A Althea and Markon B Sir Percival Blakeney C the Marquis de Carabas Sidney Carton D Edmond Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo) E F G Samwise Gamgee (Sam) H I J Jack K L M Althea and Markon N O P Puddleglum Q R Reepicheep Steve Rogers / Captain America S T U V Jean Valjean W Andrew “Ender” Wiggin X Y Z
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Andrew “Ender” Wiggin. Since Orson Scott Card wrote Ender’s Game, thousands upon thousands of young people have read it and thought “I am Ender.” Brilliant (we’d all love to be as bright as Ender), picked on, manipulated, misunderstood, yet ultimately triumphant (sort of?)… it’s easy to identify with him. The series continues through a number of other books, but I think it’s best to read Ender’s Game as a standalone at first. The next few books pick up much later in Ender’s life, and are pretty different in environment and feel. They’re good, but they’re different… don’t dive right into […]
I just read this fantastic article by Kristine Kathryn Rusch on A Career vs. Publication. If you’re an author, a wanna be author, a just-for-fun writer, or have ever thought about writing, go read it. You might have noticed that the publishing world is changing pretty quickly these days. Among other upheavals, indie publishing has become not just an option, but a good option. As writing blogs, conventions, and advice proliferate, both online and in the real world, there is a lot of advice out there. Have you ever tried to parse through that advice to find what will work […]
Returning to my love of classics, The Count of Monte Cristo was one of my earliest favorites. Like Jean Valjean, protagonist Edmond Dantès was imprisoned. Unlike Valjean, he had not committed a crime at all (as opposed to Valjean’s technically criminal but completely sympathetic theft of a loaf of bread) – Dantès is the innocent victim of another men’s greed, jealousy, and cowardice. Dantès and Valjean diverge even more in their reactions to imprisonment. After six years in solitary confinement, Dantès despairs, attempting to starve himself to death. However, he eventually is able to covertly communicate with a prisoner in a neighboring cell, Abbé Faria (“The […]
First, I should say that I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan. I love all the characters. But I’m writing about Sam first because… well, he’s special. Why? Sam isn’t the smartest. He doesn’t think he’s brave. He’s not the “hero type.” Yet he rises to the challenges he faces in a way that puts any hero to shame. He’s humble. He’s generous. He doesn’t think of himself. Even when he’s lost hope, he keeps on going, because he’s not the giving-up type. He’s tougher, stronger, braver, and more important than he thinks he is. He’s a friend when […]
So I attended (and was a vendor) at my very first convention this weekend. It was fun! Although I didn’t sell as much as I’d hoped, I think sales were pretty decent considering that I only had two books available (in one series) and that I’m a mostly-unknown author. Aside from sales though, I had a great time! Some highlights: My table was next to Rebecca of lossingfeathers.deviantart.com and papertulipstudio.tumbler.com. She had mostly cat and kitten art displayed, but she showed me her portfolio, with some fantastic pen and ink drawings. I may have to commission her for some future […]
This guest post is part of the 2013 Blogger Book Fair and was written by Wendy S. Russo, the author of January Black. My Five Favorite Dragons in Fantasy 5. Falkor – The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, 1979 Like every kid from the ‘80s who read the English translation of the Neverending Story, I saw the movie first. Falkor was a friendly and fluffy creature with far more in common with puppy dog than a dragon. He was ever so nice, plucking Atreyu out of the Swamps of Sadness and flying almost ten thousand miles to boy’s next challenge while […]
This guest post is part of the 2013 Blogger Book Fair and was written by D. H. Aire. He is the author of Highmage’s Plight. CJB: Tell us a little about your book. DHA: First, thank you, C.J., for the opportunity to appear on your blog. I know you’re a fantasy writer, so you likely understand why I love to write across genre, sci fi and fantasy. These are among my favorite genres and combining them in unusual ways offers me the opportunity to dream up unique stories, combining adventure, satire, humor, and, of course, elves. My debut novel Highmage’s Plight, published last […]
First, read this post on Writer’s Block and How to Defeat It. It outlines how writer’s block is generally a result of either fear or confusion, and how to address those issues. This post does NOT address those deeper issues. These tips and tricks work best for me when I’m only “sorta stuck”… I have some ideas, but the words aren’t flowing. These are ways to jog your creativity and exercise your mind. If you’re dealing with writer’s block, please look at the root causes first before relying on the tips and tricks below. Exercise and Think About Your Story […]
I’m writing this partly because I was inspired by this post at SF Signal, in which Zack Jernigan conducts the first part of a round-table interview focused on writing about race in science fiction and fantasy (SFF). I’ve also been asked about race and racial issues in my writing by some readers and thought I could shed some light on my perspective. Unlike Zack, I don’t have a varied and accomplished panel of interviewees to make excellent points, so I’m attempting to do this myself. I’m a white, Anglo-Saxon, middle-class American. I don’t have personal experience of being the outsider […]