Tag: Heart of the Worlds

What Medieval Fencing Teaches Me About Writing Fight Scenes

Fantasy collage featuring a large leather-bound book pierced by a dagger, surrounded by a goblin-like creature, armored warriors, and a rat-like character against a glowing green enchanted forest background.

There is a correlation between sword and pen — and it is flow. Practicing medieval-style fencing has taught me more about writing conflict than any craft book ever could. From centerline control to disciplined restraint, here’s how real steel shapes the fight scenes in Heart of the Worlds.

Magic with Meaning. Stories with Teeth.

A blonde girl in medieval peasant clothing stands at the edge of a misty forest, slightly turned away, surrounded by teal fog and dark trees. The book cover False-Gold Wishes & the Darkwraith by T.F. Burke appears in the upper left.

Some magic sparkles and fades.

Other magic notices who touches it.

At thirteen, Aunia stands at the edge of a misted forest with more questions than answers—and just enough courage to reach for something forbidden. What she doesn’t yet understand is that magic answers literally, remembers deeply, and sometimes draws the attention of things that were already searching.

This is where her story begins.
Not with prophecy—but with consequence.

Launch Week Magic: Faeries Don’t Hide Soars and More!

Book cover of Faeries Don’t Hide by TF Burke, featuring ornate golden filigree on a deep red background with glowing green accents.

I knew faeries could cause chaos, but I didn’t expect them to blow up my entire book launch in the best possible way with Amazon Top 100 books. There are some moments in an author’s life when the world goes still, the air feels charged, and you realize something extraordinary is happening. Launch week for […]

The Boggleman: Nightmare in Shadows

Portrait of the Boggleman, a pale, white-haired man in a dark cloak with a scarred empty eye socket, shown against the backdrop of a shadowy rock tunnel. Text reads: “Writing an INTJ character – Meet the Boggleman.”

The Boggleman is not simply terrifying—he’s tragic. Once Pogonias Cromis, he could have been a seer and protector. Instead, grief hollowed him into the shadow who devours destiny itself.

Gaitha, Archivist and Eldest Daughter of Naoma Sacella

Portrait of Gaitha, a slender elderly woman with white hair in medieval peasant clothing, standing before shelves of apothecary jars. Text reads: “Writing an ISTJ character – Meet Gaitha, Eldest Daughter of Naoma Sacella.”

Small in stature but mighty in presence, Gaitha is the respected Eldest Daughter of Naoma Sacella — medicine woman, mentor, and keeper of Chandarion legacies. Her ISTJ nature grounds her people in tradition and shields Aunia from both faeries and foes.

Drafting is Done! ✨ Heart of the Worlds, Book 3

A fantasy-themed promotional image for Faeries Don’t Hide (Heart of the Worlds, Book 3) by T.F. Burke. The book stands upright with an ornate red and gold cover. In the background, a glowing astrolabe, a blue pegasus, and a silhouette of a faery appear in a misty forest. A wererat peeks from behind the book with a dagger. Three characters—two young men and one young woman—stand in front, the story’s protagonists.

Typing “The End” on Book 3—Faeries Don’t Hide—was both exhilarating and surreal. The draft is raw and sprawling, full of messy magic, betrayals, and battles, but now comes the revision stage where the story is refined into something luminous.

Rune: The ESFJ Father Who Guards with Silence

Portrait of Rune, a medieval-style man with wavy brown hair and a beard, wearing simple peasant clothing, with text above reading “Writing an ESFJ character” and below reading “Meet Rune.”

Every epic needs its steady heart, though sometimes that heart beats in shadows and sometimes it may even feel at times like a villain who guards with silence. In Heart of the Worlds, that figure is Rune—the father of Aunia, a man who has given up nearly everything for the sake of his daughter’s safety… […]

Keston: The ESFP Adventurer Who Refuses to Stand Still

A smiling teenage boy with shoulder-length light brown hair and sparkly eyes, wearing a cream medieval poet shirt, stands in front of a forest backdrop. Text above reads “Writing an ESFP character” and below reads “Meet Keston Pendar.”

Keston isn’t just the comic relief in Heart of the Worlds—he’s the ESFP adventurer who turns battles into games, sparks laughter in the darkest hours, and hides scars behind his easy grin. The son of a famed sculptor, a commoner who impressed a golden pegasus, and a loyal friend to Aunia and Mathias, Keston reminds us that joy itself can be an act of rebellion.

Writing Mathias: ISFJ in Heart of the Worlds

A young man with shoulder-length dark wavy hair, sun-kissed skin, and striking green eyes stares ahead with a serious expression. He wears a medieval-style leather jerkin over a linen shirt, with a castle spire and autumn trees blurred in the background.

Mathias is the quiet strength of Heart of the Worlds—a seventeen-year-old Pegasus rider shaped by loyalty, guilt, and scars of the past. As an ISFJ, he embodies the Protector archetype, balancing steady devotion with the struggle to trust love and forgive himself. His story is one of duty, exile, and the quiet courage of showing up even when hope feels fragile.