2024 COVERS

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We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Magic Thursday with Nicole Hurley-Moore ~ Dark & Twisty Magic & Myths




I adore myths, legends, fairytales and magic. I suppose it all started when I was a child and I read every fairy tale I could get my hands on. I especially liked the dark and twisty ones. From there I graduated onto myths, legends and fabulous books such as The Wizard of Earth by Ursula Le Guin and The Owl Service by Alan Garner. Added to that I watched ever cheesy sword and sorcery movie I could find. Hands up if anyone can cast their minds back into inky blackness to these long forgotten little offerings from the 1980’s? Gems like, Conan, Hearts & Armour, the Sword & the Sorcerer or the tragic (script & acting) Beastmaster.
As the half naked, breathy heroine says as she confronts the equally half naked hero...

“I am Kiri, slave to the priests of the temple of Ar – what would you have me do?”

That’s as mouthy as she gets and he spends the rest of the movie rescuing her. Ah, they don’t make them like that anymore... and there’s a good reason for that. :-)

Bad movies aside, I guess I grew up with my head spinning with quests of valour, romance and of course magic. 

I love writing historical and contemporary romance but there’s something inside that keeps me circling back to fantasy. So far, I’ve written three magically inspired stories.

 Until the Stars Burn Cold is a time slip story beginning in ancient Persia and ending up in rural Australia. It’s what happens when you fall for the wrong girl and get cursed into a ring for centuries. 



 Rain is a fantasy set against a medieval backdrop. Nuri falls in love with an elemental being who follows the storms. She believes Maras is an angel but when the Church brands him a demon she must choose between her love or her life. 




Black is the Colour is my latest fantasy which again is inspired by the medieval period. Ciana’s lover has been cursed into the form of a raven and she’ll do anything to get him back. Black is the Colour is the first book in the Tales from the Hearthfire series. 


Fairy tales and myths are a part of me and I love delving into and being inspired by the old stories which were filled with superstition, enchantment, heroic deeds and terrifying monsters. To be able to journey to dark forests, hidden paths or lofty castles and to watch good triumph over evil as true love prevails.
I suppose, even after all these years I still believe that if you wish hard enough, magic can happen. 





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