Author: Melinda Kucsera

Melinda Kucsera writes fantastic short stories, novels, and books when not being kidnapped by dragons or chased by armies of fictional creatures. (Her characters do, on occasion, rescue her.) She leaves the running of her newsletter to a cast of lovable characters who hog her inbox. Enough about her, it’s us you’re really interested in, her cast of characters. Join us every week for a new story at www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters. Over 15,000 readers have enjoyed their fight to survive and thrive as they straddle the often blurry line between fiction and reality. Let them take you on an adventure behind and between the scenes. Sign up at www.mkucsera.com/welcomecharacters to experience our weekly shenanigans. Go where no book or newsletter has gone before!
collaboration, poem, poetry20 Comments

Elemental Senryu: Fire

Melinda Kucsera

Elemental Senryu* *A collaboration with Rosema from A Reading Writer Rosema writes short fiction, poems and posts about the books she’s reading. Hop on over to check out her site and pick up a recommendation or two for your next read. Fire Purifies loved gold, strongest metals bend, mold licks life new or old. Sparks fly catch on wood; sparks in your eyes burn your heart– fires rage in both. ~ ~ ~ Well that’s all folks! This is the last post in the series Rosema and I did. We hope you enjoyed reading these senryu as much as we … Continue reading Elemental Senryu: Fire

poem, poetry, science fiction, Sonnet14 Comments

Stars Dance – A Kyrielle Sonnet

Melinda Kucsera

Stars Dance – a Kyrielle Sonnet Stars dance to music of the spheres within dark energy’s ballroom swaying through dark matter that’s there. Gravity’s pull makes them dance. In a vacuum their music sounds mathematical, oh what gloom– scientific, describes the boom. Gravity’s pull makes them dance. Colliding stars send shock waves out shaking the the long cosmic ballroom, the microwave background plays out– Gravity’s pull makes them dance. Stars dance to music of the spheres– Gravity’s pull makes them dance. ~ ~ ~ This was really hard. Not sure I’ll try this one again unless I need a poetic torture device 😉 … Continue reading Stars Dance – A Kyrielle Sonnet

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari10 Comments

Curse Breaker | Intercepted

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Intercepted “Easy,” said the newcomer, “It’s just Green Eyes.” Sarn risked a glance at the man standing at his elbow. Grime combined with the green glow of Sarn’s eyes made it impossible to tell what color the man’s garments were or if the fellow was sporting gang colors. The gap-toothed fellow waited for a response of some kind. Great, so word had spread that Sarn wasn’t mute. Damn it.  “How do you know me?” “Zaduke.” He owed Zaduke a favor. Anger flared up but Sarn squelched it and the memory of just why he owed a jumped … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Intercepted

collaboration, poem, poetry14 Comments

Elemental Senryu: Wind

Melinda Kucsera

Elemental Senryu* *A collaboration with Rosema from A Reading Writer Rosema writes short fiction, poems and posts about the books she’s reading. Hop on over to check out her site and pick up a recommendation or two for your next read. Wind Whispers soft and light, scream signals storm’s strong might, yet cradles flying kites. Wind whips tornadoes, hurls them across the grassland– toss cars and houses. ~ ~ ~ To be continued tomorrow … Continue reading Elemental Senryu: Wind

collaboration, poem, poetry44 Comments

Elemental Senryu: Water

Melinda Kucsera

Elemental Senryu* *A collaboration with Rosema from A Reading Writer Rosema writes short fiction, poems and posts about the books she’s reading. Hop on over to check out her site and pick up a recommendation or two for your next read. Water Evolves ceaselessly, frozen then flowing briskly, can’t live without thee. Water dashes rocks, falling in a silver spray– purity that flows. ~ ~ ~ To be continued tomorrow … Continue reading Elemental Senryu: Water

collaboration, poem, poetry30 Comments

Elemental Senryu: Earth

Melinda Kucsera

Elemental Senryu* *A collaboration with Rosema from A Reading Writer Rosema writes short fiction, poems and posts about the books she’s reading. Hop on over to check out her site and pick up a recommendation or two for your next read. Earth Above sprouts green lawns, beneath lies decaying bones, births, buries life zones. Cities rise and fall Earth remains spinning through all the lives led and lost. ~ ~ ~ To be continued tomorrow … ~ ~ ~ Continue reading Elemental Senryu: Earth

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari16 Comments

Curse Breaker | Falling

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Falling Sarn gave the forest one backwards glance just to confirm that neither Nolo nor any other Rangers had appeared. Trees stood by watching him, no doubt waiting for him to make a move. Was this all a cruel game to them? His hands curled into fists; he was no one’s pawn. Other than the wind rustling leaves high above, he heard shouts that grew more distant the longer he stood there. Let those shouts not be about him. Let Nolo find someone else to badger. Didn’t he need to report all this madness to his superior? … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Falling

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari30 Comments

Curse Breaker | Rift

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Rift Sarn ran back towards the bodies. Dread dogged him. A branch shot out at chest level and Sarn struck it hard enough to bruise. He had managed to slow enough to keep from breaking anything but the impact still drove the breath from him. He ducked under the impediment and then had to throw himself backwards to avoid a head injury as more branches leapt into his path. He watched in horror as the ground opened up and that child’s body, along with all the others, toppled into it. He couldn’t tear his gaze away. The … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Rift

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari42 Comments

Curse Breaker | Queen of All Trees

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | The Queen of All Trees Something tied the Child of Magic to the mountain and that tie refused to allow him to leave it. The Queen of All Trees tested its tensile strength and found the tie to be stronger than it. Each link was a promise forged in magic and blood. It led back to an unexpected source—a small child. The Child of Magic had a child of his own. Not well versed in humans, the Queen of All Trees flipped through memory’s pages seeking the truth. It found a sixteen year old boy and a … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Queen of All Trees

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari21 Comments

Curse Breaker | Stupefied

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Stupefied A keening sound startled Nolo and gave him a direction. He rushed off towards the source. He found Sarn staring at a broken child not two hundred paces away from the previous murder site. His hands shook where they remained suspended halfway between himself and the boy. Horror had shut off his reasoning. Beyond the child lay a dozen men, women and children all dead. They’re bodies had not been ripped apart or in anyway despoiled. Nolo noted all that in a quick glance before returning his attention to his stricken charge. The dead could wait … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Stupefied

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari69 Comments

Curse Breaker | Discovery

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Discovery Passing between two trees, whose boles each had to be over a hundred feet in diameter, he froze. Bodies lay in a small clearing—or what was left of them. The stench hit Sarn full in the face as the wind, which had picked up over the last mile of his hike, shifted. He gagged, doubled over and retched. Sarn started as a hand landed on his shoulder. “You okay, Kid?” “I’m not a kid.” Sarn shot back as he forced the bile back down. “I’m twenty—” “I know,” Nolo gave Sarn’s shoulder a squeeze and then let … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Discovery

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari36 Comments

Curse Breaker | Kidnapped

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Kidnapped More shouts interrupted by tearing, scraping and the grating of sandpaper as something not human dragged Sarn into the forest. He ran his fingers along the grooves of the thing manacling his arm as he tried to figure out what had seized him. His fingers encountered tree bark and that made no sense. Why would a tree abduct him? It had never done that before. Why would it need to start now? What the hell was going on?   “Let go of me!” Sarn hammered the heel of his hand against whatever part of the tree that … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Kidnapped

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari30 Comments

Curse Breaker | Commanded

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Commanded “We don’t know if that Kid is a mage,” Jerlo corrected as he appeared between his two officers. At five foot nothing, the force of Jerlo’s personality took up more space than he did. Right now his formidable glare focused on a man sixteen inches taller than himself. Gregori could bench press one Jerlo in each hand. So whenever the commander scolded Gregori, everyone dropped everything and watched. “Oh yeah? Then why do his eyes glow all the damned time? That’s a sign of active magic and you know it. Hell it’s even mentioned in the Litany.” … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Commanded

poem, poetry73 Comments

They might be Senryus

Melinda Kucsera

These might indeed be Senryus or some other species of micro poems. I just read three mystery/thrillers (audio books of course) back to back while cleaning house/walking/cooking/photoshopping etc and for some reason that led me to write these.  Go figure. Seventeen lifetimes he sat, in prison, scribbling wisdom on cell blocks Parted lips drip gold gold flecks smeared to make her bold she laughs, gold flashes Stars alight attract lovers with star-shot wishes their hopes soar space-wards Lovers who obsess future’s fate’s their obsession now’s not their concern Jealousy’s green eye casts itself on all around sees imagined faults Security woos … Continue reading They might be Senryus