About Me
- Satima Flavell
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.
The Dagger of Dresnia
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Available as an e-book on Amazon and other online booksellers.
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon.
Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance. 
My Blog List
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Soraya M. Lane - Soraya M. Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn't the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of his...6 hours ago
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HaBO: She Was Struck By Lightning - This HaBO is from Nikki, who is looking for this Scribd title. Trigger warning for the description below: I have a book I’ve been trying to find that I’m s...6 hours ago
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Medieval church in Wales to be auctioned - A medieval church in Wales dating back to the 12th century will be going up for auction in February, with a guide price…7 hours ago
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Yippeeeee!!! Good News on Ohio 5 & Writing Site Updates! - I had a blast this morning. Lost track of time, (and as a result got twice as many words as the last few writing days)… And I got a kick-ass start to Chapt...9 hours ago
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How to Learn to Write - Maxwell Perkins, photo courtesy of Encyclopedia Brittanica A client once asked me if he should use deliberate practice to learn how to write better. For...13 hours ago
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The Call of CthuPooh - Twitter is always good fun (assuming you curate your feed and block the arseholes with abandon.) A while back Laura Keating posted this: Winnie the Pooh ...17 hours ago
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On the “New Movement” in SF/F: An Archived Twitter Thread - Wrote this up on Twitter just now; archiving here for posterity. Because this is a Twitter thread, please note that the very first graf below is referring ...1 day ago
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Flog a 99¢ BookBubber 379 Steven Paul Leiva—does this first page work for you? - In addition to flogging submissions by writer readers, I’m flogging books from BookBub. The challenge is if you would go to Amazon in order to turn the pag...1 day ago
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‘Now’ by Morris Gleitzman review by Jill Smith - Goodreads blurb Now (Once #3) by Morris Gleitzman 481 reviews Now is the third shocking, funny and heartbreaking book in Morris Gleitzman’s Second World ...1 day ago
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Focus On Format: How Do I Write A Flashback Within A Flashback? - Flashback And Format First up, many thanks to Anna who asks ‘How do I write a flashback within a flashback?’ In the first instance, I have to ask Anna …...1 day ago
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Starting with Idea: The Thought-driven Story - Let's talk today about “idea” as a way to start a story. Some stories, especially those classified as “speculative fiction,” start not with anything con...1 day ago
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The morality of espionage: do we have a moral duty to spy? - [image: The morality of espionage: do we have a moral duty to spy?]Why spy? . . . For as long as rogues become leaders, we shall spy. For as long as there ...1 day ago
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Don’t be deceived: “Blue Monday” doesn’t exist and has no power over you - “Blue Monday” is an urban myth. You might think the third Monday in January (this is usually The Day, though other dates are available) is designated as ...1 day ago
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The great camellia at Pillnitz, by Lesli Wilson - In early April 2009, I went with my husband to Dresden, a place I had long wanted to visit, and we took a side trip to the nearby Schloss Pillnitz...4 days ago
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Books Read and Stories Published in 2021 and a Dash of Mad Opining - *Books Read 2021* *The Winter of Our Discontent* John Steinbeck *The Grapes of Wrath *John Steinbeck ...4 days ago
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Call for participants: Beyond the archive - One of our PhD students, Alex Leigh, is looking for participants to take part in a remote study to find out how humanities researchers interact with arch...5 days ago
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#WEP DECEMBER CHALLENGE #WINNER'S #GUESTPOST – ORNERY OWL (CIE) #AMWRITING - Hello everyone! Denise here! Ornery Owl (Cie), the winner of the December Challenge Narcissus, won with her: Cheeky History With Ornery Owl: Sympathy f...6 days ago
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2021 around the sun - It’s a little late to be writing about what happened in 2021, but there were some highlights I want to remember. It wasn’t all fun, there was plenty of har...6 days ago
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An Attack on Southampton, 30 September and 1 October 1321 - According to a petition presented to Edward III sometime in the very early years of his reign by his "liege people of Southampton", Robert Batail of Winc...1 week ago
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“I have a Fear of Success” - “Oh come on!” I hear you instantly shout, “no-one does that! Everyone wants success, but it’s FEAR OF FAILURE that blocks the way.” Uh-huh, yup: that’s the...1 week ago
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Letting the cat out... - So, let's see. I was the castaway on *Desert Island Discs*. This probably doesn't mean anything to anyone who isn't from the UK. (You can hear it at ht...1 week ago
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Just Finished Reading…Digging Up Dirt by Pamela Hart. Sydney: HarperCollins, 2021 - Poppy McGowan works for the ABC as a researcher for a children’s TV program. She is renovating an old house she has just bought when bones turn up und...1 week ago
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Brick Architecture, Hall Houses, Monasteries and more – A Tour of Stralsund's Old Town - The town of Stralsund was one of the leading members of the Hanseatic League and thus one of the few German towns that still carry the denomination in offi...2 weeks ago
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Public Domain Day 2022, the end of copyright for 1926 works - Another New Year, another Public Domain Day! January 1, 2022 marks the end of copyright for works first published in the U.S. in 1926. For many years, only...2 weeks ago
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A Series Ian Likes: The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison - James Bolivar diGriz is a crook. But he’s really much more than that: he’s a gift to the bureaucracy that plagues his hi-tech society. His actions, he main...2 weeks ago
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#339 - Question: I realize my comp titles are rather old, but I find them to be the best representatives of the emotional tone of this story. I've literally ha...5 weeks ago
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Say Goodbye to Bad Habits: Five You Should Ditch in the New Year - The post Say Goodbye to Bad Habits: Five You Should Ditch in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger. I don’t know about you, but it’s around this time...5 weeks ago
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The Beautiful Thing - "Hope is a state of mind, not a state of the world. Hope is not a prognostication; it's an orientation of the spirit and the heart that transcends the...5 weeks ago
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‘In lutruwita’ published in Traces and Backstory Journal - My non-fiction piece ‘In lutriwita‘ recently appeared in Issue 16 of Traces, which is available in newsagencies. It is also available to read free online o...1 month ago
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Lost and Found in the Metaverse – how friendship comes and goes - My newest Medium blog post is a very personal conversation about friendship and my recent experiences. I’ve had a lot of messages from people who felt th...1 month ago
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The Things You Learn - I don't often talk about my health issues here but I'm making an exception today. I have macular degeneration which means I am slowly losing my vision. ...1 month ago
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Doubts about the Department of Justice’s objection to the PRH acquisition of S&S - There are, at this moment, still five US commercial book publishers of mega-size. Penguin Random House is the biggest; HarperCollins is 2nd; and Hachette...2 months ago
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Beautiful... a new song and Music Video from my new solo album - *Hi Everyone,* *It's way past time for a new song and music video from me. * *So here is BEAUTIFUL: the video for the opening track to my new solo musi...
2 months ago -
Fiction University Is on Hiatus Until 2022 - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy* *This is the last post for a while. * I've been struggling with this for weeks now, and finally accepted that I needed t...
2 months ago -
Louise Lovely and Lon Chaney: The Australian Connection - Lon Chaney is a true legend of the Silent Era, making an estimated 155 films over 17 years, of which 109 are lost, and of the 46 remaining films, some are...
2 months ago -
Submitting Stories to LitMags - I have had five completed short stories languishing in my computer (yes, that’s what they do there. I checked) for several years, and this weekend I have d...3 months ago
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The Death and Burial of Constance of York - According to the Tewkesbury Chronicle died in 1417 ( *recte* November 1416) but was not buried until 1420. This is hard to explain, and may simply be an...4 months ago
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Website Update - My website www.stephendedman.com has been updated, with details of my latest books; please check it out!5 months ago
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The Complexities of Medieval Wardship - I am currently trying to unravel the arrangements for the Despenser lands in the late 14th Century. It is quite complex. When Edward, Lord Despenser die...5 months ago
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Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...6 months ago
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Winners CYA Conference 2021 - Winners CYA Conference 2021: I reveal my exciting news, celebrating the ultimate event in my Writer’s year! The CYA All Stars Conference broadcasts via z...6 months ago
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To love this world the less, and heaven the more - *Rev. John Robinson and love for his flock amid great loss* *#OnThisDay30June1621* *©** 2021 Christy K Robinson* When the Mayflower made the perilous voya...
6 months ago -
ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...6 months ago
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Humble is the Way by David Jones - Humble is the Way by David Jones Publisher: McDougal & Associates Pub. Date: July 2007 ISBN-13: 9780977705368 208pp I usually just post the info ab...
8 months ago -
I'M INSIDE A SHORT STORY!! - Ok everyone, you have to read this very short short story. Firstly because it is good, (check out the Bligh story within it too), but also because I'm ...8 months ago
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New Publisher - https://ifwgaustralia.com/2021/04/13/new-acquisition-the-christmas-maze-by-danny-fahey/9 months ago
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Book review: Timefield, by Charlie Nash - The astute among you will have noticed it’s been yonks since I last posted anything. In the spirit of addressing this problem, here’s a book review. Charli...9 months ago
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Sometimes you think you are unproductive and you’re not - I keep thinking that I’ve been doing this PHD for years and I haven’t written anything creative in ages. That’s a big fat lie! In the early years of my PhD...10 months ago
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Sometimes you think you are unproductive and you’re not - I keep thinking that I’ve been doing this PHD for years and I haven’t written anything creative in ages. That’s a big fat lie! In the early years of my PhD...10 months ago
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Grandma's Chicken & Dumplings for Jo - Still haven't returned to blogging yet, but I did want to honor Jo. I had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband in North Carolina back in Sept 2013...
11 months ago -
Grandmother Dragon Forever - It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement...
11 months ago -
Spooky Phishing Scam Targets Traditionally-Published Writers - *Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®* The *New York Times* has published the story of a strange international phishing scam: unknown actors ta...1 year ago
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What communicates power? - Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get this far behind on my reports on the show, but the launch month was very busy, and then the next month turne...
1 year ago -
The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. - [image: The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning.] The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. Let's take a look at how this word came about. Actually, Pac-...
1 year ago -
Readers Notice and They Care - Readers care about story details and they care about characters. Both last night and this afternoon I had conversations with readers upset about the way au...1 year ago
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Review of Verdi's MacBeth (WA Opera) - *Our president, Frances Dharmalingham, has written a critique of a recent visit to the opera: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’.* At Christmas 2018, my family’s gift to ...
2 years ago -
Breakout 3: tips for engaging your audience - Tips for engaging your audience: how to improve presentation, public speaking confidence and presence on stage, no matter how small the stage is. Present...2 years ago
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The Trains Don't Stop Here - It's been a long, long time since my last blog post. One of the main reasons for this – apart from life being way too busy in general – is that, in my dwin...
2 years ago -
Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...2 years ago
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Revisiting the Comma Splice - One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not a...2 years ago
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New releases - SFFBookBonanza - StoryOrigin - SciFi and Fantasy Book Sale - New Releases – Jul 2019 The latest and greatest new releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy books! New releases July 2019 99 cent sale - July 22nd - 28th ...
2 years ago -
Six Things Writers Need To Stop Worrying About - Some things don't change. When I got my start in this biz, way back in 2002, writers had to get a lit agent to get a publisher, then they did what their pu...2 years ago
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Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...2 years ago
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STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON - *STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S * *RIVERS OF LONDON* *London, UK: 29April 2019*: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s UK-based ...2 years ago
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So now it’s really really done - I announced back in September that Prince of Glass was done, and it was more or less. In that I had done most of the book then outlined the last section be...2 years ago
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A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...3 years ago
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Review: Trace: who killed Maria James? - [image: Trace: who killed Maria James?] Trace: who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely jaw-dropping, compelling readin...3 years ago
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Dance Photo Shoots - Photo Session Planning & Preparation Have you ever wanted to do a photo shoot for dance but have been a little unsure about how and what really happens? ...3 years ago
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On Indefinite Hiatus - (Which I pretty much have been from this site for a while already, but for real now.) You can find most archive content through the On Writing page, and li...3 years ago
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2017 Ditmar Winners Announced - Over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, spec fic fans gathered for Continuum 13: Triskaidekaphilia. Continuum is always a great convention, and this year it was...4 years ago
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Writing about the Crusades and talking about a "meddlesome priest" - The Middle Ages are in the news again, so here is a roundup of recent news articles. We start with three good reads from historians talking about the crusa...
4 years ago -
The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...4 years ago
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A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...4 years ago
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Book Review - Nobody by Threasa Meads - Available from BooktopiaThe subtitle for this work is *A Liminal Autobiography*. Liminal: 1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2...
4 years ago -
A whole 'nother year-and-a-bit - Well, we have let this blog slip, haven't we? I guess Facebook has taken over from blogs to a very large degree, but I think there is still a need for blo...
5 years ago -
2017 Potential Bee Calendar – & ladybirds and butterflies - Bees on flowers – all sorts of flowers (& bees) – and lady birds and butterflies. There were hundreds (literally) of photos to choose from. This is a small...5 years ago
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What is dyslexia? - *" **The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc) iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003)...
5 years ago -
Rai stones - *(Paraphrased from Wikipedia)*: Rai stones were, and in some cases are still, the currency of the island once called Yap. *They are stone coins which at th...8 years ago
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Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...9 years ago
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK
Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia
Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia
Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW
Places I've Lived - Sydney
Sydney Conservatorium - my old school
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ
Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Blue Lake
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
From Kings Park
Places I've lived: High View, WV
Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK
Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland
Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
From Kings Park
Inner Peace Blog
Awarded by Joanna Fay. Click on the image to visit her lovely website!
Versatile Blogger Award
Awarded by Kim Falconer. Click on the pic to check out her Quantum Astrology blog!
Fabulous Blog Award
Awarded by Kathryn Warner. Click on the pic to check out her Edward II blog!
The Dagger of Dresnia
Saturday, June 02, 2018 | 
Posted by
Satima Flavell
The newly
widowed Queen Ellyria just wants her sick triplet sons to live, each ruling
over a third of the kingdom as their dying father decreed. When she finds
herself trapped in a deadly bargain with a dark spirit, she recruits a band of
young mages to help – but a terrible curse takes over.
The Dark
Spirit befriends her enemies and seduces her friends, and Ellyria soon finds
that, famine, betrayal, pestilence and bereavement are all in its arsenal. Can
Ellyria unite the elvish and mortal sides of her family, and in so doing, save
the kingdom?
What is
Ellyria to do, with all hell breaking loose? To find out, I followed themes including
the many forms of love; the growth of intimacy; the singularising nature of an
unusual talent; dealing with consequences; internal conflict; family
conflict; problem teenagers and racial conflict. On further reflection, I could
add another - the potentially healing power of family ties.
The Dagger of Dresnia is available from Satalyte Publishing, Amazon.com and other online booksellers, and selected book shops in Australia. Click here to read a sample scene.
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