Michelle Murray shares her top ten favorite mythical creatures

Once upon Mystica there were six wizards, three light and three dark. One of the dark wizards, Midnight says a spell to trap the fellow wizards. The spell goes astray, trapping all the wizards including Midnight. One curious boy finds on of these stones and releases Midnight. Midnight is loose on Mystica, gathering an army and preparing for war. Miranda is an average college student until she starts having dreams of Mystica, she travels to Mystica following her dreams. Her dreams are leading her to find Lightning, a white wizard, and the only one that can stop Midnight. Follow Miranda through Mystica's Plains, Ice Caves, Forest of the Lost, and the Dragons Lair. Can Miranda find and release Lightning and save Mystica?

10 Favorite Mythological Creatures

Hello my name is Michelle Murray. I am the author of the young adult fantasy series The Dream Walker, Land of Mystic a Series. I live in Wisconsin with my husband and two young men (my children). My book is set in the magical, mystical world of Mystica. Since I am a fantasy writer, I was asked to list my top ten mythological creatures. Here is the list I came up with:

10. Griffins, They have the body of a lion and wings of an Eagle. They can fly and roar!

9. Phoenix, this magical bird dies and comes alive again by fire.

8. Centaurs, the body of a horse and torso of a man/woman. In Greek Mythology, there were good and evil ones. They were considered to be unpredictable and wild. Yet, there were some that lived in harmony with nature.

7. Pegasus, a winged horse and faithful companion.

6. Fairies, this mischievous creatures can be fun, playful, or spiteful. Plus, who doesn’t like a sprinkling of magical pixie dust?

5. Sirens, Sirens were women who lured men to their death. The story of these creatures has always intrigued me, it is mentioned in the Odyssey and several other fantasy books.

4 Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and the boy of a man trapped in a maze. You would be angry too if you were trapped in a maze with only young children to eat!

3 Orthrus, a two headed dog that guards the underworld. He is slain by Hercules. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to mess with a giant two headed dog!

2. Unicorn, a horse with a magical horn. There are many depictions in different cultures of the unicorn. Stories of men hunting these magical creatures down for their horn and blood. I wrote a poem about a unicorn, and it was published in a fantasy magazine. Their majesty, beauty, and magic have always inspired me.

1. Dragons, Dragons have many colors and species as well, from serpents in the water to magical flying beasts. Robin Hobb does a fantastic job of delving into dragons stories in The Dragon Keeper series. I have a baby dragon, Skye, in my book. Another series with dragons in it that I enjoy is the Dragon Lance series by Margaret Weiss, and Tracy Hickman.

These are the ones I came up with, what are some of your favorites?