59. She Smells of Wyvern & Woodsmoke

The Case of the Dragonian Gold

Hello, friend - hope you’ve had a great week!

Feel free to close your beautiful eyes and listen to the audio version of this post. Click the play button at the top! Your friendly narrator (it’s me) also adds a sprinkle of bonus content and laughs at her own jokes x

I’ve had dragons on the brain the last few days. Those that know me well should always assume I’ve got at least one dinosaur on the brain (probably a T-Rex or Megalodon) - that’s a given - but every now and then a Wyvern will sneak in and flap around a bit.

I mentioned last episode that July is family birthday season in my neck of the woods - apologies again for singing about monkeys bottoms in the last voice over by the way. And props to you if you managed to get through 28 minutes of me talking about books! That was a life lesson we both had to learn.

Anyway, regardless of monkeys, my husband took another lap around the sun this week (metaphorically, we’re not made of spaceships) and I was put in the unenviable position of deciding what birthday present to get the man that I’ve known and loved for 27 years.

Bread? He does like bread. But what kind of bread? That’s a minefield. No-one has ‘young teeth’ anymore and seeds can be a deal breaker.

So on the recommendation of a friend, the board-game ‘Wyrmspan’ entered our house this week. We’ve yet to unbox it as there are ‘rules to learn’ and our kitchen table is covered with a Sherlock Holmes puzzle, but unless Moriarty has other plans - we’ll dive in soon. Are you a lover of board-games? Tell us the one you’re most obsessed with in the comments :)

Like dragons and Moriarty, I also love gold. If you have some gold that’s burning a hole in your pocket and you want to help me obtain my own real life plesiosaur, you can ‘Shout Me A Coffee’ by clicking on the button below.

Fishbird Catch of the Week

I publish articles twice a week on the Fishbird Central website - every Wednesday and Saturday! This week’s catch included:

• Here There be Dragons!

  • In this post we check out 7 novels that will have you roaring with dragonish delight! I scoured my ‘Want to Read’ list and found all the dragon-flavoured novels that were waiting in the wings. We’ve got traditional fantasy, like 'The Dragonbone Chair' by Tad Williams or a light-hearted romp such as 'I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons' by Peter S. Beagle. But what’s a gaggle of dragons without some creepy cannibals (looking at you Hannibal Lector!) and western wanderings with Michael Crichton! Whether you like your dragons scientifically segmented or scattered along the way to the Dark Tower - this list will light a flame in your heart and put the Reptile in your TBR.

Check out the latest post in the linky-link here - Here There be Dragons!

• July Sketching: Week One, 2025!

  • In this post I parade around the sketchy characters I drew in week one of July 2025. Things got a little bit weird when I sketched an Amoeba who prefers taking the shape of a wry ghost. The Nullingthorn Library is open for business and Terry the Evil Cat Genius is boning up on his plans for world domination. Tim Cheeseman just wants cheese and a nice pair of slacks, while the Walking Wizard passes by in a whirl of beards and memories. Oh, and Boyd's boat is there, with birds birding amidst the buoys. In order to make some sense of this nonsense, I asked our sketchy crew what their Top 5 likes are of all time. They delivered ... kind of.

Check out the latest post here - July Sketching: Week One, 2025!

Writing Check in - Polls and Planning Tools

Firstly, big thanks and writerly hugs to everyone that chimed in on my poll in last week’s post to help name my fictional beagle - or suggested a name that wasn’t even on the list. You’re all geniuses. The doggo will be playing a large part in my upcoming novel, and needs a good name to get off on the right paw. Bartleby Barkson appears to have won the day - and rightly so. Good dog. Good dog, everyone.

I’ve been trying very hard not to fall into the trap of feeling like I need the ‘perfect pen’ or ‘perfect writing spot’ in order to sit down and actually write the thing. This is easier said than done when you’re a top-tier procrastinator and lover of gadgets and stationery like I am.

I do need to confess that I got lured into trying out Milanote - this is a site that you can use to visually project manage and storyboard your novel (among other things). This is 100% not sponsored and I’m still on the free version while I try it out, but it is helping me to brainstorm in a sideways fashion and progress my ideas when I’m tuckered out from working in the mines 9-5 each day.

I am very much a visual person, and love that I can create cards that I can move about and add a bunch of images and notes to. The other program I’m using (still not sponsored) is Scrivener to actually write out my junk. Essentially this is my ‘word processor’ and will come more into play as my characters bulk out and I lock down more of my overarching plot.

Do you have a favourite program, app or tool that helps you collate your ideas and prose? I’d love to know your process - drop a comment and help me Jenniferise my writing into something that humans will want to read.

Quick Fire Wrap Up

Currently Reading: I’m reading 3 Things! Who even am I?! ‘The Triumph of the Spider Monkey’ by Joyce Carol Oates; ‘Magpie Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz; and ‘The Science of Storytelling’ by Will Storr.

Currently Watching: 3 Things! I guess I’m a trilogy now! ‘Murderbot’ Season One on AppleTV; ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 on Netflix; and YouTube (Abel & Victoria; Adventure OT; and Homemade Wanderlust)

Currently Singing Along To: Heaps! I’ve added 3 (secretly 4) tunes to the Fishbird Central Spotify Playlist this week! ‘Find Your People’ by Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors; ‘It’s Your Voodoo Working’ by Charles Sheffield; ‘Something New’ by Billy Raffoul & ‘Look Up’ by Joy Oladokun.

Wishes for the Week

If you see a dragon, pick it up and all that day you’ll have good luck. Or fire in your pockets. Or a hoard of gold that might come with some pesky catches like all the jewels turns to dust when you leave the cave or it’s really FOOLS gold and the dragon is trying to make a fool of YOU. Are you going to stand for that?! I didn’t think so. Now you’re in a war with a dragon … *rolls eyes* … calm down.

Maybe you should just play it safe and let a dragon pick you up instead. I mean, how could it resist? You’re pretty cute and gold’s nothing without someone to spend it on. Even Smaug needs a sweetheart. Stop playing hard to get, and put on your new necklace you beautiful fool.

But … don’t leave the cave, just in case.

Stay cool, punks.

‘I wished for a dragon and I got 29 lizards and a picture of a chicken. Still a good day.’ - Melanie Rawn (probably

Jen x