tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38090138391200076722024-03-21T21:07:18.353-07:00Sancocho PotMy creative works blog for my two favorite things to do: cooking and writing. I'll be posting updates about my recipes and culinary experiments. I'll also post updates about my writing ventures. A little bit of everything, because that's what goes into the sancocho pot.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-3759703813283858802015-02-18T01:40:00.000-08:002015-02-18T01:40:59.791-08:00Diversity in Fantasy: Spire City, Season Two<b>Here's another guest post from my good friend and fantasy city architect, Daniel Ausema:</b><br />
<br />
<u>Diversity and Appropriation</u> <br />
<br />
I'm
thrilled that Nick is hosting this series of posts again this year. I
loved reading the interviews last year and hearing how others approach
the questions of diversity in fantasy. And I'm looking forward to the
various posts this year as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=838"><img alt="http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=838" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMelrCQkkS7Eyt3P74SndzYYfMSRQcItSOuKudpT7QdrDxwUxgKdYBqbzGTzsbiW4x7lr-c77dil2mwbk6TMbJQ87d3B0J3x9J-sCjZ6DU9aOwmP2yPwJfyDc4nejz2CoFUP1RMs6owM/s1600/ladyjanshisacolyte-200.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Looking back at my interview last year (<a data-cke-saved-href="http://sancochopot.blogspot.com/2014/02/diversity-in-our-writing-projects-spire.html" href="http://sancochopot.blogspot.com/2014/02/diversity-in-our-writing-projects-spire.html">http://sancochopot.blogspot.com/2014/02/diversity-in-our-writing-projects-spire.html</a>),
I said much of what I would say still today. Spire City has allowed me
to step outside myself, and the diversity of characters and the often
messy interactions among the various people are some of the things that
keep me coming back to my own characters (and to those in the books I
read). I continue to try to bring in the views of people with different
experiences and to be honest about how those people contribute to the
city and are treated by it.<br />
<br />
All of season one is now done (and
collected in two bundles, Contagion and Epidemic), and we are now
several episodes into season two, with episode 5 coming out on February
20. Since last year, the core group of characters has expanded to
include two friends from a different city, each of them very different
in how they react to their infections and to the others in general.
There are also new characters from different levels of Spire City's
society—a deeply religious girl whose infection is very advanced, a
woman who used to be a dangerous enforcer for a subterranean gang of
infected people. Chels remains the central focal point of the series as
she grows into her realization that she can do something to stop this
infection, if not for herself then at least for others.<br />
<br />
So
that's just a quick update. I wanted to focus this post, though, on a
companion issue to the idea of diversity, and that's cultural
appropriation. So say, like most of us participating in this series of
posts, that you completely agree that diversity is valuable and that
works of fantasy ought to embrace the reality of the interplay of many
peoples throughout history, all ages, ethnicities, religions, genders,
orientations, and identities of all kinds. You're all set, then, to go
borrowing from all over the place, right?<br />
<br />
Well...<br />
<br />
There's
still the tangled issue of appropriation. The danger here is in blindly
crashing through a complex culture and just grabbing a few things that
seem exotic or cool. It's an understandable impulse, and it can lead us
to a smug sense of having got it, but when you dig down and look at
what's going on, it can be just as insulting as simply white-washing
history.<br />
<br />
I forget where I first came across it, but a good
mindset when incorporating and drawing inspiration from other cultures
is the paradigm of conqueror, tourist, and guest. The blind crashing and
stealing is the conqueror mindset. As writers we might be tempted to
tear away a mythological creature here and a historical kingdom there
and weave it into our stories. To a certain extent, this is what all
creative writing is, weaving together all the influences we have and
letting them affect each other in their own ways. But much better if we
understand those influences first and how they work(ed) in real life.<br />
<br />
So
a second approach is as the tourist. We see these cool, fascinating
things. We take snapshots, post cool pics to Facebook, say “isn't this
so (exotic, quaint, fascinating).” We bring in those elements to our own
stories out of admiration. OK, that's better than the conqueror, but it
still sets up a sense of difference, of emphasizing the other-ness of
this distinct culture.<br />
<br />
So the real goal, in writing diversity,
is to first be welcomed as a guest. Approach the culture with an
openness that doesn't rush to quick judgments. Understand how the
different parts of the culture work together. Look for things that you
find fascinating, sure, but then try to recognize how those things fit
in with everything else. Get to know people who identify with that
culture (at least we can do this through books, and for some historical
groups that may be the most we can do as well, but the internet makes
meeting people from many contemporary groups much less of a challenge
than it once was). Don't quiz them or treat them as a source at your
personal disposal, but do your best to get to know them and understand
how their culture affects the way they see things, especially the things
that you don't even think about to question. And do all this with
respect for the people and cultures you meet along the way.<br />
<br />
This
is a huge topic, and there are others out there who can speak much more
eloquently and in depth (and from a point of expertise) about the
issues involved. So don't take this as a final and complete exploration,
but rather as a reminder for us all, myself included, as we seek to
create diverse and amazing secondary worlds for our stories, to be
aware, respectful, and open-minded about all the influences that come
our way.<br />
<br />
<br />
Please visit Dausema's blog here: <a href="http://danielausema.blogspot.com/">Twigs and Brambles</a><br />
<br />
You can purchase the first episode of season 2 of Spire City by clicking on the image above or on the following link here (other episodes are linked there as well): <a href="http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=838">Spire City, Season Two: Pursued</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-3723067224472576202015-02-12T01:33:00.000-08:002015-02-12T01:33:36.385-08:00Diversity in Fantasy: The Lone and Level Sands<strong>And now, our second guest post by a truly treasured friend and author, Nyki Blatchley:</strong><br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Diversity in The Lone and Level Sands</span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<em>The
ancient ruins in the desert hide more than just scientific interest —
evil lurks there from the dawn of history. Archaeology students Zadith
and Musu thought it would give them valuable experience to spend their
summer break on an important dig in the desert with their professor.
They didn't expect to be menaced by the local military, a rival
expedition with unorthodox methods, or an ancient evil from the dawn of
history. But this is no ordinary site. An outpost of the city of Kebash,
lost for ten thousand years, it holds terrors worse than death for
Zadith and Musu.</em><br />
<br />
I'm Nyki Blatchley, fantasy author. I've
been writing fiction almost all my life (I started at four) and I've
had a novel and about forty shorter pieces published, around a dozen as
stand-alone ebooks. I live just north of London and work as a freelance
copywriter. Which means that, when I'm not writing — I'm writing.<br />
<br />
My short ebook <em>The Lone and Level Sands</em>,
published in December by Musa Publishing, is the latest story set in a
secondary world that I've been developing for several decades. Many of
them, including my novel <em>At An Uncertain Hour</em>, have a
traditional type of setting for fantasy — no gunpowder, no heavy
industry — but I've recently beenbringing the world "up to date".<br />
<br />
<em>The Lone and Level Sands </em>is
archaeological fantasy in the tradition of Indiana Jones, and set in an
equivalent period. Not all needs to be the same, though, since this
society has developed in its own way. In particular, although the
society isn't entirely without sexism, women are far less restricted
than they were in the 1930s, and the two women (out of six significant
people in the story) are anything but along for the ride.<br />
<br />
In
general, I tend to gravitate towards writing about women about as much
as men, and I try to avoid falling too far into the traps either way.
It's easy to assume that a "strong woman" in fantasy will be a tough,
brawling, swearing swordswoman. Well, I do have characters like that,
but I also have women who are strong as scholars, mothers, businesswomen
— or archaeologists.<br />
<br />
Racial diversity is a little more
complex. As a white European, I started off (in my teens) writing
exclusively about white characters, before I began to understand this as
a shortcoming. Fortunately, one advantage of working with the canvas of
an entire world — as opposed to a few neighbouring countries — is that
can be put right without having to alter the original few realms. I've
written from the POV of people from most of my world's races — one of my
most recurring characters, Eltava, would in our-world terms be a cross
between Chinese and Native American.<br />
<br />
My world has a racial
distribution not unlike our own (give or take the odd green-skinned
people), but culturally it doesn't work in quite the same way. As in our
world, civilisation rose more or less separately in several zones.
Unlike our world, no one of these zones managed to overwhelm the rest,
so the "modern" world is much more even, both politically and
culturally, than our own.<br />
<br />
The continent that provides the setting for <em>The Lone and Level Sands</em>,
for instance, has a geographical and racial profile similar to Africa —
black peoples mostly, with "Mediterranean" type races in the far north —
but, unlike Africa, its ancient and high-achieving civilisations
haven't been suppressed. In a real-world setting, the archaeological
expedition would have been dispatched from an American or European
institution. Here, it's come from the south, from a world-beating
university in a highly influential country with a black population.<br />
<br />
So,
by presenting black people who've never known the cultural trauma of
the slave trade and destructive colonialism, am I demeaning that
real-world heritage? The exact opposite, I'd say. There were specific
global reasons in our world for what was done to Africa (and to the
Americas, Australia and many other places), but to create a different
world, with a different history, where the black races still suffered as
slaves would come perilously close to suggesting this was their
inevitable destiny. Which is obviously nonsense.<br />
<br />
It's
sometimes suggested that there should always be a "reason" for having a
character who's not male, white and straight. As far as I can see, the
only reason needed is that the world (ours or any other) is a wide and
wonderful place full of diversity, and not to reflect that would be
stupid. It would be unrealistic. And it would be boring.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1423725929162_15583">
Click on the cover image above or on the title here to purchase the book: <a href="http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=846" target="_blank">The Lone and Level Sands</a></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1423725929162_15583">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1423725929162_15592">
Be sure to visit <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.nykiblatchley.co.uk/" href="http://www.nykiblatchley.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nyki's Website</a> </div>
<div>
And his <a data-cke-saved-href="http://nyki-blatchley.blogspot.co.uk/" href="http://nyki-blatchley.blogspot.co.uk/" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1423725929162_15823" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blog</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-15630652385003316542015-02-08T01:04:00.001-08:002015-02-08T01:04:53.218-08:00Diversity in Fantasy: Strange MagicOur first guest blog post in the "Diversity in Fantasy" series is by author James A. Hunter.<br />
<br />
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<![endif]--><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Yancy
Lazarus is having a bad day: gangland murders, colossal frame job, a demonic
nightmare, and some secretive ass-hat with mean ol’ magical chops and a small
army of hyena-faced, body-snatching baddies. Now, he’s gonna have to figure out
how all the pieces fit together before he ends up with a toe tag. Jeez. Some
days just aren't worth getting out of bed for.</span></i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Hi all,
my name is James Hunter and <i>Strange Magic </i>is my debut novel, and the
first in a planned series of novels featuring Yancy Lazarus, the wandering blues
musician turned gunslinger, mage, and Fix-It man. So just a little about me:
I’m a former Marine Corps Sergeant, combat veteran, and pirate hunter
(seriously). I’m also a member of The Royal Order of the Shellback—‘cause
that’s a real thing. And, a space-ship captain, can’t forget that. Okay …
the last one is only in my imagination. Currently, I work as a missionary and
international aid worker with my wife and young daughter in Bangkok, Thailand.
When I’m not working, writing, or spending time with family, I occasionally eat
and sleep.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">I’ve
been an avid reader for years and years—fantasy, sci-fi, and horror have always
been my staple genres. As a young kid I didn’t much care for reading, but as a
teenager I discovered the Harry Potter books and fell in love (so thank you J.
K. Rowling). I have worked seriously at writing on and off for six or seven
years—turning out two and a half novels, which were irredeemably bad. But
writing had grown into something that I really loved doing, so I kept churning
away at it. Strange Magic was my third complete book and the first novel I
finished that I thought: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this is good
enough for someone else to read</i>.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Alright, on to the really good stuff—diversity in literature. One of the great
things about being a writer is having an opportunity to step outside of
yourself and into the shoes of someone else; to temporarily take on a point of
view other than your own. That’s a big part of why I love books so much, and
that is at the heart of diversity: getting a chance to see in new ways, and
from new perspectives. Though my novel is typical of the broader Urban Fantasy
genre in a lot of ways—smart-mouthed, self-deprecating, underdog hero—I also
wanted to do something that would contribute a new perspective. Not an easy
thing to do in any genre and though I don’t think I’m exactly breaking fresh
and untouched soil with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Strange Magic</i>,
I do like to think that Yancy offers a viewpoint rarely seen in Fantasy or
Urban Fantasy: that of an older protagonist.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Typically, when discussing diversity within the written world, the focus
tends to be on underrepresented minority groups such as racial minorities, LGTB
folks, or women, but one category that rarely gets touched upon are the
elderly—to me, it seems there is a remarkable amount of age discrimination
within popular genre literature. Most heroes/heroines in Urban Fantasy,
(despite race, gender, or sexual orientation) are almost uniformly late twenty
something’s or early thirty somethings (assuming the books aren’t YA, which a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lot </i>of them are). Occasionally, you will
have someone in their early forties, or immortal beings that have existed for
ages, but rarely do you see someone who would qualify as a Baby boomer taking
center stage.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">When older characters do pop up, it’s invariable in a secondary role:
father or mother figure, perhaps a mentor, or a trusted counselor. In some
ways, it’s almost understandable—most people don’t want to read about budding
romances between sixty-year-olds, and someone with hip dysplasia would have
trouble cutting it in an action adventure. With that said, having very few
older protagonists sends a message to folks that are outside of this popular (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">younger</i>) prescribed age range. You’ve
been relegated to the bench. Your story is over. You can coach, maybe—give some
guidance, sure—but leave the rough stuff and the romance for the young guys and
gals.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">So, I purposely made a character who could qualify for retirement, someone
who isn’t quite so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as your typical fantasy
protagonist. Likewise, Yancy’s partner, Greg, is a retiree monster hunter who
holds his own just fine despite being able to nab the early bird special. It
would have been far easier to write an early thirty something protagonist—I’m
in my late twenties so this would have been my natural perspective—but I
specifically chose to create a character with a lot of history, much of it not
so good. He is a deadbeat dad and a war Vet with PTSD, who is basically
homeless. A guy running away from a lifetime of difficult choices. He is not a
bright young kid with a future stretched out before him, and that’s a view
that’s worth looking from too. Again, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff,
but it is a story that’s worth telling.</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Ultimately, as an author, my main goal is to tell a good story, but I also
want to create characters that a wider portion of the population can relate to
and identify with. </span>There<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> are
a lot of older, deadbeat dads and moms out there—guys and gals who have made
bad decisions, and often regret those decisions; people who are looking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">back </i>on life, sure, but who still have
their share of stories to tell and be a part of. As one of my readers
commented, “[It’s] n</span>ice to read a story with a protagonist who's got
contemporary life experience to mine. Semper Fi, Yancey.” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN">Hopefully, people will enjoy Strange Magic for what it is—an action
packed, noir style romp—while simultaneously being reminded that regardless of our
age, or the decisions we’ve made, redemption isn’t ever really out of grasp.</span></span>
<br />
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<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Click on the cover image or on the title here to purchase this book: <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R7QEFN8/" target="_blank">Strange Magic</a> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-74465205828507739172015-02-03T01:04:00.002-08:002015-02-03T01:04:39.058-08:00February "Diversity in Fantasy" SeriesIt's February again and I'm bringing back my diversity series on my blog. I have several guest spots planned for some of my author friends here regarding their approaches to diversity in their
recently published work. All comments are welcome. And if you would like to
recommend an author (including yourself) for one of these guest spots,
please message me and we'll see about including it.<br />
<br />
Our first post will be coming up soon from my new friend, James A. Hunter.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-26390572614203478492014-10-15T00:46:00.000-07:002014-10-15T00:52:19.302-07:00Hispanic Fantasy HeritageWith today being the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to
take a moment to acknowledge some of the prominent Hispanic writers in
the fantasy genre who have helped to pave new roads in our genre and
open up more opportunities, perhaps, for writers like me. I made these posts two years ago on the writers' forum I participate on, Fantasy-writers.org, and I thought it would be nice to share them here. These features are just an image (when available) of the author and a bit about them from their Wikipedia page as well as some assistance from my friend, <a href="http://nyki-blatchley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nyki Blatchley</a>, whose blog can be found by clicking his name.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Isabel Allende </b><br />
<b> </b>A Chilean American writer whose works sometimes contain aspects of
the "magic realist" tradition, and is famous for novels such as The
House of the Spirits (La casa de los espíritus, 1982) and City of the
Beasts (La ciudad de las bestias, 2002), which have been commercially
successful. Allende has been called "the world's most widely read
Spanish-language author". In 2004, Allende was inducted into the
American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2010, she received Chile's National Literature Prize.<b> </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaEklgLxTd4Si0qd8Vrp4TRfhaWXRTnddCzHx0eVEuzbSU_Q9saDQrXzR9Ynlgl-X2BVxn-VuORKQaDM_mPxFVzHKAEgRlEoO1Zt05w-4rqM3JKPsLo_t4T51L4AIf3tlxgam7zIQUcQ/s1600/rudolfo_anaya_28062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaEklgLxTd4Si0qd8Vrp4TRfhaWXRTnddCzHx0eVEuzbSU_Q9saDQrXzR9Ynlgl-X2BVxn-VuORKQaDM_mPxFVzHKAEgRlEoO1Zt05w-4rqM3JKPsLo_t4T51L4AIf3tlxgam7zIQUcQ/s1600/rudolfo_anaya_28062.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Rudolfo Anaya</b><br />
Rudolfo Anaya is a Mexican-American author. Best known for
his 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya is considered one of the founders
of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature.Anaya’s use of Spanish,
mystical depiction of the New Mexican landscape, use of cultural motifs
such as La Llorona, and recounting of curandera folkways
such as the gathering of medicinal herbs, gives readers a sense of the
influence of indigenous cultural ways that are both authentic and
distinct from the mainstream.<br />
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<b>Leslie Marmon Silko</b><br />
Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American writer of the Laguna Pueblo
tribe, and one of the key figures in the First Wave of what literary
critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance.Silko
has noted herself as being 1/4 Laguna Pueblo (a Keres speaking tribe),
also identifying as Anglo American and Mexican American. One of her more successful books is the collection of poetry, short stories and photographs, <i>Storyteller.</i><br />
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<b>Jorge Luis Borges</b><br />
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges was an Argentine
short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires.
His work embraces the "character of unreality in all literature". His
most famous books, Ficciones (1944) and The Aleph (1949), are
compilations of short stories interconnected by common themes such as
dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, animals, fictional writers,
philosophy, religion and God. His works have contributed to
philosophical literature and also to both the fantasy and magical realism genres.<i> </i><br />
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<b>Laura Esquivel</b><br />
Laura Esquivel began writing while working as a kindergarten teacher.
She wrote plays for her students and wrote children's television
programs during the 1970s and 1980s. Her first novel, <i>Like Water for Chocolate</i>, became internationally beloved and was made into an award-winning film. Her other titles include <i>The Law of Love</i> and <i>Between the Fires</i>.<br />
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<b>Gabriel García Márquez</b><br />
Gabriel García Márquez started as a journalist, and has written many
acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories, but is best known for his
novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) and Love in the
Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical
acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing
a literary style labeled as magic realism, which uses magical elements
and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his
works are set in a fictional village called Macondo (the town mainly
inspired by his birthplace Aracataca), and most of them express the
theme of solitude. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-22224071490185119692014-10-09T03:50:00.002-07:002014-10-09T04:18:18.710-07:00The "Aha" Moment<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Lately,
I’ve been thinking about what types of things I look for when I’m reading just
about any piece of fiction. I believe that folks who enjoy reading and do it as
often as they can for the sheer joy of it do so for many reasons, but a key one
is because reading makes us feel a little smarter for a while. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While
reading nonfiction and non-prose writing (like academic stuff) does this just
as easily, readers are already coming in expecting to grow as a person and be a
bit wiser as a result. We aren’t necessarily or actively looking for this
effect when it comes to reading literature for fun. This is why I am especially
delighted to get that same feeling when I read in genres that aren’t typically
meant to exercise the analytical side of my brain.</span></span></div>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">©</span> </span>2005-2014, soliton.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As
many of you probably know, my preferred genre is fantasy, which isn’t reputed
for its ability to make us turn on our thinking caps. However, one thing I do
find fantasy works well with is those “figuring out” moments. Fantasy
introduces us to whole new worlds, or at least new situations, which we don’t see
in our everyday lives. This one unifying theme of less than probable things occurring
in these stories that wouldn’t normally occur in the real world leads readers
to have to make a lot of assumptions. We assume the people in your world look
like humans, that this eternally dark land is where the villain lives, that
your fierce and fanged beast feeds on the blood of the living. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Because
readers are constantly guessing at things when it comes to fantasy, the fact
that we get something right based on the context writers have given us tends to
bring us great joy and excitement in the prose. We’ve managed to “figure out”
what the author was trying to get us to figure out. Sometimes we even get to
solve puzzles the author may not have even consciously considered. How many of
you caught the ring motif in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Dinner of
Onions</i> by Nora Harmony Wallace, which she claims she never intentionally
included (bonus points to anyone who gets that reference)?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
danger, however, in writers offering up foreshadowing and other clues and Easter
eggs for the readers is spelling everything out. At that point, readers feel
like the author no longer trusts in their capabilities to figure things out and
that the information is now being handfed to us. As a writer, I want my readers
to be like, “Wow, I figured that out,” rather than “Dude, I totally saw that
coming.”</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-11657878887917601822014-07-22T02:00:00.001-07:002014-07-22T02:00:44.828-07:00Second World-Building<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A great deal of both past and present fantasy is set in what
many call “second” or “other” worlds. These are settings that, for all intents
and purposes, are some period of Earth, but a different Earth. The climate,
geology, biology, and ancient history are the same as Earth for the most part,
but there are plenty of key differences to make it a fantasy version of some time
period of our Earth. Much of what many consider classic fantasy prefers to do
this in a medieval-type setting. The places, people, and societies all closely
resemble a snapshot of a country (or mix of countries) from pre-industrial Europe.
I remember one of my college professors joking with me about the settings of
all the classic, black-and-white horror films, and he said, “Oh, they’re all
set in Europia!” For a lot of fantasy, which shares many of its roots with
horror, it is still considered the standard for writers to set their story in
some nondescript, old-world version of an amalgamation of European countries.</div>
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When I think of second world fantasy settings, particularly
for medieval-type worlds, I like to think back on the “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
episode <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thine Own Self</i>. In this
episode, Data wanders into a village on a pre-industrial world after an
explosion occurs during a mission to collect radioactive debris from a crashed
probe. This village is very much like what one would expect from a common fantasy
setting. The people and their mannerisms, social structures, and beliefs are
like those of pre-industrial Europeans, but they also clearly are not. Their
dress is similar to Pre-Victorian dress, but with plenty of key differences.
The village is a lot like old-world Europe, but it obviously isn’t.</div>
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And I think that these notions are important to keep in mind
whenever second world fantasy writers do their world building. If you want to
do a medieval setting, that’s fine, but make sure you do your research on the
things you want to incorporate. Bring in what you want to from any culture of
your choosing, but above all else remember that while your world may be
inspired by and made to resemble a pair of French/German kingdoms in 16<sup>th</sup>
century Europe, your world is not Europe. Be clear that you have invented a
second world inspired by these cultures but it is definitely not these exact
cultures, otherwise, you’ll end up with readers repeatedly asking themselves, “Is
this bad alternate history or just bad fantasy?”</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-68199683129537695482014-02-16T00:19:00.003-08:002014-02-16T00:20:44.794-08:00Diversity in Our Writing Projects: Umbral Heretic<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Introducing
my good friend, Erica, and her novel in progress, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Umbral Heretic</i>. The following interview is conducted by me,
Nicholas Mena.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN-7Hdp5fX4Q9K1zLyzHdvohyXyJPNZgNyCFvIl7iavanQqgnTDoSyLrlJi7PrzgYvWLe8rc2-YESVXq9RGHR9UrM4L5zuwn2RpxbH2r6wNBppX7iq7bSSdjvaLRtLYJNKbnHIq_WWlw/s1600/Ericaonbeach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN-7Hdp5fX4Q9K1zLyzHdvohyXyJPNZgNyCFvIl7iavanQqgnTDoSyLrlJi7PrzgYvWLe8rc2-YESVXq9RGHR9UrM4L5zuwn2RpxbH2r6wNBppX7iq7bSSdjvaLRtLYJNKbnHIq_WWlw/s1600/Ericaonbeach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN-7Hdp5fX4Q9K1zLyzHdvohyXyJPNZgNyCFvIl7iavanQqgnTDoSyLrlJi7PrzgYvWLe8rc2-YESVXq9RGHR9UrM4L5zuwn2RpxbH2r6wNBppX7iq7bSSdjvaLRtLYJNKbnHIq_WWlw/s1600/Ericaonbeach.JPG" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your work in progress is titled <i>Umbral Heretic</i>. Where
did this story come from for you? What was your inspiration?</span></b></div>
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I've enjoyed making up characters and stories in my head. They've occupied
my daydreams since I was a kid, and at various times, I've tried writing
stories about them. But I'd never gotten through a novel-length work or written
anything I considered good enough to submit anywhere.<br />
<br />
This all changed one day when I was walking my dogs along the river, and I
got this image in my head of a healer in a fantasy world finding an almost dead
man down by a riverbank. I started wondering who these two people were, why
things had happened the way they did, and what they were going to do about it.
It grabbed onto my imagination, and I decided I had to write their story down.
As I am a pantser, not an outliner, it has certainly taken some unexpected
twists since I started, but the notion that these characters were each going to
be outsiders with things in their past they were ashamed of has been a
constant.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While you’re setting is reminiscent of what can be
considered an older era of Europe, there are many facets of it that don’t make
it typically medieval. Would you mind elaborating?</span></b></div>
<br />
A big difference that monotheism hasn't taken over, and there isn't one
religious institution that dominates the entire continent where my novel takes
place. The conflict between two different religious traditions is part of the
story, and it's part of what has driven my protagonist from his home country.<br />
<br />
Another difference is that the current level of social organization and
technology is more analogous to the Renaissance, or even the very early
Enlightenment in many ways, though I've tossed in plenty of twists based on
general differences in history and geography, and of course, the presences of
magic.<br />
<br />
The geography of my world is also different. There are only three large
continents, none as large as Eurasia, and the continent that spans the equator
is actually the largest in the east-west axis. Borrowing the notion (from Jared
Diamond's <i>Guns, Germs and Steel</i>) that the large size and orientation
of Eurasia (and not the superiority of any given culture) contributed to its
ascent as the largest colonial power, I have a world where no one civilization
has held sway over the others historically.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The men and women in your stories (as well as your other
humanoid races) don’t often stick to stereotypical gender roles. Those of us
who know you well know this is a big issue for you. What were some of your
reasons for having such diverse roles for your people in your society?</span></b></div>
<br />
I don't know about <i>often</i> not sticking to traditional roles (the
characters I've focused on are not typical members of their societies in many
ways), but men and women do fall along a spectrum in many of my world's
cultures. My favorite modern fantasy writers include Lynn Flewelling, Robin
Hobbs, Glenda Larke, Kate Elliot and so on. They all have fantasy societies
where women are doing most of the same things as the men, so I never thought
that was an unusual approach in modern fantasy. My world is no utopia, but I
wanted to write a story set in a place where men and women can both aspire to a
variety of roles, where they're free to mingle socially, and where they have
similar levels of autonomy.<br />
<br />
I can't say why this is so important to me. Some of it's because I'm a
woman, obviously, and I get pretty tired of reading stories where women can't
participate fully in the story's events (or worse yet, lack motives and goals
of their own). For me, traditional gender roles always felt like shoes that
pinch my toes and rub blisters on my heels, especially when I'm told I must or
mustn't do something because of my sex.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You seem to have two prominent protagonists in your story.
Can you tell us a bit about them both and some of the challenges they face?</span></b></div>
<br />
Jarrod is a dark wizard who is "cursed" with a conscience. In my
world, umbral magic is pain driven, and it's addictive, so it's a serious
problem for someone who gets woozy at the sight of blood. He's deeply ashamed
of what he's become, and his attempts to bury his past and deny what he is,
drives much of the conflict in the story.<br />
<br />
Tesk is a healing student who has no interest in heroics outside of the
infirmary. Pursuing her craft required her to sever ties with her own family,
so she's learned to trust rationality, not her emotions. When she saves
Jarrod's life and they become friends, she's very conflicted. He's got problems
that would lead any rational person to turn tail and run, but her instincts are
telling her that he's a good person who needs allies if he's going to undo the
harm he's wrought.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why are including new, less standard, and more diverse
tropes and themes so important to you, particularly when it comes to the
fantasy fiction you write?</span></b></div>
<br />
I can't say exactly why, but it's something that's been evolving throughout
my life. I was a strange, awkward child who never really got sucked into what
passed for mainstream culture in 1970s-era Southern California. Maybe this has
allowed me to relate more to people who are treated as outsiders in larger ways
than I ever was. At some point, I just started to notice how one-dimensional
many of the standard fictional tropes were and how they didn't usually reflect
the world that was out there.<br />
<br />
One thing that's always bugged me about classic fantasy is how homogeneous
cultures are within their worlds. It's so common to see descriptions like this
in fantasy novels: "The "men" of such and such a land are tall
and fair, with booming voices and an appetite for mead. They mistrust magic and
are quick to anger when slighted." Even as a kid, I thought it was strange
that all the citizens of a country would be so alike in appearance and
demeanor, when I knew darned well real people weren't.<br />
<br />
<i>Umbral Heretic</i> takes place in a part of my world that resembles
Northern Europe in some ways. But I've tried to make it clear there's a wider
world out there. Each of my pov characters (and the important support
characters too) are outsiders in one way or another. Each of them has been a
victim of prejudice, whether it's based on their land of origin, religion, gender,
sexual orientation, or social class, and this is what provides them with the
perspective they need to resolve the main conflict.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are your own personal aspirations for <i>Umbral Heretic</i>?
What would you like your future and present readers to take with them from your
story?</span></b></div>
<br />
I'm in the process of polishing it up for submission to agents, and would
dearly love to see it trade published with a pretty cover and sitting on the
shelves of bookstores next to the works of some of my favorite authors. It
would be amazing to be in a waiting room somewhere and to see someone reading
this book and to have them turn to me and comment on how wonderful it was (without
knowing I wrote it, of course). I suspect that's a dream many writers have for
their first novel. Silly, but there you go.<br />
<br />
As far as what I want my readers to take away from it? Whatever they want,
really. My ultimate goal is to be entertaining. But if the readers think that
my characters are interesting because they're more complex and filled with
internal conflict than your typical fantasy heroes, then I'll be especially
happy. If there's any overarching messages, they're that suffering can make people
more, not less, empathic, and people can fail at things but not be failures.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Any final comments <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">or
questions?</span></span></b></div>
<br />
The only other comment I can think of is that the story has a dog, and no,
at the risk of making a spoiler, she's not going the Old Yeller route. I adore
stories with cats, horses and wolves, but for whatever reason, I've always
noticed that these species seem to be very well represented in fantasy. Dogs,
for whatever reason, are thinner on the ground. So (at some urging from my test
readers) I've decided to give the dog who found Jarrod by the river some other
roles in the story, even though she's just a normal dog and not magical.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(A question for the interviewer)</i> As
a question for you, Nick, I know you've said you usually don't gravitate
towards traditional secondary world fantasy, but you enjoyed many things about
UH when you test read my first draft. What sorts of things would you like to
see writers of secondary-world fantasy stories doing more often?<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Yes, secondary
world fantasy is not my regular cup of tea, but I'm usually not one for
outright exclusion. In fact, that is something I like to see in my fantasy, a
fair amount of inclusion. I like boundaries pushed or even ignored. I like a
bit of controversy and going against the grain. I'm one of those who used to be
in the "Popular Things Suck" Club until it had too many people in it.
I'm also a fan of old tropes breaking old stereotypes. Give me dark elves
living in the swamps, but only because they are amassing forces for guerrilla
warfare against the tree-elf overlords. Give me a venomous, black hydra who
wishes he were mauve and had a beefcake wyrm hubby to grow old with (and not be
killed off for his forbidden love in the third act). Give me knights in shining
armor slaughtered by a killer bunny. You can do the same-old same-old when it
comes to fantasy, but please do something different with it too.</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-25841015422839863652014-02-07T11:24:00.001-08:002014-02-07T11:24:27.986-08:00Diversity in Our Writing Projects: Spire City<div class="forum-post-content">
Up next is our good friend, Mr. Daniel Ausema and his series, <i>Spire City.</i><br />
<br />
<em>Spire City</em> is home to mighty machines of steam power and
clockwork, and giant beetles pull picturesque carriages over cobbled
streets, but there is a darker secret behind these wonders. A deadly
infection, created by a mad scientist, is spreading through the city,
targeting the poor and powerless, turning them slowly into animals. A
group of those infected by the serum join together to survive, to trick
the wealthy out of their money, and to fight back.<br />
<br />
The first four episodes of season 1: Infected are available from Musa
Publishing, with a new episode coming out every three weeks, through
August, 2014. Season 2 will follow, and I'm currently writing the rough
draft for a proposed season 3. For more information, you can visit <a href="http://danielausema.blogspot.com/p/spire-city_25.html">http://danielausema.blogspot.com/p/spire-city_25.html</a><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh07fbio9jC9LiQR7heU6SXrZldExkybBksLQWprIZOHsT6ELEIT5gDbVpGLGs0oXJGFdNw73MpX39gMyX3vXYPtXzQq9gK8H28ryielv7fofno6_p_2ZxouvzqHjKw9eDsAE5TsIM38c/s1600/infected-510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh07fbio9jC9LiQR7heU6SXrZldExkybBksLQWprIZOHsT6ELEIT5gDbVpGLGs0oXJGFdNw73MpX39gMyX3vXYPtXzQq9gK8H28ryielv7fofno6_p_2ZxouvzqHjKw9eDsAE5TsIM38c/s1600/infected-510.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>Your work in progress is titled <em>Spire City</em>. What was your biggest inspiration for this story series?</strong><br />
<br />
Hmm, it was almost six years ago that I began dreaming of this
series, and there were so many different sources of inspiration. I guess
the main thing that drove the story from the beginning was that central
concept of the infection. Here is a deliberate attack on the city's
powerless. A lab-created disease that most of the people in the city
ignore, and if it's brought to their attention, they react violently.
Its effects are tragic, but because the disease is often very slow but
not always, it leaves its victims with an unknown span of time to come
to grips with it, and each of the central characters reacts to it in
different ways. At one point Chels calls it a death sentence with an
uncertain expiration date. I find that resonant in many ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>You’re building quite a reputation for developing these
uncanny settings, particularly these cities that resemble something from
a dream. Tell us about “Spire City” itself. Where did some of your
ideas for this place come from?</strong><br />
<br />
When I was a child, the nearest public museum had a section called
“Gaslight Village,” which recreated a small section of what the city
looked like in the 1880s. I enjoyed the animal dioramas and other things
in the museum, but that was my favorite part, and it definitely
influenced how I pictured Spire City.<br />
<br />
But, that was a very small city as such things go back in the 1880s.
Spire City also draws from a couple of visits I made to Barcelona when I
was studying down the coast from there. I loved the architecture of
Barcelona and would have gladly spent more time exploring its streets.
Of course it's much different today than it was a hundred-plus years
ago, so I looked at photos of what it was like then. And I added in many
things from other Victorian-era cities as I learned about them here and
there.<br />
<br />
Other things came purely from my imagination. The beetle-drawn
carriages are a nod to Kafka and various other works, and just fit what I
think of as cool. The singers on the spires are a mark of the city's
cruelty. Both of those first appeared in a loosely related short story
and then got incorporated into the other ideas I had for this serial
project because they seemed to fit thematically.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>You seem to often feature people who would typically be
described as outcasts. Your protagonist and other featured people with
her are beggars, urchins, prostitutes, immigrants, the unemployed, and
members of the lowest caste. Why have you now chosen and so often choose
to tell their stories?</strong><br />
<br />
Yes. Call it a reaction to all the high fantasy I read growing up,
but I have no interest in writing about kings and princes and the
powerful in society. I'm much more interested in the people scrambling
to get by and those who find some sort of success without being the
child or descendent of anyone famous. And in steampunk, specifically, a
lot of works focus on the high society of tea and fancy soirees,
and...that just doesn't interest me as much. Certainly I've read some
great stories that involve such things, but as a writer I'm not
interested. There are philosophical/religious/political-type
implications there, which I'll let my biographers someday tease out <img alt="Wink" src="http://www.fantasy-writers.org/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Roving/wink.png" title="Wink" /><br />
<br />
But it must have been around the time I was doing the first draft of
the first season that Catherynne Valente, one of my favorite writers,
posted something lamenting the way steampunk too often forgot the punk
part of its name. Now I'm too young to have any strong feelings about
the original punk movement, and I was too oblivious growing up to pay
much attention to the punk-influenced strains of alternative music at
the time, but the themes she teased out of it rising from the powerless
and suspicious of authority, that fits well with Spire City. I was
already writing the story, so it wasn't an inspiration as much as an
affirmation that what I was doing had a place in the world of steampunk.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Your protagonist is an interesting, young scamp. Please tell us more about her (without too many spoilers, of course).</strong><br />
<br />
It's worth noting that I see the Spire City series as having a sort
of ensemble cast, so at various times in the episodes ahead others are
central. But Chels is the protagonist of the first episode, and her full
arc is really the backbone of the story as a whole. So she is a
second-generation immigrant who grew up within a community of immigrants
in Spire City. When her mother died a year or two before the series
starts, she didn't feel like she belonged there. Her mother never told
her the name of her father, but she's always assumed that he wasn't a
part of that community, and that's how she's been treated as well. So
she tried to make her way on her own. Without much success. But then she
found a group of outcasts who had banded together. Most of them are
infected with the serum that the scientist Orgood engineered, but when
the story begins she is not infected. She's not well educated—most of
them in the band aren't—but she's clever, and her position as neither
Spire City native nor immigrant herself gives her a unique perspective
on things.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>What is it about your stories that you feel separates them
from the din? How do they stand out from the usual fare we see so much
of on the bookstore shelves (real or digital)?</strong><br />
<br />
Hmmm. I guess I'll answer with what it is I value in a story, and
what people have consistently mentioned in reviewing my stories. I like a
high sense of imagination. I want readers to think, “Wow, that was out
there, but really cool.” I want each story to be different, to surprise
readers, keep them unsure what to expect next, but anxious to discover
it. People often comment on the settings of my stories as being almost
characters themselves, places that come alive and make the whole story
seem to take place in a real place (surreal or bizarre as it may be). I
also value writers with a poetic sense, writing that revels in its
cadences and sounds. I'm not talking about purple, dense-to-follow
prose, but writing that shows care for how it sounds and how it flows.
Spire City is meant to read fairly quickly and has a lot of momentum
throughout, but I hope readers find that it achieves this without
sacrificing at all the beauty of the written word.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>What is the big, final message of <em>Spire City</em>? What do you hope we’ll come away with once we’ve read the series?</strong><br />
<br />
I'm leery of stating a specific message. I'm currently reading the
beautifully illustrated writing book Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer, and
it includes an essay by Ursula LeGuin on this very topic. So to quote
her, “The complex meanings of a serious story or novel can be understood
only be participation in the language of the story itself. To translate
them into a message or reduce them to a sermon distorts, betrays, and
destroys them.” In other words, the story is the message, and you have
to read it to experience whatever message that is, which will inevitably
vary from reader to reader. So what will readers come away from Spire
City with? It will be different with each one, but hopefully a sense of
the real world around them, a sense of engagement with it on the grounds
of this—and in response to this—otherworldly story of steam engines and
beetles and mad science infections.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Is diversity something you intentionally planned on or worked towards in your story? If so, how did you accomplish this?</strong><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-style: normal;">Spire City is intentionally a
diverse city. It doesn't correspond one-to-one with any real-world
people groups, but it does bring in people from many backgrounds
(ethnic, religious, linguistic) living together. The tensions between
groups and the ways different people react to such things are an
integral part of what makes a setting come alive. Without that you're
left with a cardboard backdrop that never seems real.</span></em><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-style: normal;">Really, one of the things that draws me to write about the industrial era (I don't </span></em><em>only</em><em><span style="font-style: normal;">
write steampunk, but I do find it an interesting style to write in), is
those very dynamics. The new technology brings together people who
might not have interacted before, whether it's the country peasants
coming to the city to work in the textile factories or the merchants,
aspiring to a higher class, who still live side-by-side with the workers
who keep the city boilers running or the people from more distant
places who come to the city for its growing reputation as a place to
make a living. There's so much going on in such a place that the stories
can resonate in surprising ways.</span></em><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-style: normal;">One thing I've done, also, is to
make sure that no one person is seen as the ultimate representative of
any group. So Chels is not the only one from her mother's people.
Another from their group of outcasts, Sairen, is an immigrant himself,
one who came at a young age quite recently, and his perspective is very
different from hers. And the same goes for the other groups in the band.
Women and men, Spire-native and peasant-born, factory worker and
born-to-privilege. Each of them is an individual as well as a person who
could be grouped in many different ways.</span></em><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>This has been an excellent interview. Thank you so much, Dan. Please check out his link in the beginning of this post.</strong><br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-47353098026202989322014-02-02T10:23:00.002-08:002014-02-02T10:23:44.259-08:00Diversity in Our Writing Projects: The LadySmithsIt’s February which is traditionally Black History Month in the US.
In the past I have made special series of posts commemorating authors of
color in fantasy including some of close friends.<br />
<br />
This year I thought it would be poignant to post a series celebrating
authors who have taken an active approach to include diversity in their
fantasy writing. I’ll be focusing on authors currently working on their
projects for two reasons: 1) So that the rest of us can see, firsthand,
how writers are incorporating more diverse settings, people, and themes
into works they are presently writing and revising and 2) So that the
authors interviewed can take a moment to take an analytical look at
their stories regarding diverse motifs.<br />
<br />
First is Ms. Chelle Rhys and her Novel in Progress, <em>The LadySmiths.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Your work in progress is titled <em>The LadySmiths</em>. What was your primary inspiration for this story?</strong><br />
<br />
The current title and the original first glimmerings of an idea came
from the name of a band I used to like when I was younger. Ladysmith
Black Mombaza. 'Ladysmith', I thought one day. 'I wonder what that might
be.' And some magic that only worked for female blacksmiths came
sneaking into my mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>The setting of your story is an atypical one for most fantasy
and is reminiscent of some older era of Africa. What pulled you to this
setting? Did you draw from any actual places to create this world? </strong><br />
<br />
To be honest, my original intention was to be different from the
standard medieval European fantasy setting by moving to the Renaissance
era. But a friend of mine was heading to Ethiopia to teach, and the more
I read about the history there, the more fascinating I found it. And,
of course, Ladysmith Black Mombaza was an African band. So I moved the
novel, lock, stock and barrel, before I'd even started writing it. And
I'm really glad I did. Ancient Ethiopian history (what we know of it) is
fascinating.<br />
<br />
My physical setting was also inspired by Africa, though it's not
identical to it. I liked the idea of there being a sea, but not a wide
one, between my people and another nation; and I liked the thought of a
higher, cooler land butting up against a desert. I invented a miles-long
cliff dividing the two. The Ladysmith School is dug wholesale out of
rock. There are many examples of this in our world in different places
around the globe - Italy, Myanmar, India, Turkey, Jordan, Bali and
Ethiopia. I saw a picture of a temple once, where they explained how it
was excavated down from the top rather than being built from the bottom
up, or even carved out of the face of a rock, and so I incorporated that
idea, too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Your people are also not your standard fantasy fare. I’ve
personally noticed a rich cultural heritage for every main person in
your story. Did you draw on any real world cultures when you were
developing your people? </strong><br />
<br />
To some extent. The cultures are an amalgamation of my own
imagination, what little is known about ancient Ethiopia, and some
real-world African traditions. I am trying to keep a flavor of Africa,
while still making it clear that it's my own world, and not ours. But I
did use some African folk-lore and traditions as springboards for my
own; for instance, the idea of blacksmiths in general holding a
prominent and powerful position in their town or village is a
wide-spread one among African tribes. And I borrowed fairly freely from
African languages for names, though I generally try to change them a
little along the way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Can you tell us a bit more about your main person, who she
is, what she wants, what she must do, some of her obstacles in the
story?</strong><br />
<br />
Shennafi d'Ab'hoi is a young woman who has wanted to be one of the
fabled Ladysmiths and learn to wield their magic since she was a child.
Her father, who is the blacksmith of Ab'hoi, wanted her to stay home and
eventually become his successor, and was initially unwilling to let her
go to Ladysmith School. One of her main motivations throughout is to
make him proud of her.<br />
<br />
She intends to come home when she is finished with her schooling and
work with her father. But she is also living in a time when her country
is torn by internal conflicts and facing external enemies. The king is
making unpopular policies, including selling some of his subjects as
slaves to pay for soldiers to bolster his own army. Shennafi finds
herself caught up in both the more minor war at home, between those who
support the king and those who think he has gone too far, and the major
war when her country is invaded. She faces obstacles that range from
people in her village, to her own conflicting desires and loyalties, to
the king, to the gods themselves. In the end, she discovers for herself
what things in her life are worth the price required to gain them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>The roles that women play in the society you have created
seems to be a significant theme in your story. Would you care to
elaborate on that? </strong><br />
<br />
It sort of came about organically. I didn't decide one day that I was
going to write a novel about the roles of women in society. But if you
have a group of magical blacksmiths who can only be women, you end up
writing a lot about women. I chose not to turn things entirely around
and make women take the place that men tend to have in many of our
world's cultures and putting men into the subservient role instead; but I
did want to show women taking positions of strength and power, and to
write about a world where a girl can grow up and not feel that many
dreams she might have are barred to her simply because she is female. <br />
<br />
Of course, the people in Shennafi's world are a varied lot, just as
we are, and there are those who think women shouldn't do anything but
take care of the men and the babies and the fields, but I have tried to
portray a culture where generally speaking, men and women are seen as
equal citizens. I have a feeling that somewhere out there is a male-only
Ladysmith equivalent; I just haven't run into it yet.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For those of us who have already fallen in love with your
tale and those who haven’t had the privilege of reading it so far, would
you share what you hope your readers will ultimately take away from
your story?</strong><br />
<br />
That's a good question. Every time I read it, I came up with a
different answer. I certainly hope people will enjoy a setting filled
with different traditions and myths than the traditional European
fantasy arena, and that some of them might be inspired to learn more
about different cultures from their own. Perhaps especially Africa,
which in my history classes was shown mostly from the angle of the
European nations who colonized it. And I'd like it if people who read
it felt empowered to reach for their own dreams, whether in a
traditional area or a nontraditional one.<br />
<br />
But mostly, for me, it's a story about choices. What's important to
me, and what am I willing to do in order to achieve my goals? Does the
end justify the means? Can I find a way to be true to myself, and still
fulfill my responsibilities to those around me? You know - minor
questions like that. <img alt="Smile" src="http://www.fantasy-writers.org/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Roving/smile.png" title="Smile" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you very much, Chelle, for a fascinating interview</strong>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-21277987494127530912014-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:002014-01-17T09:00:00.776-08:0020 Caribbean Proverbs<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t reinvent the
wheel!” There’s an old adage if I’ve ever heard one, but it is old for a
reason. It’s very true and it has stood the test of time. Our elders and
ancestors left us with excellent wisdom passed down through the ages in these
idioms and sayings. I’m sure every person reading this blog has one or two from
their own backgrounds and families that they’ve heard countless times (please
share them in the comments if you have them). I, therefor, thought it would be interesting
to share 20 prominent proverbs form the Caribbean diaspora. Their
interpretations (in plain English) are included in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">italics</i> right after the sayings. Enjoy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When you ain’t got horse, ride cow. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Work with what you have.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Talk does make talk. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trouble breeds more trouble; fighting leads
to more fighting.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“If I had know” does come too late. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hindsight and regret aren’t useful after the
deed is done.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One eye man king in blind man country. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Know your talent and use it to your best
advantage.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dog with money does buy fleas. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Excess leads to more excess and waste.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A crab never forget he hole. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There’s no place like home.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A eyeful ain’t a bellyful. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What you see isn’t what you get and usually never
enough.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">All fish does bite but shark does get
the blame. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Your reputation speaks louder
than your actions.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Breeze blow pelican same place him want
go. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Go with the flow and adjust to where
life leads you.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dirty
water will out fire. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everything has a
use.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One
and one coco full basket. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hard work and determination
will get the job done.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Two
poor cow does make good dung. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Combining
resources will lead to better results.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You
shake him hand but not him heart. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Appearances can be deceiving and hide one’s
true intentions. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dog
get four foot but could only go one way. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You
may have many options but can only choose one path.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Shake
with one hand, wipe your rass (ass) with the next. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Know who’s a friend and who’s an enemy.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Same
knife kill sheep kill shepherd. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What you
do to others can be done to you as well.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You
want half a bread beg for it, you want a whole one, buy it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Work for what you desire.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Fry
the big fish first. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Know your priorities
and plan accordingly.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Jumbi
know who to frighten. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Your enemies know
to strike when you’re at your weakest.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -27.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pepper
hot but good for curry. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sometimes we need
the harsh, honest truth and adversity to succeed.</i></span></div>
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</xml><![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-91145866807858170722014-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:002014-01-10T09:00:05.404-08:00Nature Explorers' Club: Environmental Alliance Conference/CampoutI promised my friends a long time ago that I would give them an update on how the big youth environmental conference and campout event went with the kids in our territory-wide Nature Explorers’ Club: Environmental Alliance. The event was titled “1st Annual Environmental Stewardship Youth Conference/Campout” and took place on August 9 & 10, 2013 at Cramer’s Park on the East End of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Youths, instructors, and volunteers from five different alliance member organizations in both St. Croix and St. Thomas came together to acknowledge the environmental stewardship activities of the youths to the community and to vote on the public service announcements (PSAs) developed by the youths. Here are some photos along with captions of the event: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8JE3MRPIQK3dPEtrRrFpO09TncY-dA3VKkpYSUKcjdZlAKGSDS1DSsLY4isWas81BoIif3VCn0KDZCAp-zPKTvpmB2XyYF7_A_kMrhLDQwOE4RbPrpUb0JQaCvA4K5O4qI5sbMcOPko/s1600/turtlemonitoring2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8JE3MRPIQK3dPEtrRrFpO09TncY-dA3VKkpYSUKcjdZlAKGSDS1DSsLY4isWas81BoIif3VCn0KDZCAp-zPKTvpmB2XyYF7_A_kMrhLDQwOE4RbPrpUb0JQaCvA4K5O4qI5sbMcOPko/s400/turtlemonitoring2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea turtle nest monitoring with The Nature Conservancy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqk006muGtpmunC7mXYk17fjQ0WLrYNUygamu2ItlE-HpRjUJVVwYqiA_8YpawgTTY2R0kju0Ae13AQxqWYdnyJhsFWmnWPukz4JYZ-UxtDqpIF8gEPk0WwSXF43CTyo6oAbetIV4dzo/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqk006muGtpmunC7mXYk17fjQ0WLrYNUygamu2ItlE-HpRjUJVVwYqiA_8YpawgTTY2R0kju0Ae13AQxqWYdnyJhsFWmnWPukz4JYZ-UxtDqpIF8gEPk0WwSXF43CTyo6oAbetIV4dzo/s400/sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our marine ecosystem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4HdITLZpNHp0b5gEo5REdoXsFeFvnu4-1SLka8JUzLrUCxYcAvOU5U4zm7VD22s4IQsbKS6vx6o6jonJVx-QfBCPh5GTRAiVpikRTsawJ446PAqJLbwmjCclbEM60wOaHSnPOQcLEJU/s1600/tent+assembley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4HdITLZpNHp0b5gEo5REdoXsFeFvnu4-1SLka8JUzLrUCxYcAvOU5U4zm7VD22s4IQsbKS6vx6o6jonJVx-QfBCPh5GTRAiVpikRTsawJ446PAqJLbwmjCclbEM60wOaHSnPOQcLEJU/s400/tent+assembley.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tent assembly "Where does this thingy go?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnv_hf87TICWXdRKVwZDENOy-Xry9E9E9Pglzt3cTCqLPUC0F8-Ns3A9_GQie_dNbNLDmHbruX1iSDMqJ6KYw6UqQTd_oatMQ9q-9au6xRMgEj7z8HTHGDD3lOJB7PHlD5ZXXgOtYywE/s1600/tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnv_hf87TICWXdRKVwZDENOy-Xry9E9E9Pglzt3cTCqLPUC0F8-Ns3A9_GQie_dNbNLDmHbruX1iSDMqJ6KYw6UqQTd_oatMQ9q-9au6xRMgEj7z8HTHGDD3lOJB7PHlD5ZXXgOtYywE/s400/tent.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got one tent up! (as well as 3 others, but 1 fell down)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXLNvggEHhg8bKwDVbntTd3s4GNH5wbUp2hK8vVuQzwnY30zodz3ab1PlSwa0fd2fjJbMG6AguUO-ev2Fw4lVgJxYlqbii4sE0rtn9HDkAQTZIYowkO4K0sBLEFQXg5qaZAfHbTuudPI/s1600/shirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXLNvggEHhg8bKwDVbntTd3s4GNH5wbUp2hK8vVuQzwnY30zodz3ab1PlSwa0fd2fjJbMG6AguUO-ev2Fw4lVgJxYlqbii4sE0rtn9HDkAQTZIYowkO4K0sBLEFQXg5qaZAfHbTuudPI/s400/shirts.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch in our "Taino-style" tie-dyed shirts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcxNOj4uTtSzzWPxEktL8RCvlNAHnNC0oeAOMlElND2Z2dauvZAMbXeub8gQDmCHxnRngohXZL_qsdmyWyovwldz7GGEuOgOfoPH8ZxlPHjYYlX68qhjohpgVhWPFZ5_dZ_jKyOD0s9A/s1600/elders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcxNOj4uTtSzzWPxEktL8RCvlNAHnNC0oeAOMlElND2Z2dauvZAMbXeub8gQDmCHxnRngohXZL_qsdmyWyovwldz7GGEuOgOfoPH8ZxlPHjYYlX68qhjohpgVhWPFZ5_dZ_jKyOD0s9A/s400/elders.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteer and instructor. Our elders connecting with our youth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkdLQyYCM2lkKtg1BjAZxq7donC2XTn1LUrZeoWRwlNPZLmDJ0igwHSmuhiNTkXjCaFQoqQ7xvNcaQsVPh__jsjcnnI2kLacIsEWhm8w4JMzsc_xHUj91TDw8CAlErjwEJU0mGzlzpPE/s1600/boat+trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkdLQyYCM2lkKtg1BjAZxq7donC2XTn1LUrZeoWRwlNPZLmDJ0igwHSmuhiNTkXjCaFQoqQ7xvNcaQsVPh__jsjcnnI2kLacIsEWhm8w4JMzsc_xHUj91TDw8CAlErjwEJU0mGzlzpPE/s400/boat+trip.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the boat to Buck Island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxDA4kLjC95gkIYvETr5SNF2fu3KeUO3s0fE8FMYywigYjU8497J2TvdeSCHLJs_GmIePGCOaoWh3BE3nyWx075YNy_qnpzBlweE0SAqTbNHfYxMPJ3CxDkrWN2HR4ZBgpWgsuaxAWF4/s1600/buckisland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxDA4kLjC95gkIYvETr5SNF2fu3KeUO3s0fE8FMYywigYjU8497J2TvdeSCHLJs_GmIePGCOaoWh3BE3nyWx075YNy_qnpzBlweE0SAqTbNHfYxMPJ3CxDkrWN2HR4ZBgpWgsuaxAWF4/s400/buckisland.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Buck Island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHoY3JGDA4_Uk7OWfnyBmCeQDzveiI2wRzcmdfz7uOgLak1kDk4-N9NB7SsMv7Fe1DbHXwUu_1z-1bfiY4Suh3Y0UoSFE6fQP7YxEcfYYrdz5SNejRBCO5nWtd6wV_vF5VV-cQ6slcGM/s1600/swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHoY3JGDA4_Uk7OWfnyBmCeQDzveiI2wRzcmdfz7uOgLak1kDk4-N9NB7SsMv7Fe1DbHXwUu_1z-1bfiY4Suh3Y0UoSFE6fQP7YxEcfYYrdz5SNejRBCO5nWtd6wV_vF5VV-cQ6slcGM/s400/swim.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't go to Buck Island and not swim.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUwGzL2ya-pLJdlQf2oE6Zf7YI3PgF8sHtypXkp1wtSfBe5PT6x06qosddXvR1-7j9xHMjtY1st2t8cbnzHzWQ6ofOWp9VatrwWfud3hgkBAut79apDjxt7V_R5Eiabfc5siXFGbAro8/s1600/KINDLE_CAMERA_1375715504000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUwGzL2ya-pLJdlQf2oE6Zf7YI3PgF8sHtypXkp1wtSfBe5PT6x06qosddXvR1-7j9xHMjtY1st2t8cbnzHzWQ6ofOWp9VatrwWfud3hgkBAut79apDjxt7V_R5Eiabfc5siXFGbAro8/s400/KINDLE_CAMERA_1375715504000.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest speaker at the conference and voting on the PSAs.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-22660305240874227482014-01-03T00:32:00.002-08:002014-01-03T00:33:57.096-08:00Magical Realism... What's That?I’ve, essentially, always been a fantasy writer, but for a long time I used to say that I didn’t write fantasy. I would write about the reality I knew, and for most folks, that reality is fantasy. Admittedly, I’ve taken some forays into the more typical styles of escapist fantasy, but that old statement is still very much the cornerstone of my writing. I’ve also found it to be an adequate description for the Magical Realism sub-genre. <br />
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I’ve found that magical realism has become a literary term that for some has either faded into obscurity either by lack of use or overuse, and for others it’s just a head-scratcher. So, I’d like to provide some clarification, at least on my part, on what magical realism is. <br />
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<li><b>Not Escapist:</b> I think this is probably the most universal theme prevalent in all magical realism. It is not meant to take readers away to a land of world building and mystic creations. Everything in magical realism exists or has existed to some degree. While the backdrops may contain fantastic creatures and beings, they are typically as real to the writer as the reader’s household cat or dog. An escapist fantasy writer knows the dragon in his or story isn’t real. I know the chupacabra in my story is real. </li>
<li><b> Non-objective:</b> Yes, I know it’s not the best or nicest term in the world but it does come close enough to conveying that magical realism is outside of what is typically considered normal or mainstream. It reveals cultures, traditions, and social themes that aren’t normally seen by the typical fantasy-reader.</li>
<li><b>Earthbound:</b> I stress this in that the settings for magical realism are very much this world we live in. They may be slightly askew or require the inventing of a place that doesn’t exist, but even these fake places are just stand-ins for real ones. My invented metropolis of Glass City is really just a stand-in for a mix of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Nantucket. </li>
<li><b>Social Commentary:</b> I found this one was truer for the more classical examples of magical realism, but I still think every approach to it, including modern ones that are brushing closer and closer to escapist fantasy, still do this. I agree that magical realism has to have a duty that takes precedence above the entertainment value of the piece (not to say that entertainment isn’t important as well). The story has to first reveal an important secret or truth about the society featured in the piece, and then it has to do this in an interesting and entertaining way, otherwise who would want to bother to read it. If all I wanted was the social commentary, I’d go to a guest lecture on the topic. </li>
<li><b>Culture and Tradition:</b> those elements that, for most of the readers, are fantasy elements are deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of the people in the story. In fact, I believe that culture has to be so omnipresent in the tale that not only is it like a character, but it becomes the main character. It’s not just another element in the development of the narrative, but the driving force behind every element of the piece. The magic system, the setting, the plot and character development, name selection, the underlying social themes, the “B” story between the girl and her mother, the humor and the melodrama… culture must be deeply embedded in all of these decisions and factors. </li>
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In the end, each of these factors are typically major goals I try to achieve in my writing endeavors. I even hope this blog article fits into this spectrum somehow. And while I know that when most readers finish one of my stories, they aren’t accepting the realism of the fantastic elements I included. That’s okay. I’m not asking them to take that leap with me, just to come along for the ride, hope they enjoy the sights, and that maybe they learn something and grow a tiny bit as people by the time they are finished. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-33585306280805155602013-12-24T01:39:00.000-08:002013-12-24T01:39:44.151-08:00Caribbean Christmas PicturesIt's the holidays, and I know that for most folks that means lots of snow and cold weather. I, therefore, thought it would be nice to share a touch of Caribbean warmth with some photos taken around my home of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Credit for these images should be shared with my coworkers, Ms. Anne-Marie Gibbs and Mr. Halston Francis, since most of these images were taken while I was on the job and the camera would be shared between the three of us. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-91990047320121235602013-12-06T11:32:00.001-08:002013-12-06T11:32:20.947-08:00Glass City Query<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Boy, it’s been a while. Sometimes the real world
gets in the way, not to mention a lack of internet access at home. I’m back,
though, and hopefully I can make my posts a bit more regular here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m borrowing some sound advice from our good
friend(s) over at Query Shark. To quote from her post #125 which is linked
here: <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2009/08/125.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Query Shark #125</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Remember the
formula: Who is the hero/heroine? What choice does s/he face? What are the
consequences of that choice/not making the choice. That's what your first
paragraph should cover.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
since had my own query looked over by a number of my friends at the online
writing community of which we are members and they’ve helped me, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>along with the guidance from Query Shark, to
get it pretty darn close to where I think it needs to be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
my current query letter (247 words). Any comments would be greatly appreciated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dear Mr. XXXX:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Glass
City is an island metropolis off the eastern seaboard that hides a dark world
beyond its guise of transparency. June is a photography major returning to her
prodigal home to attend the university at the beckoning of her childhood
boyfriend. She doesn’t know that he is a minion of the city’s vampire brood
with plans to recruit her for her potential abilities. After her transformation,
she hopes to confide in David, one of her nerdy floor mates, but he has his own
problems to face when his soul is ripped from his body by a coven of warlocks
to make him into a reanimated homunculus slave. The city’s werewolf pack is
also on the move to increase its numbers, forcing June and her new vampire
family to go on the offensive. The warlocks take advantage of the chaos run
amok in the city and initiate their ultimate plan to revive their demon
patriarch. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">June
is torn between saving her homunculus friend, befriending a new werewolf
recruit, and forcing a renegade warlock to face up to her crimes, all while
attempting to determine what her new identity should be. Is she a deadly vampire
assassin, or can she still be June? This unlikely crew of mongrel creations must
survive the chaos created by their respective clans if they expect to escape the
darkness of this blood diamond of a city.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">GLASS
CITY is an urban fantasy </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">novella</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> complete at 40,000
words. I thank you for your consideration.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Nicholas Mena</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">[contact information]</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-55015268983734638882013-04-22T06:10:00.001-07:002013-04-22T06:13:43.693-07:00Today I am appearing as a guest blog for a good friend of mine. I am disusing the role of social change in fantasy literature.<br />
<h3 class="title">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://nyki-blatchley.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/fantasy-for-social-change-guest-post-by.html">Fantasy for Social Change - Guest Post by Nicholas Mena</a></span></h3>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-86240945072834063462013-03-13T09:22:00.002-07:002013-03-13T09:25:48.108-07:00Never Say “Always”... or “Never”... Always!Ok, so I’m getting pretty tired of writer’s rules and so called guidelines that are so often in the extreme. These repeatedly seem to bring up points of contention with other writers and are typically only a standard that worked for the particular writer who came up with the rule, if even. I thought that as writers, we were supposed to strive for diversity in our craft as a whole, we aren’t all painted in the same shade of grey, and experimenting is supposed to be a good thing. What’s good for the goose may not necessarily be good for the mongoose. I was therefore inspired to come up with some pathway markers for writing that are far less superlative than what we keep seeing popping up on writers’ blogs and trade websites:<br /><br /><br />1. Read a lot. Sounds simple, but not everyone is an avid reader, and if you research literacy statistics, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to put down the TV remote once in a while and read the TV remote instructions... or anything with words in it, like books!<br /><br />2. Write what you know about. This doesn’t mean to ignore subjects you don’t know, but rather to strive to know more about the things you don’t. Research is very important, and if the Schoolhouse Rock gang taught me anything, it’s that it’s great to learn ‘cause knowledge is power!<br /><br />3. Avoid distractions that distract you, and I make the distinction because being alone in a “writing cave” doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes we need that music in the background or the TV on or the spouse trying to kick butt on Call of Duty. It can be pretty inspirational to jot down notes while riding the bus to work, as long as you can avoid the motion sickness!<br /><br />4. Don’t use your exclamation points like I’ve been doing so far. I swear it’s like syrup at the IHOP; it has to go on everything no matter how wrong it is. (!)<br /><br />5. Observe, people in particular. Even Shake-a-speare spent hours looking out his window (he was such a stalker!) just watching folks carrying on with their daily lives. You may hear (or read) me going on about how much I like listening to conversations on the bus ride or at the bus stop, but you’d be surprised at the level of insight you gain on human nature, especially during these intimate yet totally public moments.<br /><br />6. Have a pet at some point in your life, especially one like a cat or a dog that really depends on you. I won’t equate this with children because even people who have children generally feel a different level or type of empathy and love with animals than they do with humans. While I’m not saying one type of love is better than the other, the empathy we have for pets is a good lesson for helping us to create empathy within our people (I personally don’t like the term “characters” as it makes them less real to me), and that’s something I’ve seen a lot of writers struggle with. It’s also just good karma to take care of something (someone) out of the kindness of your heart.<br /><br />7. Start a draft and finish it. Writers are typically very creative to begin with, and all that bubbling inspiration in our brains can sometimes be a hindrance. We like to get our next new idea down and rocketing off into space while ignoring our other red-headed stepchild ideas crying in the corner and begging for a little attention. Take notes on other ideas if you just have to get them down, but writing complete drafts teaches us a very important lesson: we learn to finish our work, avoid procrastination, and to write better endings.<br /><br />8. I’d like to close up by saying it’s pretty good advice to ignore lists like these that try to tell you how to be a better writer and to just go and write your own list. It worked for me, and I’m an expert at ignoring things!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-63875888095082294342013-02-26T00:17:00.002-08:002013-02-26T00:28:43.397-08:00A Fantasy DeferredI’m primarily what most folks might call a fantasy writer, and while I did enjoy reading fantasy growing up, I couldn’t help but feel left out of so many of the books and stories I read. Where were the black folks in Lord of the Rings? Why weren’t there any Latino people in The Never Ending Story (or at least any respectable ones)? Why was She-ra such a second banana to He-man? Fantasy has been one of slowest genres to catch up to the times, which may be due in part to the fact that much of the genre was set in the good old days with the same good old boys fulfilling the same old quests. But I think those of us who still love to read and write it can agree that while it’s not where it probably should be yet, fantasy has made great strides to being more inclusive.<br />
<br />
I’m delighted to see that most fantasy I read now, including those still set with more medieval and renaissance styles, no longer omits the fact that there are other people in the world besides Europeans. Even the stories that are still heavily Eurocentric no longer seem to be those washed over versions of some idealized Britannic society (not that I don’t love my friends across the pond). Contemporary and urban fantasies are no longer considered fringe subgenres, and are, in fact, giving high fantasy a run for its money. Emerging styles like Magical Realism are giving writers a voice who would have normally been completely ignored and marginalized in the past. There are more female, black, Latino, Asian, indigenous, First Peoples, and LGBT writers in Fantasy as well as general fiction. It’s no longer a surprise to see one of our stories set in Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, Peru, or Singapore. It’s now frowned upon to say a race of elves is “evil” simply because they have darker skin than the other elves. And while I do still consider prejudice and marginalization to be facets of human society that can never be fully eliminated, they are no longer the rules of order that aren’t paid any attention simply because the genre was so homogenous.<br />
<br />
So what happens to a fantasy deferred? From the example we’ve set for ourselves, I say it pushes and fights to be told, because no one’s story should ever be silenced simply because a group of people feel it is too different. As they say in France (even if I am using it out of its original context), “Vive La Différence!”
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-38860501024901022062012-12-24T21:13:00.000-08:002012-12-24T22:04:25.923-08:00I'll be Dead for ChristmasThis is my comedic, Holiday-themed short story "I'll be Dead for Christmas". One of the most important elements of the piece was the use of voice, so I thought it would be interesting to create a podcast, of sorts, where I narrate the story for anyone who would like to hear it. The length of the recording is just over 18 minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let me remind you I am in no way a voice actor, and that I don't have the best recording equipment so I sound pretty out of breath as I read. The stupid microphone was so far up my mouth that it caught every single exhalation. However, I still do think that I manage to pull off the voice(s) of the story nice enough and that there might be a few souls out there who would find it entertaining. Enjoy, and please comment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2012/12/25/3379835/Ill%20be%20Dead%20for%20Christmas.mp3" title="Ill be Dead for Christmas.mp3">
Ill be Dead for Christmas.mp3
</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.fileden.com">Free file hosting from File Den</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-85490469117004605682012-10-13T09:50:00.000-07:002012-10-13T09:50:08.758-07:00Peanut Butter and Guava Jelly Bread Pudding<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My culinary experiment this night was to dig up some
nostalgic flavors and combine it with one of my favorite desserts to make and innovate:
bread pudding. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuKKbeWY8yNROcdiaNrZm0yn1ZyJCPgcxvkCCfBbnNYk5aJh4GEGIISthQA5ll2s_FgNSClHZprO7OK014kR9_E0DZs9FQYyT_XAsH185U96ETcaRoE_4O1v_nL96K0cdephrFg4ZbME/s1600/109_0152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuKKbeWY8yNROcdiaNrZm0yn1ZyJCPgcxvkCCfBbnNYk5aJh4GEGIISthQA5ll2s_FgNSClHZprO7OK014kR9_E0DZs9FQYyT_XAsH185U96ETcaRoE_4O1v_nL96K0cdephrFg4ZbME/s400/109_0152.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>About 2 cups of a nice, crusty bread cut into
small cubes, a little larger than crouton size (we get loaves of French bread
daily down here)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>1 cup of milk</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>2 heaping table spoons of peanut butter (acts as
a binder, so you won’t need eggs)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>2 table spoons of guava jelly (homemade by my
grandmother)</div>
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</span></span></span>1 level table spoon of sugar</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (or another sweet spice
preference)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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</span></span></span>1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (excellently heightens
sweet flavors)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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</span></span></span>Pinch of salt (tiny pinch to balance sweetness)</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLm3U5dYBbhEmXihPhbo66j-PnoPYN6H6sM2l4EHeIJWxtcIDQ_xWOhZHLPSJGnq8Hnigx594_iFdFF2SQEOe6B-ARC5r3SWd5O_q5m76_FHfc6gvId_WicTG05PphtrsJx_dzN1ylbE/s1600/109_0154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLm3U5dYBbhEmXihPhbo66j-PnoPYN6H6sM2l4EHeIJWxtcIDQ_xWOhZHLPSJGnq8Hnigx594_iFdFF2SQEOe6B-ARC5r3SWd5O_q5m76_FHfc6gvId_WicTG05PphtrsJx_dzN1ylbE/s320/109_0154.JPG" width="320" /></a>Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Keep your bread cubes
in a bowl that’s big enough to mix everything. A lot of folks make their bread
pudding recipes with crumbier, older bread, but I hate the texture and
consistency of the finished product in the end. Scoop in your peanut butter and
guava jelly along with your dry ingredients. Add your milk slowly, mixing it in
all the while. Use a regular table spoon to mix, and do it gently. You don’t
want to lose too much of that nice cube structure of the bread or for it to
become too soggy. A cup of milk may be too much in the end, so stop once it
looks just mushy enough. The mixture should be soaked in milk, but not swimming
in it.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG85J4KBxeyN-5S2DrsKjjtkZwm1_mQLietovznvnUFDt5-ED82xcUBKrpfehHpQqsjDdAaIbft2bwTItc6bJ6RnlDSvxkTF5ddkN8wxHKUMcgzlVWrccoAeY7dokOzWgDNd9C8-c8nUQ/s1600/109_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG85J4KBxeyN-5S2DrsKjjtkZwm1_mQLietovznvnUFDt5-ED82xcUBKrpfehHpQqsjDdAaIbft2bwTItc6bJ6RnlDSvxkTF5ddkN8wxHKUMcgzlVWrccoAeY7dokOzWgDNd9C8-c8nUQ/s320/109_0155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Your ramekins should not be greased, but a very light
application of cooking spray may be beneficial. Scoop your mush into the
ramekins. The mixture won’t really rise so scoop it in right to the top. Depending
on the size, you should be able to fill 2 or 3 ramekins with this recipe. Place
your ramekins directly on the oven rack (a baking sheet may leave you with
scorched bottoms for your bread pudding. Make sure they are stable on the rack
and won’t fall over. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzlZDZql7-2KQsJKtEEd_pGGf-H0l_UVn0YW-cFozh89Bey0H01BzrRCEB3XyzsQ-ObjuFMvtWz8z1wH809Qd86JEkHvtWphEwzPi9Nkt0Z3qNwZc2j2Rdrtd88Ufz3GaUcqEfBsFnTU/s1600/109_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzlZDZql7-2KQsJKtEEd_pGGf-H0l_UVn0YW-cFozh89Bey0H01BzrRCEB3XyzsQ-ObjuFMvtWz8z1wH809Qd86JEkHvtWphEwzPi9Nkt0Z3qNwZc2j2Rdrtd88Ufz3GaUcqEfBsFnTU/s320/109_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The tops should be a nice golden brown and have some slight charring on the edges when they are done. If you like them
hot (which I recommend) let them cool for just a few minutes so that they are
not scorching. One minute in front of a small fan should be perfect. Otherwise, refrigerate them for a few hours and serve cold (which is
also very good for a late dessert).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Guava jelly may be hard for some of you to get your hands
on. I recommend any other jelly with a more tangy or sour flavor to avoid the
desert being overly sweet. Pineapple, passion fruit, orange, or quince jellies
and jams make excellent substitutes. Some other interesting variations for this
recipe are the “Elvis Bread Pudding” where you substitute sliced bananas for
the jelly. The “Peanut Butter Cup Bread Pudding” is also excellent where you
substitute some chopped dark chocolate (dark chocolate for a richer and more
evident flavor, and it’s healthier) in place of the jelly. Enjoy!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-32660204179776912062012-10-09T08:59:00.000-07:002012-10-09T08:59:55.888-07:00The Next Big ThingI’ve been tagged by Erica Wagner to talk about the novel I have in progress
in her Next Big Thing blog post. The Next Big Thing is where a writer answers
ten questions about a novel he or she is working on, and then tags other
authors to answer the same questions. <b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. What is the title of your Work in
Progress?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Cayuyé </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Where did the idea come from for
the book?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
I’m a member of an online fantasy writers group. Some years back, the site held
a writing challenge to write a flash fiction piece. I wrote a very short story
about a boy who was transported to a pre-Colombian Caribbean island where he
falls in love with a girl there and lives an entire lifetime with her among the
people of the village. The story was originally rooted in a past-life
regression session I had done and I was spiritually motivated to see it all the
way through. I ended up writing an entire screenplay for the story, but
screenplays are hard to sell for first time writers, let alone get
representation. I then decided to write the story as a book. The draft is at
novella length at approximately 25,000 words.</span></div>
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<b>3. What genre does your book fall under?</b><br />
I’d call it romantic fantasy since the love between the main person, Bori, and
his wife, Cayuyé, is the primary story of the book. <br />
<br />
<b>4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie
rendition? </b><br />
I do like movies, but I don’t like actors. I had considered this when I write
the screenplay and planned on casting local Virgin Islanders in the roles,
maybe even some family members. If I had to pick actors, then I’d pick somebody like
Rosario Dawson for Cayuyé. For Bori, I’m thinking somebody like Mark Indelicato
(you might know him as the fashion forward younger brother from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ugly Betty</i>). <br />
<br />
<b>5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Tomas is
a nobody fisher boy in his present life until he wakes up as Bori in a Caribbean,
tribal village where he experiences spiritual growth as the shaman, loss of his
family and friends all around him, and an epic romance that spans across
lifetimes with his wife, Cayuyé.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6. Will your book be self-published
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hoping to
start out with a small publishing house and/or agency representation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<b>7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?</b><br />
About two and a half weeks. When it comes to writing drafts about something I
am really passionate about, I crank them out really fast. The revision process,
though, will probably take a year or so.<br />
<br />
<b>8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre? </b><br />
I’ve never really read anything like this one, although, after I wrote the
flash piece and most of the screenplay, I did notice some striking similarities
with an episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek: The Next
Generation</i> that I had never seen before at the time called “The Inner Light”.
I have no qualms with my writing being compared to Star Trek, and I think my
story is distinct enough to overcome the similarities.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? </b><br />
I had learned about a Camp Nanowrimo project that goes on in the summer, and
considering that prospects for the screenplay were looking pretty slim, I asked
some friends online who had read the screenplay what they thought of turning it
into a book, and they jumped on the idea. I then did it for my Nanowrimo
project, even though it is far below the word count goal. <br />
<br />
<b>10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? </b><br />
It’s an uncommon and interesting setting that has gotten some good reviews from
folks who have read some of it. The simplicity of the lifestyle, and the
personal development Bori has to go through appeal to many readers, I think. I’d
like to think that the book will take a lot of people away to a world they may
have a fledgling idea of what it’s about, but not what it’s like to immerse
themselves in such a dynamic culture. Also, I think the ending will leave folks
feeling really uplifted and probably with a few tears. I sure cried a lot writing
this one. <br />
<br />
<b>Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you
have tagged.</b><br />
<br />
Erica Wagner tagged me: <a href="http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/">http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
I tagged Daniel Ausema: <a href="http://danielausema.blogspot.com/">http://danielausema.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3809013839120007672.post-45601995991381671622012-10-08T05:27:00.000-07:002012-10-08T05:27:10.169-07:00Three Novellas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Figures a Santo-Rican guy is writing novellas, but I don’t
quite mean Spanish soap operas. I have three short novels written out of approximately
thirty thousand words each. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first is an urban fantasy called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass City</i>. It’s set in a pseudo real world city on an island off
the East Coast. The city glitters like a diamond, but it has a dark secret.
Races of dark creatures, collectively known as mongrels, roam the streets at
night among the human populace. June is returning to her prodigal home to
attend the university, but her childhood sweetheart has plans to make her into
a vampire. David is a nerdy freshman at the university who falls prey to some
vicious women who make him into a homunculus. Maya, one of the hotties who
seduced and transformed David, is a reluctant member of a coven of shadowy
warlocks and must decide how she will deal with such an evil alliance. Carlos
is a bouncer at a local club who catches the eye of the werewolf matriarch and
is transformed to join her pack. Their stories intertwine as they fight each
other, find ways to work together, and maybe even figure out how to get out of
this godforsaken city once and for all. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass
City</i> is currently complete and fully revised and is in the works to be
queried with potential publishers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass City 2: Breath
and Skin</i> is the second installment in the series. It follows the stories of
David, the homunculus, and Maya, the warlock who made him what he is. They
narrowly escape Glass City only to find new enemies on their trail and a
potential helping hand in New York City. Can they get over the twisted
circumstances that brought them together and will the new romance budding
between them survive? This book is a complete draft and is currently being
revised and edited.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cayuyé </i>is an epic
romance across eras. Tomas is a nobody in his present-day life. While out on a
fishing trip, his boat capsizes and he wakes up in a Caribbean, tribal village
where a young woman claims he is her husband, Bori. Unable to escape his new home,
Tomas accepts his new identity and the simple joys his life on the island
brings. He ends up living an entire lifetime discovering the spiritual side of
his people, coping with loss and family conflict at every turn, and learning the
mystery about the love of his life, Cayuyé. This book is a complete draft and
is currently being revised and edited.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those are my three big writing projects. Wish me luck.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07748695280619099640noreply@blogger.com0