The second Legends of Cirena short story I released was called The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear.
And so I figured it would be a good idea to feature a gryphon on the cover.
Now, I create most of my own covers via photomanipulation or through Daz Studio renders (“The Singing Coil” was the exception, being illustrated via ink and Photoshop). But, sometimes, when you try to create a gryphon… the gryphon decides to be disagreeable.
And this was before I had discovered Daz Studio.
Sometimes you try to photomanip a gryphon, and you don’t end up creating a gryphon.
Like… what is this guy? I like him, but he’s definitely not a gryphon.
Needless to say, I had to take a different approach for that cover. However, the experiment did result in an idea for a new creature that can be found in the Immortal Realm, a strange owl-cougar-human-looking hybrid called an armansee.
And so this fellow flew his way into a short story I was planning to write but hadn’t fully plotted yet, one which would eventually be called A Path of Swords and Feathers.
I knew I wanted to write a story featuring Daernan’s father and the adventures he went on after he left Daernan and his wife behind to follow the demands of the goddess he serves. And with this strange creature as inspiration (and with me listening to a lot of filk–fictional folk–songs), the plot for A Path of Swords and Feathers came into being.
Now, whether this immortal is foe or friend…
Well, you’ll just have to read the story if you want to find out. 😉
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Want mystical, immortal creatures in your short story reads? How about one of these two stories?
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Happy reading and writing! 📚
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 