People ask why I selected one of the most difficult names to say in the English language for one of my characters. Honestly, I never gave it a moment’s thought because when I met Arianrhod (pron. Aree-ant-hod) in a Welsh story, she leaped off the page. Her name often translates as Lady Silver Wheel, and that means the ever-turning wheel of the year. But it can also represent the silken circle of a spider’s web or a woman’s spinning wheel. She is clever, industrious, beautifu

Shapeshifting is an easy enough trick on your smartphone. Take a photo of a friend and turn her into a smiling baboon. But when Merlin says, ‘I shapeshifted into a fox,’ he means something different. So, let’s unpack what’s behind his claim. Merlin’s training to shapeshift began when he turned six. His mother, Ingraine’s status as an Arch Druid easily got him enrolled in one of the toughest schools in the world. He learned the easy stuff first. Then each year, for nearly a