I’m making a new story called Odd Enchantments on Wattpad! Let’s celebrate the release.

Romance. Fairy-Tale-ish. A cozy fantasy. A romance rekindling between an enchantress and her cursed ex? Nothing can possibly go wrong.

I have long been curious about cozy fantasy. I think I’ve read plenty of them over the years, but they weren’t called cozy, just fantasy. They have drama and excitement, but not too much. It’s not too dark or too violent or too epic. Patricia Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons is the perfect example. It’s comforting to read her books. The characters are going through things. Cimonrin suddenly has to live with a dragon and put up with their dragon quirks, and the arrival of various princes to rescue her, but no one gets eaten (that I remember), and the world is rather peaceful and, well, cozy. I’d live there. 

I’m studying up on a new Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap (meaning, I’m going to replay it for my Legend of Zelda Inspired essay series.) Minish Cap feels like a cozy Zelda game. The stakes aren’t as epic as some Zelda games, where you wake up in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. The art and gameplay feel cozy and charming. I mean, there’s a talking hat in this game! There are still boss battles and dungeons to explore. The Kingdom of Hyrule is in trouble, and Princess Zelda needs your help. There’s danger and urgency, but it’s also not devastating, and the darkness is there, just around the corner.

What is cozy about a cozy story?

There’s an element of humor in cozy games and books. They look at the world and see the positives more than the negatives. They know that evil and darkness exist, but the stories also want to remind you about the wonders of the world. The magic of seeing a sunrise, or dipping your toes into a warm lake, before rolling up your pants to wade deeper.

You might step on a sharp rock, but that pain fades as you stand in the water listening to the wind rustle the trees and watching the kayakers wandering around the lake and the dogs splashing across the way. A small squirrel with a ridiculously large tail canvases the beach rocks, looking for nibbles and giving you the wary look, but as long as you don’t make any sudden movements, the squirrel doesn’t run away. (Until a dog walks by). It’s that moment of reprieve you give yourself. That’s what a cozy book is. That’s the kind of atmosphere I’m aiming to have in my book. Challenges and romantic dilemmas, but also yummy scones and strange magic.

The new story is called Odd Enchantments, after all.

Where can I read the story Odd Enchantments?

Read Odd Enchantments on Wattpad every week. Wattpad is a great place to discover free stories and interact with other readers and the authors as they release the story one episode/chapter at a time.

More about the story below. If you want to go into the story without knowing anything! Here are the first three sentences to get you started:

The toad by the side of the road was misery incarnate. Eza noticed the wart-covered creature drying out in the sun on her way home from the village. She was eleven.

What’s Odd Enchantments about?

The story in one sentence?

Odd Enchantments in one sentence. Deep breathe… A socially awkward enchantress lives by herself in a tower until her old flame shows up needing her help to break his curse!

Story Details: the book blurb

Theo broke his promise, and Eza is not ready to let him off the hook.

She’s an enchantress taking care of the Tower of Ambernight, where she studies the forest and magic creatures of Ood. When she lets Theo and his companions into the Tower, she soon regrets everything. Her solitude and home have been invaded. They are all cursed! She only wants her peaceful life back. Too bad Theo won’t leave her alone. He needs her help, and she’s the only one. Falling for him the first time was dangerous! Falling in love a second time? Impossible.

Who are the main characters?

Eza, Ezmelda Ondare, Celestial Enchantress

My characters are always based on part of my own personality. So, I asked myself, how introverted can I make Eza? This is a romance, though, and I want to explore how she accepts that part of herself and allows herself to be with someone, too. Because I’m writing the story to see how she ends up with Theo. Otherwise, she’s just locking herself up in a tower. She is an enchantress after all. 

Theo, Theodoric Kloss, Earthbound Enchanter

He is the handsome rogue, the kind of person who goes around befriending everyone, learning their life story, and charming anyone he meets. But he has his secrets and a curse that sends him to find Eza to ask for her help. I’m still trying to figure out Theo, and learning more about him as I write is fun. 

What genre is Odd Enchantments?

It’s definitely a cozy fantasy. But I’ve got an enchanted tower in my story, so it’s a little like Beauty and the Beast, and a girl looked up in a tower, like Rapunzel. Sorta. And a talking cat, so there’s a little Puss in Boots, sorta. Who am I kidding? It’s not like any of these classic fairy tales. This is just a romance that exists in a fairytale-like world, sorta.

What are the Magic Systems in this world?

I’m going for a soft-magic system, so I can’t explain it all (because that’s how soft-magic works), but I do have some guidelines I’ve given myself. There’s celestial magic (connected to above), earthbound (connections to below, think gravity), and ood magic. What is ood magic? Well, it’s odd. 

Read the story of Odd Enchantments on Wattpad. Did I mention I’m posting weekly chapters? (Cue slight panic!) The first three debuted this week, and now I have to get the next ready! What do you think of the story? Sounds like something you’ll read?