Tough Travelling: Mentors and Snarky Sidekicks

Hello everyone and welcome to Tough Travelling! Every month, we go on our travels through Fantasyland with Fantasy Faction, exploring a different fantasy trope as defined by Dianna Wynne Jones in her Tough Guide to Fantasyland. I managed to miss November's theme, Mentors, and I'm a bit late with this month's theme, Snarky Sidekicks; and so…

Tough Travelling: Minions

Every month, Fantasy Faction explore a different fantasy trope as inspired by Diana Wynne Jones' The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. This month it's minions: Minions of the DARK LORD can be male or female, though he tends to favour males (who seem to be more susceptible to the Evil One’s wiles). They can take many forms: BAD…

A Grim Gathering in Bath

Last night I was so grateful to finally be able to attend a fantasy literary event! Not to play the mother card yet again, but it is difficult to attend cons etc when you have responsibilities and limited funds! Which is why I was overjoyed that there was an event being hosted in Bath (only two…

Tough Travelling: Dragons

On the first day each month, Fantasy Faction take a tour of a particular fantasy trope. Last month was Strongholds, this month it's Dragons! Inspiration for each trope comes from Diana Wynn Jones' The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Accordingly; The Tough Guide advises that Dragons are ‘very large scaly beings with wings and long spiky tails, capable of…

Tough Travelling: Strongholds

The lovely (and apparently sweary) Laura M Hughes from Fantasy Faction has captured my imagination with this month's Tough Travelling theme, Strongholds. Now, I have always had a love for strongholds (castles); as nurtured by my father and grandfather. Living in a country with over six hundred of them, that's more per square mile than any other…