A Happy New Year to all who follow my blog and all who are just visiting.

Hi everyone.

This month has 5 Tuesdays in it and so we have an extra blog. I have decided to do an interview with Mabryl, Carthinal’s mentor in The Wolf Pack for this extra Tuesday. Those of you who are reading my installments will know who he is.

Mabryl Interview

I encountered Mabryl one day as I was walking through Bluehaven. I had heard of his adoption of the promising young mage, Carthinal and I decided to ask him a few questions for the local newssheet, The Bluehaven Herald. Here is the result of my interview.

Me: How did you come to meet with Carthinal?

Mabryl: He was part of a feral gang of children when I met him. In fact, I think he was their leader. I spotted him first watching a young mage in the market place. He was obviously looking for someone’s pocket to pick in the crowd watching the mage when he suddenly stopped and seemed quite taken by the display.

Me: I didn’t know mages gave public displays of magic.

Mabryl: It’s not usual, but sometimes if an apprentice fails the test, they will become entertainers using what little they know. It impresses the public and does no harm.

Me: Why did you take an interest in Carthinal?

Mabryl: I didn’t at the time. It was only later that I saw his potential. As I rounded a corner I spotted him in an alley. He didn’t see me, and I noticed that he was trying to copy the movements and sounds of the simple spells the mage had done. I stood watching him for a bit, not expecting anything to happen, when suddenly a flame rose from his finger. It was only fleeting, but it told me that the boy was exceptional. Very few can master anything without considerable training, and yet here was a boy who had only watched a performance yet had managed to twist the mana to make a very small, short lived flame.

Me: What did you do?

Mabryl: I approached the boy carefully; he was one of the criminal classes after all. I spoke quietly and told him I would like to train him in magic as he obviously had some talent. He backed away, believing that I was trying to capture him for the guard, swore most foully, and told me to go and leave him alone. Of course, I couldn’t leave such a talent, but to try to force him would be counterproductive and so I left him there and went on my way.

Me: When did you meet him again?

Mabryl: I sought him out after that. He was still very suspicious. Eventually I decided to let his curiosity work for me. He still tried to get the little cantrip right, but couldn’t get more than the fleeting flame I’d already seen. I told him I’d train him if he came to my house.

After a few weeks, he came and stood outside. I bided my time and didn’t approach him, but opened the door for him to enter if he wished. It was like trying to capture a shy and wild animal. However, eventually he came in and asked me to teach him.

Me: Was he a difficult pupil?
Mabryl: Difficult isn’t in it. He was wild and found the discipline necessary for the practice of magic almost beyond him. He wanted to learn everything at once too. First of all, before any magic could be learned, he had to learn to control himself. We both found that a difficult task.

Me: How long did it take to tame him?

Mabryl: I’m not sure I have, even now. He still has his temper. He’s also still too fond of the girls. He’s so attractive that they find it hard to resist him. I’ve tried to instil some sense of right and wrong in him, but I’m not sure how far it’s penetrated. I’ve told him he shouldn’t toy with the feelings of young girls though. I only hope it’s penetrated somewhat.

Me: You had high hopes for him at first. Do you still feel the same?

Mabryl: Yes I do. He must learn to control himself more, of course if he is to become as great a mage as he is capable. He has an instinct with the mana. He’s one of the rare few who can actually see it when he is weaving it.

Me: I believe you have adopted him.

Mabryl: Yes. I’ve never married and have no heirs. I’ve grown very fond of Carthinal. In spite of his faults he’s a very personable young man with plenty of charisma. He’ll inherit everything I have when Kalhera calls me and I leave this life.

Me: Thank you.

Mabryl: It was my pleasure.

This week I’m posting one of my own poems. I hope you like it.

DRAGONS FLY

Dragons fly
Soaring high
Tiny specks up in the sky.

Dragons swoop
And loop the loop
Then come together in a group.

Dragons dive
Up there they thrive.
They all love to be alive.

Dragons flame.
It’s just a game
They are wild, they are not tame.

Dragons play
Above the bay.
Dangerous beauty. Do not stay!

If you liked this poem, please let me know in the comments section.

Don’t forget that I am giving away a free copy of The Wolf Pack to everyone who subscribes. When you subscribe you will get advance information about new releases as well as notification of freebies and special offers.

This offer lasts until December 25th.

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Source: Monday Funnies…

I’ve got myself all out of sync. The Wolf Pack Chapter 7 should have been today and this should have been next week. Don’t know how that happened. Still, I’ll get back to normal next month, I hope.

Since I started writing about these words, more and more are coming to my notice. I suppose it’s because I’m now looking out for them. Some can be quite amusing, like in a previous blog when I talked about vicious and viscous.
A pupil wanted to say that a liquid became more VISCOUS, i.e. thicker and less runny. In fact he said it became more VICIOUS.

Here are this week’s words.

 Advise/Advice.

Advise is a verb. It is what you do. You advise someone.
e.g. I would advise you not to put all your money in the same shares.

Advice is a noun. It is what you give.
e.g. My advice to you is not to put all your money in the same shares.

 Adieu/ado.
This one I was surprised to see. It was in a blog post and the blogger said ‘And so without further adieu…’

Anyway, just in case he isn’t the only one, here’s the difference.

Adieu is French. It means Goodbye.
e.g. Well. I guess I’ll be going, so it’s adieu.’

Ado means fuss or action.
e.g. And so without further ado, we will go over to our correspondent in Washington.

 Council/Counsel

Council is an advisory or deliberative body.
e.g. The town council has decided to impose a fine for people who drop litter.

Counsel is a barrister (Queen’s counsel) or advice given.
e.g. He counselled me to think hard about what I was about to do.

 Good/Well
Good is an adjective. It describes a noun.
e.g. Jack is a good boy.

Well is an adverb. It describes a verb.
e.g. Janice did the task we set her very well.

If someone asks you how you are, unless you are saying that you are a good person, you cannot reply ‘I’m good,’ it should be ‘I’m well.’ You are describing your state of being, and ‘being’ is a verb.

 Accept/Except

Accept is what you do when you receive a gift.
e.g. When Fred gave Janet the gift, she accepted it gratefully.

Except is to exclude.
e.g. We all went to the cinema except for Judy, who was busy that evening.

I hope you have enjoyed these five further pairs of words. I hope so because I have more to come!

Please feel free to leave your comments below.

A reminder that I am giving a free copy of The Wolf Pack, Part 1 of The Wolves of Vimar, to everyone who signs up to receive advance warnings of new releases, freebies and other offers. Just click on the link.