The Inspiration Behind The Enchanted Squirrel #RiteToReign

The Rite To Reign box set is finally out! It's live! Happy Day!

With 25 stories of urban fantasy and paranormal romance goodness, you're sure to find many hours of delightful reading. I can't wait to start reading myself, so many interesting characters to meet and worlds to be whisked away to.

My story in the set, Portal Wielder, is a paranormal, science fiction & fantasy romance adventure mashup.

One of the really fun things about writing a story like this is how serendipitous the inspiration can be. The theme of the box set is witches and royalty. When I first thought about having a familiar for my space witch, I didn't want it to be the typical cat.

Then I remembered the squirrels in the evergreen grove at Delta Lake State Park--

I first encountered these little guys after the first all-night snowfall while living in Upstate New York, last December. The snow was beautiful, and I wanted to see what it looked like at the state park up the road from where we lived.

It was so quiet out there after a snowfall, the only sound my boots sinking in the snow. Then I heard chattering followed by tiny barking once I got to the evergreens. The sound was getting closer, following me through that trees as I walked under them.

Finally, I spotted the source, two tiny squirrels that could easily fit in my pocket. And they were yelling at me, chasing me, trying to intimidate me into going away. Of course, it didn't work.

I stopped to watch the cute little critters and they ran to the tree closest to me, one the source of all the noise, the other apparently just along for fun. The quiet one ran to the base of the tree where several pine cones lay and proceeded to chew away at it like corn on the cob. The whole while, the other one squeaked and barked, looking me straight in the eyes.

What a fierce little guy he was!

I saw them several more times throughout the winter and they always put a smile on my face. So, the familiar in my story became a squirrel.

I was able to get a picture of them, the Intimidator and the Snacker.

Who knew I'd find so much inspiration in Upstate New York? What a fun winter. :)

The Rite To Reign box set is now available on Amazon here.

Happy Reading!
Kyn