Have you ever avoided a book or series because you irrationally thought you wouldn’t like it, and then finally read it and realized you loved it? Yeah, that’s me. For some reason I just knew I wouldn’t like the Dresden Files and have been avoiding them for years. I’m not big on crime novels, I’m not big on urban fantasy, I’m not even a huge fan of magic as a big part of fantasy novels (I like new worlds more than the magic, generally). I finally decided that I couldn’t call myself a fantasy author if I hadn’t read at least […]
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This guest post was written by A H Gray, the author of The Northumbrian Saga. What Vikings can teach you about blogging and promoting your own creative writing The main thing I have learnt from watching the History Channel’s Vikings series is that people are still interested in history. Many have argued over the show’s accuracy in portraying the Viking period, that it values entertainment over accuracy. If you are an author of historical fiction then you will know this debate very well. Yet from my own experience I have discovered that viewers are as interested in learning the history behind […]
This is a deleted scene from The King’s Sword, the first in the Erdemen Honor series. There are spoilers for The King’s Sword in the discussion below about my goals for the story and the reasons why this scene was deleted. SPOILERS BELOW! This scene was written with the idea that maybe Kemen and Hakan’s victory was “too easy.” Some of my beta readers thought that the physical conflict was too simple and there wasn’t enough intrigue and betrayal. I saw their point, and I did make some edits in response to that critique. But the story isn’t fundamentally about the […]
I have never been a comic book fan. The art isn’t really my style (at least the art I saw way back when… I’ve seen some fantastic newer art that I’m more drawn to.*). The superhero genre didn’t appeal much to me, since I mostly saw it through the comic book lens. However, I love the recent adaptations of the Avengers. I especially love Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America. If you’ve been following this blog series on characters I love at all, or if you’ve read any of my books, you can probably guess that I love good guys. Specifically, […]
I’m hosting guest authors through most of April and May, as I am swamped with Awesome Con DC and welcoming Baby Boy Brightley into the world. This guest post was written by AC Smyth, the author of Crowchanger and Stormweaver. Mentors with a Twist Think of a mentor in fantasy and where do your thoughts go? I’d take a bet that for a lot of people the first person they think of is someone like Gandalf, or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maybe Albus Dumbledore. The mentor is a grey-haired man in a long robe, right?Well, maybe that used to be the case, but I think […]
At long last, Honor’s Heir is available! I’ve been working on this book for a long time, and it finally came together just in time for Awesome Con DC. I love the cover art, and I made some tiny changes to update the covers of The King’s Sword and A Cold Wind for consistency. You can read an excerpt here, as well as find the purchase links for Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, etc. A special thanks goes out to my Kickstarter supporters! Without their support, publication would have been delayed (well, more than it already was). I also got some great […]
I’m hosting guest authors through most of April and May, as I am swamped with Awesome Con DC and welcoming Baby Boy Brightley into the world. This guest post was written by LJ Cohen, the author of The Between and Future Tense. Deciding What’s Important I came to writing relatively late in my life, after a successful 25 year career as a physical therapist. It’s not that I had never written before. Even during my health care career, I wrote, though most of my work was non-fiction, including research papers and text book chapters. However, I did find time for […]
While I was at Awesome Con DC, I didn’t have the chance/inclination to do a lot of walking around. My back is feeling a bit better now that my parents are here waiting for Baby Brightley to arrive and helping with all the day to day stuff. But at the con, I was hurting, I was tired, and I felt like I needed to be at the table at every moment. It probably was unnecessary, but I tend to feel extra-responsible about things like that. So I didn’t get a chance to see any of the media guests or celebrities. […]
I’m hosting guest authors through most of April and May, as I am swamped with Awesome Con DC and welcoming Baby Boy Brightley into the world. This guest post was written by Christine Frost, the author of The Veiled Mirror: The Story of Prince Vlad Dracula’s Lost Love and Dark Lady of Doona. How Do They Feast? Portraying Food in Fantasy and Historical Fiction As someone who loves to study world history, I’m a stickler for details. When compiling research for historical fiction, I don’t limit myself to studying the major historical milestones or cultural elements for the time and place […]
This weekend I sold my books at Awesome Con DC. It was lots of fun and I did sell some books, although not as many as I had hoped. Here’s the rundown: The table cost $250, including two exhibitor badges. I initially had it to myself, but then found a friend, Becca of papertulipstudio, to share my booth. I used both badges, and she bought extra badges for herself and a friend. I’m pretty sure she made more money than I did, but oh well… that’s what happens when you share a booth with a talented artist! She’s a great […]