Meet the Character Day with author Helen Henderson

 

Please give a warm welcome to Brodie from Windmaster Golem by Helen Henderson today as we sit down and see what makes him tick.

 

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not saving (the world, clients, your mate)? 

I love working with metal. Whether it is a piece of jewelry or a special weapon, seeing my vision become reality brings not only pleasure, but s double reward at the joy on the receiver’s face. 

When I need to get away after teaching a class on the proper use of weapons (or showing a student the error of their ways,) a ride on Wirake along the beach or through the vale. I will share a secret about Wirake. He is no ordinary horse, but a magical equine and the son of the head falaire stallion of the vale He honored me because instead of selecting a wizard, he chose me, a man with no magic of my own, as his rider.

 

What is it about your love interest Kia that makes you crazy in a good way? 

I love the way the sun sparkles in her hair and the joyful lilt when we are out riding and she lets down the wall that she built around herself. 

Do you sometimes want to strangle your writer? Thrash her/him to within an inch of their life? Make them do the stupid crap they makes you do? 

If I had a mean streak, my writer would be on the learning end of a staff for not giving me magical powers and for making me wait so long to learn my destiny.

 

Do you have a favorite food? 

Steak roasted over an open bonfire on the beach.

 

Tell me a little bit about your world. What are your greatest challenges in that world? 

Nerelan is a beautiful world, even if it has a few sharp edges. After a spring rain, the desert turns into a painted carpet of colorful blooms. Just pray that as you're riding across you don't get caught in a sandstorm that can last for candlemarks or even days. 

If you come to visit the Isle of Mages by land, you travel through woods, rolling hills, and grassy meadows. But, watch out for the traps that can catch the unwary. Once over the invisible bridge, not only is the land varied and beautiful, but so are the people. Arrival by sea is best done on Windmaster rather than sailing in on your own ship. The denizens of the deep who protect the isle know the vessel and escort her in. Tricky currents and the monsters are dangerous if you do not know the route. 

For me the biggest challenges of my world are the occasional mage who refuses to act responsibly and uses their powers against the non-talented. I can't protect them as I have no magic of my own.

 

Describe yourself in four words. 

Loyal, honorable, strong, trust worthy

 

What do you do for a living? 

I am a master weapon smith. I turn metal into best weapons and most beautiful jewelry in Nerelan. Some are blessed by my friends, the archmage and his lady, as special gifts or as journeyman dangers for wizards answering the summons to the council fire. I also take on tasks that the archmage needs including escort and bodyguard services.

 

What do you fear the most? 

My greatest fear is that because I don’t have any magic of my own, that one day I will fail Dal and his mate, Ellspeth. The archmage and his lady are my friends. They and their daughters treat me as a member of their family. I would never forgive myself if they fell in battle because I did not train them well enough … or if I failed to protect them.

 

 

Windmaster Golem

 

A rogue mage aims to rule everyone with the ability to wield magic, especially Kiansel, sister of the Oracle. He just needs to find the means to bring the army of clay soldiers to life and the secret to bend the will of others to his. Kia’s emerging powers force an impossible decision. For to have magic demands she turn her back on her family, her heritage and the teachings of the oracle. Brodie’s assignment? Protect her. But how can a man without any magic of his own fight a curse or protect a friend from an invisible stalker?

 

Where to buy Windmaster Golem

Publisher BWL Publishing

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JTZD6K7/

Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/windmaster-golem-helen-henderson/1137734264

iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/windmaster-golem/id1533090496

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/windmaster-golem

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1044646

More ebook sites https://books2read.com/Windmaster-Golem

 

Excerpt:

 

Tendrils of fog clutched at Brodie’s ankles. The thick haze not only dampened the sound of the surf crashing against the cliff, it hid the trail along the cliff edge. Not even the light from the gibbous moon showed anything other than shadows.

 

For several breaths he stood and marked his location on a mental map of the trail. Switchbacks and a sharp drop-off marked the downhill slope to the village. A tug pulled the long sword from the scabbard hanging on his back. “Good thing I have TânOer with me,” he told the night. He kept the weapon in his cottage in the main village unless being used in a lesson. “The short sword I usually carry while on the Isle of Mages is too short to be useful as a pointer.” The memory of why he had the enspelled long sword with him flickered into being. That afternoon he had shown the folly of hubris to a pair of second-season students and spent the rest of the day at the forge.

 

One final breath to center himself and he dragged the tip along the ground in a long arc in front of him. Step by step, he listened for the scratch of steel on dirt or the swish as the blade slid into the grass alongside the trail. Boulders filled the space from the grassy verge to the cliff’s edge, so a scrape on rock told he was no longer on the path. Every snick of steel on stone dropped him to the ground. On hands and knees he explored the area until he determined if it was a single rock or a pile of them marking a sharp turn of the path to warn the unwary to slow down.

 

His fingers didn’t meet more rocks, just open air.

 About the Author

My fiction crosses genres: historical adventures (written while listening to the Ashokan Farewell), westerns (to western movie themes), science fiction and fantasy to Celtic harp and flute. I've also written young adult and children stories, and slice-of-life vignettes.

I'm especially proud of the two romantic fantasy series, the Dragshi Chronicles and the Windmaster Novels. Originally conceived as short stories, the characters came to life for me. I hope they will for you also.

https://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com/