Misc.

Field guide to the Finnish tonttu

Field guide to the Finnish tonttu

| Misc., Myth | Lore | History

In Finnish mythology, a haltija (plural: haltijat) is a guardian spirit living in a liminal space: nature, homes, even within ourselves. The specific haltija that guards a place is called a tonttu (plural: tontut) – a newer word which comes from the Swedish “tomte.” Like the tomte (and the Norwegian/Danish nisse), a tonttu has a specific look: pointy red cap, long beard if a man, small and elflike in stature. One of my favourite childhood […]

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What’s changing with my Patreon in 2026

| Misc., News, Writing

Things have been evolving in my life and creativity. I’ve been regularly researching stories from Filipino & Finnish culture and having a blast. So starting in January 2026, I’ll be shifting to monthly reflections on folklore, cultural discoveries, and fragments that don’t always make it into my fiction. It’ll be part cultural storytelling and part personal meditation on belonging in the in-between. In January I’ll be retiring my current Patreon tiers and introducing new ones:

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Boundary keepers & path shifters: forest spirits in Filipino & Finnish folklore

| Misc., Myth | Lore | History, The Quiet is Loud, Writing

As a kid, I was taught that certain spirits lived just beyond the edges of the path. In Filipino folklore, the nuno sa punso might curse you for disturbing its mound. In Finnish folklore, a type of haltija called a tonttu could guard your house and required certain behaviour. I grew up saying “tabi tabi po, nuno” in the forest to avoid a nuno’s curse, and I often wondered if my house’s tonttu would ever

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My first zine in over 20 years!

| Misc., Writing

For my spring Undone Rituals Mixtape on Patreon, I made a zine! That sentence got an exclamation mark because I haven’t made a zine since I was 24. That’s over 20 years ago! Making a zine in 2025 was different in two main ways: 1) No longer having an office job where I could sneak photocopier time before everyone else arrived; and 2) Resisting the urge to lay everything out in InDesign and simply print

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Event alert! Filipino-Canadian Book Festival on July 13

| Misc., News

I’m excited to be appearing (virtually!) on a panel at the first Filipino-Canadian Book Festival next month. My event is on Saturday, July 13 at 10.15 am PT. Here are the details: World-building and Cultural Research for Storytelling Join us for this insightful author panel on creating immersive worlds, grounding them in reality, and ensuring cultural sensitivity while introducing innovative elements. Key topics of discussion will include: the process of building intricate and believable worlds;

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SFWA Blog: Character Development Lessons From Video Games

| Misc., News, Writing

I’m excited to have the chance to geek out about both character development and video games at the SFWA Blog! In my article “Character Development Lessons From Video Games,” I talk about some of my favourite character-driven fantasy and role-playing video games, and the lessons they taught me in developing characters in my sci-fi/fantasy books. Video games discussed: the Dragon Age series, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (I miss Odyssey SO MUCH).

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science fiction and fantasy writing resources

The top 5 resources I use in writing SF/F novels

| Misc., Writing

In writing my historically-inspired sci-fi/fantasy novels, I’ve noticed a few resources I return to often. These resources might be useful for other SF/F authors, so I thought I’d share them. Let me know if there are any that you use that aren’t on this list! 1) Wiktionary Because so many of the names (both for people and places) I use in my work are based on real languages, Wiktionary is probably my favourite resource. It

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The inevitability of Peter Gabriel: creative inspiration

| Misc., Writing

Today is Peter Gabriel’s 74th birthday, and it’s good timing. Lately I’ve been thinking about the way his Genesis years influenced my writing. Ed. note: This post was updated with more content in September 2025. It might not be obvious mainly because he’s a singer and I’m a writer. Of course, though, in Genesis he did write many of the lyrics he sang. And, oh, those lyrics. So absurd, so vividly narrative: 666 is no

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my most influential authors

My 5 most influential authors

| Misc., Reading, Writing

⫸ (AKA If you like one or more of them you’ll probably find something you like in my work):⁠⫷ ⌯ Robin Hobb: Thoughtful examinations of character and a wide range of relationships. Major events happen in the world but her books feel somehow intimate. Her “Fitz” books were a major inspiration for the tone and characters of Seeker of the Lost Song and its sequel.⁠ ⌯ Kazuo Ishiguro: My biggest influence in “write whatever the

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