons lead you…

Dark Fairy Queen – Midsummer Night’s Dream Contest: An Eye for an Eye

© Lisa Shambrook

An Eye for an Eye

Ariana released a soft sound of surprise that echoed slightly in the low evening light as her mother’s guiding hand scribed urgent words on her palm.

Though sightless and deaf, Ariana felt her mother move away and she instinctively pressed her toes into the grass. Drops of dew, decorating her bare feet with diamonds, reverberated, and micro echoes vibrated across her skin. She stretched her fingers through the echo of her mother and let the jasmine scented air whisper. She wondered what her mother’s urgently etched words on her palm meant.

Then the wind blew through her and whipped up a storm, and an unpractised murmur left her silent lips as the tornado whirled about her.

The wind spoke with an unintelligible moan, but she heard it – and then whispers, soft whispers susurrated in the arcs of light that suddenly filled her vision. She opened eyes that hadn’t opened in years, and light fluttered like a new-born butterfly.

With wonder she heard the whispers uttered by her own mouth. Delight filled her heart, swelling within her bosom, and she knew her days of night and lengthy silences were finally gone.

Mother had promised that one day she’d both see and hear, and now she could…

She blinked, and gazed upwards, letting the soft crimson sun tickle her face, and its familiar warmth sent shivers of delight down her spine, and twilight’s tears rested like raindrops on her cheeks. Her eyes began to focus, and the yielding sounds of dusk filtered through her mind, and she twirled, enjoying the senses that now filled her soul!

Her mother stood, facing the sunset, her back to Ariana, and Ariana gently stepped closer, relishing the green blades of grass between her toes and the vivid colours that now flooded her life. She brimmed with gratitude for whatever spell her mother had cast, and threw her arms around the woman before her.

Her mother’s unexpected flinch sent a spike of ice through her heart and she spun her mother round. Sightless eyes returned her stare as the sun slipped away, flushing Ariana’s new world into unknown indigo and gold. Words could still not yet form in Ariana’s mouth, but understanding grew, and she knew her mother had traded, an eye for an eye.

Tables turned, and through tears that twinkled like glittering stars her mother blindly felt for Ariana’s guiding hand.

* * *

My entry (396 Words) into our Dark Fairy Queen’s New Contest…

Details:
It is summer, a faint breeze blows, and the leaves are rustling. As dusk falls, the fireflies glow in a distant meadow. Have you not felt the magic of a summer night?
Your story should let us celebrate a midsummer night by creating 400 words.
For your theme, your story must take place, at least in part, on a summer evening. Also, choose one from the following list:
Dreams – Fairytales – Myths
Your story should be posted on your personal blog or a friend’s and linked up below with the Inlinkz tool (which opens July 15).

Please click the link below and read the other enchanting entries!

Five Sentence Fiction: Fairywings and Marriage

Fairywings © Lisa Shambrook

Stars twinkled in the indigo sky and the tiny chain of fairies made their way down through the purple aubrietia, just inches from Tally’s dirty knees. A small crowd had already gathered beneath the hawthorn, but Tally’s beady eyes remained fixed upon the tiny fairy that sashayed at the head of the procession.

Diminutive drops of diamond dew glistened upon the pink London pride that weaved through the imp’s hair, and wood anemone petals draped her body, tied with a delicate belt of gossamer silk. She carried pale speedwell and tiny alpine blooms, and trailed dandelion wishes and baby’s breath as she fluttered her gauzy wings, and elegantly walked down the nodding forget-me-not aisle to her princely suitor.

Six-year-old Tally blinked incredulously, shrugging off the chill as she wriggled beneath the rhubarb, ignoring the shrill call from her mother; she wasn’t going to miss this for anything, and certainly not for bedtime!

Another Five Sentence Fiction…this time dedicated to Lillie McFerrin and her forthcoming nuptials…this is for you Lillie… x

 

Monday Mixer: A Somnolent Surprise…

Photograph by Bekah Shambrook (Please do not use)

A Somnolent Surprise

I sighed, dandelion clocks, the bane of my life, no sooner than I eradicated every blighter, an errant, fluffy orb emerged in the grass. So, with billhook en garde, I moved carefully. Any breath, the faintest zephyr, and seeds would fly.    

I slipped to my knees, leaned close, and just as the knife touched the stem, the seed-head blenched. 

I stared, shaking my head, my insular world blown in one fell swoop. 

Parachuting seeds scattered as another sigh left my lips, this one a gale in the world of the tiny winged creature clinging to the dandelion stem. As I stared, thoughts flew, each more fantastical than the next. Bold flashing eyes gazed back, and I watched as the fairy unsheathed a tiny sword. Unable to resist, I leaned closer and the diminutive blade, emitting a somnolent hum, pierced my eye…  “Why, you…little…” and my legs collapsed as I yawned…

(150 Words)

Decided that less is more for this week’s Monday Mixer at The Latinum Vault, though I’ve still incorporated five words, so Over Achiever still possible… Go and take a look at the other entries…see how many words you can weave into a 150 word exact tale!

Mermaids and Fairies…

Warning to Sailors everywhere…

Mermaids have been seen 

off the coast of West Wales…

Photograph by Charley-Lee Allen (Please do not use without permission)

Photograph by Bekah Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)

I think it comes in the wake of discovering 

cute little fairies in the forest behind our garden a few years ago…

Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)

Bekah and Charley-Lee on a Mermaid photo-shoot and Fairy Cait…