Alison Croggon

Part One:

Best known for her intense and passionate poetry, Australian author Alison Croggon creates vivid images in her novels that take readers from their present world and immerses them in the world within the pages. She uses little dialogue (at least compared to the usual amount in a novel), but the dialogue she does include provides information significant to the story as a whole, propels a scene along, and is never extraneous. Croggon is one of my favorites because of the reasons given above and continues to be because her style allows me to escape this life and join in on the adventures of another.

Part Two:

"Enough!"

Twelve pairs of eyes flicked to the head of the long, black table. One pair glared back. Clad in a blood-red dress that clung to her lean body and a black cloak that draped over her left shoulder, the queen was fearsome. Her presence was more intimidating than those of the warriors around her, though she stood at least a foot shorter than every one of them.

With amethyst eyes, she scoured the scene before her- the Cyron ambassadors with their sickly pale skin, flashing silver bangles, and hands at the hilts of their swords; her own counsellors' red faces and sweating brows- before proceeding. She rested her penetrating gaze on the man she assumed was the Cyron leader for he had the most silver on his wrists. He stiffened.

"I demand that you leave my city immediately. Go back to Cyro and tell your king we are not interested," she spoke using all of her willpower to keep her voice level.

The man scowled in disgust. "I hope you know what is coming then...Lady Lianna," he spat. With a flick of his wrist, the leader motioned for the other Cyron warriors to follow him and left the room.

I know what's coming. War is imminent, Lianna concluded somberly, as she watched the rival ambassadors exit through the great iron doors to her left. With a swish of her cloak, she turned and left through the set of doors behind her.