The Daughters Daring (The Daughters Daring & The Enchanted Forest Book 1) (10 page)

Character Profiles

Emily Daring
: The oldest daughter. Brave and athletic, but also compassionate towards others, especially animals. Emily would rather be outside participating in swords or horseback riding, if only her mother didn’t insist on her wearing those bothersome dresses!

Elizabeth Daring
: Emily’s younger sister. Elizabeth is witty and sharp with a craving for knowledge. Sometimes stubborn, Elizabeth likes to be in charge and do things her way. Whether she admits it or not, she draws courage from her sister and her family, and when the going gets tough she stands up for what is right.

Joseph Daring
: The youngest of the Daring family. Joseph is also an adventurous young lad who may someday have great tales of his own.

Duke Daring
: Father and hero of the Daring family. The Duke was not born of royal blood, but instead was awarded his title for great deeds of heroism. Now a bit older, he hopes to use his notoriety and influence to help shape a new kingdom while also trying to keep his adventurous children out of harm’s way.

Duchess Daring
: Mother to the Daring children and favored cousin of King Lamont. What Aryanna Daring lacks in physical brawn she makes up for with a potent knowledge of the magical arts. Like her husband, she believes strongly in a new direction for their country while hoping these efforts don’t distract her from the protection of her children.

King Lamont
: A wise and just king, but also tired and lonely. Lamont wishes to move his kingdom towards a more representative form of government but has underestimated the dangers that lie ahead. He still grieves for the loss of his queen.

Annie Whipperpeel
: Annie is everyone’s favorite baker of delightful goods. It is said that Duke Daring would storm a castle full of ogres for Annie’s sweetberry pie! But is Annie hiding a secret?

Randolph of the forest gnomes
: The unofficial leader of the gnomes, Randolph is older and known for his wisdom among the gnomes. He and the other gnomes of the High Council have seen the danger facing their human neighbors in Highcynder and seek to help, even at risk to themselves.

Periwinkle
: A garden gnome who is much smaller than his forest cousins. No one knows for sure how Periwinkle came to be in their company, but Randolph seems to have taken him in. That is, until Periwinkle decided that Emily’s backpack made a great home from which to tag along on her wonderful adventures.

Iris of the Faeries
: A childhood friend of Aryanna Daring. Iris knows the dangers facing the faeries and wants only to keep them safe and away from the kingdoms of men. Iris feels hurt that Aryanna has been away for so long.

Azalea of the Faeries
: A brave follower of Iris, Azalea meets the Daughters Daring when they rescue her from the evil witch. She wants only to return the favor.

Hairy Foot and Stink Eye
: A pair of goblins now working for the witch. Goblins are small, like gnomes, but crafty in the ways of hunting and warfare. Many an adventurer has fallen prey to the goblin’s traps. The Darings likely haven’t seen the last of these two.

The Ogre King
: A fierce and enormous creature. Ogres stand taller than men and he is bigger than his brethren.  The Ogre King’s only desire is to lead his army against the kingdom of Highcynder and crush the humans once and for all.

Evelyn the Spider-witch
: Evelyn despises King Lamont and believes him to be a weak ruler, and her past with Aryanna Daring remains a mystery. A master of dark magic, Evelyn seeks the downfall of Highcynder and the heroic Darings. She sees in Elizabeth Daring a kindred thirst for knowledge and power, but she will let nothing stand in her way. With an army of ogres and goblins at her disposal, she may yet prevail.

Acknowledgements

Let me start by thanking you, the reader, for stopping to glance at this page before jumping into the main adventure. As a reader I can’t tell you how many times I’ve skipped the acknowledgements to get right to the story. Now that I’m speaking as a writer I have a new perspective.

Books aren’t easy to publish. They’re downright difficult. It can take months to a year just to write your manuscript. Then you go to editing, illustrating, cover design, distribution options, marketing, etc. The list goes on and on. The writer learns that it’s not a fun process if you try to go it alone.

Fortunately there are people out there who can help. People like Lynn Tosello, my editor. There’s Steve Ferchaud who did the wonderful illustrations so meticulously. There’s Alter Ego Costumes in Chico, CA, that provided the dresses worn by my cover models (my own courageous daughters). Then there’s Cindy Grundsten, a digital artist in Sweden who finished the cover design along with Cedar Creek Publishing in Paradise, CA who designed the title print. Thanks also to Marci Shadd of Click & Bloom photography for making me look good in pictures.

I owe a lot of thanks to the North State Writers, a chapter of the California Writers Club. It was through monthly meetings at this club that I met many of the people who helped me finish this book. It was also at these meetings that I found the inspiration to keep going when I was ready to trash bin the whole project. Special thanks to writers T. E. Watson and Ken Young for all of their encouragement.

Thanks also to all of my fans who supported my Gofundme campaign to raise funds for getting this book off the ground. I’m blessed to have so many generous friends and family. Thanks to all my battle buddies in my army reserve unit for believing in me. Drill Sergeants lead the way.

Most importantly I need to thank my family. There are my daughters, the inspiration of my title characters, Emily & Elizabeth Daring. These were characters we made up when my girls were little and still demanded bed time stories from their dad. They are both brave and adventurous and full of eagerness for life. I hope they, and their little brother, never lose that.

Finally my wife Angela, for helping me with book design and pushing me to write when I just wanted to camp on the couch. Angela is an Army wife who has had to put up with dirty combat boots and a Drill Sergeant in the house for eighteen years now. She knows the burden that is so unique to military spouses and I owe her so much for never giving up on me.

Thank you, all of you. You are the source of my courage, my bravery and my daring.

About the Author

Steven J. Thompson was born and raised in Northern California. He left home to serve in the United States Army and returned later to raise a family and complete his education. A father of three, he entertained his own daughters with bedtime stories of adventurous young girls who were not afraid to face the world. After years of service as an Army Reserve Drill Sergeant and now as a foster care worker, he is now putting these stories in print with the Daughters Daring, a new series with more to come. These are stories that encourage children, especially young girls, to be brave and daring. He and his family hope you will enjoy them.

And more to come….

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the Daughters Daring series as Emily and Elizabeth stow away on a pirate ship and once again face the minions of the spider queen in:

The Daughters Daring & the Crystal Sea