Tag Archives | fantasy

Dragon Empire Blog Tour!

By on February 11, 2013 in book reviews
I love hosting other authors because releasing a book out into the wild is exciting and scary! Here’s the latest from Heather McCorkle!

Today we’re celebrating the release of Heather McCorkle’s fantasy novel, The Dragon Empire! For today’s stop Heather is answering the following question:

The world you created in The Dragon Empire is very elaborate. How did you keep track of everything?

Heather: I created a notebook and put everything about the world in it. I wrote up pages on each type of dragon, each island, each character, the different creatures and cultures, and even drew maps of the world. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!

 

Here is a bit about it:

On Yacrana dragons are the advanced species. But advanced doesn’t always mean civilized…

There’s trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind.

While The Dragon Empire is for ages young adult and up, it does contain mild violence and some difficult subject matter. 
Comments { 7 }

Seeing past the stereotypes.

By on October 1, 2012 in The Maya

Stereotypes.

We all have them. I know I do and I hate catching myself judging a person or place by their typical stereotype. I think of Texas and I see cactus and tumbleweeds. I think Dallas and I see big hair and lots of make up. Living in northern New England, I see the stereotype of New Englanders in action.

Sarcasm, fast-talking, aloof, educated…etc. And to some degree those are true. But beyond the stereotype are really nice people full of compassion. No, we don’t wear our emotions on our sleeves or chat up every single person we run into, like Southerners do. (Stereotype.) I swear I went into McDonald’s in the South and the girl behind the counter took five minutes to list the salad dressings.

But these stereotypes reach into fiction too.

I cringe when I read books where the churchgoers or the cheerleaders or the jocks are branded by the actions of just a few people, and I’m on the receiving end of that stereotype. These stereotypes usually create a villain where there isn’t one in real life.

These stereotypes appeared in ancient history too.

Medieval Europe was considered the center of the world. That was the happening place to be. Even though the commoners lived with their animals, and streams of sewage ran through their homes and in the streets and they rarely showered.

But over in Central America…who were these native people running around in nothing but loincloths? They must be backwards, not very smart, and just brutal to tear out the hearts of their sacrifices.

photo credit

Come to find out they charted the stars, made room in their calendars for leap year, knew to shower daily and keep clean and kept recorded histories of their people. They built awesome temples without cranes or beasts of burden. While people were dropping like flies from the bubonic plague over in Europe, the natives on this other continent were thriving.

I find this completely ironic and amusing. Facts like this only made researching the Maya that much more fascinating.

Of course, now I need to cleanse myself of the stereotypes I have of medieval Europe. J

In How To Survive Ancient Spells and Crazy Kings, I worked hard to build a believable world of the Ancient Maya, weaving in their culture and their way of life through the eyes of a girl on an adventure to rescue her grandfather.

What’s the stereotype of where you live and how is it wrong? Or right?

Comments { 21 }

HAPENNY MAGICK-What if trolls were to invade your village?

By on November 9, 2011 in book reviews, publishing industry, social media

Welcome author Jennifer Carson and her soon-to-be-released middle grade novel! She’s a friend, crit partner, and an incredibly gifted artist and writer. You name it, she can do it. Read on to find out about HAPENNY MAGICK and Jennifer’s decision to fund her project with Kickstarter.

UPDATE: HAPENNY MAGICK HAS BEEN FULLY FUNDED! YAY!

As the tiniest Hapenny, a race of little people, Maewyn Bridgepost spends her days from breakfast to midnight nibble scrubbing the hearth, slopping the pigs, and cooking for her guardian, Gelbane, who never spares a kind word. As if life as a servant isn’t bad enough, Mae learns that Gelbane is a troll—and Hapennies are a troll delicacy.

Years ago, a spell trapped Gelbane in Mae’s village. Ever since, Gelbane has been chiseling away the magic spells that guard the village and now Mae’s community is destined to become a smorgasbord for half-starved trolls.

Tell us a little history behind the story.

Hapenny Magick began its literary life as a picture book manuscript, which is kind of funny, because so did To Find A Wonder! I wonder when I’m going to learn that I’m long winded? Anyway, I had asked a writing friend, who is a picture book author, to look it over. I kept thinking that something was missing–it just wasn’t right. And she said, “It sounds like the synopsis of a longer story.” The lightbulb went on and three years later, here’s Hapenny Magick. Thanks, Deb!

How did your love for the Renaissance and Middle Ages develop?

I’ve been enamored with these time periods since I was thirteen. That fall was the first time my parents took my to the Ren Fair in Michigan where I grew up. It became a tradition after that to go on my birthday. I love the richness of the language and the fact that, before REAL scientific methods were introduced, anything was possible.

Why the decision to publish through a small start-up small press?

I tried for a couple of years to find a traditional publisher that would pick up HAPENNY MAGICK and run with it, but deep down I knew this book wasn’t meant for mainstream media. There were no farting dogs, butt cracks or vampires. The story unfolds like a classic fairy tale and the market for these kinds of books right now are seen by the mass media as too slow to gamble on. Mass media outlets are great, don’t get me wrong, but they tend to not take risks and to produce the same kind of media message over and over again–the “payday” message if you will. That’s why we have not just one CSI but three. HAPENNY MAGICK isn’t a trendy book. It is a classic story that I’m hoping will become one of your favorites.

I went through a small press with TO FIND A WONDER and I could have gone back to that same press and published HAPENNY MAGICK, but I decided to give it a shot myself. I had the art connections and a husband that was supportive of the idea. I just needed the money to get the project through its final stages, and that’s where Kickstarter.com came in.

What exactly is Kickstarter? I’m curious.

Kickstarter is a site where people can support the arts and invention through donations that earn them rewards from the creators of the projects themselves. And the great thing is, when you pledge your support, if the project doesn’t meet its funding goal, you don’t pay. So you aren’t donating to something that may not come to fruition.

You can check out my Kickstarter site here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jennifercarson/hapenny-magick-a-story-with-humor-and-heart

Thanks, Laura, for having me on your blog and for helping me spread the word! I’ve got 6 days to go to meet my goal!

Laura again. I’ve read this story from the first draft to the final. It’s a whimsical fun story filled with danger and magic. The illustrations through out the story are incredible. I’m buying one for niece. And for myself, of course.

And did you know that your donation will buy you copy? Pretty cool. Her first middle grade book, TO FIND A WONDER, is for sale on Amazon. The Kindle version is only 2.99! Check it out.

Please check out Kris Asselin’s blog for more information on Pugalicious Press. They are accepting submissions!

Here’s an illustration in progress from HAPENNY MAGICK.

And here’s the cover with Jennifer’s hand crafted doll of Maewyn, the hapenny.

Thanks Jennifer for sharing your work. I hope you get this book fully funded because kids are going to love it!

Comments { 16 }

MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE (creeeeepy) (in a good way)

By on September 21, 2011 in book reviews

MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE reminded me of Coraline with a Burtonesque edge. The book really should have been titled, A Surprise On Every Page.

If you look past the exciting elements that make the story pop and come alive…

What elements are those you ask?

Oh, nothing much. Just unicorns, cursed magical kingdoms, talking frogs, a flying beast, and THE creepiest villain that would make even Jack Sparrow quake in his tall black boots. (And that’s the short list.)

As I was saying cut through the aspects that keep the pages flipping faster than French toast… (Okay, not sure how fast that really is but I liked the alliteration.) (Humor me.)

… and at the heart of this story is a girl struggling with choices she has to make. Her struggles beat through ever scene, every page, every crazy event that happens. It all comes back to Jenny. Jenny the Adventurer. And is that what she really wants to be.

And that is what elementary girls will find when they read this delightful but creepy unfairy tale.

Note to Tim Burton: Seriously, you should buy the options to make this book into a film. It’s your thing. Trust me.

Comments { 22 }
Follow Me