Using Multiple Points of View (POV)
"many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view" - Obi-Wan Kenobi The story you tell will take on the flavor of whoever is doing the telling. A first-person narrative is intimate, but boxed in. Following a single character tells their story,...
A Second Book, A Second Look At Publishing One
For those who may not already have been aware, Aethersmith came out on "June 1". I put that in quotes, because, as an independent author, that whole book release date business is a crapshoot. The ebook version for Kindle came out on May 30th, the paperback June 3. I...
The Twinborn Survival Guide
If you haven't already, this might be a good time to take the Twinborn Quiz. This guide is going to give tips on how to survive after the discovery that you are one of them. That might make the difference between reading this guide for fun, and really needing the...
One-Word Metaphors: Stretching Words to Their Limits
"The waves lapped the sandy shore. Overhead, the stars twinkled cheerily. A bank of clouds rolled in and a driving rain chased us from the beach. We were both huffing and puffing by the time we reached the quaint little cottage we had rented. It was pitch dark inside....
City Mapping
In my earlier blog on Amateur Cartography, I covered the basic concepts behind how to draw a map to go along with your fantasy story. Mainly I focused on what ought to be included, what readers expect to be included, and how to go about conceptualizing the map from...
Goblin Speech
One of the things that readers have found most interesting about the goblins of Firehurler is their language. While many races have their own languages, the goblins come as close as you can get to being unpronounceable to humans without actually crossing that...
Goblins in the Twinborn Trilogy
What is a "goblin"? Since they are fictitious creatures, it's okay for there to be more than one answer to this question. However, while you're here, I'll share my take on them. Physical Appearance In silhouette, a goblin would look like a starving human child with an...
The Secret of MINH (Made in NH Expo)
Just spent the weekend signing books at the Made in NH Expo in Manchester, NH (which has nothing to do with experimental, intelligent rats). There were great crowds, especially on Saturday, and lots of people were stopping by the booth. For my first book signing, I'd...
Whimsy or Physics? The Hidden Rules of Magic
Magic is one of the defining characteristics of fantasy. Whether you are looking at "high" or "low" magic, it's going to be in there somewhere (I'm pretty sure that fantasy without magic is historical fiction or some other genre). That said, the treatment of magic...
Goodreads: Where Authors and Readers Connect
Goodreads, in case you've never heard of it, it a site where people can do to find book recommendations. They have millions of members and even more reviews. The content is user-maintained, by and large, making it sort of a cross between Wikipedia and the reviews...