People always talk about good, fresh country air, but I kept getting wiffs of something that was neither good nor fresh but definitely country.

There, close enough to spit on--if I'd been a barbarian and inclined to spit--was the dragon.

if Saint Bruce doesn't like your poem, he chops your head off.

Giannine--What are they going to do: smack me on the head with a pamplet?

Number one rule for fiction: Coincidence can be used to worsen a characters predicament, but never to solve his problems.

The wolf sniffed beneath the door to be sure this was a human cottage. The scent was undeniable. No pigs, except in bacon form. The wolf thought bacon form was a very sensible way for pigs to behave.

A [reformed] vampire ... mostly tries to make reparation for his previous evil by doing good deeds-most commonly, apparently, going into the crime solving business.