Mapmaker. Professor. Wielder of ancient magic.

Nienna has been one character that has lived in my head since I was fifteen. I can still remember the dream that started this whole notion of writing a book.

It was set in the early medieval times and as I rode my black horse, Jag, away from the very primitive-looking castle. We were fleeing because something was hunting us (but dreams often never show you what it is you’re running from). As we reached a dense forest, it started to rain. It rained so much that we couldn’t see where we were going.

Then, as we rounded the side of a rocky wall inside the forest, I discovered a cave and, to my surprise; it was big enough that I could keep sitting on my horse. Once inside the cave, I noticed a bright white glow coming from a pool. Again, it was large enough that I rode my horse into the water up to his belly. We stopped where the light originated.

I could almost make out the object on the bottom, creating the light and so I jumped down into the water myself. Why not? I was already wet from the rain. The moment my feet touched the rock, the water spiraled up in a funnel around my horse and me. And at the base of this funnel sat a white gem, more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen.

I picked it up and raised it to my eye. Water rushed back down to its original state and I was chest deep in the wet stuff once again, holding my prize.

While that doesn’t seem to have much oomph to it, it sparked this whole idea of a girl searching for magical objects while riding a large black horse.

(Her hair isn’t suppose to be this dark, but with AI imagery, you can only get so accurate. Which is why I’m starting to work on hand-drawn character art, so I can get it right).

The character of Nienna has morphed a great deal since then. Today she is a mapmaking, staff wielding, healer. But she doesn’t just heal cuts and bruises. Her greatest ability lies within healing the hurts of the heart.

If she were to take your hand right now, she could sense those things that you hide from the world. She’d know that someone said something unkind to you last week, and that it has hurt you ever since. She would also get the sense of grief you may carry after your spouse or another loved one has passed away.

However, she can do more than sense these things. Her healing ability, part of her power with the Earthspark magic, could take away some of the sting of those events. In much the same way talking about a problem to a trusted friend can help us move past whatever is causing our grief, her healing power soothes, binds up, and holds the broken pieces of your heart until you are ready to take up the thing causing you grief and face it with understanding.

Much of the healing concept came from times where I was that listening ear for friends growing up. I sat by them as they cried over a breakup, or as they shared a serious problem they were struggling with. The simple act of being present and listening helped them have the courage to move on and take the next step in healing themselves.

Some of Nienna’s more humorous experiences and fun facts not shared in my books:

1. The night before she was to head to Alturis as a first-time student, her brother Owen dipped the bristles of her hairbrush in pinesap. When she went to brush her hair the next morning, the sap stuck to the ends, resulting in the need to cut the waist length hair up to her shoulders. Owen had a side ache from laughing so much that day and Nienna was humiliated to start her career education with such short locks.
2. Her first kiss happened the night before she was supposed to leave for school (around the same time that Owen was covering her hairbrush in sap). Aspen Perrill, her long-time friend and secret crush, gave it to her.
3. Her favorite color is green. As this is part of the royal family’s colors, it couldn’t really be anything else.
4. Her favorite treats are raspberry tarts, prepared by Cassie McCully or “Cookie.” More than more tray of tarts disappeared after coming out of the ovens when Nienna and her castle friend, Liam Falkirk, were around. One time, after catching the pair, she made them both eat a large jar of pickled beets. Nienna ended up with stomach ache while Liam found he had a slight allergy to the things and was ill all the next day.
5. One of the few times she got Owen back for his pranks was when she oiled his saddle extra heavy the morning he was officially given the title of “Crown Prince.” When he jumped into his saddle to parade around Solomon after the ceremony, the oil had seeped into his trousers, making it appear that he had wet his pants the next time he dismounted. Axel still laughs about this behind his back.
6. She chipped her front tooth while diving into a pool with her friends at Alturis, and had to get the chipped area filed down by a tooth mender by the name of Alfred Hyatt. If you look closely, one tooth is shorter than the other.

Are there other things you would like to know about Nienna? If so, leave me a comment below, and I will answer them in a later post.