What Makes Lasting Fantasy - Part II

A little over a month ago, I started a mini blog series on what I think makes lasting fantasy. You can read Part I - A Clear Definition of Good and Evil over here.

Part II - Persistent Characters

While the story has to be well written, characters are what really draw people in. You can have all the action in the world, but if your characters are all one-dimensional twits, it will be hard to keep people interested. 

Let's look at Harry Potter, for example. When you think of the series, what comes to mind first? The battles? The storyline? Or do you immediately start picturing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Voldemort? 

Let's try it with Lord of the Rings, now. While the battles are awesome in that series, the characters are definitely front and center. 

A good fantasy novel not only allows us to align ourselves with good (or bad, if that's your thing), but it gives us a stake in the whole thing. We stick with the same characters throughout the book (or series). All of us develop our favorites, like we're following a sports team. A good example of that is the whole "Team Jacob" vs "Team Edward" thing (I'm totally "Team Charlie", by the way). In order to keep us hooked, we need that consistency to really invest ourselves emotionally in the books. 

I think that's one place George R. R. Martin has failed. I have not read his most recent book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance with Dragons, but I have read the others in the series. By the last book, I found my attention wavering. Martin has a habit of killing off his characters. He would build one up, get you attached to them, only to cut them down later on. It became very frustrating and was one of the reasons I stopped reading (you can read the other reasons here). 

This topic also brings up another point. To have persistent characters, you really need more than one novel. The most prominent works in fantasy are all series: Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. I'm having a very tough time thinking of a solo book that really stands out. 

Do you think persistent characters are needed to really get into a book/series? Who are your favorite characters? Do you know of a lasting fantasy book that defies the need for persistent characters across a series?

The Next Big Thing

There aren't too many of the blog tagging games I like to participate in, but this one is pretty cool. It gives authors a chance to showcase their current WIP. The lovely MaryBeth Mulhall tagged me. Make sure you check out her post and the others she tagged. It's a great way to discover a new book/author! So here you go. A sneak peek at my upcoming novel!

Coming soon to an ebook-store near you!

What is the working title of your book? The Seven Keys of Alaesha

Where did the idea come from for the book? I wanted to write a YA book. I knew it would be fantasy, but that was about the only information I had. So I just started writing and the idea formed itself.

What genre does your book fall under? YA Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Very tough question. I don't usually think in terms of actors when I write. Let's see...

Edith - I have two possible options for this one. I think Dakota may do a better job, but I really adore Emily.

Dakota Fanning
Image from IMDB

Emily Browning
Image from IMDB

Charles - I can't think of anyone that really fits Charles, but possibly Anton Yelchin.

Anton Yelchin
Image from IMDB

Dana - I had a hard time with this one. I think Brie may make a good cheerleader brat.

Brie Larson
Image from IMDB

Alex - Hunter Parrish has always played a mostly good kid, but I think he'd be a really great sexy bad guy.

Hunter Parrish
Image from IMDB

Mags - Alison Lohman won me over in White Oleander. I think she's a bit young-looking for the role, but with a little makeup and a few donuts, she'd be perfect. And she has the right personality for it.

Alison Lohman
Image from IMDB

Ollie -  With a few cosmetic adjustments, I think Fang would be wonderful. I wonder how I'd contact Hagrid...

Fang
Image from Harry Potter Wiki

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Edith Myers finds herself an unwitting key player in an inter-dimensional civil war.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published, but I might rework it and add a bit more to try to sell it. We'll see how things go. I have so  many other books to write that I might leave it as is.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Honestly, I tend to write quickly. I've been noshing on ideas for the book and pecking away at it for months, but the bulk of it was knocked out in a month. (It will be finished today, actually.)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Simply because I've read it recently and it definitely influenced my work a bit, I would say Iron King by Julie Fagawa

Who or What inspired you to write this book? I've always loved reading YA fantasy, and after taking a class by Marie Lamba, I really wanted to write something in the genre.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Seven Keys is a YA fantasy that is a bit unique. It doesn't involve faeries, vampires, werewolves, or the like, but it still has that mystical element to it. And it has unicorns. Keys, bows, and unicorns. What more could you want?

The lovely authors I'm tagging are:
Myndi Shafer
Merry Farmer
Robin Waldrop
JR Tague (Snuck her in here a day late, but she's awesome, so she needs to be tagged)

Yes, I cheated and only tagged 3 instead of 5.

And here are their questions. (Same as mine, nothing fancy). Thanks ladies!


What is the working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Who You Are Determines What You Play

What kind of gamer are you? Emily Reese is here today to discuss how your personality determines what kind of games you enjoy (and reveal her addiction to Bioware). Thanks for stopping by, Emily!

Bioware's newest MMO: Star Wars: The Old Republic

Who You Are Determines What You Play
By Emily Reese


Before I met my husband, I had regulated playing video games to a bro-like activity and total waste of time. Since that fateful day seven years ago, I have been slowly assimilated into the gaming community to the point of surpassing my spouse’s talent in certain games or genres. We each have our must-haves; we are known by sight at our local Gamestop and each of us has attended a midnight launch or two. Yet we play for such different reasons that our tastes are nearly polar opposite. Case in point, the Blizzard vs. Bioware discussion.

My husband, Ryan, loves developer giant Blizzard. World of Warcraft was the bane of my existence in our early years. Hell, it was so much a part of both our lives we were asked to contribute to a sociology book written to help people understand why MMORPGs were so popular. I wrote a research proposal as an undergrad for a study on how Social Penetration Theory is the opposite in MMORPGs from real life… but I digress. (I will try to keep my degree dorking-out to a minimum.)

My point is, through study and experience, I began to recognize why people play/like different kinds of games. It comes down to the type of person you are and what you want to get out of your entertainment.

Emily's husband, Ryan, spends his time immersed in the World of Warcraft from Blizzard

Ryan, while using video games to relax, also likes to feel like he accomplished something during his downtime. He’s only satisfied if he can look back and say, “I did this, this, and this today.” He has no real issue with repeating the same scenario multiple times, as long as he continually improves on the execution. In the WoW and Diablo franchises (both by Blizzard,) this is the natural progression of the game. Once you hit a level cap, you do the same thing again, only this time harder. Recently, the epitome of this on consoles is Dark Souls (developer From Software,) in which everything is ridiculously hard, you die often, and there’s only a shadow of a linear storyline. For me, it’s death, slow and painful. For him, completely clearing an area intact after five straight hours is something to be celebrated.

As for me, I would snort a game by developer Bioware up my nose with a twenty in front of a squad of narcotics officers. When playing through the most recent Mass Effect (Mass Effect 3) release, I cried and mourned for a character, (R.I.P. Thane.) I worried over my decisions and their long reaching effects. How much Salarian support do I need to save the galaxy? Am I the kind of person that would leave the Genophage uncured and doom the Krogan? I replay these games multiple times, not to do anything better, (I know the kind of character I want to be,) but to experience new romance options, a feat nearly impossible in real life.

Emily prefers to kick butt and take names in Mass Effect 3, Bioware's baby

“It’s just a game,” you say, and you are right. But the reason I play makes it a completely different experience. For me, video games are an escape; they are movies wherein I control (somewhat) the script as it unfolds. Bioware games are heavy in narrative the way teens are heavy in sarcasm (or at least the attempt to use it.) Yes, you still fight things, go on quests, etc., but the key to success is in the relationships you build with other NPCs. Get a companion character to like you and they will perform more efficiently. Get them to love you, and they receive major bonuses, (not to mention the sweet but laughable PG sex scenes.) For Ryan, this is a waste of his time. He would rather just shoot things and move on. For me, these are in depth immersions into fictional worlds where every choice has a consequence, and every interaction could be the deciding factor on whether or not you, and your team, make it out alive.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how much our video game preferences come down to who we are. I’m an author. I like to create fantasy worlds and the characters that live inside them. If I want a happy ending, it will happen. If it cheapens things, it won’t. Either way it’s my prerogative. My husband is a very driven individual; he knows where he wants to be and the steps he needs to take to get there. He executes them easily, and most of the time I envy him.

Then I fall in love with an old friend, save the galaxy against insurmountable odds, and do it all with an unscathed squad of compatriots. Not to brag… much.


Send me your pictures! At the end of this month, I will be doing a compilation of all the awesome photos I receive from fellow female gamers. If you're a girl and you're a gamer, take your picture with a sign that says you're a gamer and/or your favorite video game and send it to me at samantha@samantha-warren.com. Be as creative as you like, just keep it PG-13. 

Don't forget the prizes! For every post you comment on this month, you will be entered into a drawing to win either Call of Duty: Black Ops II* or Guild Wars 2* (or another game of your choice of similar value). All you have to do is comment!

Emily Reese is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and author. She lives in Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas with her family, two contrary cats, and Zoe the Wonderpug. Her first book, Second Death, was released in 2011. She is currently working on the sequel as well as the first book in yet another series. Her book is available on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

What Makes Lasting Fantasy: Part I

Today I'm going to start a five-part blog series about what I think makes a fantasy story that can stand the test of time. Most of the examples I'm going to refer to will be series, because those seem to be the ones that stand out the most.

Part I: A Clear Definition Between Good And Evil

I'm all for a good book that can blur the lines, but honestly, I haven't found one that I'd call a "classic" that can do it well. All of the books that I would call my favorites, the ones that I want to read again and again, clearly define who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Some minor characters can waffle a bit and the main characters obviously make mistakes, but the protagonists and antagonists know their roles and stick to them.

Examples:

Harry Potter - Harry Potter is a classic example. Good guys: Harry, Ron, Hermione. Epic bad guy: Voldemort. There is no question throughout the entire series where these two parties fall. You know who the bad guy is and you know whose job it is to take him down.

Lord of the Rings - Again, a very clear definition. Good guys: The Fellowship, the elves, the Rohirrim, you name it. There are a lot of good guys in this series, and most of them are awesome.  Epic bad guys: Sauron, Saruman, the orcs, pretty much anything associated with Mordor.

Star Wars - Another perfect example. Good guys: The Jedi, the Rebels, Han, etc. Bad guys: The Sith, the Empire

Clear cut sides give us something to cheer for without fear of hitching our ponies to the bad guy in disguise.

Exceptions:
I honestly can't think of any really timeless fantasy books where there isn't an obvious "good vs bad" battle. I can think of characters who don't necessarily fall on one side or the other (Snape and Boromir for example), but no books. I initially thought of Frankenstein here, but decided against it in the end as most of the notion of the monster being bad comes from the movies, not the book itself.

 One of my most favorite movie scenes ever 

How many of your favorite books follow this rule? Can you think of any exceptions?

The Real Hero of Harry Potter

Harry gets all the credit. It is his story, after all, but who is the real hero of Harry Potter? For me, the answer is simple.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Without Hermione, both Ron and Harry would've been dead repeatedly. Not only that, but she held them together when they were ready to rip each other to pieces, acting as the glue in their little trio of heroes. Her powers of observation were unmatched and she was a mental sponge, absorbing all sorts of knowledge that kept them out of trouble numerous times. She was also the mastermind behind Dumbledore's Army, a group of children that played an absolutely crucial role in The Deathly Hallows. Not to mention that she took on one of the craziest, deadliest witches to ever live and didn't get herself killed. Those are just a small handful of the things she did to aid Harry on his quest to vanquish Voldemort and save the poor house-elves from their lives in slavery.

Who do you think is the real hero of Harry Potter? Harry? Hermione? Ron? Mrs. Weasley? Chime in!

What's In A Name?

Hello, my name is Samantha. When you meet someone, what is the first information you usually give them? Your name. Names are such an important part of any culture, in some moreso than others, but everyone has a name of some sort. And all names have meanings.

Samantha: Listener 

I believe I fit my name pretty well. I'm an introvert, so I tend to do a lot more listening than speaking. I've actually been told I'd make a good psychiatrist because of it, but all those classes make me shudder.

My grandmother's name is Myrtle. Shhhh, no one is supposed to know that. She goes by her middle name. But her name fits her very well, as well. The Tree. She is solid and steady, there if anyone needs her, and she's stubborn as a pine that refuses to fall down in a storm.

So here's my question of the day: Do people grow to fit their names? 

How about you? What's your name mean? Does it fit you? There are many sites you can go to to find out meanings. A couple are below. Share your findings with us!
Name Meanings
Meaning of Names
Behind the Name

Sneak Peek: Blood Moon

Happy Sunday! I was trying to come up with a fun post idea on this lazy chilly morning and thought, Hey, maybe my readers would like a little glimpse into the next Jane book. So here you go, folks. A tiny peek at Blood Moon. Enjoy!

The clang of metal rang through the hills behind the ranch. Anyone within earshot must have wondered when they were ported back to fourteenth century England and why anyone was fighting in the dead of night. I panted as I lowered my sword and raised a hand for respite, trying desperately to catch my breath. An image of Ado's last moments flashed in front of my eyes and I gritted my teeth. Shaking my head to clear the thought, I glared up at Felipe.

"Please tell me again why you're making me learn to use such an archaic weapon?"

He was stretching in front of me, his own sword nestled snuggly in the sheath by his side. "It is important you know as many forms of defense as possible. You never know when you'll need to use something that isn't going to blow a huge hole in the side of a building."

He flashed me a glimpse of his perfectly white teeth and I melted at his winning smile. He was lucky he was cute. Sighing, I raised my sword again and squared off. "Alright, let's do this."

Felipe's grin grew and he slid his sword from its home, bringing it arcing around and toward my head in one swift motion. I barely got my own weapon up in time to block the blow and I could feel the vibrations through my arms as the two swords met.

A loud buzzing noise brought a premature end to our bout. Scowling, Felipe lowered his sword and plucked the cell phone from his hip. "Yes?"

"Hey man, it's Jax. I need your advice on something."

"I'm a little busy at the moment. Can it wait?" Felipe rolled his eyes, ready to hang up the phone.

"Yeah, I guess." I could hear the stress in Jax's voice through the phone and gave Felipe my best 'your friend needs you' look.

My wonderful husband opened his mouth to argue with me, then sighed and rolled his eyes again. "Hang on. I'll be back there in a few."

Jax's tone perked up noticably. "Thanks man. I'll be on your porch."

Felipe closed the phone and glared at me. "You just don't want to spar anymore."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, letting the flat of the sword slap playfully against his backside. "Well, that is definitely an added bonus. But he sounded upset. And it won't hurt to take a break. We've been out here for over an hour."

"Alright, alright. I'll see you back home soon." He kissed my forehead and disappeared into the trees surrounding the field where we sparred.

I plopped down into the grass, gazing up at the moonless night. The stars shone brightly, but without the moon, it was dark outside, even to a vampire. A glimpse of light drew my attention and I watched the little glowing ball bounce up and down as it grew bigger. It followed the path through the woods from the house and I could easily see the shadow behind it, even from that distance. I waited where I was, resting my head back into the soft pillow Mother Earth provided, examining the heavens above. The light grew bright enough where I had to squint until it suddenly went out. As it did, I felt the grass move beside me and heard a snort as someone settled down.

I let my head flop to the side, raising an eyebrow at the scrawny boy. It took me a minute to remember he couldn't see my raised eyebrow. "What's up, Robbie?"

He let out a soft sigh before answering. "Oh, nothing."

I laughed a little. "You're out here in the middle of the night when I know you're afraid of the dark, and you have a pretty big frown on your face. What's up?"

The young man turned his head and glared at me. I shot him a grin that he couldn't see before he turned back to look at the stars. He was quiet for a bit and I didn't push.

Several minutes had passed before he spoke. "Jane, how do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?" I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I needed to hear him say it first.

"It." He had a hard time getting the words out, but once he wrapped his mind around what he was trying to say, they flooded out. "You know, death. Losing someone so close to you, losing someone who means more to you than the world. He was my best friend, he was my mentor. He was like my father. I never had a dad, but when he took me on as his assistant, he didn't just treat me like I was an employee or a grunt. I've seen the way the other assistants were treated. He didn't treat me like that. He was always there for me whenever I needed him. Even when I didn't want him to be. He was..."

His voice broke and he turned over, burying his face in his arm as sobs wracked his body. I sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder, waiting until his tears receded enough so he could hear me. Finally, he sat up and wiped his face.

"Sorry, Jane. I didn't mean to do that."

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close to me. "Don't ever be sorry about that, Robbie. Losing someone you love dearly is one of the worst things you could ever go through. I thought losing Steven was going to kill me. Oddly enough, I guess it kind of did." I frowned at that thought, then shook my head. "Anyway, what you're going through right now is normal. Don't ever be ashamed to feel that kind of pain. Don't try to hide it, and don't try to make it go away. It will get better with time, but it's necessary to grieve for those you've loved and lost. Don't let anyone ever tell you it's not."

He sniffled and I'm pretty sure he wiped his nose on my shirt. I tried my best not to gag or yell at him. "But Felipe and Jax never cry. They were like statues at Father Bellini's funeral."

He pulled away and crossed his arms, a look of pure anger on his face. I brushed his cheek with my finger, wiping away some of the tears. "They were, that's true. It was all they could do to keep from killing anyone who spoke to them. They locked their anger and hurt inside, and it was almost destructive to both of them. But they both wept, as well. They wept privately, where few could see. And they both still suffer greatly, but they're finding ways to deal with the hurt. Sometimes their ways could be better," I said as I glanced toward a splintered tree at the edge of the woods. "But they're trying and learning."

Robbie sighed again and drew up his knees to wrap his arms around them. I rested my chin on his shoulder and my forehead against his ear. We sat there for awhile in the still night, listening to the sounds of the dark and watching the stars. A light wind came up and rustled the grass. On the brief gust of air, I noticed a smell--one we had been taught to be aware of and keen to. One that we were supposed to kill.

Til Death (Jane #5) Now Available!

You heard that right! Your favorite snarky vampire is back in the fifth installment of Jane. And as usual, Jane manages to get herself into quite a mess as she tangles with the wrong vampires. Will this bride-to-be come out on top? Or will her wedding day spell the end for her?

Available on Kindle and Nook. If you need other formats, please contact me directly.

Guest Post: Recipe for a Hero—and Other Character Lessons from Stargate

When Samantha and I were tossing around the idea of a guest post for her blog, I mentioned that I’m a Stargate addict. Samantha then sheepishly confessed that she hadn’t seen it before. Once I picked myself up off the floor and scrambled back into my chair, I decided that I would use my guest post to convince her to “get in the gate.” **Note from Samantha: Janelle's enthusiasm convinced me to sign up for Netflix again just so I could watch SG1. Netflix should thank her.

I’ve been a Stargate fan for longer than I’ve been seriously pursuing a career as a fiction writer. Stargate SG1 was my “gateway drug” into science fiction. And I’m proud to say that I can find a Stargate reference in any moment in life. (In need of stress relief? Have you tried Kel’no’reem?) Besides arming me with a lifetime supply of jokes that only my fellow nerdmigos appreciate, my love of Stargate has taught me a few lessons that I apply to my writing.

Lesson No. 1: There’s a No-Fail Recipe for a Hero.

Take a tragic past, an innate sense of justice, and unwavering sense of duty; add a full stick of courage; let rise overnight. The result: One able-bodied hero not afraid to make incredible sacrifices for what he (or she!) believes is the right thing. Take, for example, a couple guys at the SGC:

Col. Jack O’Neill, U.S. Air Force. Played by Richard Dean Anderson (of McGyver fame), Jack O’Neill would make the perfect romance-novel hero. Coming from a traumatic past (his son died in a tragic accident and his marriage ended in divorce), O’Neill dedicates his every waking moment to fighting the Goa’uld. He’s also famous for those wry comments that only Anderson could deliver so perfectly:

O'Neill: “Just give me some kind of warning.”
Teal'c: “I'm going to shoot you.”
O'Neill: “I was thinking more along the lines of, ‘On 3.’”

Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks). Daniel Jackson is the perfect foil to O’Neill, playing the moral compass on the team. He says, “Let’s talk it over,” every time O’Neill says, “We’re done talking” (usually followed by, “Set the timer on the C4.”). Shanks delivers the perfect blend of buff and bookworm. As the series progresses, his character evolves from ridiculed archeologist with allergies to a gun-wielding, kick-ass space explorer fit to battle any system lord. His knack for coming back from the dead certainly helps matters. ;)

Teal’c (Christopher Judge). The ultimate stoic, the shol-va (traitor), a Jaffa and former first prime to Apophis, Teal’c is the guy you want to have your back. He is a warrior first and foremost, but one cannot help but ponder what lies beneath that tough-as-nails exterior. I swear, one day I will wear a t-shirt with a pic of Christopher Judge that reads, “Team Teal’c.”

Edward Cullen might glitter, but he has nothing on the men at the SGC.

Lesson No. 2: Character dynamics create tension, conflict, and humor.

Characters with opposing motives, goals, and worldviews don’t just create snappy dialogue and conflict, fueling the fire of our plots; they also provide great comic fodder (often coming in handy for necessary comic relief scenes—it can’t be all doom-and-gloom).

In the SG1 spinoff Stargate Atlantis, the creators took the franchise on a different path. The members of the Atlantis team have far more tense relationships with each other. They don’t always do the right thing. In fact, they frequently do the wrong thing believing it is the right thing. Maj. John Sheppard (played by Joe Flanigan) is no exception. He and scientist/genius/egomaniac Rodney Mackay provide great character dynamics, resulting in anything from near-tragedy (as when Mackay blows up a solar system, nearly taking himself with it) to hilarity.

If you want a great laugh, I suggest the episode “Harmony.” Watching Sheppard and Mackay traipse through the wilderness with a spoiled pre-teen princess is an absolute riot. Mackay might lack Jackson’s sense of ethics, but he’s still a personal favorite. His one-liners also rock: “Don’t be so analog.” “Good thing I remember DOS.” And, on one occasion: “I’m not crazy; I just have another consciousness in my brain.” A big part of why those one-liners work so well is because of how Mackay relates—or rather, doesn’t relate—to his fellow team members.

Lesson No. 3: Writers always hurt the ones they love.

As much as we love our characters, if we want our readers to love them as well, we must make them suffer. The hero can’t be the hero if he’s just gliding through life, easily winning every battle, overcoming every obstacle, and not having to sacrifice. It’s not enough to fight hard, something must be relinquished, something with which the character would not part willingly. In the pilot of SG1 (**Newbies: Spoiler Alert**) Daniel Jackson’s wife is taken as a host by the Goa’uld. He joins the battle against the system lords in part to save her.

If our characters get everything they want, the story is missing that final piece. As I revise my WIPs, one point on my checklist is to make sure the characters don’t achieve their goals too easily. We can’t just chase our characters up a tree and throw pebbles. We have to hurl a couple boulders up there—maybe even set the tree on fire.

Are you a Stargate fan? Who’s your favorite character, and why? What have your favorite shows taught you about writing?

All About Janelle

A writer of paranormal and fantasy romance, Janelle Madigan pens stories that often feature the fae, magic, witches, and world mythologies–but there’s no telling what rabbit holes she’ll follow her characters down. Her fiction runs the gamut from short stories to novellas to full-length novels, with settings from urban to earthy to subterranean.

She watches way too much Stargate, Charmed, and Buffy; has an off-the-wall sense of humor; and practices her own blend of magic and spirituality, hedge-witch style. She’s afraid of praying mantises, skydiving, and roller coasters but will eagerly run toward anything that goes bump in the night. A Pennsylvania native, she currently lives in Virginia with her husband and their household full of animals.

Join Janelle at her blog , or connect with her on Facebook , LiveJournal , or Twitter .

Guilty Pleasures - Cheesy Movies

The more cheese, the better.

I admit it. Cheesy movies get me every time. I went to see Clash of the Titans (the new one, not the old claymation version), and I was disappointed that it was actually a good movie. I guess I was expecting something less... polished, and I wanted cheese, dammit! Sometimes I just don't want a well-done movie. I want one that's so bad, it falls off the scale and ends up in awesomesauce. (Yeah, I just said awesomesauce. Whatcha gonna do about it?)

I love Starship Troopers for that very reason; it's deliciously cheesetastic. I haven't read the book and I'm afraid that if I do, it'll ruin the movie for me.

And my favorite cheesealicious movie of all time? Tank Girl. If you haven't seen Tank Girl, you're missing some epic dairy goodness. Lori Petty is fantastic and it's still my favorite film from Naomi Watts. Not to mention the crazy ninja kangaroo dog things and that awesome Cole Porter number. Go watch it, or I'll send the Rippers to get you! Puh-puh-puh-POW!!

What are some of your favorite cheeseamongous movies? Don't think you can hide behind your box-office superstars. I see that DVD peeking out of your dresser drawer. No, not that DVD! This is a PG-rated blog! The other one. Yeah, that one. You know you want to share. =)

Sun-Fried Chicken Fruit - The Power of Dreams

Some of you are probably too baffled to even mutter a confused "What??", right? Well, it made perfect sense to me at 3am one night when I typed it into the note on my phone that I use for story ideas. When I woke up the next morning, I had no idea what it meant or what the dream was, but hey, it makes a good blog title.

Miss Penelope chitters in her sleep.
Does she dream about chasing squirrels?
Or zombie rabbits?

Some dreams scare the crap out of me, though, like the two recurring dreams I had as a child. The first was after we learned about Iroquois longhouses. In the dream, my family tended three volcanoes, putting a drop of something in each. One day, a mermaid came out of a volcano. She was beautiful, but quickly turned into a ginormous octopus that ate my family. Not cool. The second dream was courtesy of Jurassic Park. It took place in a very vivid re-creation of the field across from my house with a t-rex that I simply could not escape.

The smell of burning rubber reminds me of dinosaurs running around a gymnasium (no idea why, but I know it's from a dream). Recent dreams have included zombie werewolves, which is actually an awesome idea and I'm claiming it right now for a future book. =) Other dreams have caused me to wake up mad at my mom for something she didn't actually do or with tears on my pillow. They can affect my mood for the day, both positively and negatively.

Dreams can be extremely powerful things, and they can provide excellent story fodder if they make even the least bit of sense. Feel free to share your crazy/scary/sad/funny dreams. Someone might be able to use them in a story one day, and it will all be thanks to you and your subconscious.

Going Viral and Other Updates

As I'm sure most of you know, Vampire Assassin is now absolutely free on all formats, including the Kindle. It went free on Wednesday and since then it has exploded! 7000 downloads as of today, when before Wednesday there was only 1, and it's sitting at #40 on the free list. Maybe it's not the definition of viral, but it's huge for me. I want to thank each and every one of you who may have downloaded it. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for??

In honor of the first book in the series going free, I bundled books 2-4 into one, aptly titled Jane (Vampire Assassin Series, Books 2-4). Let my creativity astound you! The bundle is available for just about half the price of buying each book separately. As of today, it is #68 in contemporary fantasy and #3,543 overall. New Blood (Jane #2) is #17 in fantasy anthologies and #8,055 overall. None of my books have ever been out of the 100,000s, so this is absolutely amazing. It's been a very great week for me (I also got a bunny!), and it's all thanks to you, my readers (well, except for the bunny). If I could hug you each individually, I totally would!

Meet Miss Betty, a 1.5-yr-old Mini Lionhead

Now for an update on my other series, Blood of the Dragon. I am currently editing Winds from the North, which is the sequel to Blood of the Dragon. It heads to the real editor (hi Anne!) at the end of this month. My best friend Katie is absolutely wonderful and she is working on a cover for it. She has amazing talent, so I can't wait to show you guys what she's come up with.

And last but not least, my blog is now available on the Kindle. Sadly, there is a subscription fee, but it's only $0.99. All posts will be available for free here, always, but if you like the convenience of reading on the Kindle, you can check out the 14-day free trial with no commitment. 

Last last but definitely not least, for all you writers out there, I am starting up a weekly guest/interview post. If you're interested, shoot me an email and we can discuss details.

Again, thank you to everyone for your support. Self-publishing has truly been the most wonderful experience and I plan to continue for many years to come.

Vampire Assassin is FREE!

Vampire Assassin is now free on all formats, including Nook and Kindle. Go grab yourself a copy and get ready for the omnibus release of books two through four!

Girls Don't Play With Transformers

When my aunt gave my male cousin a Barbie doll when he was five, a lot of people didn't like it. I heard several say "Boys don't play with dolls." At the time, I was did think it was kind of weird. I'd never known a boy to play with dolls before. I hear some people mumbling about action figures. They are not dolls. Don't make me come after you. 

The most awesomest Transformer ever

Anyhoo, looking back, I have to laugh at those people who threw a fit over the doll. For the first five or so years of my life, my best friends were my two older male cousins. I did everything with them. We played baseball, we pretended we were farmers (I was the cow. Did you know if you eat grass, your spit turns green?), and I played with all of their toys. Tractors, trucks, farm animals, and yes, even Transformers. Lots of Transformers, actually, and not a one of them was pink. 

And you know what's funny about that whole thing? No one said peep. No one told me I should be playing with Barbies instead (I did have a bunch of those, but didn't really play with them much until I was older). No one told me that girls don't play with Transformers.  

No one told me I should be playing nurse or teacher. No one told me I could only play with dolls. And guess what? I didn't end up broken. There's nothing wrong with me due to my choices in toys.  In fact, it gave me the freedom to develop who I am. I'm a tomboy with a bit of sugar and spice mixed in (snakes and snails kind of gross me out). I enjoy farming, video games and fantasy, but I also like Project Runway, painting my nails, and historical romance.

So I guess the moral of this strange roundabout story is that it doesn't matter what toys kids play with. What's important is that they play. With so many of these new-fangled gadgets, the creative mind is stifled or lost altogether. Kids need to be allowed the freedom to really use their imaginations. Let them run wild. Give them a box of mixed toys and let them go at it. Then you just sit back, and enjoy the wonderfully complex stories children can tell when they're given the reins.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

The accent gets me every time

I'm going to let you folks in on a little secret that I've been trying to hide: I'm a gamer chick. For awhile, a couple years or so, I tried to deny it. When I play video games, I tend to do so at the detriment of everything else, especially when it comes to MMOs. In World of Warcraft, I was in a guild that was pretty hardcore, and it essentially became a second job. I felt like if I wasn't working or at school, I needed to be in the game. It was too much, so I foreswore all games, even my beloved Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Gaz is so yummy).

But now Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out. My first venture into the MMO genre was with SW: Galaxies, and though that ended up being an epic disaster, I cling to the hope that TOR will rock my virtual world. I simply cannot deny the call of another Star Wars MMO. I've already pre-ordered. I'm leaning toward Bounty Hunter or Imperial Agent at the moment (yeah, I tend to cheer for the bad guys. I can't help myself). But this time, I'm going to play to have fun, not to please others. If it takes me ages to level up, so be it. I'll enjoy it while I do. I already have a job; the game is going to be my release, not my stressor.

So who else is going to join me in the fight against good? Or evil, if you swing that way, just know I will be coming after you with my full arsenal and pretty pink armor. 

And on that note, I'm going to go finish this book, so I can play Call of Duty and not feel guilty. I need my Gaz fix! 

History Is Fantasy

On tap for today is a wonderful guest post by one of my favorite Tweeple, Merry Farmer. Merry is a historical romance/sci-fi author and just released her first self-published novel, The Loyal Heart. Merry's specialty is medieval musings, so in honor of her indie debut, please give her a big welcome.



History Is Fantasy

Hi Samantha’s blog people! Nice to meet you! When Samantha asked me to write a guest post for her blog she added, “… my blog is mostly about fantasy” at the end of her request. And I thought to myself, what better crossover could there be between Fantasy and Historical Romance than my subject of choice, Medieval History? Because there was a time (called the Middle Ages) when they were in essence one and the same.

Every Monday on my blog is Medieval Monday, and if you’ve ever read any of those posts then you know that I am a champion of the Medieval Peasant. Peasants made up 90% of the population of the Medieval world. They were simple, industrious, uneducated, and fun-loving. Most peasants never traveled more than 25 miles away from home in their lives. They believed devoutly in the mysteries of the Medieval Church with a home-grown taste of “the old ways” thrown in. So what do you get when your world is populated by uneducated people with vivid imaginations fueled by superstition who never venture far from home? You get dragons, fairies, and magic.

Yep, what we now call Fantasy was, in fact, a unique kind of reality to the average man and woman of the Middle Ages. Without the benefit of modern science, fantasy was the best explanation for anything that didn’t make sense in the world. Your average Medieval peasant would have heard stories of strange animals in remote foreign lands brought back by crusaders, pilgrims, and an occasional trader. Without pictures to show then they would have relied on their imaginations and local creatures to fill in the blanks.

A friend drew this. Isn't she talented?

Take dragons, for example. It was a fact that dragons existed … somewhere far away. Everyone would have heard descriptions of huge scaly beasts with massive teeth, but without a clear picture of, say, a crocodile, the imagination of an average person in the British Isles would have heard “scaly” and “huge” and come to their own conclusions. Besides that, dragons were common creatures in Medieval heraldry. And heraldry was a far bigger deal back in the day than we give it credit for now. And dragons featured prominently in stories told by bards and troubadours. Heck, dragons are mentioned in the Bible. Of course they exist!

So did fairies, sprites, elves, and other intelligent creatures associated with the land. They were responsible for good and bad luck, for crops failing or thriving, for items going missing and things suddenly appearing just when they were needed. I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of the Changeling Child. These poor kids probably had some kind of psychological disorder, autism or ADD or something along those lines. But in a world that didn’t know what autism was the only viable explanation was that the fairies put a spell on them or a bad spirit stole their soul or they were possessed. The fairy folk and their mischievous ways were the most real explanations these people had.

Of course, people could also use this to their advantage. One of my favorite stories of “possession” in the Middle Ages is the oft-used excuse some girls had for mysteriously getting pregnant. A perfectly good girl with a sterling reputation who would never dream of committing a sin could actually get away with using the excuse that a spirit of some sort lay with her during the night and that she was in no way responsible for the outcome. And people bought it. Well, I’m sure someone knew the truth when those stories were concocted, but many a reputation was saved by believing in the fantasy element.

There were, of course, more mundane aspects to what we think of in the genre of Fantasy that were par for the course in the Middle Ages. Kings and Queens, Knights and Ladies, Castles and crusades were normal, everyday occurrences. The hierarchy of everyday things, masters and servants, was just the way things were. Social roles were much more clearly defined. At the same time, there were a select, lauded few who managed to cross social lines to make a name for themselves. There were peasants who earned enough money to buy or marry into the nobility. And there were nobles who went off to battle in far-away lands against people who were so foreign to folks who never left home that any small difference could be exploited to make them seem monstrous. Medieval Europeans didn’t think very highly of Muslim, for example. And just like those wily crocodiles who were imagined into being dragons by peasants hundreds of miles away, the dark-skinned, dark-eyed Arabic people with their strange ways and languages could have been fantasized into being any sort of demon. The brave men who went off to fight them in their shining armor would have been heroes beyond imagining.

So really there isn’t much difference between the facts of Medieval history and the imagination of Fantasy. It’s all in how you perceive the strange world around you. Personally, I think a lot is lost by our modern society that has a scientific answer for everything. It’s so much more invigorating to imagine and to dream.

Thanks for having me over for a visit! I hope to see you again soon. 

All About Merry
Merry Farmer is an award-winning author of Historical Romance and Women’s Sci-Fi. She is passionate about Writing, Blogging, Knitting, and Cricket and is working towards becoming an internationally certified Cricket Scorer. She walks the cutting edge of Indie Publishing and offers her experience and services as a freelance editor at a discount price for those who would like to join Team Indie. Her other hobbies have included ceramics, yoga, theater, and going back to school to earn more degrees in arguably useless subjects like History and Theater than any sane person should have.

Check out her blog, pick up her book, and catch up with Merry on Twitter!

Indie Book of the Month - Voidhawk

It's that time again, folks. The first of the month has rolled around (well, it really snuck in. September disappeared on me), and I offer up a new indie book of the month. For October, I'm featuring a book that I'm currently reading and thoroughly enjoying. It offers a unique steampunky take on sci-fi.

Voidhawk, written by Jason Halstead, follows the young and naive Dexter Silverhawk on his quest to captain his own ship. With the help of his dwarf friend and a couple other outcasts, Dexter will face challenges he never dreamed off.

One of the reviews for this book describes it as Star Wars-meets-Firefly-meets-Pirates of the Caribbean. Ok, so I'm paraphrasing, but it does mention all three of those in the review. And so far, it's living up to the hype. Still need another reason to read it? It's only $.99. There, you have no excuse. Go buy it, devour it, then come back and let me know what you thought.

About Jason:
Jason Halstead spends his daytime hours as an IT Manager in the automotive industry. In his spare time Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, writing, and powerlifting.

Jason's true calling is in front of a keyboard, though it wasn't until he washed the foul taste of working with a couple of publishers out of his mouth before he was able to fully realize it. These days he publishes his books through his own imprint after a rigorous and abusive treatment by a collection of editors and beta readers. Don't feel sorry for him though, he likes the abuse!

Want to know more about Jason and find his other books? Check out his website and blog!

Changing a Book After Its Published

Some authors, based on reviews and suggestions, change a book after it has been published. I'm not talking about fixing punctuation, grammar, typos, etc. Those are changes that should be made. I'm talking about plot changes, rearranging paragraphs, even deleting entire characters.

To me, that just seems wrong. It's like when George Lucas started messing with Star Wars in his "Special Editions". Adding deleted scenes is one thing. I think it would be cool to see a section in the back of a book of those scenes, maybe with little notes throughout the book telling us what page the scene is on. But changing plot lines, deleting/adding sentences throughout the book, stuff like that, it makes me uneasy.

So what do you guys think? Should a book be reworked to that extent once it's been published?

Guest Post: Why Epic Fantasy is Like Shakespeare

Today we have a guest post from the lovely and talented Rhiannon Paille.

Doesn't he look a bit like Dracula?

Why Epic Fantasy is Like Shakespeare

The same reason some of us don’t understand Shakespeare is the same reason that some of us don’t understand Epic Fantasy.

It’s not written the way people talk.

It’s not about making references to guns instead of swords (a la Romeo and Juliet 1996, loved how the guns had the brand name of “Sword”) or cell phones instead of telegrams it’s something else entirely.

It’s all the little words. Today when a boy is hot we just say he’s hot. We don’t go on about how he’s pulchritudinous (which to me doesn’t sound hot at all), or bounteous or becoming. These days we’d say he was attractive, stunning, hot, amazing, beautiful, pretty.

Shakespeare would have gone on and on about a girl’s beauty by comparing her to flowers and the moon and everything else under the sun that’s pretty. And then he’d insult a man by saying he was as pink as a flower (meaning he was gay) and that’s where some of us get lost. We miss the jokes and the snarky comments and the things that make books written in modern language so popular.

When a book is written in modern language, we get it.

When we’re trying to remember what carom, wan, cinch, tarry, esker, roil, etc. etc. means, it stops us from envisioning what’s actually going on in the scene. It’s hard to follow a story when we’re all getting caught up in the words we’ve never heard of before.

And then there’s the conundrum that a lot of the popular Epic Fantasy was written 70-80 years ago. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis being the biggest examples of that, one day they are going to be the new Shakespeare. Can you imagine the day J.K. Rowling becomes Shakespeare? (You know, when Harry Potter has been around for 80 or 100 years?)

I’ve been the queen of the thesaurus this past year, writing down interesting words I don’t recognize in books and then looking them up. I actively expand my vocabulary, but there’s always room for more growth. I think it’s fun to read epic fantasy for the words, the quests, the adventures, the demons and it gives me a glimpse into the past that I can only get from these books.

When it came to my books, which are epic fantasy, but end up being historical fantasy and later urban fantasy all the while being paranormal romance, I had to choose my words carefully. I chose to write as modern as I could, without removing anything that’s really cool about the land, the characters and the storyline. With any luck, my epic fantasy won’t be difficult to decode. ;)

How about you? What was the last epic fantasy book you read? Did you get it?

Rhi was never a normal girl. She tried, but she couldn’t get rid of the visions, the voices in her head, and the hallucinations. When she was on the edge of crazy someone pulled her back and explained it all. She wasn’t insane. She was psychic, really psychic, too psychic. Her life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape her everyday weirdness she began writing fantasy. She frequents twitter and facebook, but if you really want to get to know her you should visit her site: www.rhiannonpaille.com . Her book Flame of Surrender (The Ferryman and The Flame #1) comes out November 1st, 2011. Check it out here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11841693-flame-of-surrender

All Hallows' Moon Release!

SM Reine, fellow author and Twitter fanatic, is releasing her next book All Hallows' Moon today! It is technically the sequel to Six Moon Summer, but it works very well on its own, so you can read it first or check them both out.

Rylie survived becoming a werewolf at great cost. She moves to her aunt’s ranch in the hopes she can enroll in a new high school and quietly continue her life... with a few distinct changes. She transforms into a beast every new and full moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.

Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters -- Eleanor, Abel, and Seth -- recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.

Torn between family and love, Rylie struggles to reconcile her feelings and control the wolf within while Seth fights to do what’s right. But what is right-- obeying desire or duty?

About SM Reine
SM Reine is an author of dark fantasy for teen and adult audiences. Her most widely known work is "Six Moon Summer," which has been hailed as "fresh and fast-paced" and "captivating." She lives in Nevada with her husband, the Helpful Baby, and too many black animals to count.


Check out more about her books and her epic battles with supernatural bugs at her blog!