Category Archives: Wrath

About Lita’s short story, Wrath.

Visit the fantasy worlds of Lita Burke

30,000 Curious Came to See the Show

What a mad, grand day for Lita Burke’s blog. 30,000 views. Smiles from Lita for all of you lovely and curious Gentle Readers who visited.

Suppose there is a most interesting street where the houses look like books. Inside these houses are places where fey-folk fairies play, wizards sing their magic, and Enchanters give  kisses. Anyone can walk down this street, and glimpse at these fantasy worlds through the windows. Lita’s blog is that street. 30,000 Gentle Readers have already walked its twisty cobblestone ways. Here are a few of the wonders in the windows.

Ride on a Wizard's Airship

Ride on a Wizard’s Airship

Ride on a Wizard’s Airship

All aboard now for a trip to a plate-shaped ocean world, where islands float far above the sea. Dragons fly the sky, and clockworks creations inhabited by minor demons join human and elf-kind magicians in absurd adventures.

A proper wizard uses an airship to visit these floating lands. Others of more modest means use Ornithopters designed by Leonardo’s Airborne Contraptions.

Join in the sometime fun, sometimes scary, but always delightful adventures of Wizard Kadmeion, his half-elf assistant Sir Bright, and their friends in the fantasy world of Clockpunk Wizard. Get your first ride on Kadmeion’s airship, and meet a special dog that digs deadly mandrake roots in Forever Boy.

Unicorn Herd

Unicorn Herd

Unicorn Island

There is a floating island in the royal elf-kind archipelago that has a herd of unicorns. They run in the steppe lands, and gather in the border forests.

The unicorns shed the husks of their alicorns, and the elf-kind collect these precious magical artifacts. An illness has stricken the herd. Lady Luck’s young daughter, with her favorite wizard in tow, visits the unicorns. She learns how to talk to the birds to get to the bottom of the unicorn illness in Glitter Ponies.

Enchanters' Luscious Magic

Enchanters’ Luscious Magic

Fire and a Hidden Spell Book

Lanith, a magical curios merchant, loses her shop and home to a mysterious fire. Her magician husband Tredan has gone missing.

The morally strict Church magicians, and the Enchanters with their luscious magic that they distribute with kisses, are in constant battle to do whatever is necessary to gain the upper hand in their world of Sye. She learns that her husband wrote a powerful spell book that will subjugate the Enchanters’ magic. His book sits in the middle of the decades-old conflict between the Church and the Enchanters.

With only her dragonette and the clothes on her back, she enlists the help of the Enchanters, and unravels her husband’s life-long secrets. His kidnapping tale starts in Wrath, and Lanith’s story continues in Tredan’s Bane.

Also see:

Tredan's Dreadful Past Caught Up With Him

Stop Your Blather

Lita takes Gentle Reader to the Enchanters of Sye world today, with an excerpt from her award-winning short story, Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane.

It Had a Heavy Golden Chain. And Potent Spells.

It Had a Heavy Golden Chain. And Potent Spells.

Retired Enchanter Tredan is alone in his magical curio shop, unpacking a box of charms.

A routine shipment holds an unpleasant surprise–a rival magician called a Church Enforcer has planted a charm inside the box that captures its recipient within a powerful enthrallment.

Tredan poses as a harmless secular magician now, and thought he was far removed from the Enchanter versus Church politics. But he has a shameful secret. This Enforcer knows about Tredan’s spell book, and the day of reckoning has arrived for the retired Enchanter. The Enforcer talks to Tredan through this Compulsion Charm.

Tredan forced his fingers open and stared at the Compulsion Charm. Unlike the other cheap charms in the box, this one had intricate scrollwork etched into a sparkling outer casing. It had a heavy golden chain. And potent spells.

He Kept His Hideous Journal Safe All These Years

He Kept His Hideous Journal Safe All These Years

Come to me. Bring the journal.

He had been cautious and kept his hideous journal safe all these years. How could he have been so susceptible? He was now caught and could not escape. Tredan bowed his head. His world went dark. For a time, all else went away except his despair. If the Enforcer came now, Tredan would surrender and be done with his furtive struggle.

Time passed. His black stupor lifted. Tredan raised his head.

“I will not hand over the journal. My bane.”

You will, Tredan.

“My marriage would be a sham if I gave up the journal now. I would not have Lanith think I used her to hide my secret.”

Tredan's Marriage to Lanith Would Be a Sham If He Gave Up the Journal Now

Tredan’s Marriage to Lanith Would Be a Sham If He Gave Up the Journal Now

You failed long ago when you accepted His Divine’s magic.

“He tricked me.”

Enchanters were gullible then. That’s why you fell.

“The Enchanters trusted the Church then. There’s a difference.” Tredan took a deep breath. “His Divine’s magic forced me to write the journal. I accept what’s happened.”

You’re resigned. Good.

“I’ve hidden it well.”

I’ll find the journal despite your stubbornness.

Tredan dropped the Compulsion Charm into his pocket. “Stop your blather, Church filth. I have matters to attend to.”

(Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane excerpt Copyright 2011 by Lita Burke. All rights reserved.)

Read more in Chapter 1

Wrath on Amazon US

Wrath on Amazon UK

Wrath on Smashwords

Wrath on Barnes & Noble

Wrath on Kobo

Wonderful Wizards of Words

Hobnobbing With the Wonderful Wizards of Words

Lita recently left her castle in the snowy northern realms for a visit to the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest ceremony in the sultry swelter of Miami, Florida.

RF Miami 2014. Lita, Lorrie, Jalpa.

2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Contest, Miami. Left to Right: Lita Burke, Lorrie Farrelly, Jalpa Williby.

Lita met fellow writers of many genres, exchanged spell papers (okay, business cards), and drank magical potions (cocktails).

The night air crackled with breathless talk and the lightening-strike pops of flashbulbs. Women wearing sparkling gowns made of starry fireflies floated past tuxedoed gents. The authors clutched their precious books stuffed with beguiling stories, and held them up for the obliging cameras.

RF Miami 2014. Photo courtesy of Jalpa Williby. Used with permission.

2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Contest, Miami. Left to Right: Lita Burke, Jalpa Williby, Linda Watkins. Photo courtesy of Jalpa Williby. Used with permission.

And then there was that breathless minute: walk to center stage, accept the award, and all but swoon from the applause for your story. Heavenly.

Allow Lita to introduce Gentle Reader to the books that the authors are holding in these pictures. Be sure to check out the award-winning stories that these wonderful wizards of words hobnobbed over at the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest ceremony in Miami.

Terms of Surrender by Lorrie Farrelly is a historical western romance about a former captain in the confederate army, Michael Cantrell, and his search for redemption in the ranch lands of Wyoming.

Terms of Surrender is a Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal Award Winner in Fiction-Western (2014).

Timelapse by Lorrie Farrelly is a supernatural thriller about Alex, a graduate student, who tragically loses his wife in an accident.

Alex is swept into a time warp where he battles the harsh emotional reality of an alternate universe.

Timelapse is a Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner in Fiction-Paranormal (2014).

Chaysing Dreams by Jalpa Williby is a young adult romance about a teenage girl named Tess and her journey to find the meaning of her disturbing dreams.

Chaysing Dreams is a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award Winner in Romance-Suspense (2014).

Chaysing Memories by Jalpa Williby is a young adult romance about a now grown up Tess who has moved on with her life and joined the US Military Special Forces.

Chaysing Memories is a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award Winner in Romance-Suspense (2014).

Mateguas Island: A Novel of Terror and Suspense by Linda Watkins is a supernatural thriller about a family down on their luck who inherit a magic-filled malevolent house on an island off the coast of Maine.

Mateguas Island: A Novel of Terror and Suspense is a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award Winner in Fiction-Supernatural (2014).

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane by Lita Burke is a fantasy about a retired Enchanter who battles a powerful magician to keep a dangerous spell book from falling into the wrong hands.

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane is a Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner in Fiction-Short Story (2014).

A Magical Curio Shop

News Release: Wrath Takes Honorable Mention

More chit-chat around the web about Lita’s goings-on.

In Wrath, Learn the Surprising Cause of the Fire That Steals Everything From Tredan and Lanith

In Wrath, Learn the Surprising Cause of the Fire That Steals Everything From Tredan and Lanith

Check out Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane by Lita Burke Takes Honorable Mention in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest at 1888 Press Release. Here is what they had to say:

“In a world packed with irresistible magic, regrettable choices, and an unconquerable foe, Wrath draws you into what one reviewer describes as one of the finest magical combat scenes he has read in some forty years of reading fantasy.”

Author Lita Burke announced today that her fantasy tale, Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane, was awarded Honorable Mention in the Fiction-Short Story category of the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest. The Wrath e-book is now available for free on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.

Wrath is a fantasy short story about retired Enchanter Tredan’s desperate fight…more at 1888 Press Release…

See Wrath as the 2014 Honorable Mention winner at Readers’ Favorite.

Read about Lita’s other News Releases.

Get the Wrath e-book FREE now for Kindle, iPad/iPhone, or Nook.

Read the 1888 Press Release.

Alice Invites Lita to a Mad Tea Party

“Wrath” Takes Honorable Mention in Readers’ Favorite Contest

Lita is delighted to tell Gentle Reader that the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest named Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane as the Honorable Mention Winner in its Fiction-Short Story category.

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane - Honorable Mention Winner in the 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane – Honorable Mention Winner in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest

Readers’ Favorite gives readers a resource for quality book reviews. Their annual book award contest offers authors the opportunity to gain recognition and exposure of their books.

This year, Readers’ Favorite honored one of Lita’s Enchanters of Sye stories. They named Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane as an Honorable Mention Winner in their annual book awards contest. Here is their 5 star review of Wrath.

Lita rushed over to Alice’s place to tell her good friend the news. “I am so discombobulated,” Lita said. “I forgot my handkerchief. I feel like a hobbit setting out on a grand adventure!”

As Usual, the Cake Made the Girls Grow

As Usual, the Cake Made the Girls Grow

Alice insisted they celebrate with a mad tea party. As usual, the cake made the girls grow, bump their heads on the ceiling, and giggle.

The tea from the bottle labeled “Drink Me” shrunk them to the size of dormouse. Then  they played the game of I Spy Things That Start with the Letter M until it was time for Lita to go home.

Readers’ Favorite reviewers have said kind things before about Lita’s stories. One reviewer described Wrath as “Lita Burke brings a magical world to life with a deft and economic use of words and imagery that is really quite remarkable.” Another reviewer gushed this about Tredan’s Bane: “The story is very intriguing and, at the same time, exciting.”

The award-winning Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane is now FREE on Amazon US, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Don’t wait—indulge yourself now with some tea, cake, and Wrath.

Wrath on Amazon US

Wrath on Amazon UK

Wrath on Smashwords

Wrath on Barnes & Noble

Wrath on Goodreads

Wrath on LitaBurke.com

Read more about Wrath in “Finalist in 2014 Readers’ Favorite Contest.” Don’t stop after reading Wrath. Continue your visit in Lita’s Enchanters of Sye fantasy world. Find out more about Tredan’s Bane, read the back cover blurb, revel in Chapter 1, watch the book trailer, and then have Tredan’s Bane join Wrath on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad/iPhone.

Celebrating Magic

Finalist in 2014 Readers’ Favorite Contest

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane - Finalist in the 2014 Readers' Favorite Int'l Book Award Contest

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane – Finalist in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Int’l Book Award Contest

Lita is pleased to tell Gentle Reader that the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest named Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane as a finalist in its Fiction-Short Story category.

The good folks at Readers’  Favorite give readers and authors a resource for free quality book reviews. Their annual book award contest offers authors the opportunity to get more recognition and exposure of their books. This year, they honored one of Lita’s Enchanters of Sye stories and named Wrath as a finalist in their book awards contest.

How Curious! Lita's Story is a Contest Finalist.

How Curious! Lita’s Story is a Contest Finalist.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Lita Burke (she was so much discombobulated, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). “Now my darling story is singing like the largest nest of starlings that ever was!”

Readers’ Favorite reviewers have said kind things before about Lita’s stories. One reviewer called WrathA beautifully crafted and exciting magical fantasy.” Another reviewer gushed this about Tredan’s Bane:[Lita Burke] has woven a story of adventure, magic, romance, passion, intrigue, suspense, murder, and religion with expertise.”

Lita Must Tell Alice this Very Curious News

Lita Must Tell Alice this Very Curious News

Readers’ Favorite will announce the 2014 contest winners on September 1st.

Lita will let you know if there is more to come about her darling Wrath and the lovely fuss about the book awards. She positively must run now and tell her gal-pal Alice this very curious news.

Lita’s Magic Show: Dire Secret and a Dragonette

Dire Secret and a Dragonette

Dire Secret and a Dragonette

Welcome to the forest near Lita’s castle–a place where wandering wizards pull up their colorful carts and put on magic shows.

This is the first of a series of posts about the comings and goings of the folks at the ongoing magic faire outside of Lita’s castle. When dusk settles in, the mages gather and tell their stories around the campfire. They form images and sounds from the flames and smoke. Let’s pull up a stool and listen to the first tale:

“Glimpse dragons so tiny, they perch on their masters’ shoulders and coo like doves.  Discover a magician’s secret that threatens all he holds dear.”

This mage whispers a cautionary tale about a dragonette and an Enchanter’s battle to keep his shameful spells out of the wrong hands.

Read how this story begins.

Next time, a wizard tells his story about Harsh Words and a Familiar.

Enchanters Pass Magical Essence to Their Partners

Kisses are Magical Hanky-Panky

It's Kiss an Enchanter Day

It’s Kiss an Enchanter Day

February 14th is the official “Kiss an Enchanter Day” here at Lita’s castle. Before we get all distracted with the pleasurable mechanics, let’s talk about the psychology of smooches in Lita’s fantasy world of Sye.

Sye’s magical essence kisses are a cornerstone in Wrath, Tredan’s Bane, and the forthcoming Ghost Orchid. These stories look at the spell casting and political shenanigans of a world where magical power is a commodity.

Intimacy Mind Magic

Consider the kiss, so sweet and full of bliss. On the practical level, kisses fuel the magical hanky-panky for making little wizards.

Kisses Fortify Trust and Passion With a Partner

Kisses Fortify Trust and Passion With a Partner

But on the mind magic (psychology) level, kisses fortify trust and passion with a partner. A kiss mixes touch, smell, and taste to celebrate affection.

A kiss brings another person into our vulnerable personal space and shows we risk catching an infection and losing our heart. The best kisses reassure and inflame us with their magic.

How to Make Magic

Some of Sye’s plants have low levels of essence that animals consume to get their dose of magic. Human magicians who are predisposed to distillation spells ingest the essence-rich flora and generate concentrated magical essence in their bodies. These magic-saturated attractive people are Enchanters, not only in name, but also in their very nature.

Sye's Magical Essence is as Necessary as Salt

Sye’s Magical Essence is as Necessary as Salt

Enchanters distribute their essence using kisses and other less wanton methods. Sye’s people need a dose every day. Think of essence as a magical salt, but much more fun to dispense than with a salt shaker.

Join the Ranks

Sye’s world can be harsh with the Enchanters’ seductive ways, and establishing trusted essence partners is especially important to these affectionate mages. Male Enchanters recruit non-magician confidantes to draw off their extra essence using the Enchanter Kiss spell. In addition to the usual attraction of a willing recipient, the spell endears the receiver by flooding them with untainted magical power.

This deluge releases feel-good magical substances (endorphins). The essence onslaught in an Enchanter Kiss spell also repairs the receiver’s physical, thaumaturgic, and emotional wear-and-tear.

Enchanters Pass Magical Essence to Their Partners

Enchanters Pass Magical Essence to Their Partners

Make It Last

Want to start with a teasing kiss of Enchanter excitement? Get your first taste of the luscious chocolate, cinnamon, and spicy flavor of Enchanter kisses in Chapter 1 of Lita’s short story, Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane. Then, be ready to RUN. Afterwards, if Gentle Reader is ready for a delectable deluge of magical essence, Chapter 1 of Tredan’s Bane awaits your viewing pleasure.

Ah, lovely Valentine’s Day is here. However you prefer your magical kisses, it is time to celebrate affection with your favorite Enchanter.

Immerse yourself with irresistible magic, regrettable choices, and a unconquorable foe--then be ready to run.

Praised by Readers’ Favorite with a 5 Star Review: Lita Burke’s Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane

Discover How a Former Enchanter Uses Thorns to Battle an Enforcer in Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane

Discover How a Former Enchanter Uses Thorns to Battle an Enforcer in Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane

Let’s not forget that other fantasy world of Lita’s, the Enchanters of Sye. Come take a look at the new goings-on about Wrath.

Readers’ Favorite recently read Lita’s fantasy short story, Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane, and praised it with a lovely 5 star review.

In Wrath, retired Enchanter Tredan battles a powerful magician to keep a dangerous spell book from falling into the wrong hands. Immerse yourself with irresistible magic, regrettable choices, and an unconquerable foe–then be ready to RUN!

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

Lita Burke’s short story is a beautifully crafted and exciting magical fantasy.

Wrath begins an epic fantasy about retired Enchanter Tredan and his wife Lanith, who are magical curio merchants in the seaside town of Isor. They have lived peaceful lives for many years, but a spell that transcends their marriage vows keeps Tredan’s lips sealed about his secret journal. Lanith knows nothing about this devastating book that will enslave the source of magic in their world called Sye.

One morning while Lanith is out on an errand, a compulsion charm hidden in a shipping box brings Tredan’s disgraceful past to his door. It warns that an Enforcer is on his way to Tredan. This superior magician wants the journal, and he will stop at nothing to acquire it.

Irresistible Magic ~ Regrettable Choices ~ Unconquerable Foe

Irresistible Magic ~ Regrettable Choices ~ Unconquerable Foe

Tredan must warn Lanith to keep away. He will do anything, even enlist the help of the dead, to keep his beloved wife from succumbing to the Enforcer’s wrath.

Read Chapter 1 of Wrath now, then perhaps view the Wrath book trailer. The Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane e-book is available now with instant gratification for Kindle, Nook, and iPad/iPhone.

Don’t stop running after reading Wrath. Continue your visit in Lita’s Enchanters of Sye fantasy world. Find out more about Tredan’s Bane, read the back cover blurb, revel in Chapter 1, watch the book trailer, and have Tredan’s Bane join Wrath on your Kindle, Nook, or iPad/iPhone.

Immerse yourself with irresistible magic, regrettable choices, and a unconquorable foe--then be ready to run.

New Cover for Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane

Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane

In Wrath, a retired Enchanter battles a powerful magician to keep a dangerous spell book from falling into the wrong hands.

It’s April, and time for a spring clean. Pardon the dust. Let’s open some windows and chase away the musty look of tired book covers.

Some of Lita’s covers were long overdue for a rework. Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane was Lita’s first indie short story. To say Wrath had a shoestring budget is generous. The reality for Lita back then was to learn, and do, all the publishing work herself. That included the cover design.

The results? Passable, to put it gently. But Lita’s talents lie not in book cover design. To know yourself is the greatest wisdom, hands down.

The budget for book covers is now much more generous, and being smarter about a book’s “face” helps, too. Mom’s advice about working hard, embracing learning, and keeping at it, paid off. Wonderful, isn’t it, that mothers are so smart?

Here is the new face for Wrath. Fire is a theme in the story and is prominent in the new cover. Wrath is the start of an epic fantasy about magic, abiding love, and protecting what you hold dear.  Also, an affectionate dragonette might perch on your shoulder, coo like a dove, and leave you a kiss of blueberry-flavored magical essence.

If Gentle Reader has not yet plunged into the fantasy world of Sye, Wrath is FREE now on Smashwords. Come meet former Enchanter Tredan, learn his shameful magical secret, then be ready to run.