I can't resist a buddy movie--or, well, a buddy story. Two friends with different strengths, different outlooks, on the road together, adventuring and maybe bickering a bit along the way. I don't know about you, but I always feel like I just have to come along for the ride.
Long ago, planning what to write for a Sword & Sorceress anthology, I decided to write myself a couple of buddies--a swordswoman and a sorceress, of course. Strong female heroes, yes--but not your everyday warrior princess. And maybe, just maybe, poking a little fun at your everyday warrior princess. And so Ursula and Isabeau were born: the Maiden of Revie, a flower of chivalry with a weakness for handsome troubadours, and the Damsel of the Garden, a sorceress of great intellect and little tact.
Their adventures to date:
"The Damsel in the Garden," Sword and Sorceress XXVIII, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2013). You've fought the dragon...you've crossed the Bridge of Blades and Flame...now what? A narration of this story by talented voice actor Katherine Inskip is featured in Far Fetched Fables 82 at District of Wonders (www.districtofwonders.com).
"Liars' Tournament," Sword & Sorceress 30, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2015). While Isabeau struggles with lost magic, Ursula falls for a golden-voiced troubadour who promises easy riches at a noble tournament.
"Unicorn Heart," Sword & Sorceress 31, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2016). Rumors of a rampaging unicorn leave Ursula skeptical--but curious, while Isabeau is convinced--and afraid. How much is drunken story, how much is the truth, and what will they do about it?
"Wrestling the Ocean," forthcoming in Sword & Sorceress 33, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2018). When the ocean declares war on a port city, can Ursula's swordplay or Isabeau's magic defend the townspeople?
"Women's Work," Sword & Sorceress 32, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2017). Ursula and Isabeau are hired to deal with a dragon, but it isn't exactly the kind of job they were looking for.
"The Captive in the Tower," Sword & Sorceress 34, ed. Elisabeth Waters (Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust, 2019). When Ursula hears a charming troubadour pining over his captivity in a tower, she yearns to rescue him--but it isn't a simple matter of "Rapunzel, let down your hair," and even Isabeau's pet dragon may not be ready for what comes of the rescue mission.
"No Tale for Troubadours," Realms of Fantasy (February 2011); reprinted in Fantasy Scroll Magazine #7 (June 2015). Ironically, this was the original Ursula and Isabeau story; everything that followed is a prequel. We meet Lady Ursula in retirement, nursing a toddler; the former Maiden of Revie is no longer qualified for that title. With four kids to keep her busy, she has no intention of returning to knight-errantry. But when the parson of a beleaguered village pleads with her, the Maiden grudgingly girds on her sword once again, dragging long-estranged companion Isabeau out of her convent and back to her spells.