Blog - Megan Smith

Fill every moment with joy

Favorite Author Highlight Series

Favorite Light Fantasy Trilogies part 1

I have a whole cabinet of keeper shelves where I keep books that I re-read every year, I love them that much. They’re in a variety of genre’s but the ones I love the most are Lynn Kurland’s 9 Kingdom’s novels, a series of fantasy romances that never fail to make me laugh, smile, and sigh.

Written in trilogies, each set focuses on a different couple and their part of a story focused on several families. For the purpose of this post, I’m highlighting the first trilogy all about Morgan and Miach.

Miach is up there as one of my all-time favorite hero’s. He ticks all the boxes: he’s funny, magically powerful, handsome, self-depreciating, loyal and courageous…I could go on. I can’t help but smile when I get to the first page where he’s in it. As Archmage of the realm, he is looking for answers as to what is draining his protection spells set around his kingdom and what stole his brother, the King’s, magic.

Morgan, of course, is a fitting heroine for Miach. A mercenary, she is a talented swordswoman on a small island. She’s brave, hates magic, is fiercely loyal but tries to hide it, and suffers from nightmares that she’s beginning to think might just be memories of a childhood she can’t remember. She is tasked by the man who took her in as a child and raised her to take a magic-slathered dagger to the king-Miach’s brother.

And so the quest is on. They meet and join forces to solve the mysteries and complete a quest that turns out to be surprisingly tied to both of them.

The setting is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings in that it has Elves and Dwarves but it also has mages and other magic users. It has a lighter tone that LOTR and it’s much more romance focused, though it’s a light, slow-burn romance. It’s very character driven with some snappy dialogue and they’re just fun to read. I’m hoping that several of my favorites will have books of their own soon.

The books are perfect when you want light, escapist fun with romance and magic interwined.

Rating: Love it. These are clean reads so intimacy is kept closed door. There are mild swear words occasionally such as H-ll, and D-mn but nothing offensive. There is sword fighting but no gratuitous violence or excessive details.

Her books are sold at all major retailers. Check them out!

This trilogy set is: Star of the Morning, The Mage’s Daughter, Princess of the Sword

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A Fresh Start

It's funny how January always gives one the feeling of beginning anew. It's just a late night and a date on the calendar, but there's a hopefulness to it that's infectious. When the fireworks go off, glasses clink and everyone calls "Happy New Year', you can't help but feel that something spectacular is coming! December was a bit of a break with writing. I managed to fit some in but with all the activities, health issues, and travel....well, not a lot got done. I'm back on my schedule though with high hopes for a February release. Fingers crossed. Here's wishing you a fresh new year, full of possibilities.

Savoring November

I have been frantically working to get everything that needs to be done...done. There are times I feel like I'm a hamster in a wheel and this is definitely one of those. I finished a holiday story of the Oaken which should be out soon and I'm almost finished with a Christmas novel for the BG. Life threw me quite a few curveballs this summer which completely threw off my writing schedule so now I'm trying to catch up while reminding myself to enjoy what I'm doing. I write because I love it. Because the characters in my head want their stories told (and hopefully, you want to read those stories and enjoy them!). So, I am doing my best to write them all down on time but if they become New Year's releases, the world won't come to an end. I am trying to take deep breaths, inhale the pumpkin scented candle on my desk and let the character's stories take over as I lose myself in a few hours of writing. I hope you will set aside some time to do something you love.

October's Bliss

This year I was inspired to write a Halloween novella touching on characters from previous books as well as bringing together a couple who have been dragging their feet with their own romance. I find ideas for stories everywhere-things I see, people I meet, even dreams I've had. Fall stories have their own magic to them-especially ones on Halloween night. I don't enjoy horror or scary things but I've always been enchanted by the laughter and magic the night holds. It's a night that is seeped with mystery and magic, mystical happenings and enchantments. As well as costumes and candy. Masquerades let us become someone else for a brief moment, which lends itself to the giddiness of romance. And while my story doesn't have a couple pretending to be someone else, they have been hiding their feelings from each other and that can be the same thing. It takes some family nudging and a magic potion under a Halloween moon to bring two hearts together. Wishing you magical night of your own...and a pillowcase full of chocolate.

Seasonal Transitions

September is a month of transitions. Not always changes, but a return to familiar routines and the anticipation that comes from looking forward to beloved traditions. Apples always seem to be the unofficial mascot of September. We give apples as a token to new teachers, romantic movies about apple pie baking competitions, visit the local apple orchard and take home basketfuls to cook into cinnemon-scented applesauce. Just the thought of it is lovely. My great-aunt made an apple strudel (I always thought that was funny given she was very Italian while 'strudel' sounded German) that has been handed down and we all make it now. Each fragrant bite is a memory as well as a pleasure. Routines, while not the bliss of lazy summer days, can have their own beauty. In my mind's eye I see fresh-faced children in new school clothes heading out with a shiny red apple or Saturday afternoons spent on chores before piling into the car for a family visit to a small town apple festival for some pie and vanilla ice cream. It's all very Americana and cozy and familiar. Delicious routines that I look forward to every September.

The Last, Lazy Days of Summer

Ah, August. It's a month that has come to represent many things. As a child I remember these days as a countdown and did my best to savor each free day even as school loomed ever closer. As an adult, it's not quite as fatalistic but it is a month of in-betweens. Summer is coming to a close with a change of routine as fall and all its busyness sweeps in. The garden is lush and still producing, summer monsoons come almost every night and stepping into the pool is still a welcome relief from the heat. August feels like it gets lost in between big holidays and the mixed feelings of school sessions starting but it has its own special magic if you take the time to appreciate it. The other day I watched while a flowerbed of purple blooms moved with the flutterings of butterflies. Cottontail rabbits have been hopping through my neighborhood, making me smile every time I see one. I put Beegie Adair music on my phone while lazing in the pool as the setting sun turned the clouds around me golden and ethereal. All of it has been lovely. While I love all the excitment of the coming holidays, I plan to savor (and write) as much as I can in these last, lazy days of summer. I hope you will , too.

Blue Skies and Days of Possibility

Outside is a bright blue sky peppered with soft, fluffy clouds, blooming pink flowers and a soft breeze rustling the tree leaves while neighborhood children are riding bikes up and down the street. It's all very idyllic and...happy. June is always a month of beginnings. A month of 'possibilities'. Summer is beginning with days that are not too hot yet, but warm and lovely. The vegetable garden is close to giving up its first crop while the flowers are unfurling their petals toward the sun with happy smiles. For me personally, I am looking for some 'possibility' in the matter of personal changes in my life. I am attempting to alter the direction I've been heading in and it's scary and exciting and uncertain. But I am hopeful that soon I will be in a place of deep contentment. And a warm June day with the birds chirping and the sound of children's laughter floating on the air seems like a perfect place to begin.

The Lovely month of May

May just seems to naturally inspire deep, appreciative breaths and unconscious smiles. I'm looking out my window as I write this at a scene of spring splendor. Trees are covered in bright yellow blossoms, while fallen blooms scatter along the ground in a breeze that brings movement to every living thing. Pink flowers in various shades add pops of glorious color to brighten my day. I can't help but smile each time I glance out. It is lovely. And I need lovely. It's been a challenging few months with more in sight for the future. Taking a moment to feel the velvety softness of a petal, watch as the wind tosses blossoms across the road and feel the warmth after the cold is a balm to my soul. I hope in this National Smile Month, that you will take a moment to just take in the lovely possibilities of May.

The Beauty of Change

Spring is the season of hope, of change, of possibility. It slowly loosens Winters grasp by sending tender, bright green sprouts up out of ground while blossoms magically appear on the trees. I always think of Anne of Green Gables as a breeze loosens petals that float all around me as I walk down the street. It's a moment of pure magic, where I feel like I've stepped into a fairy tale. It's glorious. I attended my nephew's wedding last week and I couldn't help but think of how spring is the perfect time for two hearts to begin blooming together. They are no longer separate people but two souls making the choice to move forward, forever changed, together. It was a lovely reminder of how beautiful this season-and season of life-this is.

Magic in the air

Even if you're not Irish, there is something about this time of year that makes you feel Irish. Our feet move on their own to fiddle music. We prepare corned beef, soda bread and green frosted cookies. Leprechauns appear to turn the milk green and leave footprints all over the house to the wonder and delight of children. I love it all! Since I write romantic fantasy books, I especially love the magic inherent in the Irish culture. Shapeshifters, banshee's, fairies. A castle with the ability to bestow the gift of charm with a single kiss of chilly stone. Magic crackles through the air and with it, the possibilities for a magical romance. What would all the familiar fairy tales be without the romance at their heart and the magic that makes the impossible, possible. I hope you can find your own sense of magic this month. And if it's coupled with the strongest magic-love-than all the better.

The Season of Love

Ah, February. In the middle of winter comes a holiday dedicated to all things romance and love. For those who have found their 'someone', it's an opportunity to pause and ponder just why that person makes you smile just thinking about them. To appreciate not only why you love them, but truly like them. For those still looking, it's a chance to look around the find all those you love and who love you unconditionally. That's a pretty amazing thing in and of itself. In all of our imperfections, there is someone who loves you unconditionally. The other day my toddler nephew climbed up onto my lap, pressed a kiss to my cheek and snuggled up against me. It was a small moment in time, but the sweetness of it lingered for days. This little person loves me no matter what I look like or what mistakes I make. He also knows how to say 'candy' very clearly-something I can appreciate given how much chocolate I plan to enjoy this month. Love comes in many forms and makes the soul feel lighter whether it's romantic, familial or friendship. It's a beautiful thing.

A Light in the Darkness

New Years can sometimes be melancholy for me. After a whirlwind of holidays, songs and treats, New Years Eve comes and count downs the end of the holiday magic and replaces it with a sometimes uncertain future hope. We hope the new year will be filled with lovely new experiences and good memories. We hope any pains of the previous year are swept away. We open fresh journals and make bullet lists of ways we can try to improve ourselves in the months to come. The nights grow darker and colder and it seems a long stretch until we reach that romantic of holidays, Valentines Day. But then, I see a light in the darkness. Someone has left white lights glowing in their trees. The stars shine sharp and bright in the inky blue sky, my breath frosty as I look up. The candle by my bedside flickers warmly as I snuggle in bed with a book. That small light fills me with a sense of coziness, a hope that not all is dark. That there is always light, we just have to look for it-or make it ourselves. I recently saw a man wearing a hat with the phrase 'Be the Light'. Be the light. Shine what you are toward someone else and help them increase their own inner light so they can pass it along. Yes, it may look impossibly dark out, but that's when the lights shine the brightest. So, as this new year begins with endless possibilities, I hope you will be a light. Smile at a stranger. Pay the toll for the car behind you. Hold the hand of a child as you take a walk. One of my bullet points will be to make someone else's day brighter each day, even in the tiniest of ways. Be the light. I hope this next year brings seasons of bliss and endless light for you. Happy New Year.

Christmas Magic is here again!

I blinked and December is half-way over! I'm not sure how that happens each year, but it seems to fly by faster and faster. I suppose that's why I cherish the evening when I can curl up with my favorite Christmas romance books and just sigh with happiness. I was reading some memoirs of how some women had met their spouses when they were older and I was struck by how unique each love story was. No one has the same one. They all felt that their chances for love was passing away until, with a suddenness that took their breath away, their 'someone' was there. They all felt like the timing was perfect and that the way had been prepared for things to work out perfectly. That's the magic of love, I think. One minute you're alone and the next you have a partner for life. A friend, confidant, a love you can count on. You can attribute it to whatever you believe in-fate, the stars aligning or God, as these women did, preparing someone perfect for them at the perfect time. I hope you have your own love story filled with it's own magic. Or, if you don't at this moment, then I hope you can find the dream of one in your favorite Christmas romance as you wait for your own love story to begin. Never give up hope. Christmas will always work it's magic. Have a wonderful, joy-filled season!

Gentle, Peaceful Autumn Days

Life, as a rule, is chaotic and stressful. Sometimes it feels like the world is falling apart and we're all barely hanging on by our fingertips. But yesterday I was blessed with a gentle, peaceful moment that soothed my soul. Here in the desert we don't get the colorful leaves, golden light and wood-smoke-filled crisp days other places get and I have to admit I miss it dreadfully. We planted trees as soon as we got here that would give us color in the fall and fresh green in the spring but, even though it's November, I hadn't seen any changes. And then, I went out back for something and was met with several small trees with lovely golden leaves. I stood in their shade and felt a gentle breeze dance along my skin, heard the quiet twitter of a bird and just...breathed for a moment. For the first time, it felt like autumn and as I wandered the yard, touching smooth multi-colored leaves, I experienced a simple feeling of gratitude. Life is still stressful and uncertain, but finding those times when you can just...be for a moment is a great gift. I picked a small bouquet of leaves to bring inside, turned on the electric fireplace, curled up with a book and smiled all evening whenever I caught sight of them. I was reminded how important gratitude is. To express thankfulness for something as simple and lovely as standing in a back yard under a bower of golden leaves, a gentle cool breeze touching my face and feeling nothing but peace. My wish is that you can find your own thankful, peaceful moments that will make you sigh and smile long after they're over. Happy Thanksgiving.

October Musings

Crisp air, wood smoke, crunchy leaves and golden air. Each season brings something special, but October has a magic all its own. Children get progressively more excited as costumes are chosen and candy is readied for a special night where they can run and laugh in the twilight, knowing treats are coming and bedtime is pushed back. Our family makes a special spiced, frosted cookie decorated as a jack o'lantern with candy. It's my siblings favorite cookie, not only because they taste amazing, but because of all the memories we have of crowding around the kitchen counter, talking, laughing and showing off our creations. We're far apart now, but we still send photo's and videos of each of us carrying on the tradition with our children through our family's app. The next generation is making their own memories of Halloween Cookies and it makes me smile. Halloween for me has never been about scary things but about the pure joy on a child's face as they race down a darkened street in a costume that transports them briefly into their favorite story, the cold night air only lending more excitement to the evening as their candy bag gets heavier and heavier before they tumble back home to sort through their stash and eat potato soup warm from the crockpot. If you're blessed to be in a place where the leaves turn glorious colors, I hope you tug on a warm sweater, fill a thermos with cider and sit outside with a good book with the leaves fall gently around you as the magic of October saturates the air.

Crisp apples and sharpened pencils

September still calls to mind the mingled excitement and dread of a new school year. Pencils, new lunchboxes, choosing that first day outfit, anxious to meet up with old school friends. Here in the southwest, school starts the beginning of August but September is still the month of fresh beginnings, apple picking days and the tingling knowledge that we're heading straight into the holidays. The days are warm still and fall color hasn't quite touched the leaves with gold and russet but there's anticipation floating in the air. I always love to read-and write-stories set during this golden time when the light starts to slowly change, Indian summer brings pleasantly warm evenings for walks and romance can be found at a small town carnival over a caramel apple. The hot, languid days of summer are over, but the craziness of the holidays hasn't arrived yet. We're in a breathless hush of peace in between where two hearts can connect within simple moments. I plan to take the time to savor each and every one. I hope you will too.

Fireworks and Freedom

The word 'fireworks' can conjure up many different things. Exploding lights in the sky. An argument. Two people finding a spark that lights a lifetime of love. I sent a newly wedded couple off to their new life with a tunnel of sparklers. Every one of us had a delighted grin as we swirled hissing wands of light in the darkness, sending the couple on their way with lights sparkling with childhood memories of warm July lights and bbq's. I have been blessed with a childhood store of Independence Day memories filled with family, homemade ice cream, strawberries, swimming, croquet and ending in the cool evening with blankets tucked around us as we watched the sky light up with bursts of red, green, blue and white. When I think of freedom, I remember those moments where we sat with the taste of cool homemade ice cream on our tongues, sitting together as a family where life's daily challenges and heartaches were forgotten for a few hours. We gathered with other family's doing the same, faces tipped up to the inky dark sky as light exploded and lit up the hope in each expression. There is a glorious sense of freedom in these warm, happy days that lasts a lifetime.

Warm Strawberries and the Promise of 'Something'

I grew up near a farm that put up a strawberry stand every spring. My heart skipped a beat every year when the wooden shade would raise up and the hand-lettered sign would appear on the side of the road. I'd immediately pull over and buy an entire flat of them. The warm, lovely fragrance of fresh, just-off-the-vine strawberries is too glorious for words and my mouth watered until I got home and took that first, juicy bite. Memories of blissfull childhood fill my mind. Picnics. Fourth of July. Easter and Mother's Day. Saturday afternoons on the back porch with a bowl of red loveliness and my family's special 'strawberry dip'. Every time I write a garden party scene in a book, I always picture strawberries there. I can't help feeling a sense of anticipation right now. We're heading into summer and I have plans to visit family, to sit and reminisce and laugh over memories of when we were all together and life just seemed...uncomplicated. I can't seem to quell this feeling that...something...is going to change. Something wonderful is coming. And maybe it's nothing more than soft, lazy summer days with those I love, but I intend to make those moments as magical as I can. Wishing you the breathless anticipation of a summer filled with possibilities.

The Season of Possibility

Spring has its own special magic. There is a sense of new beginnings everywhere you look. Bare branches and icy chill give way to trees heavy with blossoms of pink and days of mild warmth. Bunnies hop unexpectedly out of bushes, birds return to build nests and bright flowers unfurl against fresh green leaves. There is hope in spring and that is one of the best times to think about romance. Every couple has a beginning, the promise of forever and the hope that comes from starting a new relationship with someone who just might be your 'person'. I love writing stories for each season and spring brings to mind sweeping dresses in pastels and walks in the park with a handsome man when everything seems bright and full of possibility. May your own spring be full of bright, happy moments and books of magical romance read to the chirp of birdsong. Happy Spring!

The Season of Love

February has always been a month of contrasts. For many, it's a time of unforgiving winter weather where you hope to be sitting in front of a cozy fire with a book as much as possible. It's also a reminder to think of those you love and find ways to express it-even if it's just a text message to someone you haven't spoken to in a while. It's a season that evokes the senses with the scent of flowers, the juiciness of chocolate covered berries and decadent desserts. I hope you are able to sit in a comfy chair, no matter what your weather, with a book that makes you laugh and sigh and dream of happily ever afters.

Merry Christmas!

As I write this there are just five more days until Christmas. My last post was in August as the new school year was starting and I've been running every since. I feel like I blinked and it's Christmas, a season I adore. This year has been challenging in a lot of ways, filled with unexpected ups and downs. But! I finished and published the first in a spinoff series, The Oaken, which I am VERY excited about. Set in the world of the Blackstar Guardians, The Oaken are historicals steeped in magic and romance. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing about this new aspect of the world that lives in my head. Have a lovely, peace-filled holiday and see you in the new year!

August Musings

I feel like I blinked and summer is over. Well, not here in the southwest. It's usually in the low 90's at Halloween. We have (thankfully) had some rain recently after a long, hot dry spell and wildflowers are popping up all over the place. While I am ready for the cooler weather, I love all the color that we normally don't get to see here. There is something magical about driving down the road and spotting flowers popping up unexpectedly. It makes me smile every time. On the book front, the first Oaken book is finished and I'm just going through all the final editing and cover design before I release it all to you! More news to come soon. Have a lovely, last days of summer!

The Lazy Days of Summer

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." - LM Montgomery. I love this quote. It brings to mind flowers in bloom, sprinklers highlighting that fresh cut grass smell, evenings on the back porch with a bowl of homemade ice cream, dresses that flutter against my legs in the breeze. There is something graceful and reminiscent about June. In my 'other life' I teach elementary school so June also means a much needed break where I can re-charge and evaluate how the previous year went before a new one begins in August. This school year has been particularly challenging, so I really need these lazy, hazy summer days. I plan to use them to finish up some writing projects that have been put aside while I finished up the school year. I'm really excited to see what you think about them! I wish you all your own re-charging moments of summer bliss where you can take in all the beauty blooming around you and take some time to just be.

Bubbles of Joy

The holidays are over and it always makes me a little sad. Christmas for me is very much a hopeful season full of magic and when they wind down it's bittersweet. But...then there's New Years Eve with its effervescent bubbles of 'what if' and 'what might be'. There's power in those words. And, even if things don't always end up the way you'd hoped, every year has something different. I love to just think on those moments-most of the time unexpected, tiny gems of memory that stay with me and have the power to make me smile years later. Last year I scratched a dream off my bucket list by publishing a book that has been in my head for longer than I can say and I can't contain bubbles of joy every time I look over at my bookshelf and see it. In the midst of Covid uncertainty and world insanity, I had a dream come true. So. This year, I'm hoping to find more bubbles of joy and I wish the same for you! Look for the little moments of happiness. Do something that fills you with bliss-take a bath every week, open that book that's been sitting on your shelf, forget the dishes and laugh with your children. As midnight nears and 2020 fades away, take a deep breath and make an effort to create bubbles of joy that will keep you smiling all the way to 2022.

Thanksgiving

So I have been challenged to acknowledge something I am thankful for for the next 7 days as a way to increase hope and joy during this chaotic, uncertain time. Sooo....I am thank for you! I love to write and want to share the characters who clamor in my head for their stories to be told and you are a huge part of that! Without your support, I would be the only one who knows that. So, thank you. Thank you for using your precious time to read my stories. And now, I extend the same challenge to you! What are you thankful for?

Halloween!

Halloween just feels different this year.
With all the covid craziness, election madness, the 100 degree temperatures where I live and the strangely empty stores, it just feels...odd. Normally, there's a certain magic in the air beginning in October that I crave every year-especially the last few where it seems like the world is going mad-and I walk the stores with a bounce of anticipation in my step. I usually love this time year and am one of 'those' people who can't wait for the holiday decorations to trickle in. For me, the holidays represent a flicker of hope in a time of increasing darkness-where we look for the good, the beautiful, the magical. This year, Halloween has another special element added to it-it's the season when I've published books that have been living in my mind for years. I am filled with excitement, nervousness and a hope that you will enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed creating them. So yes, this year might be speeding by in a whirl of change-but there are still moments of joy, where we can find light and beauty around us. Happy Halloween!

Favorite Author Highlight Series