Wintersβ Day In
Spilling the tea since 2006. Wanna cuppa?
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author and songwriter (and aspiring mermaid) Talena Winters.
Whatβs an Undineβs Tear?
The reason the first book in the Rise of the Grigori series came to be called The Undineβs Tear, the significance of the stones on all my covers, and more. Includes new insights into the covers and crystals on them.
Creating a Vivid Fantasy Mermaid World with Real-Life Connections
In Part Five of my Rise of the Grigori Beneath-the-Surface series, I talk about some of the seed ideas the grew into a full-blown fantasy world full of mermaids, crystal technology, and more. (Hint: Breathing stones arenβt so far-fetched after all.)
The Good Girlβs Guide to Being Bad
In Part Four of the Rise of the Grigori Beneath-the-Surface series, Narcissa korβAdonia, Opal Princess of the undine Island of Sirenia tells us what her cousin Calandra is really likeβ¦
A Peek Beneath the Surface: Author Interview
In Part Three of the Rise of the Grigori Beneath-the-Surface series, Iβm posting an author interview thatβs mostly about me, not so much the seriesβ¦ but the series does get top billing.
Stories and Embers
My energyβs low, so instead of pondering life like I usually do, hereβs a little round-up of some of my recent projects you might be interested in.
Where Mythology & Imagination Meet: The Creation of a βReal-Worldβ Mermaid Fantasy
In the Rise of the Grigori Behind-the-Scenes Tour part 2, I dive into how I came up with the idea for the world that became my epic young adult mermaid fantasy series.
Introducing the Rise of the Grigori Beneath-the-Surface Blog Series
The first of a series of behind-the-scenes posts for the Rise of the Grigori series. First up: Whatβs the series about?
Playing with Audio Robots
My experiment with auto-narration for The Friday Night Date Dress turned out even better than I expected.
Some weeks, we crawl instead of walk
I felt slower than usual this week, but still ended up with some cool things for my readers and knitting customers. And I got to be social, too.
This Train Track Goes Both Ways
Taking a moment to look back at how far Iβve come before looking to the immediate future again.
Whatβs weird about being a writer
The journey to and through a book launch is full of ups and downs. Also, Every Star that Shines is out at last. I read a couple of pages from it in this post.
Sugar, No Spice, and Everything Nice
Weekly coffee chat: Writing a Christmas romance in a heat wave, breaking through writerβs block, and new character art for Every Star that Shines.