Today is the 31st of October!

Yes, OK, there’s a whole Halloween thing going on out there and the online Pumpkin Spice wars are ongoing (not even Frank Herbert predicted that…) but I don’t want to talk about that right now.

I want to talk about Coch a Gwyn.

What’s that? Well, good thing you asked, dear reader, as it gives me the chance to tell you.

Coch a Gwyn is Welsh for ‘Red and White’ and it is the title of my newly published short story that came out today in Gwyllion magazine.

The story came about because I was thinking about how swans mate for life. We have a family of swans living on the lake near our house and so I have had plenty of opportunities to observe them when dog walking. From that initial thought I went from swans to other fantasy creatures…

Which is how I came to the conclusion that dragons also mate for life and from there it was only a few simple steps to the story that has just been published.

This is very much a departure from my usual stuff. Up until now, if you have read me at all, you will have seen either fantasy swashbuckling adventures or modern day paranormal romance. This might stray a little into paranormal romance but not the usual sort of thing you expect in that genre. What if a pair of dragons who are mated for life but actually hate each other? That’s the question I started with when I began this story. Mix in a bit of Arthurian myth, some real world history and a female protagonist who is red in tooth and claw (and wing) and that is the story in a nutshell.

You can buy an e version for any type of reader or plump for the hard copy (bonus, if you find me at Eastercon or Worldcon next year I can sign this!). More details about Gwyllion can be found on: