A Writer's Journey

As fiction writers we make an incredible journey. It begins with envisioning a book concept and developing believable characters with precisely the right voice for telling the tale. We nurture the concept and characters and tweak them till they are just right. After much preliminary work we begin the actual art of storytelling - putting it all on paper, hopefully in a manner that engages our readers bringing them happily into the fictional world we have created - immersed and enthralled in the tapestry of the story threads. The tale is written, rewritten, polished and edited until we feel it is finally ready for submission to the ever elusive publisher.

The task of researching publishers that are looking for the particular type of work we have created, coming up with a "can't miss" marketing plan, querying said publisher and nervously awaiting their response is an arduous task. Will our story be embraced, or will we receive the infamous letter of rejection? Anxiously we wait to hear - it can be days, weeks, even months before the verdict of the publisher's interest or decision to pass is made known to us. The wait is grueling. If the publisher is interested, will a partial manuscript or the entire manuscript be requested? Once again, you find yourself playing a waiting game, repeatedly checking your mailbox and hoping for the offer of a contract. Only time will reveal the publisher's final decision to embrace your work or decline it leaving you to begin the publishing search again.

Finally, your labor of hard work and love has been accepted by a publisher...and there are more edits and polishing that take place. At long last it is beginning to look like your dream is about to become a reality. Soon you will be able to hold your book in your hands, and, more importantly get it to your readers - the fans that will embrace your story and clamor for the sequel.

I’ve been very fortunate with two books to my credit – The Destineers’ Journal of Fantasy Nations, a young adult guide book to the members of the fantasy nations and If Wishes Were Fishes, a humorous picture book teaching kids people may mean what they say, they just don’t always say what they mean…clearly. To find out more, please visit my author's site or my fantasy site, the Cybrarie.

I am so excited – this is one of my favorite weeks of the year – when the Muse Online Writers Conference takes place. I am like a kid in a candy store - there are publishers and agents in attendance wanting to find out about your current work, many wonderful writers, editors and illustrators from all over the world to network with and so many wonderful workshops to participate in. Bookmark my blog and check back often to see some of the things I learn from these wonderful classes. Hope to see you here often!

Fantasy Revisited

With great excitement I watched the JK Rowling interview that recently aired on the Oprah Winfrey show. I am a huge fan of her work. As we all know, I love to immerse myself in the world of fantasy – and her books are some of the best of this generation. The mere thought of the possibility of books 8, 9 and 10 were like catnip to me, the muse was flowing and my own beloved Netherscape (and another current work in progress) sprang to life. The words flew easily and it felt wonderful. In case you haven’t seen it – here’s part one – it’s a great interview well, worth the time to watch.

Magical Monday

Wow!! This has been surreal. First and formost, Bobby and I want to thank everyone for their support and votes in this year's Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. The Destineers’ Journal of Fantasy Nations placed 8th in it's category of Sci Fi and Fantasy. With over 100 nominees in the category...we are speechless and humbled and want to reach out to thank everyone for making this possible. We are definitely going to be celebrating over at the Cybrarie !

Next, I received samples of pictures for my picture book: If Wishes Were Fishes. This book is scheduled for release from my wonderful publisher, 4RV, in October of this year. I am sooooo excited!

Mondays are, indeed, magical!

Celebrating Wild Things

As I wrote about Tuesday in the Sci-Fi Fantasy new release feature, a fur-covered edition is being released of the beloved classic 1963 children’s picture book, Where the Wild Things Are by American writer Maurice Sendak.

For anyone who may not be familiar with the book, it tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home, in a wolf costume "making mischief" by chasing the dog with a fork and growling at his mother. His mother sends him to bed without supper as a punishment. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest grows out of his very active imagination, and Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things. The Wild Things are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max conquers them "by staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once", and becomes "the King of all Wild Things". However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick, and he returns home to his bedroom, where he finds his supper waiting for him, still hot.

The cinematic release, based on this book, will be in the middle of October. Today, over on the Destineers blog, “wild things” from the fantastic realm are being featured. As always, you can find more about these fantastical beings in The Destineers Journal of Fantasy Nations and posted in the classrooms in The Cybrarie. I hope you’ll take a moment to stop by and explore some of the more wild fantastical beings for yourself.

New Things Coming...Magic is in the Air!

Ahhhh…this is the season, the time of year when summer break is coming to a close and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils fills the air as students begin to prepare to return to school. Things are no different for the Destineers as they prepare to return to Greenbrier Academy. The professors are planning their lessons which they will, of course, be posting in the Cybrarie, and on the Destineers blog. Things have been pretty quiet over on that blog – the gang has been busy having adventures, following quests and keeping the Netherscape safe from the tyranny of Deimos and the Clan of Ares sen Feear, but a new school year is coming.

I hope you will join us as we learn more about the fantasy realms with classes like Dragon Training and Mythical Beings. The schedule planned now is for classes to post Tuesdays and Thursdays to both the blog and the Cybrarie . Right now, the professors are busy supplying their classrooms and giving the blog a facelift to have a more magical feel, the link is live now if you want a sneak peek. Hope we’ll be seeing you there!

In the meantime, how about a little game to spice things up? Christy Condoleo is launching her new book tomorrow (Friday, August 7) with a scavenger hunt! Really - how cool is that? You visit her site which will lead you to another author's site to hunt for an answer to answer a question. I believe there are seven sites involved. You get to visit some great author sites, learn a little about them (and I hear the Destineers will be on one of the stops!), and have some fun. Submit your answers to Christie for a chance to win her new book! Sounds like a lot of fun - I know I'll be making the tour!

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Fantasy Friday's Fantastical Character of the Day: The Seer

As Fridays are the day the Cybrarian posts reviews of books from the realm of fantasy, science fiction, and the paranormal, I have decided to use Friday as a day to introduce one the beings from The Destineers Journal of Fantasy Nations that is featured in the book being reviewed by the Cybrarian.

There are many beings in the world of fantasy. Many of them have special gifts and magical abilities. The Seer has the special gift of foresight – the gift of precognition that allows them to see images or shadows of things yet to be. Those with the abilities of the Seer have the supernatural ability to see things hidden from others. Sometimes this is a magical object that is otherwise invisible; sometimes it is the shadow of something that will happen in the near future. They have the ability to speak to the spirits, often through a dreamlike trance, and receive messages from these spirits. Seers are revered because of their rare power to see the future at will and are sought by those in high power to serve as their top advisor, thereby keeping them safe from their enemies.

While those who do not possess this gift think it would be truly one of the most amazing powers to have, those who have this true sight often feel it to be more of a curse than a blessing. The life of a Seer can be a very draining life path; they cannot always suppress their visions and when they inadvertently stumble upon the energy left behind by others it can often lead to strange and disturbing visions. These visions can be quite intense and can happen anytime and anywhere. For the Seer, the shadows of things soon to be, are everywhere.

This week’s Cybrarian’s book review explores the adventure packed science fiction novel, The Seer , by G. Clifton Wisler. Why not click over and check it out? Don't forget to check the website for other great things happening at the Cybrarie! Just a thought...


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Magical Monday

The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish.
~Terence McKenna

Magic is most associated to occur in the fantasy genre, but the truth of the matter is, elements of magic sometimes crossover into other genres. Think of the magic of reanimation at the hands of a mad scientist in Mary Shelly’s horror classic, Frankenstein, or the blend of science and fantastical make believe in Jules Vern’s classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Certain elements of books that may place it into a fantasy category (or sub-category) are things like a quest: a journey spurred by a prophecy or some foresight gained in a dream. In this pursuit the hero and his comrades set forth on adventure to gain some higher level of knowledge often used to save an individual or a world that propels them onward. It is always a search for something important and difficult to find. There are always challenges and obstacles along the way allowing the hero to gain knowledge, strength, self-confidence and the determination to let nothing stand in his way. The journey of the quest is just as important as the achievement of accomplishing the task for this is where the true knowledge and power are gained. This is one of the fundamentals of fantasy for children and young adults that teaches an important lesson – there is an inner strength inside everyone that can be drawn out with the proper emphasis on knowledge and a growing self-confidence; you just need the proper motivation and determination to draw it out.

Often the cast of characters will classify the novel in the realm of fantasy. There are classic characters such as wizards and dwarves, elves and dragons, but there are countless creatures taken from mythology (and authors own imaginations) that can propel the story into an epic adventure. If you are unfamiliar with the characters from the realm of fantasy, The Destineers’ Journal of Fantasy Nations serves as a good guide. It describes many familiar fantasy creatures, such as dwarves, elves, dragons and those not as familiar such as the Formorians, a savage tribe of giants; the Grindylow, green gangly underwater beings that live in icy waters; the Pech, members of the gnome family credited as aboriginal builders of many of the ancient megaliths; in the journal, their stories are told from the voice of a 15 year old girl who has studied these beings on her epic journey through the Netherscape. The appearance of certain imaginative beings in a fantastical adventure is inevitable, and often a reader may gleam reflections of a parallel to their world and the fantastical realm and begin to identify with the hero and his companions as they weave the tapestry of their story. The fantasy world is a familiar world after all. Who has not grown up in the realm of fairy tales in the familiar world of Once Upon a Time? Just a thought....


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