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Welcome To L.D. Burke’s World
Tales From Burkeland: Tale Zero I’m glad you’re joining me on my journey! For readers wanting to get to know the author behind the page, Tales from Burkeland is the place to be. Here you’ll find personal stories as well as publishing news and other writing-related content. Why Am I a Writer? The short answer:…
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Myths And Magic: Conjuring Love—Spells and Potions for Romance and Lust
Tales From Burkeland: Tale Fourteen Author’s Note: This a reprint of the February 2025 Myths and Magic article. Sign up for my newsletter for monthly Myths And Magic articles. Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day mere days away, what better time to crack open books of love spells and potions? Love magic in…
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New Year, New Stories
Tales From Burkeland: Tale Thirteen As 2026 begins, it’s unseasonably warm in Southern Indiana, but I still can’t help thinking that a new year is like a wooded trail covered in fresh fallen snow. Pristine. White like a blank page. Glittering with opportunities to forge your path. While I am leaving lots of room to…
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Closing the Book on 2025
Tales From Burkeland: Tale Twelve Hustle and bustle may be the theme of the holiday season, but for me December is a time to slow down. I find myself spending more time with my journal as I look back on the year and celebrate the wins, both big and small. I’m discovering that 2025 brought…
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Much To Be Grateful For
Tales from Burkeland Tale 11 Sunlight streams through my office window, and skitch skitch skitch is the only sound as sparrows dig through birdseed in the feeder outside. I sit sipping my tea, journal open, enjoying a quiet moment before I put pen to paper and write three things I’m grateful for. When I heard…
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From Pumpkin Spice to Worldbuilding: Research and Writing
Tales From Burkeland: Tale 10 Stories are built on what-ifs. Those niggling little questions glided through my mind like ghosts through a haunted house as I researched this month’s Myths and Magic newsletter segment on Halloween folklore. Is it such a surprise? History and Halloween are rich soil for fantasy authors. Pumpkin Spice Flavored History…
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Creative Goals: An Exercise in Self-Honesty
Tales From Burkeland: Tale 9 I had a nasty habit of lying to myself. Could I write a short story for that submission call and progress on my novels? Absolutely, I said. Sure, I could take on leadership in my writing guild and have time for all the classes and projects on my list for…
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My Way To Understanding
Tales from Burkeland: Tale Eight Author’s Note: This Tales from Burkeland began as an essay for a creative writing class in college. Our professor asked us to explore why we write. I remembered the piece after an Instagram follower asked the same question during a recent get-to-know-you series. I dug through my many external hard…
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“The Dragon, the Dog, and the Mountain Man” is here!
Happy Publication Day Here There Be Dragons. A Tales From Burkeland Special Edition When a dragon moves into the abandoned mine in the mountains around Coric’s secluded cabin, his hunting skills are pitted against the beast’s. As wild game dwindles and winter creeps in, Coric digs in his heels for lean times. But his hunting…
L.D. Burke
Speculative Fiction Author
