Book Cover News for Tree of Bones!

Hello Fantasy Fans!  I am very excited that my publisher Joseph Dickerson has made arrangements with Rob E. Brown to do my next book cover for the upcoming Tree of Bones.  Rob Brown is an amazing artist that has worked for many impressive venues such as Marvel Comics!  Also Rob is doing black and white drawings for inside the book.   I am thrilled and cannot wait to see his artwork for my book.
Also, tonight is a sacred time.  The first episode of "Game of Thrones," based on legendary George R.R. Martin's wonderful fantasy series starts tonight.  I have already watched the mini specials for Game of Thrones on the HBO and love the cast!  Some of my favorite actors are in it (Sean Bean!!!!), Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, and more great actors.  The new faces are impressive too, such as Emilia Clarke they cast to play Daenerys Targaryen.  I will be watching these episodes over and over, I am sure.  Truly great fantasy to be adapted like this is rare.  It's like getting to have thick juicy sirloin after a diet of thin watery gruel.
Well, I am going back to my Game of Thrones mini specials, until tonight's episode finally comes on.  Talk to you soon.
 

Irish Eyes and Celtic Tempers

Okay, my bloodline is infused with a lot of Irish blood and the coming St. Patrick's day is irksome for because all the local great Irish pubs are always too crowded and you can't get in one to save your mother's soul.  Yes, I know it is holy day, but I am more universal in my spiritual philosophies.  But I will have a drink at home and think of the great story telling that the Irish are known for throughout history.  And I am not talking about leprechauns in neon green suits with orange hair.  The Hound of Ulster and Epona come to my mind.  Despite being a warrior culture the Irish were also know for their arts, music, and storytelling. 

So I shall put on some Chieftains or Clannad, and raise a glass to my heritage.  A great heritage.  One day I hope to visit Ireland.  Perhaps if I am ever successful as an author (I mean in the financial sense) I would like to live there.  So as I write my stories of magic and warriors, I cling to that hope.  The love of Ireland.
More next week. 

Love

Verna McKinnon 

 

Spellbound by words...and Pilates

Hello Fantasy Fans and Friends,

As a writer,  I face a daily challenge of creativity on several planes of focus.  In this daily challenge there is a rim of terror-terror that my writing is less than worthy, my plots are mush, and my characters flat.  I could go on and on, but I shall edit myself and decline to bore you with the gruesome details that haunts authors everywhere.  Those who write speculative fiction especially have even more to agonize over.  We create new worlds and races, bring ancient legends to life, invent mythologies, compose exciting characters that wield magic, manipulate time and space,  have to write about things that simply do not exist in this realm of reality-at least that we know of.  Making it natural and real to our readers  (and publishers) is the tough battle. 

Two factors that writers need to focus on is character and dialogue.  Characters are the lifeblood of writing and dialogue an essential soul that brings it to life.  Complex plots and detailed storylines mean nothing without this central core.  Consider your characters and dialogue the Pilates of your writing routine.  It is your core-that important strength that holds up the rest of the body.    Without a strong core you have a weak body. 

There are some authors that shine in their expert characters and dialogue.  Two I will give as an example (of many I adore) are the late Brian Jacques and David Eddings.  I loved the works of these authors and sadly they have both passed from this world.  Their absence will be sorely missed in the realm of writing-and not just fantasy.  Their characters and dialogue support there novels and their ideas, and make them damn fun to read.  These essential attributes give  personality and depth and support the story.  They make the reader want to continue reading.  All the perfect syntax in the world will not make up for dull conversations and one dimensional characters.

The next thing to consider is the natural tone of your dialogue.  That can be tough.  I often read my works aloud along with traditional editing because if you have trouble speaking the words then it needs work.  You will find over time every character has a certain rythym.  Once you have it for that character then it becomes easier.

Now I must leave you again and will be back next week with more thoughts.  I have writing to do.  Characters and worlds to create and explore-and drobba to eat.  Lots of love.

Verna McKinnon



       



 

Cold Magic and Hot Drobba

Okay, my characters are coming out of a long hibernation and despite the firm thread of winter's freeze, I am forced to respond to their incessant demands.  Dabiro and Belwyn are especially pushy.
But I am working a lot on book 3 (Fires of Rapiveshta) and I am anxious about finally seeing book 2 in actual print and the artwork.
I have run oodles of revisions on some of my characters and the various story lines.    There is a lot I cannot discuss because book 2, Tree of Bones, is not yet released and there are some new characters afoot-both good and evil-and I want you to be surprised.
What I have learned, is that you cannot set your story or characters in stone.  Changes happen.  They are demanded in fact.  I guess that is why I have such issues with book outlines.  They can only be most basic type for me.  My mind works a certain way in the creative process.  I know how a story will start and exactly how it ends for each book.  What happens in between in an evolutionary process that fills in my gaps.  I have blocks for each character and their story arcs.  I know what will happen to every character in my novels.   But I cannot use the outline.  As a writer you need to use what works for you.  Advice can be good or bad, so I pay little heed to the so-called experts.  Use what works for you.  The fun is getting there, along with some hot drobba as I weave the magic of words on my computer.  Magic is what you make of it, just add your own marshmallows and stir it up.
More later.  I need more hot drobba and Mellypip is tugging at my thoughts.
  

Madness and Magic

I am so sorry my fellow fantasy readers that I have been lax once again in my blogging.  I know I must be more frequent in such things, as it is a way for me the author to communicate, well,  to any one that thinks I am worth reading about.   The thing is I have been busy with a variety of traumas-the day to day human torments I shall not twiddle about here.  We all suffer the same there.
But the writing-the creativity that is the fountain of my work-has been busy on rising levels.  I am writing two novels right now, plus finished a my version of a classic fairy tale (Snow White-my favorite) for a contest.
Unfortunately, the contest is no longer an issue, so I must now also find a home for a humorous and suspenseful version of my Snow White at 11,000 plus words.  There is lots of magic and fun, and some darkness to tingle your spine.
But I am going to focus on my books, plus write some new short stories here and there.  
My editor promises my "Tree of Bones," the second in my "Familiar's Tale" series, will be out early this year. 
I love Seattle.  I am working on discipline, which for a writer can be difficult.  We are amazing procrastinators.  No one can create delays better than a writer.  It is a wonder we get anything done at all.
But I plan to get some things done this year-namely 2 novels and at least 3 short stories (though I may include my fairy tale in that batch).
Farewell for now.  I shall be back soon to share more writer wisdom or at the very least, a recipe for low fat brownies.
Writers do need to feed their brains you know. 

Writing Talk about Dark Forces & Heroes

The thing about writing imaginative fiction, whether it be any sub- class of science fiction or fantasy, is to create and maintain some very strong and solid templates for world and characters.  Evil must be strong and frightening-something to make your soul churn-not your stomach.  At least not too much.  I have never been one for the gross out factor.  Tubs of  blood is something easy for humans to spill, because they do it all the time.  Do not get precious.  Our species is flawed and barely evolved out of the primordial pits.  You do not even need to read history to verify this, simply watch the news or read the newspaper.  We are very violent-which is why heroes (real heroes) are important.    The conundrum is to create strong heroes that do not go all wimpy or stupid-or turn as evil as the forces they battle.
A person can be brave or willing to sacrifice.  A group not so much.  That is why we cling to our heroes and the myth of what they represent.  Hope.  Hope for us.  Hope for the world.  Hope for the little guy or girl down the street.  It serves a purpose.  Which is why real stories are important.  The ancients understood this, and it is why they revered the storyteller and bard.  Being a scholar is still a very much a minority and an ignored one at that.
Heroes fight evil.  Sometimes the fight them in the form of dark mortals or immortals, mythical beasts, wicked queens or bloody dictators-the list is endless.  Darkness is easy to imagine.  It lurks in every dream and shadow.  A strong hero is very hard to build.    There are complications.  They need to have flaws of course, a weakness or blemish which they struggle with.  I also firmly believe they should not be stupid or weak.  Their moral high stance should not makes things worse.  It's a fine line to battle dark forces when the bad guy has no real moral scope, and the hero must maintain his ground.
I am not saying they do not get their hands dirty (or bloody)  in the fight.   Battle of some sort is always about be it magic or swords or words-or rocket launcher.  It's keeping them smart enough to bring down the bad guy (or bad girl) and stay heroes and putting the adversary away in its appropriate place.   You have to make them clever and smart.  Sometimes they start out innocent.  That is tougher.
When I was writing about Runa in Gate of Souls, she was from the start the main heroine (among some other cool heroes) and she also had the handicap of her innocence.  She had to become strong and fight and yet maintain her core of goodness.   She had to use her wits and resources to achieve her goals.  She never hated.  She was driven and did what she did out of love, not bitterness.   Her familiar, Mellypip, must follow this same path.
Darcus, on the other hand, is a seasoned warrior, yet must balance killing and fighting to defend the innocent.  He is the world weary warrior and his code is of the highest honor.  He does what he does out of love too-his devotion is without question, as his the strength of his blade.
The adversaries, Panthara and her familiar Azmadu, were abused children with dominating parental figures that drove them to the dark on purpose.  You can hate Panthara, but her complexity is there.   You know why and also that she must pay for her sins. 
The main evil of course was Koll and his familiar, Xabral.  They are the most dangerous type of dark force-they embrace the darkness.  They love it!  They worship it and have no flicker of regret for anything they do in its name-and her name is Obsydia.  Her evil is left for another blog after book 2, Tree of Bones, comes out.  I do not which to spoil anything for my readers. 
How does Runa fight the dark forces?  She has her devoted friends of course, but she faces the battle with the strength she has at hand-her wits and knowledge, training with magic and staff, courage, and love.  Her love of family and friends are her rock.  She may hate the evil and it may scare the crap out of her, but she faces it with these weapons and wins.  This does not always work in this mortal world.  That is not the point.  This is a world that we want to believe in.
Now I must go back to writing book 3, Fires of Rapiveshta.  A writers work is never done.  Which is fine with me. 
   

   

Happy Scary Halloween!

I love Halloween.  My favorite holiday, since its rituals involve dressing up in costumes, parties, horror movies, eating candy and caramel apples.  How could you not love Halloween?  The origins of course, are in the Celtic New Year Eve's, when the veils between our world and the Otherworld are thin, and spirits and magic abound beneath the moon.   It's all good to me.
My whole weekend has been a celebration of Halloween fun movies.  Army of Darkness with Bruce Campbell (We love you Bruce!), the Underworld movies, old classics like Dracula and The Mummy, and Snow White a Tale of Terror.  Snow White is my favorite fairy tale.  I prefer the darker versions, and Sigourney Weaver's wicked stepmother rocks.  I love fairy tales and want to explore them in more depth, not just the truncated versions they do for kid's book or film.  There are levels in these old tales which have only been scratched, and I want to delve deeper into the mystery.
I also watched my favorite episode of Beauty and the Beast, "Masks,"  I loved that show.  Sigh.  I may indulge and watch some Moonlight episodes too.  There are some current fantasy/horror shows out there, but sadly they do not get my attention.  They have no heart.  These shows are more concerned with glossy imagery and sexy clothes, are far too grim and dark to point of wishing they would just end it all, or just being gross or having inconsistent mythology.  I long for the days of Buffy and Angel, and though they had flaws too, they also had heart and layers to their  stories, plus a consistent mythology for the dark fantasy/horror elements.  I an thankful for the option of DVDs, since I can watch them when I want and enjoy the fun and horror.   Oh, I still need to watch Resident Evil movies!
I have been working of course, and will keep you alert to when 'Tree of Bones, A Familiar's Tale Book 2," will be released, now that the final edits are done.  Also I am forming new stories ideas and drafts of dark fantasy nature for other things, though I must keep them quiet until they are fully formed and accepted for publication.   I am loving Seattle.  Now I must return to fun film fest.  Talk to you soon.