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The Kaerling by Freya Pickard is a series of linked novellas tracing an epic fantasy tale in the mysterious world of Nirunen.

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What starts as an innocent quest to follow the unicorn’s trail, turns into a sinister nightmare.

The first three volumes, Silver Fire, Ambassador and An Ancient Song, tell of the journey of Otta and Erl as they seek to follow the legendary unicorn’s trail.

“I was so happy to find a book that truly captivated my imagination from beginning to end.” K Johnston

Discover readers’ opinions of Silver Fire at Amazon, Goodreads and Indies Today.

Silver Fire is available online as a FREE download! (I can guarantee that this book will be FREE at Apple, Kobo, Nook, Angus & Robertson, Mondadori and Scribd but Amazon don’t allow authors to have Permafree books so if Silver Fire is showing at 99c for Kindle buyers, please email me at freya.pickard@gmail.com with SILVER FIRE MOBI request in the subject line and I’ll send you your free copy myself.)

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Whilst Tari comes to terms with sudden changes and violent death in the Temple in Aura Vere, Lored seeks to find a new purpose in life.

Volumes 4 – 6, (Olin Heon, Hidden Lands and Aura Vere) introduce two new main characters; Lored, a taku-kevir, and Tari, an acolyte. The sixth volume, Aura Vere, brings together the 4 main storylines making way for this series to continue…

“Freya’s ability to craft complex characters and create an interwoven storyline shows well in this volume!” Troy

Watch ALL the book trailers HERE!

Uneasy Allies follows the five companions as they pursue the kaerlings through the remote countryside of Falnaboldu. Their mission is simple – to rescue Lally and Derri from the evil kaerlings. But catching up with the kaerlings proves to be anything but simple, and the five companions discover that they can’t completely trust each other.

“The action was pacy and compelling.” J Poulter

The book trailer for Uneasy Allies is available HERE.

Discover ALL the books in The Kaerling series so far at Amazon, Nook, Kobo and iTunes!

Cover Reveal!

Here’s the cover reveal for my forthcoming book, Fair Wind.

Fair Wind is the eighth volume in The Kaerling series. In this book, the companions are still trying to catch up with the kaerlings who have abducted two people they are determined to rescue.

If you’ve not yet started the series, the holiday season is perfect for getting yourself lost in the mysterious world of Nirunen. Download the entire series on Kindle and also at Nook, Kobo, iTunes and other online stores!

This is my last post for 2021. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I’ll be back online early January as I launch Fair Wind.

Thank you for reading my blog this year. I hope to see you all again in 2022!

Much love

Freya xxx

November Catch Up

A mega thank you to Editor Susi Bocks for nominating my poem, Sailing, for The Pushcart Prize! Wow! I am overwhelmed! You can read my poem and find out about Pushcart by clicking on the links.

A huge thank you to Swords & Sorcery Magazine for publishing my short story, Bladesong. If you’re into The Kaerling series, this tale will give you an insight into the dark world of the First Age of Nirunen and of the horrors the ancient heroes had to face.

And a big thank you to Cold Moon Journal for publishing my haiku about the ocean recently!

Thank you also to Spillwords for publishing my poem, Bite Me, recently. This is a vampire poem with a difference; can you tell which one is the victim and which is the predator?

And thank you too to Luna for publishing my poem, Mist, back in September. This poem portrays a scene from my latest book, Uneasy Allies.

Have you bought your copy of Uneasy Allies yet? It’s the latest volume in The Kaerling series. If you have already read it and enjoyed it, I would love it if you could leave a one line comment about why you liked it at the store you purchased it from!

Pure Haiku closed to submissions on 31st October on the theme of Ghostlight. I’m in the process of selecting the haiku to be published at Pure Haiku between 1st January and 31st March 2022.

My Patreon supporters have been reading my tales about Kirri and Ebkah, two heroes from the First Age of Nirunen, and they’ve also been receiving my unique poetry postcards every month, painted and written by me! If you’d like to get more of a glimpse into the mysterious world of Nirunen as well as helping me promote my books, please consider donating on my Patreon profile!

My Newsletter readers have received three character studies this year as well as poetry and a story. The third and final part of my serialised story, Resurrection, will be available in December.

I’ll be making some changes to my Newsletter and this blog in 2022 so watch this space and I’ll explain more in January next year!

That’s all for now, as I’ve been busy writing volumes 10 – 12 of The Kaerling recently – 89,000 words in October. Who needs Nanowrimo?!!!

I’ll be back next week with my final post of the year and a new book cover reveal. See you then!

10/11

dark thoughts
hopelessly loves
dislikes his twin, wants to
trust the others but fears power;
tall Erl

cinquain © Freya Pickard 2021

This cinquain is inspired by my book, Uneasy Allies – don’t forget to read it before 15th January 2022, when the next volume of The Kaerling is due to be launched!

And, if you enjoy fairy tale fantasy with a twist, why don’t you download The Essence of Thyme? It’s just 99p until 30th November…

Bladesong

A huge thank you to Swords and Sorcery Magazine for publishing my short story, Bladesong, on their site!

Check it out HERE and #PleaseShare if you enjoy it! This is a #FreeRead!

Film / TV Reviews

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may realise that I prefer watching/listening/reading things that aren’t cozy, easy to explain or cute and cuddly. I really enjoy things that take me out of my comfort zone, things that make me think, that challenge me, that make me uncomfortable and take me to the darker reaches of life. If you hadn’t realised this before, you have been warned…

Taboo is the kind of period drama that I love best – it has dirt under its fingernails and it doesn’t try to change history. If you like dark historical drama with lots of weird magic and incest, as well as some hilarious characters and situations, this is for you. Tom Hardy is brilliant as the central character, James Delaney, who, as his servant puts it, is the hinge of the seesaw between the Crown and the East India Company. The casting and writing are perfect and I thoroughly recommend this series and can’t wait for the 2nd series to arrive!

I really enjoyed The Terror! It wasn’t particularly terrorising, but the whole feel of the series, was beautifully bleak and mysterious. I loved the hints at the paranormal being the reason for the disappearance of the crew of the 2 ships.

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Strike is based on the novels by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) and I was really impressed with the depth of characters and the complexity of the plots. Strike is a wonderful guy and his outlook on the world is wry and amusing, despite the experiences he’s had.

Yesterday is an unusual film. I love ‘what ifs’ and this is speculative film at its best. What if you were involved in an accident, and, when you come round, discover that you are the only person who can remember The Beatles? This is the basis for a really intriguing film with an excellent ending.

I have to admit that I’ve always struggled to read Terry Pratchett’s novels. I know! It’s a terrible admission from someone who loves and writes fantasy. But it’s the truth. However, I really enjoyed the dramatisation of The Watch. The characters are so amusing and complex and the storylines are beautifully convoluted. I hope there’s a follow up series as I really didn’t want to say goodbye to The Watch!

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I absolutely loved the two series of Missions. I don’t need resolutions for each episode, let alone a series. The reason I kept watching Missions was the feeling that I was there with the protagonists. Yes, Missions is complex and shifts between different timelines without telling you where you are. But I love that – having to work out when the action is taking place and then seeing how it all comes together, or doesn’t… Science fiction mystery at its best!

I have finally started watching The X Files. (I didn’t have a TV when I grew up and only started seriously watching TV after we moved into the house we renovated in 2009). And I have to say, I love the series! The storylines vary between deadly serious and farce and I enjoy them all. The characters of Mulder and Scully evolve naturally through the storylines and I will be sorry to leave them when I’ve finished all 11 series…

Have you seen any of these films/series? What did you think of them?