I really have enjoyed writing my Kennedy Ryan series. Nothing like a Christian series of mystery, action, and adventure with a little Wild Western vibes thrown into the twenty-first century, right? And I plan to write science fiction in the near future.

But my favorite genre of all is fantasy. How can I not write fantasy? All my life, even as a little girl, I have written stories about magical worlds with fairies and mermaids, heavily inspired by the old Barbie and Disney movies, Narnia . . . oh, I can name so much! Even those good ol’ Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, pretty much anything from Hanna-Barbera, Rocky and Bullwinkle, all those old cartoons have played significant roles in the nostalgic playground of my fantasy-driven imagination. Oh, how I would love to stumble upon a hidden, mysterious, magical world and rise to the mystical throne coveted by an evil witch, and being revealed as the prophesied warrior queen!

But I suppose the closest I will get to such a fate is attending the Renaissance fairs in a costume and fighting in their arenas.

So it was inevitable that I would purchase the “How to Write Fantasy and Science Fiction” course by Daniel Schwabauer on the Christian Writers Institute. As soon as I laid eyes on that course, I knew it was for me!

I’ve had many fantasy series in mind for who knows how many years. But I am finally getting started on one of those fantasy series. A trilogy featuring King Arthurian legends. One of the best parts? Writing the first drafts of this trilogy has become part of my assignments from my online course from Author Media, “The 5-Year Plan To Become A Bestselling Author.” Nothing like a taking an online writing course to add a little extra motivation to my writing!

But, as a child, I only knew the bare minimum of the King Arthur legends. Basically, Arthur was a king, Merlin was a wizard, Morgana was an evil witch, the Knights of the Round Table, a magic sword named Excalibur, a fairy realm called Avalon under a lake. I’ve grown up with the 1963 Disney movie “The Sword in the Stone.” But that was roughly about it.

Well, my lack of knowledge of the King Arthur legends needed to be fixed. So here came the books. I’ve read all four of the King Arthur books by Howard Pyle. Those books made for an excellent start. Then, of course, I found myself buying a Barnes & Noble edition of Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur.” And believe me when I say it that this famous fifteenth-century work of the King Arthur legends is no easy read! And this Barnes & Noble edition is basically twenty-one books packed in a single volume! Then I read other famous works such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King” to keep that studious inspiration coming. I’ll drop a little hint: the title of my King Arthurian trilogy comes from a phrase from one of the stories from “Idylls of the King.”

What really jump-started my learning of the King Arthur lore, and my inspiration, was the 2008 BBC “Merlin” series. I was sixteen when I first watched that series. My sisters and I were at a sleepover at a friend’s house. It didn’t take long after that for my family to start watching the series. And fall in love with it. Everything about that series is awesome. The plots of each individual episode and the overarching plots, the characters (oh, the shenanigans and sarcastic, witty remarks between Merlin and Arthur are hilarious!) and the music. Oh, the glorious thirty seconds of the theme music. I really enjoyed Katie McGrath’s performance as Morgana. So much so that I kind of wish Morgana didn’t turn evil (spoilers!) after the second season. After all, in the earliest versions of the King Arthur legends and in some modern adaptations, Morgana is on the side of good. All the same, I strongly recommend the “Merlin” series.

So that’s where I am at right now. Writing drafts of my own King Arthur fantasy trilogy. But you won’t find any details in this blog post. Too early for spoilers!