tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78221504619828410342024-03-13T21:52:16.123-07:00Fantastic AdventuresIndie e-publishing. Tales of action and high adventure.Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-70828690541085310052014-01-07T10:20:00.005-08:002014-01-07T10:29:48.562-08:00Steampunk Super Heroes<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Capes-Clockwork-D-Alan-Lewis/dp/1937035689/ref=sr_1_1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHNjOu6hoUM/UsxEJkETTfI/AAAAAAAAAjg/tnkcD9Zjn2s/s1600/capes+and+clockwork+print+cover.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Capes and Clockwork</u>, a collection of steampunk superhero stories (including "The Gears of Justice" by yours truly) is now available in dead tree format. Ebook format is coming soon. I feel as if I should try to describe it, but really. Steampunk? And super heroes? What more is there to say?</span>
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-12979714265754973112013-12-09T20:24:00.001-08:002013-12-09T20:24:35.745-08:00Dirty Magick LA - Now In Paperback<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's crammed with awesomeness, and you can get it in paperback now, as well as ebook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's all. Please resume your normal web-surfing activities.</span><br />
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-54511793923249870292013-12-04T18:53:00.002-08:002013-12-04T18:53:51.613-08:00Author Interview - Paul DeBlassie III and The Unholy<a href="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00F8OEH70&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0ixt2TkcIw/UofW0qPXokI/AAAAAAAAAf4/OHhCyqPhY90/s1600/THE_UNHOLY_2_in_tall-210.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I bring you an interview with Dr. Paul DeBlassie III, author of a remarkable novel called <u>The Unholy</u>. It's a tense thriller, a story of a life-and-death struggle, a nail-biting suspense story, and also much more. The novel explores issues of religion, spirituality, the clash of cultures, and the clash of faiths. It's set in New Mexico, against the vivid cultural backdrop of mestizos and traditional healing. Paul DeBlassie III is uniquely qualified to write this story, but I'll let him explain why.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I get the impression that <u>The Unholy</u> is a book only you could write, because of the setting, and because of your own background. Let's start with the setting. Tell me about Aztlan.</b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aztlan
is the mythopoeic realm of the mestizos (mixed bloods of southwestern United States).
I am mestizo. Aztlan is New Mexico, especially the region of Albuquerque (southern Aztlan)
and Santa Fe (northern Aztlan) and extends to the four corners area. Spirits,
dreams, visions, and natural magic are woven seamlessly into everyday life.</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Your protagonist, Claire Sanchez, is a curandera, a term which roughly translates as "Medicine Woman." What exactly is a curandera? What led you to choose this occupation for your heroine?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A curandera is a healer. She spoke to me as the story evolved, told me who she was and told me of her struggle to find herself. The path of a healer is fraught with danger. She dramatizes the life of so many women and men seeking to face their fears, find themselves, and walk the path of healing, natural magic, and life.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Faith and religion are central themes of <u>The Unholy</u>. You explore the abuse of religion and the conflict that can come from spirituality. What would you say is the central theme or message of <u>The Unholy</u>? What impact are you hoping to have on your readers?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The central message of <u>The Unholy</u> is Religion Kills. It is made explicit at the end of the tale. News media broadcast Religion Kills as they describe the battle between the evil Archbishop and the young curandera.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You live in New Mexico, in the general area where the novel is set. How has this affected the writing of <u>The Unholy</u>? How important was your knowledge of the places and people and culture? What kinds of personal knowledge did you draw on as you crafted your characters and setting?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">New Mexico is Aztlan. My lineage reaches back for over three hundred years in Aztlan, a long line of medicine people, healers. I live here, breathe its air, am sheltered under the canopy of its turquoise sky. <u>The Unholy</u> and the natural magic of the medicine women, forces of darkness and light, exist side by side in the daily, mythopoeic realm of Aztlan. I live here. It is my homeland.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How has your training and experience as a psychologist impacted your writing in general? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For over thirty years I have treated survivors of the dark side of religion. I chose to write a novel about this human drama. Stories cut to the chase. I’ve written three other books in psychology and spirituality, but there is nothing like stirring the imagination via story to set the mind working and the heart healing.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I know you've had some specific experiences in your role as a psychologist that led to your decision to write this book. Tell me about that.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Religion can be both terrifying and damaging. I help people to heal from the dark side of religion. Decades of such experience led me to write this book and the ones that will follow. Each phantasmagoric story, much like <u>The Unholy</u>, plumbs the dark and light sides of human nature and spiritual experience. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The cover image for <u>The Unholy</u> is striking and haunting, and it's not just some random stock photo. Tell me about that picture.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is the Devil’s Throne, an actual site between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The evil archbishop performs atrocities there. The land has been contaminated by evil, women desecrated, the air itself befouled. It is the Devil’s Throne in the realm of Azltan!</span><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00F8OEH70&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-44941371405651143992013-11-20T09:26:00.001-08:002013-11-20T09:26:31.964-08:00Steampunk Mad Science<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A steampunk Frankenstein tale from The World of Steam. Check it out.</span><div>
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-15314327103762053602013-11-02T13:17:00.000-07:002013-11-16T12:27:30.673-08:00Dirty Magick Is Here<a href="http://www.luckymojopress.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GMzeU2w4_A/UnVdIwjYzhI/AAAAAAAAAfE/aJJhqcTJ0no/s320/cover_la.jpg" width="207" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's here! Lucky Mojo Press's <u>Dirty Magick: Los Angeles</u> is available for Kindle and Nook, with the paperback coming soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a collection of hard-boiled crime stories with magic as an essential component, each story set in the City of Angels, where noir was born. It's the first in a projected series of anthologies, each to be set in a different city. Last I heard, New Orleans was next on the list. There are some fun, cool stories by some talented authors, including Yours Truly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Buy it for the Nook here: </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dirty-magick-charlie-brown/1117405422?ean=2940148995197" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/<wbr></wbr>w/dirty-magick-charlie-brown/<wbr></wbr>1117405422?ean=2940148995197</a><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00GOI920G&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-41744852268324400072013-10-11T14:07:00.002-07:002013-10-11T14:07:42.118-07:00Here Be Monsters<a href="http://herebemonstersanthology.blogspot.ca/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R9HVlYuW-uo/UlhnhdwcYKI/AAAAAAAAAe0/By9poj3B6uY/s320/hbm.jpg" width="220" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I just got my contributor's copy of <u>Here Be Monsters 8 - Widows, Orphans, Bastards</u>, and it looks COOL! I should clarify that it's not actually about monsters in the traditional sense, though my story has a monster of sorts in it. Rather, it's a collection of really cool speculative fiction short stories. Kind of literary, while still being thoroughly entertaining. In all modesty I have to say it's high-quality stuff, and I am quite proud to be in the anthology. It's a fun read with some truly excellent stories, and I encourage you to check it out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://herebemonstersanthology.blogspot.ca/">http://herebemonstersanthology.blogspot.ca/</a></span>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00EUTCMJY&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-79792851862861051292013-10-09T09:19:00.001-07:002013-10-09T09:19:23.731-07:00Book Review - Dracula<img align="right" border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qSq8ASFtGFY/UlWA50fouaI/AAAAAAAAAek/uYBTANB8hOE/s320/Dracula1.jpg" width="320" />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I just finished reading Bram Stoker's original novel, <u>Dracula</u>, for the first time. I read some sort of kids' abridged version thirty years ago, but I quickly realized as I read that I didn't know squat about the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first thing that struck me about it is how effectively suspenseful and atmospheric it is. I mean, it's SPOOKY! Vampires aside, it's a classic of the gothic tradition, especially the first section when Johnathan Harker is trapped in Dracula's castle. It makes excellent use of the setting, and the Transylvanian wilderness, the superstitious locals, and the creepy old castle really come to life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The later section when Lucy is slowly being drained is excruciating and riveting. The endless succession of setbacks and minor victories had me constantly hoping she could be saved, but constantly fearing the worst. When Van Helsing breaks into her tomb and calmly discusses the necessity of cutting off her head, it made my skin crawl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall I'd say <u>Dracula </u>stands up reasonably well for being more than a hundred years old. (I mean the book, not the dude, who also is in remarkably good shape despite his extreme age.) Certainly it's a bit dated, especially in its almost comical view of women. Some of the characterization is absurdly simplistic, and some of the prose gets a bit purple, but overall it wasn't a bad read at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was surprised to find that Stoker's rules for vampires aren't the same as the general standard you see these days. Dracula could walk around in broad daylight, for instance. On the other hand, he had quite a long, arbitrary list of unexpected limitations. His invasion of London turned into a bizarre logistical exercise as he imported boxes of cursed Transylvanian dirt to which he had to return every day at dawn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another thing that struck me was how pervasive Christianity was in the story. I think atheism and skepticism would have been nearly-incomprehensible concepts to Stoker and his contemporaries. Christian faith permeates the book. When Stephen King revisited the topic of old-school vampires in <u>'Salem's Lot</u>, he explained the impact of crucifixes and the like as deriving their power from the wielder's belief, not from God or Jesus directly. In Dracula, though, Christianity is utterly intrinsic to the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The epistolary structure of the novel - it's all diary entries, letters, and documents - felt a bit gimmicky to me, but it was fairly effective. It lets the author use first-person narration with all of the strengths of immediacy and close identification that it brings, while still telling the story from multiple points of view. There were problems. People wrote things in their journals that were cringingly personal, despite knowing that the others would be reading everything. Overall, though, the "diaries and letters" approach works reasonably well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A big part of the plot hinges on a preposterous coincidence, that Johnathan Harker, the lawyer who encounters Dracula in Transylvania, is engaged to the best friend of the woman Dracula randomly selects as his first English victim, thus bringing all of Dracula's opponents together. I would say it's the novel's one significant structural flaw, and it's a humdinger, but on the other hand it's easy to ignore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All in all I'd call <u>Dracula </u>far from perfect, but still solidly entertaining after all these years and well worth checking out if you haven't read it. There are annotated and illustrated versions out there, but you can get the basic novel from Amazon for free.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0084B5TK8&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-22941622881936951922013-10-08T07:21:00.001-07:002013-10-08T07:21:22.056-07:00A Dance of Cloaks<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C102SO8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C102SO8&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ceodNooSkBg/UlQUY9KHj7I/AAAAAAAAAeU/oL0_xwNHm_4/s320/Dalglish_ADanceOfCloaks_TP1-300x450.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">The Underworld rules the city of Veldaren. Thieves, smugglers, assassins… they
fear only one man.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">High on my to-be-read list is <u>A Dance of Cloaks</u> by David Dalglish, now re-released by Orbit Books. It's a dark, gritty, hard-edged tale of assassins and gangsters, magic and intrigue. Dalglish self-published the book a few years back, and it did very well. Now he's worked with Orbit to significantly improve a manuscript that was already quite solid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Shadowdance series continues in <u>A Dance of Blades</u> and <u>A Dance of Mirrors</u>.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00C102SO8&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-14062729826103110282013-10-07T07:24:00.000-07:002013-10-07T07:24:46.112-07:00Anthology Wins Aurora<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C6Q1JII/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C6Q1JII&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5WUAcXgPDOQ/UlLC5gq142I/AAAAAAAAAeE/7k7FZOA7i_c/s320/Blood&WaterCover.jpg" width="208" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Blood and Water</u>, a fascinating anthology from Bundoran Press, just won itself an Aurora Award for "Best Related Work." Congratulations to all involved, including, I must add modestly, yours truly, who has a story in the anthology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a collection of stories about the resource conflicts sure to arise in the next 50-100 years, and the roles Canadians might play in addressing those problems. There's some excellent stuff in there, and I recommend it. Get it at Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C6Q1JII/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C6Q1JII&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20">here</a> or from Bundoran Press at <a href="http://www.bundoranpress.com/product/1/Blood-and-Water">http://www.bundoranpress.com/product/1/Blood-and-Water</a>.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00C6Q1JII&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-61031286216982633222013-07-19T19:22:00.002-07:002013-07-19T19:22:19.391-07:00Steampunk Short Film - Airlords of Airia<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Does your mind need a good boggling? No problem, I've got you covered. Airlords of Airia is... well, you just have to see it. I mean, you HAVE to.
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Full Film</span></h3>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/211LNk5vnJM" width="560"></iframe>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-62091297829285590232013-07-09T21:57:00.001-07:002013-07-09T22:08:20.362-07:00Creating a Plausible and Consistent Fantasy World - A guest post from Carole McDonnell<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today's guest post is from Carole McDonnell, author of The Constant Tower, a thought-provoking fantasy novel that sidesteps the expected in a lot of really fascinating ways. I asked her to write about her world-building process. Specifically, I asked her how to be original and plausible in creating a fantasy world. The Constant Tower isn't set in the generic post-Tolkien fantasy world we've seen so many times. How did you create it? What were the challenges? Here's Carole with her reply.
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1434442063/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1434442063&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-entEtK1DGSM/UdzrVu3xphI/AAAAAAAAAdo/I88ukLPmy8c/s320/TheConstantTowerPROOF_(1).jpg" width="214" /></a></span>
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I had had a dream of a world where each morning the inhabitants of a city woke to find the landmarks and geography of their city changed as if someone had moved around a jigsaw puzzle. Except that, a tower was always constant. I didn't write that story but I started thinking. In the end, I wrote a story where the world stayed put but people were tossed around all over the planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After that, I began thinking about how would society develop on such a planet. I like walking around in the worlds I create. I like using and seeing every possibility and permutation of a particular system. It’s like a game to me. Given situation A, how would B, appear? And how would B appear if C is present? I do that in all my stories. I’m always trying to see how all the organic possibilities of a possible situation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For instance: there is the technological issue:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Technology is about controlling our life and making life livable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What happens if there are degrees of control? What is the danger of this situation? The worst danger: being separated from those you love. How would people deal with that possibility of separation? Why, of course, they would live in longhouses. They would, of course, fear the night. How much warning would the inhabitants of this world have each night before the night did its separating work? Because it’s technology, we have to allow that not every clan has the same amount or kind of technology — in this case “tower science” or “tower lore.” Because the towers have some control over the night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Technology is connected with wealth. This means some cultures will be wealthier than others. Of course there are many technologies in the world. No one technology rules the world, but there are sciences that are more important than others. This makes some clans more powerful than others. In addition, there are poor folks in the world. Poor folks, and solitary folks, of whatever clans, are less in control of their fate than rich folks or folks who have a more advanced clan/culture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wouldn't the most knowledgeable clans have more linguistic knowledge? Wouldn't they have treaties? Humans being humans, people will want to protect what they own. But humans being humans, what do the haves owe the have-nots? What would ownership be like on such a planet?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The theological aspect: Why is the world like this? Is this problem of the night normal to this world? Or was it a theological curse of some kind? Can night be restored? Of course, because it’s a theological question, there is the problem of belief. Some folks will believe some things, others will believe other doctrines, and some will not believe at all. What about courtship rituals and marriage? What would the god of such a planet consider important? Are animals affected by this particular situation?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is also the communication aspect. How do strangers react to each other if they are equally tossed about by the night? What if there is disparity between the strangers? How would family be defined? How would war be defined? How would culture be defined?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course all this seems like an analytical outline. I didn't really think analytically in the beginning. I simply walked into that world and wrote what I saw. I saw that some clans had power, some did not. Some clans liked being rooted to the same spot. (But what prevented them from continually staying in one spot?) Some clans liked being night-tossed. Their idea of a Permanent Home is the afterlife.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I saw the towers. Some of them quite powerful, some of them petulant, some of them failing, some of them angry at humans. Then I wondered…what would happen if the towers fail? All good fantasies need a looming disaster and heroes who can save the world or help the world move from one era to the next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think the only way to create a plausible world is to create plausible people who inhabit that world.
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</span><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1434442063&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-37062623996735427062013-07-02T23:21:00.000-07:002013-07-02T23:23:41.220-07:00Creating a Plausible Future World<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Earth lies in ruins, destroyed by an unknown enemy. Humanity flees their burning homeworld, seeking a safe place to hide before they can be hunted down and eradicated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today's guest post if from Andrew Saxsma, author of <u>Lonely Moon</u>, a gripping science fiction tale about a ship's captain taking charge of the tattered remnants of humanity as an implacable enemy tries to wipe them out. I asked Andrew to write about world creation. How do you create a consistent, plausible future world? What changes, and what stays the same? How do you give the reader enough information to understand this invented environment without turning it into a lecture on made-up science? Here's Andrew to tell you how it's done.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">When Enough is...well, Enough.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sci-fi writers have a challenge, right from
the start. This challenge, although not
technically genre specific, keeps our belts a little tighter. It’s that elephant in the corner, wagging his
trunk at you while he eats his peanuts, nodding his head and saying, “It’s too
much. You’re gonna’ bore ‘em before ya’
hook ‘em!” And, sadly, more often than
not, he’s right. Dammit Dumbo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The question we face, as we write, is when
is enough, enough? Lemme’ explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You’ve got a recipe for a cake in front of
you. Beside that are your ingredients;
your eggs, your butter, sugar, milk, etc. etc.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You throw them all into your bowl, blend
‘em up real nice, and slop it into your cake pan then toss it on into the
oven. Pay attention now, ‘cuz this is
where it gets good. You don’t cook the
cake long enough, it’s runny and you can’t serve it up. Bake it too long, you lose flavor and it’s
hard to swallow. But, if you bake it
just right, you get the nice shape, the bouncy texture, and you get to bring a
smile to someone’s face. Get it? Kind of?
Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Let’s dig a little deeper then, eh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Science Fiction allows us to travel from
New York City to Alpha Centauri, from our homes, our bedrooms, to the stars and
anywhere else we’ve bought a ticket for.
But how did we get there? Did we
take an orbital elevator for two from Cape Canaveral to an orbiting space
station? Or, perhaps, we’re riding
aboard an intergalactic cruise-liner propelled through an ionized hyperspace
gate? Getting lost in the details, for
sci-fi writers, is like seeing a $100 bill on the sidewalk; sometimes it’s too
good to pass up. As a writer, it becomes
too easy, quite quickly, to lose yourself in the description, to really roll
our sleeves up and pull out the blueprints to that warp engine, to tell you
when and who invented it, to tell you how it links with other computer systems
through an intricate array of pistons and flux capacitors, and it can,
sometimes, make a good cup of coffee.
I’m only being half-serious.
Point is, kiddo’s, it becomes boring drivel. We over-explain, over-elaborate, and
over-extend our rudimentary belief that you care about the weight of an Iron
molecule on Pluto when Bruno just kissed Jess.
Some may, and that’s A-Okay. But,
let’s get back to some basic fundamentals of story telling. That is, after all, the purpose of fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIV17F2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BIV17F2&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yybi-PCIdcs/UdPAzUYafAI/AAAAAAAAAdA/kCC5lBsNvYc/s320/Lonely_Moon_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" width="199" /></a>
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<span lang="EN-US">Alright, we’re getting closer. Don’t let me lose you now, we’ve almost
landed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Brian Aldiss was on to something when he
said, ‘Science Fiction is no more written for scientists than ghost stories are
written for ghosts.’ There is some truth
to those words. I know I’m not only
speaking for myself when I say that as a sci-fi author, I’m more or less lying
responsibly. I don’t have a degree in
Astrophysics. I couldn’t tell you how to
calculate how fast a meteor is moving, so why should I expect you to understand
the formula? If you can and you do, I
apologize. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The Challenge: How not to bore readers while we have to
explain technologies that may or may not exist yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The answer then becomes this: Great stories
always originate from wonderful characters who are as real as you or I, and
these “Greats” effortlessly blend these characters with the scientific
creations/innovations of the worlds and realities they inhabit, without tossing
a wrench in the cog, without slowing down the machine, so to speak. They don’t drown you in the details. And that’s the moral of the story, isn’t it? If it doesn’t move the story or create
conflict, then give them no more than they need to know. It’s that easy peasy, lemon squeezy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">About the Author : </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Andrew Saxsma is the author of two novels, </span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Lonely Moon</u> </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">and </span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Redial</u>.</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> His short stories have appeared everywhere from the Danse Macabre to Trembles Horror Magazine. His style is eclectic and to the point, with some polished flowery imagery for flavoring. His ideas are sharp and grisly, dealing with the fringes of reality, the things you hear on a dark stormy night, the things you dream about as you stare into the starry sky; the things with no names. If the world of Literature was a full-bodied woman, his writing would be the hosiery, tight and fitting.</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00BIV17F2&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-52804159696838009192013-06-15T10:19:00.003-07:002013-06-15T10:19:45.358-07:00Shifters Charity Horror Anthology<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDXRD8S/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00DDXRD8S&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WnvvmardDS0/UbyhoeOl93I/AAAAAAAAAcw/cdlwmI0xt4I/s1600/cover+shifters.jpg" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hazardous Press has just released <u>Shifters</u>, an anthology of shape-shifting stories to benefit the American Humane
Association's Red Star Rescue Team, which provides disaster response services
for pets and domestic animals. Here's the publisher's description:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Reimagined fairy tales, western skinwalker legends come to life, scorching
erotica, And of course, werewolves!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are 39 stories in this collection, including one by yours truly. The stories are entertaining and the cause is worthwhile. The anthology is available as an ebook and in paperback.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00DDXRD8S&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-20414427178023491652013-05-28T08:48:00.002-07:002013-05-28T08:51:29.251-07:00Guest Blogger - Rose Wynters<a href="http://www.rosewynters.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RJeqU1DBTQ4/UaTP2K6makI/AAAAAAAAAb8/JAJFYrFbIas/s320/curvbarnes%5B1%5D.jpg" width="199" /></a>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I've got a guest post from urban fantasy author Rose Wynters, creator of the Endurers series, smoking hot novels about demon hunters and curvaceous ladies. I asked her if she could write about some of the challenges of writing a series, such as keeping things fresh across multiple books, and telling a satisfying story in one book while making it part of a larger story arc. Take it away, Rose: </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Thanks so much for having me on your blog
today, Brent! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I love everything that falls into the
paranormal or science fiction category. I guess I always have, I still have the
Star Trek: The Next Generation VHS tapes to prove it. It seems like yesterday I
was a teenager that used to live to record those episodes on my VCR. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I'm also a huge fan of horror movies,
especially when it comes to zombies, vampires, or werewolves. So I suppose it
was only natural for me to one day write these. As a writer, I couldn't imagine
trying to write a book with a setting that didn't genuinely appeal to me! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When it comes to creating a series, you
have to first create the setting. For some, this seems to come to them quickly,
while others have to work at it. I've read interviews of authors such as
Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer actually
basing their plots off of their dreams. Regardless of how a writer comes up
with their world, it has to be something that works for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Personally, I prefer writing series. My
characters are so real and multifaceted that I couldn't imagine trying to pack
that into just one book! Keeping good notes about your characters and setting
helps a lot. Sometimes you might even be driving along and think of something
that fits perfectly with the world you created. It's a good idea to keep your
notebook close, especially when you are working on a new book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Currently I am actively working on two
different series, but I have two more series sitting with publishers right now.
The Endurers is a supernatural series set in a world that is headed straight
into Armageddon. It centers around a group of men that were granted immortality
to fight the demons that plague humanity. These men have seen the very worst
that Hell has to offer, but they take their jobs very seriously. This series
can get very graphic at times. When you are in the type of situations that they
are in, you don't have time to wait. When opportunity strikes, you have to jump
right on it because it might not be there the next day. Curvaceous Condemnation
is the latest release in this series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The other one is a young adult series
called Territory of the Dead. Book one has just released, and it's called Phase
One: Identify. It's the story of Tabitha Alexander, an eighteen year old that
has just graduated from high school. She's working a dead-end job as a cashier,
with no plans for the future. Tabitha really just wants to enjoy her freedom.
She doesn't get that chance, though. One night her world falls apart when
zombies invade her town of Pleasant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">These are two very different series, but
they have been so much fun to write! I think that must be what every writer
strives for. To actually have the series flowing and enjoy it. I would say that
is the easiest way to manage creating a series. Live it, breath it, and just
let it flow! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Thanks again for having me on your blog! It
was a lot of fun. I've got a website too at <a href="http://www.rosewynters.com/">http://www.rosewynters.com</a> and feel free
to stop by and say hello, sometime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-38483261239931791062013-04-30T20:30:00.001-07:002013-05-02T21:10:14.786-07:00Award-Nominated Anthologies<a href="http://www.bundoranpress.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6St7wcstktg/UYCJi2YQjpI/AAAAAAAAAak/bC9A5O41D5k/s320/Blood&WaterCover.jpg" width="208" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week I get to bask in the reflected glory of no fewer than two different award nominations. The final ballot for <a href="http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/%E2%80%8E">the Aurora awards</a>, the annual awards by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, was announced this week. While none of my humble tales were nominated directly, two different anthologies containing my stories are competing for Best Related Work - English.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Blood and Water</u> from Bundoran Press is a collection of science fiction stories dealing with Canada's role in the conflicts that are sure to come in the near future as the world deals with the ramifications of global warming. It contains my story "The Great Divide," an adventure tale about an engineer who encounters some desperate people high in the Rocky Mountains, and a potential solution to a thorny problem. Check it out at <a href="http://www.bundoranpress.com/">http://www.bundoranpress.com/</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.shanghai-steam.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIIgTCkHdxQ/UYCJ6CssPpI/AAAAAAAAAas/MBLiguh9Dy4/s320/cover+shanghai+steam.jpg" width="207" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other anthology to get the nod is <u>Shanghai Steam</u>, from Edge Press. Steampunk meets Kung Fu in a fun genre mashup that's just too cool to resist. "Meng Jie and the Coffee Maker of Doom" is a short, humorous tale of a bodyguard who can handle assassins and gangsters, but may have met his match when he has to brew coffee on the world's most advanced beverage maker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Both anthologies are maddeningly difficult to buy. There is talk of an ebook version of <u>Shanghai Steam</u>, but it hasn't yet appeared. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770530223/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1770530223&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20">The paperback is available from Amazon</a>. <u>Blood and Water</u> can be had from <a href="http://www.bundoranpress.com/">the Bundoran website</a>, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">in dead tree format</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> or as an</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> ebook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another Aurora nomination went to <a href="http://www.goblinscomic.com/">Goblins</a>, quite possibly the coolest web comic on the Internet. I'm a huge fan, and I recommend you check it out. It's hilarious, exciting, touching, and full of over-the-top gleeful mayhem.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goblinscomic.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j8v71TSdjQs/UYCMCt_tdLI/AAAAAAAAAa8/3SNRkCBNfpc/s320/goblins.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-21082780963733976142013-03-09T17:58:00.002-08:002013-03-09T18:11:13.255-08:00The Dead Sea - Now Available!<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQPTPJ0/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BQPTPJ0&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X_lxwu_8IQ4/UTvnocKYQHI/AAAAAAAAAaU/TQQ1RJK7TWo/s320/dead+sea.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">On the open seas, nothing is more deadly than the cold and uncaring ocean...</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">...until the dead start to rise from beneath the waves and take their vengeance on the living.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Cruentus Libri Press brings you sixteen tales of horror and the macabre set upon the high seas, where vampires and zombies, werewolves and ghouls and every manner of undead fiend is ready to slake their thirst and where there is no escape, save for the cold, eternal embrace of the inky black water.</i></span><br />
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I'm excited to announce the release of <u>The Dead Sea</u> from Cruentus Libri, featuring my terrifying tale <u>The Curse of the Cristobal</u>, plus fifteen others. It's available as a paperback and as an ebook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1478310596">The Dead Sea - Paperback</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fantasadvent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BQPTPJ0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQPTPJ0/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BQPTPJ0&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20">The Dead Sea - Kindle ebook</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=fantasadvent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BQPTPJ0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
</span><br />
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<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00BQPTPJ0&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-89887079076285608502013-03-03T19:01:00.000-08:002013-03-03T19:01:57.065-08:00Creating a Plausible, Consistent Supernatural World - A Guest Post from Shah Wharton<a href="http://shahwharton.com
"><img border="0" align="right" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BirGGxIqTlM/UTQOIEnAK4I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/lJDwFrQzBVo/s320/supesfinaltag4.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today's guest blogger is Shah Wharton, who is here to talk about how you go about creating a plausible, consistent supernatural world. She knows a thing or two about the topic, being the author of <u>Finding Esta</u>, an urban fantasy novel about a fledgling journalist who discovers more than she ever bargained for. Take it away, Shah: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">Firstly, thank you Brent for having
me on your lovely blog, today. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">* * * </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In
essence, the surreal and the inconceivable are what fantasy stories are all
about, so this is a difficult question to answer. Every fantasy story must
possess a lush, dynamic story, which plays out within a magical world,
constructed of characters who must travel beyond their normal, everyday world,
for some kind of adventure. Even if they live in the same world we live in,
other, possibly unseen, mystical elements must also be presented at some
point.</span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">With
urban fantasy for example, the world in which the characters reside is usually
our world. The only difference is that it’s another version of our world, but
with layers. In my book, the Supes layer is where vampires, weres, witches, fey,
and even the Mimicanes (an alien race who’ve cloned human appearance and
supernatural powers for thousands of years) live. And the paranormal layer
consists of lost spirits who languish in the Shadow Lands for all eternity,
unless they have power enough to walk beside you, unseen. All of whom seek
refuge, or a one way ticket to move on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Brent’s
question is a difficult one to answer, not least of all because it’s subjective,
but in keeping with a how-to post for story craft, I’d recommend you do the
following:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">1)
Choose the magical/supernatural characters with care. They must maintain not
only your own interest, but your readers, too. Indeed, if this is a series, that
could mean many months, even years of writing time spent with them. You don’t
want to choose vampires if you are already bored of them (I doubt I’ll ever get
bored of them). Research other stories about them before, then try to give the
element/characteristics your own twist.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">2)
Keep a log of all magical/supernatural elements, and keep detailed notes on the
supernatural characters who possess them. Scrivener is a perfect storage place
for all your notes.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">3)
Devise a map of your world, even if it’s the world in which we live, because the
supernatural elements should be added as a separate layer on top. It needs to
feel as real as our own world, but different enough to be awesome!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">4)
You must, above all else, believe in the world, and the characters you’re
writing about. Otherwise, your readers certainly will not. I think the same can
be said of any story or genre. If the author of a great romance doesn’t believe
in her characters' love, the readers will sense that and put the book
down.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Do
you write fantasy stories? What can you add to this list? Do you read fantasy?
If so which is your favourite fantasy genre?</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: garamond, serif; font-size: medium;">Shah Wharton</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: garamond, serif;"><i>Author of Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, </i></span><i style="font-family: garamond,serif;">New Adult, Fiction</i></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_____________</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">CONNECT</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><a href="http://shahwharton.com/" target="_blank"><b>WEBSITE/BLOG</b></a></span></div>
<div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/findingesta/app_106171216118819" target="_blank"><b>FB Page</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><u><b><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/shahw1" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/105777291855668712953" target="_blank"><b>GOOGLE
+</b></a></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="http://about.me/shahw1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;">ABOUT ME</span></a></b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div>
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<h3 style="line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Author of</span><i> </i></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: medium;"><i>'</i></span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-Esta-Supes-ebook/dp/B00APXGKFQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355910046&sr=1-2" style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: large; font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Supes Series #1: Finding Esta.</a><i style="font-family: garamond,serif; font-size: large;">'</i></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial narrow, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Shah%20Wharton&search-alias=books-uk" style="font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">AMAZON</a><span style="font-size: 14px;"> &</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6558975.Shah_Wharton" style="font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></div>
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-12608185325857149632013-03-02T12:19:00.000-08:002013-03-02T12:19:14.420-08:00Quarter Share Podiobook<a href="http://podiobooks.com/title/trader-tales-1-quarter-share/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xg0_6tMv1js/UTJdFOSrLYI/AAAAAAAAAZo/KVy8oxVNLdU/s320/1Quarter_Share_Cover_ebook.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My treadmill entertainment for the past few weeks has been Nathan Lowell's </span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Quarter Share</u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, "a tale from the golden age of the solar clipper." I've blogged about the ebook before, but this is the first time I've listened to the podiobook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The story is simple but compelling. 18-year-old Ishmael Wang loses his mother in a flitter crash and finds himself in a predicament. A corporation owns the planet he lives on. He has to get a job or get off of the planet, and he can't afford the fare. With few choices available, he signs on as crew on a passing trading ship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From there we follow Ishmael as he tries to find his place in a strange new environment. Nothing really exciting happens. There are no battles, no mortal danger. The classic tropes of space opera are missing. And yet the stakes are extremely high. Ishmael has been thrust into a new life, and he has to find a way to make it work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall I was quite impressed. The story pulled me in on the first page and never let me go, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. It's a coming-of-age story set in a fascinating and detailed environment. I felt as if I was peeking into the future and seeing what life on a real interstellar spaceship might be like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few parts were a bit slow, as I got more detail than I needed about the minutia of Ishmael's day. And there's a description of the economics of trading that becomes downright repetitive. But these are minor blips. Overall the quality of the storytelling is absolutely excellent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can read it as an ebook, but It's available in audio form as well. It's free from podiobooks.com here: </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://podiobooks.com/title/trader-tales-1-quarter-share/">http://podiobooks.com/title/trader-tales-1-quarter-share/</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The quality of the audiobook is quite high. Not every author should record their own reading of a book, but Lowell does an excellent job. Nothing about it sounds amateurish or home-made. It's excellent work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I usually like a bit more excitement in my books, but Quarter Share is excellent and I'm glad I picked it up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Series website: <a href="http://solarclipper.com/">http://solarclipper.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Podiobook: <a href="http://podiobooks.com/title/trader-tales-1-quarter-share/">http://podiobooks.com/title/trader-tales-1-quarter-share/</a></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00AMO7VM4&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-81998137886996567382013-02-19T21:41:00.000-08:002013-02-19T21:41:05.114-08:00<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z61SYW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009Z61SYW&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GvUKEf6xoIg/USRhR6PdyYI/AAAAAAAAAZM/hDmWh1fn-hk/s320/cover+darkside.jpg" width="213" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I have a guest post from the talented <span style="text-align: justify;">Corinna Underwood, author of <u>A Walk on the Darkside</u>, an intriguing urban fantasy novel. Her protagonist, Pearl Blackthorn, is an investigative reporter for Darkside Magazine. Pearl doesn't take the supernatural too seriously, until she sees a few things she can't quite explain.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">For this guest post I asked Corinna a simple question, and got a pretty interesting answer. Check it out below:</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">What are some of the challenges and rewards of
creating a character who is a skeptic, in a story where the supernatural is
real?</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Pearl Blackthorn
would call herself a diehard skeptic when it comes to the paranormal. While
this is an accurate description of her character, she can’t deny that she has a
fascination for it, even if it’s only because she wants to explain it
rationally and neatly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the most
difficult challenges of creating the character of Pearl Blackthorn was to make
her skepticism convincing while at the same time allowing room for a sliver of
doubt. Gradually, this crack in her skepticism is pried a little wider as she
begins to have experiences that she has difficulty explaining rationally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The task of
developing her character was made somewhat easier by her friend and fellow
investigator Harry Raymond, who at the time of his wife’s death had a
paranormal experience of his own. Harry is a firm believer in ghosts,
poltergeists and demons and wants nothing more than to prove to Pearl that they
exist. His enthusiasm for the supernatural makes an interesting and often
humorous contrast to Pearl’s disbelief. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The rewarding
part for me is the fact that I got to explore my own views on the paranormal,
some of which are conflicting. I had a lot of fun creating scenarios which
seemed at the outset to be supernatural events and then turning them into something
quite rational, while leaving a sprinkling of doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the sequel <i>Darkside and Back</i> Pearl not only finds
her skepticism for the paranormal challenged, but also her understanding of who
she is and where she came from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Corinna
Underwood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B009Z61SYW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-69382187204106318172013-02-09T18:19:00.002-08:002013-02-09T18:19:31.366-08:00Got Steampunk?<a href="http://www.efictionmag.com/esteampunk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VCiA8kHK5b8/URcDXz-JBjI/AAAAAAAAAY0/IXjMn4mq-V4/s320/cover+espJan.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been browsing my copy of the January edition of eSteampunk, and it gets going with a bang. Justice Like Clockwork by Andrew Knighton had me guessing right up to the end. It's a neat adventure story about a young woman escaping from a fantastically complex prison, with the aid of a mysterious old man who happens to be one of the most brilliant engineers in the Empire. It's too bad he's a bit mad...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's an episode of my serial in there too, of course. It's four bucks from eFiction Magazine, or you can subscribe for two bucks a month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">http://www.efictionmag.com/esteampunk/</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-82850949939066356052013-01-06T12:55:00.000-08:002013-01-06T12:57:10.335-08:00Review: The New Death and Others<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Q8Q8DY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=fantasadvent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005Q8Q8DY" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xLvJTRlf89Y/UOnjQK1kIbI/AAAAAAAAAYE/283LvkhZq_U/s320/cover+tnd.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My rating: 5 / 5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This collection really impressed me. I'll admit, it took me a while to come around. It's not my usual thing, but when I started to get what was going on, I was completely hooked. <u>The New Death and Others</u> is a collection of poems and very short stories. It's difficult stuff to summarize. The stories tend to be allegorical, in an ironic and sarcastic way. The characters are often Death, Destiny, Fate, or Fame. They make comments on the foibles of modern society, or offer an explanation of what makes cats so smug.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All of it is clever and thought-provoking. These aren't stories to race through, or stories to divert you on the beach. It's intelligent, quirky, offbeat, and endlessly unexpected. It's got some goofy humour, too. A few stories have footnotes, which direct you to some terrible puns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not particularly a fan of poetry, but the poetry here worked for me. I found it accessible but still impactful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Above all, this collection is meticulously crafted. I didn't see a typo in the entire thing, or a single clumsy line. You quickly realize you're in the hands of a writer who knows exactly what he's doing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's not the same old thing. Hutchings has an unconventional approach to storytelling, and it won't be for everyone. But if you are willing to go along, you'll find it's a thoroughly worthwhile ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How to buy it:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Q8Q8DY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=fantasadvent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005Q8Q8DY">Amazon</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92126?ref=BrentNichols">Smashwords</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-new-death-and-others-james-hutchings/1106579897">Barnes and Noble</a></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005Q8Q8DY&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-46385854798109838132013-01-03T13:42:00.000-08:002013-01-03T13:42:28.966-08:00Win a Kindle Fire HD<a href="http://jerryhanel.com/newsletter/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qplq8uCR_y8/UOX4tpSpNtI/AAAAAAAAAXs/94WoFBQxeso/s320/KindleGiveaway.png" width="320" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jerry Hanel, talented creator of Brodie Wade, is giving away a Kindle Fire HD to some lucky reader who joins his mailing list. The Fire comes preloaded with books by Jerry, me, and several other notable authors. Here's the official scoop from Jerry:</span><br />
<div>
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<div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
That's right. You could win a brand new, fresh out of the box, Kindle Fire HD.
And I know what you're thinking: "WOW! Hey, how can I win this lovely item?"</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
See?
I'm a mind reader.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; line-height: 19px;">
<strong>The
Kindle Fire HD!</strong></h3>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
To
win the Kindle Fire HD, simply <a href="http://jerryhanel.com/newsletter/" target="_blank">sign up for my newsletter</a>. You will get emails from me on
advance copies of my books, free ebooks from other authors and much more. I
don't send many newsletters (maybe four or five a year), so I promise not to
flood your inbox with junk.</div>
<div class="im">
<div style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br />When you sign up,
make <strong>SURE</strong> that you check the "Giveaway" box. That's how I'll
know that you want to sign up for the giveaway promotion (and future giveaways,
too!)</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
That's
it! If you have already signed up for the newsletter in the past, check to make
sure that you have entered yourself in the "Giveaway" list. If so, you are
ALREADY in this drawing!! If you're not sure, just sign-up again. It will say
"Error: This email already exists" if you've signed up before under any other
newsletter list, but that's okay. It will still take your entry. I've tested it
to make sure.</div>
<br /></div>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-87933028159652753332012-11-18T15:33:00.003-08:002012-11-18T15:33:27.060-08:00Brodie Wade is Back<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brodie's back in a prequel novella. See Jerry Hanel's troubled, determined hero at a much younger age, as he takes on his first cold case in The Truth Has Teeth. The Brodie Wade series begins with Death Has a Name (free!) and continues in Thaloc Has a Body. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As an added bonus, Jerry's made a video trailer for Thaloc Has a Body. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/74co1on3Otw" width="560"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004H1TDKQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0058DUAS6&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=fantasadvent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B009Z5A8PI&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-56760976194483349782012-11-18T15:22:00.002-08:002012-11-18T15:22:26.559-08:00Free Steampunk/Lovecraft Goodness<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FPS1KM/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FPS1KM&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wRq9C-soy9U/UKlqymYEhLI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/TtGhzQRTlU8/s320/gears1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Gears of a Mad God</u> is now free on Amazon, Smashwords, and other ebook retailers. Check out the series at no risk, get hooked, and come back for more. The first trilogy is in stores now, and I'm hard at work on the follow-up trilogy, <u>The Zeppelin War</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Gears of a Mad God: Proper young ladies in the 1920s don't get dirty, and they certainly don't
get into fights. But Colleen's favorite uncle has died under mysterious
circumstances, and she wants answers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When a sinister cult comes after her, she
pushes back - hard. Soon she's running for her life, hunted by the cult of
Katharis and aided by a secret government agency. It will take all of her
courage, all of her strength, and every steam-powered weapon she can devise to
keep her alive long enough to unravel the mystery of her uncle's death. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The cult
thinks she knows her uncle's secrets. They'll do anything, hurt anyone, to make
her talk. But they've made a grave mistake. Colleen is going to take the fight
to them, again and again, until the people she cares about are safe - or have
been avenged.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FPS1KM/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FPS1KM&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20">Free at Amazon</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gears-of-a-mad-god-brent-nichols/1113057822">Free for Nook</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/246891">Free at Smashwords</a></span><br />
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Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7822150461982841034.post-61497081274321344012012-11-07T19:11:00.002-08:002012-11-07T19:11:39.622-08:00Serials are Back!<a href="http://www.efictionmag.com/steampunk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13lERQqrm2Q/UJsfwNXdJuI/AAAAAAAAAWo/V3ziNX-Nc84/s320/eSteampunkLogo.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I got some exciting news today. eSteampunk Magazine, a new spinoff from eFiction Magazine, is picking up my new steampunk serial, <u>Black Dragon Blues</u>. It's the globe-trotting adventures of Molly, inventor and tinkerer, and Lan, the dangerous young woman sworn to protect her, as they are hunted by the Kung Fu assassins of the Black Dragon gang. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UD88K2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004UD88K2&linkCode=as2&tag=fantasadvent-20">Subscribe to eSteampunk Magazine</a>, or <a href="http://www.efictionmag.com/">visit eFiction on the web</a>.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.efictionmag.com/steampunk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QN09E3c4-K8/UJsikIb5hQI/AAAAAAAAAW4/8YmTV8iZw5U/s1600/OctCover1-225x300.jpg" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few different online magazines are publishing a mixture of serial episodes and stand-alone stories. In addition to some of the eFiction spinoff titles, there's Steampunk Tales, which promises "The 'Penny Dreadful' for your iPhone." Check them out at <a href="http://www.steampunktales.com/">http://www.steampunktales.com/</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a brave new pulp-fiction world out there. Amazon has a fascinating new feature called Amazon Serials, where you pay once for a novel that gets released in episodes. The moment you buy, you get every installment that's been released so far, and each new installment as it's released. They're including some of Charles Dickens' books, which were released as serials back in the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not every writer can release their work in progress as a serial. There are some significant quality checks in place, which is good news for readers. Check it out at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=5044445011">http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=5044445011</a>. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.jukepopserials.com/home/read/13"><img align="right" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mhXzzdvPLw/UJshNvzNMMI/AAAAAAAAAWw/M7UArGk1dfI/s320/cover+syp.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then there are smaller players, like JukePop Serials, available at </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jukepopserials.com/">http://www.jukepopserials.com</a>. The good thing about this innovative new site is that it's a curated collection of episodic stories. That means that an editor is making some careful choices and only releasing the good stuff. It's not just crap from any hack who has learned how to type and thinks he can tell a story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">JukePop is new, so there aren't a huge number of episodes available for any one story. It will be interesting to see how well the site does. On the plus side, it's free, there's a rich variety of stories available, and some sort of quality is being maintained. On the down side, it's web-based only, and being new, you never know when the capital will run out and the site will close its doors. I'd say it's worth the risk, though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I just read a couple of chapters of <u>The Case of the Syphillitic Sister</u>, a quirky, hilarious, and endlessly surprising story of a superhero detective agency with a VERY strange case. It's by the talented James Hutchings, whom I've blogged about before. <u>Horizon</u>, by John Gregory Betancourt, looks quite promising as well. It's a much more serious work of space opera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Visit JukePop, vote for the stories you like, and help this nifty new venture succeed. I want to find out how the story ends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Brent Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05245154874260012392noreply@blogger.com1