Brian Rathbone's Blog
September 29, 2012
After much anticipation and a long silence, Feral, book five of The World of Godsland fantasy series, is now available.
Reeling from the loss of the Regent dragons and her son to the black armies, Catrin Volker can take no more. Armed with power never before seen on Godsland, she goes in search of her son and her enemies. May the gods have mercy on those who stand in her way.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Reeling from the loss of the Regent dragons and her son to the black armies, Catrin Volker can take no more. Armed with power never before seen on Godsland, she goes in search of her son and her enemies. May the gods have mercy on those who stand in her way.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
November 15, 2011
Fantasy author Ty Johnston’s blog tour 2011 is running from November 1 through November 30. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle ), the Nook ) and online at Smashwords. His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog tyjohnston.blogspot.com.
I’d like to talk about what I hope readers will take away from my writings, and tied in with that, what I hope to accomplish with my writing.
First, as a writer, I have to come to some conclusions as to what interests readers, what draws them in, what makes readers generally approve of a novel or short story. Looking at it from strictly a business angle, a writer can study the markets and various online surveys, the bestseller lists, etc. Practical, yes, but somewhat cold. Another way to try to find out what interests readers is for the writer to look inward, to decide upon what he or she likes as a reader, because writers are readers, too, or at least they should be.
In my case, I vary in my literary interests, but I also tend to be drawn to particular genres more than others. I enjoy epic fantasy literature as well as horror. When a particular mood hits me, I enjoy classics and literary works. Historical fiction can also draw me in, if it is fairly accurate.
But beyond genre, what do I look for in my fiction reading. When I sit and ponder it, I find I enjoy a little action and adventure, as well as some intrigue. In darker tales, I often like the building of tension. In literary works, I prefer less escapism and more exploration. Exploration of what? Of the outside world as well as our inner worlds, of our thoughts and hopes and dreams but also our philosophies.
A mixture of all the elements I enjoy in fiction are what I try to bring to my own writing. I shoot for some action and adventure, with a touch of intrigue. I work to build tension, especially in my darker stories. And I try to give a brief look into our humanity, all elements of our humanity, though I hope not to be too heavy with this.
A reader might look at much of my epic fantasy works and ask, “Uh, where is this ‘look into our humanity’ you were talking about?” It’s there, though you might have to go searching for it. I use my characters to explore and discover different ways of thinking, different ways of looking at the world. I don’t mean anything snobby by this, just that it’s something I enjoy in my writing.
To go a little deeper, I tend to follow the views of late author John Gardner concerning heroes. In Gardner’s opinion, heroes were meant to be moral examples to humanity. That viewpoint might seem overly simplistic to some of today’s readers, but as a writer I find it a good starting point. I find interest in taking Gardner’s basic idea of a moral hero and twisting it some here and there. I’m not necessarily trying for an anti-hero, nor am I seeking to make a villain into a heroic figure, but I do find possibilities in walking the razor’s edge between what is heroic and what crosses the line. All of this is one of the reasons my heroes are sometimes brutal while some of my villains can have positive aspects in their character.
My horror writing takes a very different path. Usually when I’m writing horror, I am trying to build a particular mood, this mood allowing me to study the darker elements of humanity in all its forms. Also, often I’m just trying to make myself giggle in the middle of the night while writing alone in a darkened room. When I write horror, I don’t usually go for the gore factor, but I do find humor sometimes in the devilishly vile.
So, serious and silly alike, those are some of the elements I try to bring to my fiction writing. Do I sometimes fail? Yes, I’m sure I do. Often I know when I’ve failed, and I try to make sure readers never see such material, at least until I can repair it. Other times? Well, if I fail, it is up for the reader to decide, and I only blame myself. On the other hand, a writer can not always please every reader, and it would be impossible to try and do so. I try to write what interests me, and I hope it will interest others, because it is the readers who are truly important at the end of the day.
I’d like to talk about what I hope readers will take away from my writings, and tied in with that, what I hope to accomplish with my writing.
First, as a writer, I have to come to some conclusions as to what interests readers, what draws them in, what makes readers generally approve of a novel or short story. Looking at it from strictly a business angle, a writer can study the markets and various online surveys, the bestseller lists, etc. Practical, yes, but somewhat cold. Another way to try to find out what interests readers is for the writer to look inward, to decide upon what he or she likes as a reader, because writers are readers, too, or at least they should be.
In my case, I vary in my literary interests, but I also tend to be drawn to particular genres more than others. I enjoy epic fantasy literature as well as horror. When a particular mood hits me, I enjoy classics and literary works. Historical fiction can also draw me in, if it is fairly accurate.
But beyond genre, what do I look for in my fiction reading. When I sit and ponder it, I find I enjoy a little action and adventure, as well as some intrigue. In darker tales, I often like the building of tension. In literary works, I prefer less escapism and more exploration. Exploration of what? Of the outside world as well as our inner worlds, of our thoughts and hopes and dreams but also our philosophies.
A mixture of all the elements I enjoy in fiction are what I try to bring to my own writing. I shoot for some action and adventure, with a touch of intrigue. I work to build tension, especially in my darker stories. And I try to give a brief look into our humanity, all elements of our humanity, though I hope not to be too heavy with this.
A reader might look at much of my epic fantasy works and ask, “Uh, where is this ‘look into our humanity’ you were talking about?” It’s there, though you might have to go searching for it. I use my characters to explore and discover different ways of thinking, different ways of looking at the world. I don’t mean anything snobby by this, just that it’s something I enjoy in my writing.
To go a little deeper, I tend to follow the views of late author John Gardner concerning heroes. In Gardner’s opinion, heroes were meant to be moral examples to humanity. That viewpoint might seem overly simplistic to some of today’s readers, but as a writer I find it a good starting point. I find interest in taking Gardner’s basic idea of a moral hero and twisting it some here and there. I’m not necessarily trying for an anti-hero, nor am I seeking to make a villain into a heroic figure, but I do find possibilities in walking the razor’s edge between what is heroic and what crosses the line. All of this is one of the reasons my heroes are sometimes brutal while some of my villains can have positive aspects in their character.
My horror writing takes a very different path. Usually when I’m writing horror, I am trying to build a particular mood, this mood allowing me to study the darker elements of humanity in all its forms. Also, often I’m just trying to make myself giggle in the middle of the night while writing alone in a darkened room. When I write horror, I don’t usually go for the gore factor, but I do find humor sometimes in the devilishly vile.
So, serious and silly alike, those are some of the elements I try to bring to my fiction writing. Do I sometimes fail? Yes, I’m sure I do. Often I know when I’ve failed, and I try to make sure readers never see such material, at least until I can repair it. Other times? Well, if I fail, it is up for the reader to decide, and I only blame myself. On the other hand, a writer can not always please every reader, and it would be impossible to try and do so. I try to write what interests me, and I hope it will interest others, because it is the readers who are truly important at the end of the day.
November 9, 2011
October 22, 2011
I'm very excited to announce that The World of Godsland fantasy series continues with the release of Regent, book one of The Balance of Power trilogy.
In the years since the end of The Herald War, the world has become complacent despite Catrin Volker's warnings. When the darkness of her visions comes to pass, no one is prepared, and the fate of humanity will rest in her hands.
In the years since the end of The Herald War, the world has become complacent despite Catrin Volker's warnings. When the darkness of her visions comes to pass, no one is prepared, and the fate of humanity will rest in her hands.
March 26, 2011
Huge thanks to all who helped make Inherited Danger the #10 Epic Fantasy on Sony Reader and Dragon Ore #12!
http://bit.ly/hkaM6B
It's been an honor to have Call of the Herald featured as the Book of the Month on the Sony Reader Forum.
http://bit.ly/fkxlvt
http://bit.ly/hkaM6B
It's been an honor to have Call of the Herald featured as the Book of the Month on the Sony Reader Forum.
http://bit.ly/fkxlvt
March 6, 2011
To celebrate Read an eBook Week (3/6/2011 - 3/12/2011), you can get all of my eBooks, and a lot of others, free at Smashwords.
http://bit.ly/f2w9Pu
http://bit.ly/f2w9Pu
February 5, 2011
My new humorous short story, Redtooth, is now free on Smashwords. http://bit.ly/i7VMfN
A trip to the pawnshop takes Bob Hanks on an unexpected adventure.
A trip to the pawnshop takes Bob Hanks on an unexpected adventure.
December 10, 2010
A group of authors, myself included, have teamed up to help people find great books to give as gifts or to keep for themselves.
Nicholas Taylor has compiled a PDF sampler with the first one-three chapters of books from the participating authors.
You can grab your copy here or just browse the website built just for this promotion:
http://bit.ly/eSm11z
All of us agree that when authors work together, everyone wins, and we hope to turn readers on to some new writers.
Participating authors include:
Seth Harwood
John Sundman
Starla Huchton
Chris Snelgrove
Collin Earl
Rhonda Carpenter
Emmett Spain
Scott Nicholson
Mike Luoma
Emerian Rich
Nicholas Taylor has compiled a PDF sampler with the first one-three chapters of books from the participating authors.
You can grab your copy here or just browse the website built just for this promotion:
http://bit.ly/eSm11z
All of us agree that when authors work together, everyone wins, and we hope to turn readers on to some new writers.
Participating authors include:
Seth Harwood
John Sundman
Starla Huchton
Chris Snelgrove
Collin Earl
Rhonda Carpenter
Emmett Spain
Scott Nicholson
Mike Luoma
Emerian Rich
November 26, 2010
My short story: Beyond the Veil is now available free at Smashwords http://smashwords.com/b/31337/
October 1, 2010
When I decided to make Call of the Herald a free ebook, I was disappointed to find that Amazon's publishing interface did not allow me to set the price to free.
However, it seems they will occasionally offer it for free, as they are right now.
It has climbed to #206 in the Kindle free store, and is #6 in Epic Fantasy.
Help me rush the charts by grabbing your free copy at the link below.
http://bit.ly/aaE8D4
Thanks,
Brian
However, it seems they will occasionally offer it for free, as they are right now.
It has climbed to #206 in the Kindle free store, and is #6 in Epic Fantasy.
Help me rush the charts by grabbing your free copy at the link below.
http://bit.ly/aaE8D4
Thanks,
Brian
