Posts by Julia Schmeelk
Flat Tire
I bet you know people who manage to have one simple crises at a time and quickly move on to the planned events of the day. Unfortunately I am not one of those people and when things go wrong in my world, they veer far off course with little warning and plenty of drama. Yesterday…
Read MoreTrauma
If you have been reading my NewEarth Series, you might have noticed that several characters have survived trauma. As a part of my real life ( non-writing) I worked with kids and young adults who were learning to survive after a single or cumulative traumatic event. It made me very aware of how common trauma…
Read MoreCleaning
Someone asked me why I have characters wasting valuable story time doing mundane tasks like cleaning, and I laughed and said I waste considerable living time doing those tasks; and lots of valuable things happen during that time. Some of my best discussions with family and friends have happened while washing dishes. You wash, I’ll…
Read MoreDragon’s Clan
The members of a territory clan, people bonded with the territory dragon, are the dragon’s clan members. Being a clan dragon is an honor and a privilege, but it also comes with a an obligation to agree and support the territory dragon. If a clan dragon finds that they cannot support their territory leader they…
Read MoreGrabon as King
Anyone who has read my books realizes that a territory dragon is more like a king than anything else. Yet a territory dragon is held to a set of rules by the continental council. The council is answerable to the planet. In that way, there is accountability, but the system of government is definitely not…
Read MoreSickness
Trissy’s family was essentially wiped out by an illness that went through their Woodsman group killing all but 4 people, the two male cousins, Trissy and Jenny. Jenny age 2, was still weak and sick and the cousins tried to convince Trissy to leave her behind. They were convinced she was going to die anyway,…
Read MoreBeasts and Birds
In the green sky world of NewEarth there are some fun beasts and birds that Athena my artist did a fantastic job of depicting. There is the puton, a large cat like creature, that is a top of the food-chain hunter. The fanger is like a wild boar, only bigger, and it eats everything and…
Read MoreDeception
Not all deception is bad. Grabon and Heron deceived all the humans and dragons they knew, letting the dragons believe Heron was a human pet and letting the humans believe that Grabon was a dragon pet. It wasn’t until they were both safe with Grabon claiming his territory that the truth began to come out.…
Read MorePowers
“All the humans have powers, psychic or magical powers.” Those powers are really a byproduct of their connection with the planet. They are a gift, given freely by a powerful, meddling planet attempting to adopt a second species and bring them all into her circle of influence. The dragons have a unique understanding of the…
Read MoreCooking
You might have noticed that Hanna is a great cook. From her meat pies to her morning bread; her stews and jams are favorites and her cookies are legendary. One critic pointed out that much of her time is spent in the kitchen cooking and planning meals. He thought this was old fashioned and sexist.…
Read More