Fae World anthologies - Melusine Muse Press now taking submissions #FaeWorld

Fae World

This one will either be one large anthology or four smaller ones. 

The four themes are Autumn Court, Winter Court, Spring Court and Summer Court and may include both dark and light Fae (Seelie and Unseelie). 

The word count should be between 300 and 3,000 words. 

Not all submissions will be accepted. 
These are adult stories, but gratuitous sex, gratuitous foul language and gratuitous violence will earn a rejection. 

Depending on the quality of the stories sent in, there will either be a one volume, 50+-story anthology or four volumes with 25 to 35 stories in each (depending on average length of stories). 

At this moment, I cannot afford to pay for stories that are accepted, but there will be a $10 Amazon gift certificate awarded to the best story in each category ("court") and a $25 gift certificate for the best story overall (once the required number of stories has been submitted and accepted).

At the moment, the closing date remains open. Submissions will remain open until the correct number of acceptable stories is reached. Each book needs to be a minimum of 50,000 words (if broken into four separate books) or 125,000 words (if published as one book).

Once all stories have been chosen for the anthology, winners will be chosen. All those with stories accepted in the anthology will get badges for their blogs or websites.  Winners in each category and the over-all winner will get separate "winner" badges.

I am hoping to be able to begin work on the anthology during 2016, so the earlier submissions come in, the better.

Tweet

2016 - Castles in the sky

Chase your dreams.

Go ahead and build castles in the sky.

Believe in magic,

and never stop using 

your imagination.

Happy 2016, everyone!

Tweet

A Child's Belief

My little girl  at the beach / photo by Fyfe Photography

Today, I was watching my four year old son jumping off of the bottom few steps of our hallway stairs. He had a look of fierce concentration on his face, and when he landed, he would break out into a huge smile and then go back to the stairs and jump all over again.

I asked him what he was doing, and he answered me, "I'm Batman, and I'm flying!" Then he walked into the living room with me, moved his little stool over to me and said, "Watch!"  And he climbed up on the stool and leaped off it, lifting his legs high and throwing his hands in the air while he was airborne.

"See, Mommy! I flew!"

He beamed at me, proud if his accomplishment and I was reminded of my childhood self, doing the same thing. I had jumped off from my couch, over and over. And every time I lifted into the air, for those few precious seconds before I landed again, I felt like I was flying and I believed that, if I found the right way to jump, I could make myself remain in the air for longer and longer amounts of time. I truly believed, at that young age, that I could fly.

When do we grow too old to believe we can achieve the impossible? As children, we believed that we could do anything and that nothing was impossible, but as we grow older, we start to lose this belief. We lose our belief in the magic of possibilities and we lose our belief in our ability to do amazing things. It's those people who somehow manage to hang on to their childlike belief in the impossible who are able to achieve great things.

Children enjoy trying to achieve the impossible and believing that it can happen; they know that this trying and believing is all part of the fun. We should all hang on to that knowledge.

Tweet

When Did You Stop Believing?

Christmas is nearly here and children are expectantly awaiting their gifts from Santa Claus. Well, the children who still believe in Santa Claus are eagerly awaiting him.  The children who no longer believe are not as excited. They are still looking forward to Christmas, but some of the magic of it has already been lost to them.

I was only six years old when I lost the magic of Christmas. My older brother, a little before Christmas, showed me my mom's stash of Christmas presents; he'd found her hiding place. A little later, on Christmas morning, I found some of those same toys labeled "from Santa Claus" under the tree. I particularly remember one present I had seen amongst her hidden stash, a Princess Leia figurine, which I found in my Christmas stocking that Christmas morning.

Christmas was never the same for me after that. I still enjoyed Christmas, but it has lost its magic.

Now that I am grown and have children of my own, I have tried to keep the magic alive for them as long as possible. And in turn, their joy and excitement for Christmas has brought the magic back to Christmas for me.

I'm a believer again. I believe in Santa, but not as a rotund, jolly, white haired man who brings good little boys and girls presents, but instead as a symbol of the spirit of Christmas. Religion aside, the spirit of Christmas is about doing what we can to make others happy. Seeing the joy in my children's faces on Christmas morning, knowing that they still believe in the magic, is one of the best things in the world.

Watching people all over the world become more generous and willing to lend a helping hand to their neighbors is one of the amazing magical things about Christmas. Even in difficult economic times, people still become more giving during this time of year. And there is magic in that.

The magic of Christmas can be found in different places for different people. I choose to find the magic of Christmas in every child's joyous smile.

Where do you find the magic of Christmas?


Tweet

"Cobwebs" - flash fiction entry by Robert Fyfe for Spooktoberfest #spooktoberfest

  Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests wanted to find a way to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year in style.

And so SPOOKTOBERFEST was born!

Requirements of the story:

Your Flash Fiction piece cannot be any longer than 300 words. You must use the MANDATORY 5 words listed below…
            cobweb(s)
            jack-o-lantern(s)
            ghost(s)
            cauldron(s)
            razor(s)
Post your Flash Fiction piece any day from Friday Oct 26^th thru Monday, Oct. 29^th.
Your flash fiction piece can be scary, comical, romantic, or whatever you choose, just be creative!

The winners will be posted on HALLOWEEN! That’s right, Wednesday, Oct. 31^st. Jackie and Dani will each choose a winner. That’s right – two winners!

PRIZES: A grab bag and candy. The winners will get the biggest bags we can find of their favorite candy along with some spookified items.

With this in mind, my husband, Robert Fyfe, decided to write a quick poem using all of the required words. Here is his entry:

Source: blog.farmgirlwrites.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Cobwebs

Caught in a cage brown with rust
Cobwebs old and full of dust
I sit and hope my life to keep
Not lost to a ghost to moan and weep
A cackle pierces the frosty air
As a wicked joke witches share
Razor sharp fingernails rip like a lion
And tossed into a cauldron made of iron
Plants that poison and lizards newt
Jack-o-lantern and mandrake root
A soup that holds one ingredient short
Actually not for I am caught


Tweet

What Daddy Doesn't Know Won't Hurt Him - contest entry by Robert Fyfe for the OUAT flash fiction contest

My husband doesn't blog often, but he wanted to enter the Once Upon a Time flash fiction contest. The word count limit is 350 words and the theme is Unexpected Fairytales. This is his submission to the contest.

What Daddy Doesn't Know Won't Hurt Him
by Robert Fyfe

Kerrie didn’t really understand why her father would react so badly but she was determined that she would warn the fairies that he was coming to destroy them. All her life she had seen them but until yesterday her father had told her that she was making things up and to stop these fantasies.

She wished she hadn’t lost her temper yesterday, hadn’t been so determined to prove him wrong, but after all it was his fault that her two sisters had gone; he had driven them away to goodness knows where. She had promised the fairies that she wouldn’t tell and they had shared their fairy dust with her. She had gotten so angry when her father had grabbed her, telling her that fantasies and fairytales were just make-believe and she should be real and forget them.

 She had become so upset and had pulled the little bag of dust from her pocket, had sprinkled a pinch of dust over her head and had whispered the magic word; she had risen off the floor about three feet as she had looked into her father’s eyes. So proud, so righteous, so in trouble.

He had grabbed her and threw her in her room telling her not to leave for any reason till he got back. She had heard him in the shed and she knew he was looking for a weapon against her friends.

He hadn’t realised though that the fairy dust was still powerful and she opened her window and flew out of the room and down to the bottom of the garden, his screams for her to return easily heard as he came from the shed and saw her disappear behind the hedge.

The fairies were there waiting, laughing, arms open wide. Kerrie told them to run, told them to hide. But they came to her, held on to her. “You just have to wish it away,” they told her. “Just think about where you would like to go and we will all go with you. After all it is what we did with your sisters.”

348 words

Tweet

Make Your Own Fairy Magic Gifts

The holiday season is upon us. This year, instead of giving something store-bought to the people you care about, why not make something special to bring a personal touch to your gift-giving? And while you are at it, why not make your gifts extra special by making them fairy magic gifts? Here are just a few ideas for some homemade fairy magic gifts of your own.





- Make small bottles of "fairy dust." You can buy tiny bottles at any craft store, including ones that can be made into keychains or necklaces. Fill the bottle with glitter. Any color of glitter will do. You can layer the "dust" or you can put the cork or lid on the bottle and shake it up. You can leave it like that or you can paint a flower or a butterfly on the outside of the bottle, either with acrylic paints or with glass paint pens. Print the poem that is written below and using a hole puncher leave hole in the bottom of the piece of paper you print the poem to and then add it to a ribbon and tie the ribbon around the outside of the neck of the bottle.

A special little gift
Made just for you,
Filled with sparkle
And fairy magic too!
Whenever you have something
That you want to do,
Just wish on this fairy dust
And your wish just might come true!

- Make a dream jar. Clean out a jar. Any jar from home will do. Paint glue all over the outside jar and then sprinkle different colors of glitter all over the outside. Once it dries, use acrylic paint to paint the words "Dream Jar" onto it. While the words dry, start typing up different "dreams." Each "dream" should be something happy, a remembered fun time with the person you are making the jar for, thoughts you have that are flattering to them, hopes you know they have, anything positive in their life and anything else you can think of that will lift their spirits when they read it. Make as many of these as you can, then cut them out and put them inside the dream jar. Tie a pretty ribbon aorund the neck of the jar. Whomever you give it to can pull a happy thought out of the jar whenever he or she is feeling down to help lift his or her mood.

- Make Fairy dust candle jars. Find some empty small baby food jars. Paint them with glitter. Fill each one with a scented candle and tie a pretty ribbon around the neck of the jar and your gift is complete.

Hope you enjoy making these simple gifts, and I hope the people you give them to enjoy them too!

Tweet

Fairy Stories By Isabella

My daughter Isabella started telling me stories about fairies when she was three years old and since then has continued to come up with more and more fairy stories. Her daddy has drawn some sketches to go with her stories and I created a blog where she could share her stories.

You can find her fairy stories on her blog The Tangle Fairies. She also has a Tangle Fairies Facebook page. Later this month, if my husband finishes the last three drawings, I am hoping to create a book for her with the stories and drawings. It will be made available for sale and all of the profits will go into a fund for her education.

Enjoy her stories n her blog and like her Facebook page to keep updated on new stories and on when the book is coming out.

Tweet

See The World Through Fairy Eyes

Sunlight and morning dew,
The glistening of magical wings.
Moonbeams and starlight,
All sorts of enchanting things.

See the world through fairy eyes,
With magic and sparkle and glee.
See the power in every butterfly
And the life in every tree.

See the puffed up toad,
Who leaps quickly out of sight.
See the soft little bunny,
Who looks back at you without fright.

See the jet black crow
Who flies towards you without fear,
See the magic in his wisdom,
As he flies far and near.

See the grace in a flower,
It's beauty for all to see,
Filling the air with perfume
And giving pollen for the bee.

Hear the voices that whisper
Through the sighing of the breeze.
Hear the magic talking
Through the rustling of the leaves.

See the world through fairy eyes,
And find the magic that is all around.
See the world through fairy eyes,
A world of magic to be found.



Tweet

The Fairy Tree

We pass by a house with this tree in front of it every day while taking the kids to school and after picking them up at the end of the school day. the children have decided that this is a "fairy tree" and even tell me that they can see little fairies hiding within it.

Isn't it wonderful how imaginative and willing to believe in magic children tend to be?

Tweet

Some Of My Favorite Fairy Artists Plus Some Fairy Freebies!

There are a lot of fairy artists whose work I admire, and I thought it would be nice to share a couple of my favorites with you so you could also see their beautiful fantasy artwork.



First off, I want to share the art of my friend Connie Persampieri (Faye) with you.



From faeries, elves and dragons to vampires, zombies and gothic angels, Connie's art inspires and intrigues. Her faeries are delicate and strong, while her vampires are beautiful and fierce. You can find her artwork on her Facebook page and also in her DeviantArt gallery.









I've known Connie for many years, and I have never tired of viewing each new painting that she completes. Her artwork is available for purchase on a number of gift items and can be found in her Etsy store too.





Next, I want to share with you the art of Selena Fenech. She shares some of her art and her artistic methods on her Facebook page, but I first met Selena on DeviantArt.



Her faeries and sprites, mermaids and other fantasy figures have always enchanted and inspired me. You can see more of her artwork on her website and you can buy her art on prints, jewelery, keychains, mugs, bookmarks and lots more in her store.







One of the really great things about her website and store is that she has a page that shares some freebies with you. There is a game you can download, coloring pages you can print for your children, desktop backgrounds you can use, free decorative alphabet letters with a matching poem and free avatars for you to use non-commercially.







So what about you? Who are some of your favorite fairy and fantasy artists?

Tweet

Why We Need To Believe In A Bit Of Fairy Magic

"Children are creatures of magic. In a child’s eyes, anything is possible, from the mundane to the truly magical. Through their innocent eyes, the world takes on a whole new presence, full of mystery, magic and wonder." ~Rebecca Fyfe

The world is full of magic, but it is easy to get lost in the mundane responsibilities and chores of everyday life and to become blind to the magic and beauty that is all around us. When this happens, we run the risk of letting ourselves become cynical. When we let ourselves lose that part of ourselves that can see the miracles in everyday life, we let a part of our soul escape from us.

One of my favorite quotes is found in the book series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. In it, the wizard Harry Dresden states, "There is more magic in a baby's first giggle than in anything the most powerful wizard can conjure." It is this simple magic, the beautiful miracles that happen every day, that we tend to miss when we let ourselves grow cynical and let our souls grow blind to these everyday enchantments.

All it takes is opening our eyes and appreciating what we have in this world, grabbing the innocence from our childhood that we may think we have lost and embracing it anew. And when we let the fairy magic back into our lives, it blossoms and grows until we begin to believe again, and our lives become sparkling and fresh and full of wonder once more.

Tweet

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!



Okay, Cupid is not exactly a fairy, but he is cute enough to be included here at Fairy Magic.

Tweet

Christmas Wishes For You!

Tweet

Finding Magic In Everyday Life

There are so many reasons to be happy in this life, and there are so many miracles that happen on a daily basis and in even the most ordinary of lives. It's important that we each take the time to cherish the beauty that this world holds for us and to appreciate the magic that each new day holds. There are several things you can do to help yourself find magic in your everyday life.

Open your eyes to the beauty that lives in the world all around you. Whether it is by noticing the first rays of a new morning or seeing the fresh morning dew sparkling in the sunshine, you can begin your day enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds you. And soaking in the sight of the golden rays and pink cotton clouds of sunset can bring you a new appreciation of the natural majesty held within this world. There are numerous sights that you see throughout each day that are wonderful examples of the beauty and magic all around.

Listen carefully to the joy and peace that comes with the sounds that surround you each day. From the magic of a child's laughter to the thunderous sound of waves crashing against a sandy beach, there are sounds everywhere that can evoke rich and deep emotions within you. Maybe you like listening to thunder storms or to the sound of rain as it patters against the windows. Or maybe you love to listen to music. This world we live in is full of wonderous and enchanting sounds.

Embrace the diverse sensations that you can feel with the variety of different textures in this world and how they feel against your skin. Luxuriate in a hot, soothing bath until your skin turns pink and the tips of your fingers wrinkle. Swim in a pool and feel the cool, wet water as you glide through it. Hug your son or daughter close and feel the warmth of his or her little arms around you. Lie between silk sheets on your bed at night. There are so many wonderful things that you can touch and experience against your skin every day.

Stop to smell the roses, or for that matter, to smell anything with a rich, wonderful aroma. Different smells can evoke emotions in us as they can be associated in our minds with different memories. And some smells are just enjoyable to each of us for different reasons. Let the rich aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee help you start your day each morning. Or fill your bath with scented soap and bubbles. Bake a vanilla cake and let the scent of the vanilla fill your kitchen. There are so many ways to find the everyday magic in your sense of smell.

Taste the delightfulness that this world has to offer with a variety of different foods. From the juicy, natural sweetness of strawberries to the spicy, warm taste of a curry, your mouth has the ability to distinguish an endless variety of taste sensations. Bake some chocolate chip cookies and eat one while it's still warm. Make yourself a fruit salad full of the tangy sweetness of apples, the juicy tartness of oranges and the succulent sweetness of strawberries and other berries. Cook up and enjoy a salty and tangy chicken stir-fry. There are many different taste sensations to experience.

Pay attention to the magic and the miracles that occur in even the most ordinary lives. From the birth of a new baby to the blossoming of a flower, from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly to the golden honey created by bees, all of these things and many more are miracles and examples of the awesome magic that this world holds.

Create some miracles of your own in order to bring the magic of this world more closely into your heart. The best way to create a miracle of your own is to do something wonderful for someone else. Give someone who is feeling down a hug. Tell someone a truthful compliment. When you are at the coffee shop, anonymously pay for the person behind you in line's coffee. Buy small gifts and deliver them randomly (and anonymously) to neighbors. If you know someone who is struggling financially, slip some money through his letterbox when he isn't home, or take him out to dinner. Offer to babysit for a tired mom who doesn't get out much. There are a myriad of ways to create your own miracles, and the magic of it is that the more miracles you create, the more you want to create, and the miracles that you create for others have a far-reaching effect in that those people tend to pass them on with new miracles for others.

This beautiful world that we all live in is full of magic and wonder. All it takes is to let yourself perceive the magic and the beauty that is all aorund you.

Moonlight Fairy Art - How You Can Make A Silhouette Fairy

I have been inspired by some beautiful silhouette fairy art that I have seen lately. My husband Robert created some silhouette fairy art a year ago or so, and I've recently seen other artists' versions of silhouette fairy art. I am not very good at drawing, but I wanted to create some fairy art of my own.

So here is what I did, I took a photo of a beautful girl who one of my teenage daughters is friends with in which Robert had already cropped the girl out of the photo and added fairy wings to her when he created this image:



He had saved a lot of the different elements as one piece, so I had a lot of work to do to bring it back to just the girl and the wings. Then I used the "fill" tool in Corel PhotoPaint to turn her into a silhouette.

Of course, then I still needed a background. That's when I realized I had a moon and stars in the night sky graphic that I had created many years ago. It was perfect as the backdrop for my silhouette fairy!

And the resulting silhouette fairy art (which I will be adding to my shop right away) is this:



If you have a photo editing program and know how to crop something out of a photo, then you can do this too. You just need a pretty background. Maybe a sunset or something full of light and color would work. And then you need a photo of a girl; you will have to crop her out of the photo. Next, if you, like me, are not very skilled at drawing butterfly wings, find a photo of a butterfly and crop it's wings out. Paste the wings onto the fairy at a realistic angle. Then use the "fill" tool in your photo editing program, using the color black, to turn them into a silhouette. Then paste both onto the background photo and you're done!

Fairy Party Ideas

Design Dazzle posted about how to create this beautiful Woodland Fairy Birthday Party via Kate Landers Events.



The post includes tips on making or buying some of the decorations and party favors and also includes some woodland-fairy-themed games to play.







My four year old daughter Isabella would absolutely love a party like this! Her birthday is coming up soon in August. I do not have the money or space to create a party for her that is quite this elaborate. However, this has given me some great ideas for stuff that I can make and do to create a simple but fun fairy-themed party for her this year!

Fairy Bedroom

I just had to share this. (Images via here.)



I found this Fairy Bedroom at Design Dazzle. The room is made by Kidtropolis. This fairy bedroom that is so pretty! Wouldn't your daughter love a room like this?







If I'd had a room like this as a child, my best friend and I would have spent hours upon hours pretending to be fairies. Children are capable of so much imagination even without the assistance of decorating that creates a setting. I was such a dreamer as a child, always fantasizing about far-off and magical lands. This room would have been ideal for me. And I know a couple of my daughters would think this room was a dream come true!