Top Nine Fae Tropes (I love)

I had only read a few fae books before I decided to write a series set in fae, but as I brainstormed different tropes and elements, I read a LOT of fae books. I’ve made a list of my favorite tropes and elements.

#9: Mortal main character heroine

I love this because it’s the everyday person being thrown in the dangerous world of fae. Meaning, that any reader can imagine themselves in this fantasy world.

#8: Dangerous faerie food

Something that looks as harmless as an apple can do crazy things to a mortal in faerie. From making them intoxicated, to causing any future human food they eat again to taste like dirt, I love it when faerie food creates tension and an added layer of danger to the protagonist. 

#7: Enemies to lovers romance

The main couple start out hating each other and doing things to be mean or get away from each other, but by some forced proximity or duty they have to spend time with each other until they lurve each other. *swoon*

#6: Revels

A party with lots of food, dancing, a moody atmosphere where anything can happen.

#5: Different courts

I love the political intrigue of the different courts which are usually tied with the seasons (summer, winter, autumn and spring). In many fae books depending on the season determines which court is in power. All four are within the Raven Court series with the addition of the Underwater Court and, of course… the Raven Court.

#4: Glamour

Magid that only the fae possess to disguise themselves, make themselves invisible to human eyes, or make their features more attractive. (especially the really ugly, terrifying types of fae)

#3: Broody fae prince

The main love interest is usually this character. He’s the bad boy type who is a little cruel or maybe just cranky. Who doesn’t love a tall, dark and handsome love interest?

#2: Unique/fictional creatures

Whether from actual lore, or fictional ones the author created, I love seeing the characters interact with the different fae creatures. (I mean… I’m spending an entire month talking about fae creatures, so that HAD to be on the list.)

#1: Forced to dance

I love LOVE this trope! When the main romantic couple are forced to dance and they don’t want to, but also when it’s the type of faerie dance that a mortal can’t stop themselves (so they must dance until they collapse with exhaustion.) And then the couple must get over their animosity toward each other because the fae prince is suddenly panicked that the mortal girl will be hurt or killed by this dangerous dance.

Types of Fae (fay, fairy, faerie, etc.) Creatures from Legend and Why They’re Cool

Confession: I didn’t know much about fae books or even fae creatures when I began researching/brainstorming for my Raven Court series. I wasn’t already a die-hard fan of fairies.

So… being a dutiful author, I bought a book. The Element Encyclopedia of Fairies has been my right-hand vat of information since the beginning. From there, I have found and implemented lots of fae creatures from actual legends.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Cabyll-ushtey - a water horse that frequents the banks after dark and was believed to steal cattle and young children.  

    Why (I think) they’re cool: Horses are always seen as docile creatures, or companions of man, so I liked the idea of a horse that is more like riding a tiger or a shark. Something powerful and fast… that could also eat you. I’m also a huge fan of Maggie Steivfator’s Scorpio Races which is all about the carnivorous water horses: capaill uisce.

  • Cait Sith - is a fairy cat who is thought to be a witch turned into a cat. When a person dies, their body must be carefully watched because if a cait sith leaps over the corpse, it can steal its soul.

    Why (I think) they’re cool: Magical cats? Need I say more? Cats are always surrounded by mystery and suspicion so it only makes sense that they’re featured so much in different lore.

  • Will-o’-the-wisp - are small lights seen over marshes or swamps and sometimes in graveyards. It’s said these lights are created by fairies to lure travelers away from safety. 

    Why (I think) they’re cool: Just imagine walking through a dark forest and seeing these lights. Then wanting to see what they are or where they lead, ending up lost in the woods! I imagine they’re beautiful, mysterious and terrifying all at once.

  • Morrigu - I wanted to focus on creatures of faerie this month and dive into humanoid faerie creatures in a future month, but the morrigu fit in both. They are women who manifest as ravens or crows who have magical powers to stir emotions during war. They cause confusion, stir fury or bestow courage on their chosen victors in battle. 

    Why (I think) they’re cool: I’ve always had a fascination with crows and ravens. It probably has something to do with my love for walking through cemeteries and always seeing crows in cemeteries. So a strong, warrior-like woman who shifts into a crow or raven just seems super cool!

I accidentally... got a dog!

You read that right. My family accidentally got a dog. Haha.

A little background, my husband has wanted a dog since we were married 17 years ago. I've never had a dog and I've never felt it was the right time. First, we both were in school and working full time and I didn't want to leave a pet at home all day. Then when kids started coming in the picture, I didn't want to deal with babies and diapers while also stressing about a dog.

But my baby just turned 6, so we're no longer in the baby stage. We've kicked the idea around, but haven't been serious about it yet because of upcoming vacations and an upcoming renovation.

So here's what happened. We were having a hot dog roast at my in-law's house when their neighbor's cocker spaniel puppies came over to play. My kids love playing with the puppies. We were talking about dogs and puppies and I pulled up Facebook marketplace to see what sorts of dogs were in our area and costs, and rescues, etc.

I looked for about 5 seconds, then put my phone down.

The next thing I knew, I was getting messages. The first one said:

“Yes, we have 1 puppy left.”

I realized… whoops! I accidentally hit the “Is this available?” button on one of the dogs I had just searched.

I was just going to ignore it and set my phone down again, but then I got another message with pictures:

“This is the puppy we have left.”

Then…

“Would you like to come by tonight and look at her?”

By this point, I realized I should probably respond and showed the messages to my husband, like haha look what I accidentally did!!

Straight faced, he looked at me and said, “let's go see her.”

The location was close to our house, so at 9pm Saturday night, we pulled up to this house and before we exited the car, my husband said “prepare yourself, because I'm not going to say no to getting a puppy."

And we fell in love.

Then of course, it was a mad dash to the grocery store to get some dog food and bowls, etc, but now we have a family dog!

Her name is Shadow and she's half Alaskan, half Siberian husky.

...It was the best of times...

When was the last time you had one of those moments or events in your life where you just knew that you'd remember it for the rest of your life?

I recently attended Storymakers Conference--a writers conference--and several of my author friends came too. I've been a part of an author mastermind group for two years, and out of the thirteen of us who meet via zoom once a week, SEVEN of us were there! (the seven of us are in the bottom right picture)

I had some amazing conversations, reconnected with old friends, and I have not laughed so hard in a LONG time!

I also got a copy of The Giver signed by Lois Lowry!! It was an epic weekend!

Top 5 favorite oldies...

Do you like classic literature? There was a period in my life when I'd ONLY read classics. I had to read a lot of them in college and I preferred them for a long time--along with the occasional sci-fi book recommended by my dad. But then… I found young adult books. Fantasy, spec fiction specifically (ahem… Twilight!) I haven't read any classics in a while because now I'm all about the fantasy and the sci fi books, but I've read a lot!

Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order except for the first one):

  1. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

  2. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

  3. East of Eden, John Steinbeck

  4. King Lear, Shakespeare

  5. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

In this weeks Reading Queens Podcast, Valia Lind, Hanna Sandvig, and I talked about classic literature. You should listen!

READING QUEENS

I shouldn't do this... but I'm gonna!

I’m in love!

I had to share a tiny piece of the art I commissioned for Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns. Isn’t it lovely?

WRITING UPDATE: I wrote a bunch of RAVEN COURT #4 last week! It's so fun to be back in Aria's world and writing about the craziness that's happening in her story! I *may* have a preorder link for that book soon. I'll let you know!

Episode #43 of Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns launched last Friday and Episode #44 launched today!

You can start reading it here: Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns.

Tis the season for Giveaways!!

This week has been HARD!! I won't get into the details, but it's just been a really hard, exhausting week and it's not over yet. But I'm okay. I'm surviving!

I am really excited for some artwork I commissioned for COURTING FAE THIEVES AND CROWNS. It's not finished yet, but the drafts I've seen so far are AMAZING!! I can't wait to share it with you! (and order some swag with it so I can give some away!!)

I have a few giveaways going on right now. I'm sharing one with you today, then I'll share another one with you next week (so make sure to check your email!) I also have several friends who have upcoming and current book releases, so get ready to hear about a bunch of amazing new releases!

Here’s the first giveaway: FANTASY PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY

I was emotional...

Last week I was invited to be interviewed by Azrielle Lawless of Hella Vella on her YouTube channel. It was so much fun! It was one of my favorite interviews I've done.

I got emotional. The questions Azrielle asked and the things she pointed out as I talked about my author journey made me realize just how important teachers and parents and other influential adults can be in a kids life.

If you want to watch it (we're both wearing crowns!), here's the link:

LAWLESS INTERVIEW

Fierce Hearts Anthology: 100% Proceeds donated to Ukraine Relief Efforts

I'm proud to be a part of a romantic fantasy anthology that will donate 100% of proceeds to Ukrainian relief. The heat levels are varying, so keep that in mind.

Lose yourself in more than 1,000 pages of love, magic, adventure, and hope – all to help Ukrainian refugees affected by the recent tragedy.

The Fierce Hearts Charity Anthology includes 46 romantic fantasy novellas, novelettes, short stories, and exclusive sneak-peek chapters from more than 40 authors, including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. Stories range from mild to scorching in heat level. Most importantly, all proceeds (100%) will be donated to the International Rescue Committee (or a similar charity should IRC become unavailable), which in turn will be directed to supporting humanitarian efforts on behalf of the Ukrainian people.

Authors featured include: Jeffe Kennedy, Olivia Wildenstein, Amelia Hutchins, Elizabeth Briggs, Karpov Kinrade, Sylvia Mercedes, Shari Tapscott, Hollee Mands, Miranda Honfleur, Carissa Broadbent, Clare Sager, Jessica M Butler, Catharine Glen, Monica Enderle Pierce, Karen Tomlinson, Marina Simcoe, Tessonja Odette, Anthea Sharp, Denali Day, Bethany Adams, and many more!

Fierce Hearts is only available for a limited time, so don’t miss your chance to own this fantastic anthology and support a very important cause.

The anthology organizers and participating authors are not affiliated or endorsed by the charity.

Bethany Adams, Amy Beatty, Claudia Blood, Elizabeth Briggs, Carissa Broadbent, Jessica M. Butler, Therena Carlin, Denali Day, Monica Enderle Pierce, Tameri Etherton, Eileen Fox, Lauren L. Garcia, Catharine Glen, Joan Grey, Kristina Gruell, Kyra Halland, Emma Hamm, Meredth Hart, Miranda Honfleur, Amelia Hutchins, Kelly N. Jane, Jaycee Jarvis, Clara C. Johnson, Jeffe Kennedy, Karpov Kinrade, Lisa Kumar, K.N. Lee, Kate LeFay, Constance Lopez, M. Lynn, Hollee Mands, Lisette Marshall, Daniela A. Mera, Sylvia Mercedes, C.A. Morley, Tessonja Odette, Monica Enderle Pierce, Joanna Reeder, Vanessa Roades, Vela Roth, Bernadette Rowley, Clare Sager, Anna Santos, Anthea Sharp, Marina Simcoe, R.A. Steffan, Shari L. Tapscott. Karen Tomlinson, Megan Van Dyke, Velora Venn, Charissa Weaks, & Olivia Wildenstein

Here is a link to the anthology—> FIERCE HEARTS

A sister anthology entitled, ADAMANT SPIRITS, was also published with the same purpose, but the stories are romantic urban fantasy, sci-fi romance, and paranormal romance also at varying heat levels:

Here is the link —> ADAMANT SPIRITS