An Enchanted Life Check-In

I wanted to step away from our usual programming for a minute and share a couple of things with you.

First off, to our newest Enchanted Life readers…welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! I love having this small but mighty community where we can all hang out and talk about fantasy books, movies, games, and such. No matter what kind of crap the world throws at us, it’s nice to know we can always find people here who understand us—even a little. 

I wanted to thank Niccolo Hilgendorf, and David Perlmutter. They were both kind enough to recommend An Enchanted Life to their readers, a couple of whom have been brave enough to join us and find out if fantasy lovers really do have more fun. (We do!)

I have big plans for An Enchanted Life. There are all sorts of things planned, from examinations of popular and lesser-known subgenres of fantasy to deep dives into some classic tales. I know not all of you feel the same way I do about Professor Tolkien, so I promise not to make it all about him. I’ve always wanted to take a closer look at foundational works, so that’s on the schedule. Would you believe I’ve never read Dune? Or The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang? Actually, there are quite a few I’ve never read and I hope to rectify that. 

(Let me know in the comments which classic fantasy novels, short stories, or fairy tales you think I should read first!)  

Something else I’ve dipped my pen into that I’d like to continue with is ‘Words for Wednesday’, an examination of some of the terminology and stand-out words that we come across in fantasy. I take one of these words, examine its origins, how it’s used, its commonality in the fantasy genre,  and modern usages/understandings/misuse, etc. You might be surprised at the history behind some of the most common words & terms in fantasy fiction!

Another element to An Enchanted Life that I enjoy sharing with you is our videos. The format is still new to me, but so far I’ve created videos that look at dragons throughout antiquity, worldbuilding tips for writers, and a handful of ambient videos to help us unwind a little. I have plans to create more, too. I’d like to look at mythological creatures like the Selkie, the unicorn, and Windigo and the Hide-Behinds. And what about the dragon lizards that feed on Man of War? Are they any less modern dragons than the fierce and terrifying Komodo dragons?

The serial fiction I’ve been releasing on Mondays, Murder Among Mages will eventually be repackaged as a novella and sold wide. Once it's complete, and edited, has new content and a snappy cover, of course. But you are getting to see it first! I also plan on sharing the short stories of my low-tech, fantasy-based imaginary world of Uclandia with you. I have big plans for Uclandia and its people that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I do.

(Watch for the first Uclandian tidbit next week!)

And of course, I’ll continue to compile Plot Points every month. I enjoy building that mini-presentation of various fantasy-related media, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Gardening season is coming soon to my part of the world, which means I’ll be delving into the fantasy side of growing things. I’m excited to create a fairy garden, complete with little homes and flower beds. Of course, I’ll share it all with you! I’ll also be looking at herbs and flowers that we can spot in fantasy fiction. Real and unreal. The Triffids frightened the socks off of younger-me, and they aren’t the scariest or wildest plantlife out there! A romp through fantastical gardens might be fun!

I appreciate each one of you. Every time you open An Enchanted Life in your email, through the app, or on the Substack website, I know I’m not alone in my enjoyment. I would love to bring you even more! But I also don’t want to overwhelm you either. So if you’d be so kind as to let me know in the comments section how often you’re comfortable with this newsletter landing in your email - I’d be grateful.

Finally, I wanted to let you know I appreciate all your support of An Enchanted Life, from recommendations to paid subscriptions! Recently, I’ve set up a Ko-Fi page so that fans of An Enchanted Life can support the newsletter with smaller, or even one-off “tips”. If you don’t already have a Ko-Fi account, rest assured, it’s free and secure. Ko-fi is the digital version of dropping some coin in a busker’s guitar case or a tip jar at your favorite diner. Every tip (no matter how small), every subscription matters a great deal and allows me to keep creating An Enchanted Life.

YOU matter to me, and I hope you get as much enjoyment as I do out of An Enchanted Life. Thank you for sharing this wild ride with me!