Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "magic"
Meet author Alex Sumner and enter to win a Kindle copy of The Demon Detective!
Author Alex Sumner writes dark fantasy/occult tales. The author himself is a bit of a mystery. He doesn't reveal his true identity, so I don't even have an author picture for you.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading The Magus, the first book in Alex Sumner's Magus Trilogy. The subject matter seemed quite scary. But I was curious enough to have a look. The book kept me entertained, with the intriguing murder/mystery plot and I was soon hooked on the series. The Trilogy is not really like anything I've read before. It deals with subjects such as magic, occultism, satanism, alchemy, secret societies, etc., etc. Sumner's talent is to take quite dark subjects and makes them entertaining.
He was kind enough to agree to an author interview and he is also giving away a free Kindle copy of his short story 'The Demon Detective'
To enter, please leave a comment below, or simply 'like' this blog post. A winner will be chosen at random on 31st March 2012.
Here's the interview:
I saw on your bio that you’ve been writing since 2001; you began with non-fiction including subjects such as astrology, tarot, alchemy and magick. Many of those topics are covered in your fiction series, The Magus Trilogy. When did you first begin writing the trilogy, and was it your intention from the start to write a series of books or is that something that developed as the story unfolded?
I first had the idea of turning my hand to fiction in 2006. Dan Brown had just successfully defended himself against a charge of plagiarism in regard to The Da Vinci Code, and some remark he made to the TV reporters round the time convinced me that it might be worth reading after all (I had held myself aloof from the hype surrounding the book up til then). Reading it – which I did in one sitting in the course of twenty-four hours – I felt gripped by two very extreme and completely opposite emotions. The first: that Brown had done an admirable job in engaging interest, in creating a “page-turner.” The second was the complete lameness of the puzzles that the characters were supposed to be solving! I was solving them before the characters were! Several times I had to suppress a violent urge to shout out “Look, it’s bloody mirror writing!” or “It’s an anagram of ‘Leonardo Da Vinci,’ for fuck’s sake.” I finished the book convinced that if Dan Brown could write a book as bad as this, and make tons of money in so doing, then I could do the same! Plus, I would make sure my books contained better research. And more sex.
That was my plan. What actually happened was that I realised writing fiction was more difficult than I’d first imagined, which delayed and almost put me off the project. So I took the trouble to educate myself in the noble art of Creative Writing, which got me my inspiration back. That was also when I decided to make it a trilogy – it seemed only natural to trace the character development of the Nichola, the heroine.
On your blog you continue to write non-fiction articles about various mystical subjects. Which do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction writing?
They each have their merits. I write non-fiction pieces to communicate my ideas immediately and directly. I write fiction to communicate my ideas in a more subtle and roundabout way. Also, I’m quite up front about trying to make money out of fiction, but my non-fiction work is my attempt to do pro bono work for the Universe.
You have dedicated a page on your website to the fascinating topic of lucid dreaming, where you teach a virtual course in the subject. Have you always been a lucid dreamer, or did this develop with your interest in the subject? Can you remember what your first lucid dream was?
No! I was only lucid for a brief moment before waking up. I think it was something like I was walking around somewhere, and I realised I was dreaming, and that was it. This would have been about seventeen years ago. Mind you, I seem to remember that once I had broken my duck, as it were, the number and quality of my lucid dreams multiplied rapidly within weeks.
What’s your favourite lucid dream that you’ve experienced?
The one where I proved the existence of God, and the reality of life after death, or “the inter-carnatory experience” as I now call it.
I think I inherited my talent for lucid dreaming from a past-life, because I went through quite an “awakening” when I first heard about it. But really I think that anyone can experience lucid dreams if they are prepared to practice hard.
The Magus Trilogy is a very entertaining series of books. It’s a murder mystery series but with an original twist, dealing with topics such as occultism and magick. What is the difference between magic and magick? Enlighten us.
“Magick” is an archaic spelling which was re-introduced in the 20th century by Aleister Crowley. He used it alternatively to mean: 1. the science and art of causing change in conformity with Will; 2. rites which aim at, follow on from, or are generally connected with, attaining “Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”; 3. Sex magick; and 4. all of the above.
“Magic” on the other hand Crowley used to refer to either stage-magicianship, illusionism, etc, or any occult practice of which he happened to disapprove.
The police station action in the Magus Trilogy was very realistic. Are you a fan of TV cop shows?
That procedural realism was mostly inspired by the fact that I was a fan of The X Files when it was on. I seldom watch TV nowadays though.
There is a lot of technical information in The Magus trilogy about murder investigations, occult practices, the Freemasons etc. etc. How much time did you spend researching the subjects and what were your sources for research?
About police procedure - a lot. As much as I felt necessary to convey the authentic flavour of what homicide detectives in London have to go through. I think the icing on the cake was to look up the actual annual homicide statistics broken down by month so I could get an idea about how many new cases per day a homicide detective could expect to be assigned.
About the rest of it though - less “research” per se than you would actually imagine - because I already live that lifestyle, so I was just drawing on my everyday life experiences -
HOWEVER - I must point out though, that the occult practices of the villains in the three stories were ramped up for dramatic purposes. Especially the villain in the first book, “The Magus.” For him, I was deliberately trying to be transgressional - trying to make him the most vile person I could imagine. Anyone who tries to reconstruct an occult ritual based on that character's practices will either go to hell or be locked up in Broadmoor, or both. I asked myself: “what's the most outrageous occult practice I can think of?” And then I had that character do it, e.g. there is a certain scene in which he tries to evoke a demon using a method that is liable to leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Only later, after I had excavated all these evil occult practices from the bottom-most recessess of my consciousness did I find out that this is actually what passes for a normal night down at the real-life Chaos magic organisation “The Illuminates of Thanateros.”
How long did it take you to write the Magus Trilogy?
The first book took an abnormally long amount of time, because I was still learning to write. The second and third books, around about seven or eight months each, because I knew what I was doing. I think I finished “Licence To Depart” soon after Christmas 2010, but I delayed releasing it because - using my powers of astrology - I had worked out that the planets would be best aligned for me releasing it in May 2011.
You have three new books available: Shall we Kill the President ?, A Greater Power, and The Demon Detective. Can you tell us a bit more about each of these books?
One of the goals which I Cosmically-Ordered myself in 2011 was to write a Lester Dent type of short story. That was how I invented the character of Guy Shepardson, the eponymous “Demon Detective.” He’s like a James Bond type of character, except that instead of using fancy gadgetry he casts spells, mostly involving demons of varying degrees of helpfulness. The writing of the first story proved enjoyable and gave me a large boost of inspiration of what to do next. I had finished the Magus Trilogy and it would not have worked to continue writing books with those particular characters, so I needed a new direction. So I came up with the idea to write a series of Dark Fantasy short stories.
As to the stories themselves, “The Demon Detective” kicks off the series by showing how modern day sorcerer becomes a Detective-of-sorts after an old friend of his is murdered. “A Greater Power” is about an adventure he has out in the Oxfordshire countryside when another acquaintance of his found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The third story is actually a novella: “Shall We Kill The President?” has Guy visiting the United States on holiday, and uncovering a plot to kill the President. This is an adventure featuring Vampires, Demons, US Politicians and Catholic Priests, not all of whom are villains in this story. ;-)
Which of the characters in The Magus Trilogy do you most relate to and why?
Almost all of the characters represent different aspects of my personality. The unsympathetic characters are the repressed, evil, dark and sinister aspects of my psyche which haunt my nightmares, whilst the sympathetic ones are aspects of my conscious personality. Nichola, the main female character, represents my Anima; the Magus himself is my Wise Old Man archetype; whilst Gary, on account of his intelligence and heightened sexual prowess, obviously represents me in real life. ;-)
You are very active on YouTube. One of your most recent videos, Manifestation, is interesting. Can you tell us a bit about your thinking behind creating the video and what you hope it can achieve?
It is a magic spell to Manifest good things in your life, and in the world generally. Prosperity, success in all sorts of human endeavours, happiness, celebration, respect for human rights and world peace, and even higher consciousness. All you have to do is watch it – preferably several times, as each successive viewing gradually unlocks your power to Manifest all these things. The soundtrack and the images were specifically chosen to induce that state of consciousness.
Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?
1. Marketing is everything. You should prepare for the fact that only 1% of the people who see your publicity will be willing to pay good money for your book. So in order to have a best-seller, you should be aiming for a “reach” of at least one to two million people. (If you can improve on this ratio, that's a bonus.)
2. “Calibre,” a free to download ebook manager contains its own Kindle-converter. This is an excellent way of checking the formatting of your book before you submit it to KDP or SmashWords.
3. The best time to release a new book is when the planet Mercury is well aspected with a waxing moon. But make sure Mercury is not retrograde, as this would be a Bad Thing.
Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
Apart from Dan Brown, I would say my biggest influence is Michael Moorcock. I always enjoyed reading his Elric books as a teenager. Then when I turned to writing fiction myself I discovered that he had also written a lot of essays containing helpful advice for new writers.
Other authors: Christine Feehan, author of the Ghostwalker series, influenced the sexy side of the “Magus Trilogy.” Also, I have to say: my favourite author of Literary Fiction is Ben Okri. I am quite certain that he is a future Nobel Prize winner.
Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?
Plenty! But there is one in particular which springs to mind – a non-fiction book called The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order by Israel Regardie. I bought it in 1996 and it has disintegrated through use. I purchased my first Kindle device purely so I could have an electronic version of it as a replacement.
If someone wanted to read your books, which would you recommend they read first, and why?
The books of the Magus Trilogy are colour-coded! Black, White, Red - the three colours of Alchemy, which are the three stages of perfection of the Philosophers' Stone, also the three stages of initiation - the first order, the second order, and the mysterious third order. In the first book Nichola is plunged into Chaos as her life is turned upside down on first meeting the Magus. In the second, as a police officer she becomes an adept: but at the end she is stripped of everything she holds dear, so that at the beginning of the third she is staring into the Abyss (almost literally) and realises she has to strive by her own efforts to reach her final goal.
Or more prosaically: get The Magus first because it's the first book in the series.
Are you reading a book at the moment?
Yes, mainly a lot of non-fiction books for my own personal edification and indeed for possible background information for future stories. Now that I have a Kindle device I’m making full use of it! At time of writing I’m reading an old book called Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece which was like one of these dime-a-dozen New Age knock-offs when it first came out, but lots of people keep coming up to me and saying that it’s really good.
What do you think of e-books as opposed to print books?
I think e-books are the future – especially seeing as there are a growing number of great quality e-book readers on the market. An e-book is better value for money for both the writer and the reader. They don’t weigh anything, and no trees are harmed in their making. So that it actually gets my goat that currently, e-books are subject to VAT in the United Kingdom, whilst print books are not. The government is always banging on about how it is supposedly concerned about the environment, so I should have thought it makes more sense to make e-books VAT-free.
I try to tell people how e-books are enviromentally-friendly, but some of them tell me that they need to feel a real book. I think they have the sap of innocent trees on their hands. :)
How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?
I design them all myself, using Adobe Photoshop. The images all refer to scenes from each book, albeit in an abstract and sometimes symbolic way.
What are you working on now?
A story featuring Guy Shepardson, the Demon Detective - uprooted from his usual surroundings and trying to survive in an alien environment. My working title for it is This Is Not A Fairy Story. I'm aiming to have it ready for the Summer Solstice, June 21st 2012
Where can people buy your books?
All relevant links can be traced through my website
Both my print and e-books (i.e. Kindle) can be purchased from Amazon
My ebooks are also available in alternative formats from :
SmashWords
You can also find my ebooks on iTunes, Diesel, Barnes & Noble and more by searching for “Alex Sumner.”
Thank you, Alex!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, if you'd like to win a Kindle copy of The Demon Detective, leave a comment below or simply 'like' this post.
Good luck!
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading The Magus, the first book in Alex Sumner's Magus Trilogy. The subject matter seemed quite scary. But I was curious enough to have a look. The book kept me entertained, with the intriguing murder/mystery plot and I was soon hooked on the series. The Trilogy is not really like anything I've read before. It deals with subjects such as magic, occultism, satanism, alchemy, secret societies, etc., etc. Sumner's talent is to take quite dark subjects and makes them entertaining.
He was kind enough to agree to an author interview and he is also giving away a free Kindle copy of his short story 'The Demon Detective'
To enter, please leave a comment below, or simply 'like' this blog post. A winner will be chosen at random on 31st March 2012.
Here's the interview:
I saw on your bio that you’ve been writing since 2001; you began with non-fiction including subjects such as astrology, tarot, alchemy and magick. Many of those topics are covered in your fiction series, The Magus Trilogy. When did you first begin writing the trilogy, and was it your intention from the start to write a series of books or is that something that developed as the story unfolded?
I first had the idea of turning my hand to fiction in 2006. Dan Brown had just successfully defended himself against a charge of plagiarism in regard to The Da Vinci Code, and some remark he made to the TV reporters round the time convinced me that it might be worth reading after all (I had held myself aloof from the hype surrounding the book up til then). Reading it – which I did in one sitting in the course of twenty-four hours – I felt gripped by two very extreme and completely opposite emotions. The first: that Brown had done an admirable job in engaging interest, in creating a “page-turner.” The second was the complete lameness of the puzzles that the characters were supposed to be solving! I was solving them before the characters were! Several times I had to suppress a violent urge to shout out “Look, it’s bloody mirror writing!” or “It’s an anagram of ‘Leonardo Da Vinci,’ for fuck’s sake.” I finished the book convinced that if Dan Brown could write a book as bad as this, and make tons of money in so doing, then I could do the same! Plus, I would make sure my books contained better research. And more sex.
That was my plan. What actually happened was that I realised writing fiction was more difficult than I’d first imagined, which delayed and almost put me off the project. So I took the trouble to educate myself in the noble art of Creative Writing, which got me my inspiration back. That was also when I decided to make it a trilogy – it seemed only natural to trace the character development of the Nichola, the heroine.
On your blog you continue to write non-fiction articles about various mystical subjects. Which do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction writing?
They each have their merits. I write non-fiction pieces to communicate my ideas immediately and directly. I write fiction to communicate my ideas in a more subtle and roundabout way. Also, I’m quite up front about trying to make money out of fiction, but my non-fiction work is my attempt to do pro bono work for the Universe.
You have dedicated a page on your website to the fascinating topic of lucid dreaming, where you teach a virtual course in the subject. Have you always been a lucid dreamer, or did this develop with your interest in the subject? Can you remember what your first lucid dream was?
No! I was only lucid for a brief moment before waking up. I think it was something like I was walking around somewhere, and I realised I was dreaming, and that was it. This would have been about seventeen years ago. Mind you, I seem to remember that once I had broken my duck, as it were, the number and quality of my lucid dreams multiplied rapidly within weeks.
What’s your favourite lucid dream that you’ve experienced?
The one where I proved the existence of God, and the reality of life after death, or “the inter-carnatory experience” as I now call it.
I think I inherited my talent for lucid dreaming from a past-life, because I went through quite an “awakening” when I first heard about it. But really I think that anyone can experience lucid dreams if they are prepared to practice hard.
The Magus Trilogy is a very entertaining series of books. It’s a murder mystery series but with an original twist, dealing with topics such as occultism and magick. What is the difference between magic and magick? Enlighten us.
“Magick” is an archaic spelling which was re-introduced in the 20th century by Aleister Crowley. He used it alternatively to mean: 1. the science and art of causing change in conformity with Will; 2. rites which aim at, follow on from, or are generally connected with, attaining “Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”; 3. Sex magick; and 4. all of the above.
“Magic” on the other hand Crowley used to refer to either stage-magicianship, illusionism, etc, or any occult practice of which he happened to disapprove.
The police station action in the Magus Trilogy was very realistic. Are you a fan of TV cop shows?
That procedural realism was mostly inspired by the fact that I was a fan of The X Files when it was on. I seldom watch TV nowadays though.
There is a lot of technical information in The Magus trilogy about murder investigations, occult practices, the Freemasons etc. etc. How much time did you spend researching the subjects and what were your sources for research?
About police procedure - a lot. As much as I felt necessary to convey the authentic flavour of what homicide detectives in London have to go through. I think the icing on the cake was to look up the actual annual homicide statistics broken down by month so I could get an idea about how many new cases per day a homicide detective could expect to be assigned.
About the rest of it though - less “research” per se than you would actually imagine - because I already live that lifestyle, so I was just drawing on my everyday life experiences -
HOWEVER - I must point out though, that the occult practices of the villains in the three stories were ramped up for dramatic purposes. Especially the villain in the first book, “The Magus.” For him, I was deliberately trying to be transgressional - trying to make him the most vile person I could imagine. Anyone who tries to reconstruct an occult ritual based on that character's practices will either go to hell or be locked up in Broadmoor, or both. I asked myself: “what's the most outrageous occult practice I can think of?” And then I had that character do it, e.g. there is a certain scene in which he tries to evoke a demon using a method that is liable to leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Only later, after I had excavated all these evil occult practices from the bottom-most recessess of my consciousness did I find out that this is actually what passes for a normal night down at the real-life Chaos magic organisation “The Illuminates of Thanateros.”
How long did it take you to write the Magus Trilogy?
The first book took an abnormally long amount of time, because I was still learning to write. The second and third books, around about seven or eight months each, because I knew what I was doing. I think I finished “Licence To Depart” soon after Christmas 2010, but I delayed releasing it because - using my powers of astrology - I had worked out that the planets would be best aligned for me releasing it in May 2011.
You have three new books available: Shall we Kill the President ?, A Greater Power, and The Demon Detective. Can you tell us a bit more about each of these books?
One of the goals which I Cosmically-Ordered myself in 2011 was to write a Lester Dent type of short story. That was how I invented the character of Guy Shepardson, the eponymous “Demon Detective.” He’s like a James Bond type of character, except that instead of using fancy gadgetry he casts spells, mostly involving demons of varying degrees of helpfulness. The writing of the first story proved enjoyable and gave me a large boost of inspiration of what to do next. I had finished the Magus Trilogy and it would not have worked to continue writing books with those particular characters, so I needed a new direction. So I came up with the idea to write a series of Dark Fantasy short stories.
As to the stories themselves, “The Demon Detective” kicks off the series by showing how modern day sorcerer becomes a Detective-of-sorts after an old friend of his is murdered. “A Greater Power” is about an adventure he has out in the Oxfordshire countryside when another acquaintance of his found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The third story is actually a novella: “Shall We Kill The President?” has Guy visiting the United States on holiday, and uncovering a plot to kill the President. This is an adventure featuring Vampires, Demons, US Politicians and Catholic Priests, not all of whom are villains in this story. ;-)
Which of the characters in The Magus Trilogy do you most relate to and why?
Almost all of the characters represent different aspects of my personality. The unsympathetic characters are the repressed, evil, dark and sinister aspects of my psyche which haunt my nightmares, whilst the sympathetic ones are aspects of my conscious personality. Nichola, the main female character, represents my Anima; the Magus himself is my Wise Old Man archetype; whilst Gary, on account of his intelligence and heightened sexual prowess, obviously represents me in real life. ;-)
You are very active on YouTube. One of your most recent videos, Manifestation, is interesting. Can you tell us a bit about your thinking behind creating the video and what you hope it can achieve?
It is a magic spell to Manifest good things in your life, and in the world generally. Prosperity, success in all sorts of human endeavours, happiness, celebration, respect for human rights and world peace, and even higher consciousness. All you have to do is watch it – preferably several times, as each successive viewing gradually unlocks your power to Manifest all these things. The soundtrack and the images were specifically chosen to induce that state of consciousness.
Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing their own book?
1. Marketing is everything. You should prepare for the fact that only 1% of the people who see your publicity will be willing to pay good money for your book. So in order to have a best-seller, you should be aiming for a “reach” of at least one to two million people. (If you can improve on this ratio, that's a bonus.)
2. “Calibre,” a free to download ebook manager contains its own Kindle-converter. This is an excellent way of checking the formatting of your book before you submit it to KDP or SmashWords.
3. The best time to release a new book is when the planet Mercury is well aspected with a waxing moon. But make sure Mercury is not retrograde, as this would be a Bad Thing.
Who are your favourite authors and what is it about their writing that you like?
Apart from Dan Brown, I would say my biggest influence is Michael Moorcock. I always enjoyed reading his Elric books as a teenager. Then when I turned to writing fiction myself I discovered that he had also written a lot of essays containing helpful advice for new writers.
Other authors: Christine Feehan, author of the Ghostwalker series, influenced the sexy side of the “Magus Trilogy.” Also, I have to say: my favourite author of Literary Fiction is Ben Okri. I am quite certain that he is a future Nobel Prize winner.
Is there a book you own that you’ve read more than once?
Plenty! But there is one in particular which springs to mind – a non-fiction book called The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order by Israel Regardie. I bought it in 1996 and it has disintegrated through use. I purchased my first Kindle device purely so I could have an electronic version of it as a replacement.
If someone wanted to read your books, which would you recommend they read first, and why?
The books of the Magus Trilogy are colour-coded! Black, White, Red - the three colours of Alchemy, which are the three stages of perfection of the Philosophers' Stone, also the three stages of initiation - the first order, the second order, and the mysterious third order. In the first book Nichola is plunged into Chaos as her life is turned upside down on first meeting the Magus. In the second, as a police officer she becomes an adept: but at the end she is stripped of everything she holds dear, so that at the beginning of the third she is staring into the Abyss (almost literally) and realises she has to strive by her own efforts to reach her final goal.
Or more prosaically: get The Magus first because it's the first book in the series.
Are you reading a book at the moment?
Yes, mainly a lot of non-fiction books for my own personal edification and indeed for possible background information for future stories. Now that I have a Kindle device I’m making full use of it! At time of writing I’m reading an old book called Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece which was like one of these dime-a-dozen New Age knock-offs when it first came out, but lots of people keep coming up to me and saying that it’s really good.
What do you think of e-books as opposed to print books?
I think e-books are the future – especially seeing as there are a growing number of great quality e-book readers on the market. An e-book is better value for money for both the writer and the reader. They don’t weigh anything, and no trees are harmed in their making. So that it actually gets my goat that currently, e-books are subject to VAT in the United Kingdom, whilst print books are not. The government is always banging on about how it is supposedly concerned about the environment, so I should have thought it makes more sense to make e-books VAT-free.
I try to tell people how e-books are enviromentally-friendly, but some of them tell me that they need to feel a real book. I think they have the sap of innocent trees on their hands. :)
How do you go about choosing a cover for your books?
I design them all myself, using Adobe Photoshop. The images all refer to scenes from each book, albeit in an abstract and sometimes symbolic way.
What are you working on now?
A story featuring Guy Shepardson, the Demon Detective - uprooted from his usual surroundings and trying to survive in an alien environment. My working title for it is This Is Not A Fairy Story. I'm aiming to have it ready for the Summer Solstice, June 21st 2012
Where can people buy your books?
All relevant links can be traced through my website
Both my print and e-books (i.e. Kindle) can be purchased from Amazon
My ebooks are also available in alternative formats from :
SmashWords
You can also find my ebooks on iTunes, Diesel, Barnes & Noble and more by searching for “Alex Sumner.”
Thank you, Alex!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, if you'd like to win a Kindle copy of The Demon Detective, leave a comment below or simply 'like' this post.
Good luck!
Epic Fantasy Saga, Shadows of the Realm, on Sale Jan 8-22!
**Guest post by Dionne Lister**
Shadows of the Realm is an epic fantasy for teens and adults. Join Bronwyn and Blayke, two young realmists, and their animal companions, as they are forced to leave the only home they’ve every known to undertake a dangerous journey towards Vellonia, city of the dragons.
The gormons are invading, slipping through the corridors between realms, and they want blood, lots of Talian blood. Will the young realmists learn enough of the Second Realm magic to prevail, or will everything they love be destroyed?
The first book in The Circle of Talia series is on sale from the 8th to the 22nd of January for the bargain price of $1.99 on Smashwords and Amazon.
Grab it now and escape into an original and enchanting world filled with mystery, danger, dragons and adventure.
Shadows of the Realm is an epic fantasy for teens and adults. Join Bronwyn and Blayke, two young realmists, and their animal companions, as they are forced to leave the only home they’ve every known to undertake a dangerous journey towards Vellonia, city of the dragons.
The gormons are invading, slipping through the corridors between realms, and they want blood, lots of Talian blood. Will the young realmists learn enough of the Second Realm magic to prevail, or will everything they love be destroyed?
The first book in The Circle of Talia series is on sale from the 8th to the 22nd of January for the bargain price of $1.99 on Smashwords and Amazon.
Grab it now and escape into an original and enchanting world filled with mystery, danger, dragons and adventure.
A-Z of Self-publishing and writing tips: U-Z
In this final part of my self-publishing and writing tips, I'm covering the letters U-Z.
I hope that both writers and readers have found this series helpful. I'll put links to the older blogs in the series at the bottom of the post so that you can refer to them in case you missed any.
U
Usage
Here are a few common grammatical issues that I pick up when reading independent works.
1. Blonde/blond.
The general rule here is that blonde is used when describing a female and blond when describing a male. Too often, I see indie authors using the terms wrongly.
2. Awhile/ a while
You should NEVER use awhile after you've used the word 'for'. NEVER.
Awhile means 'for a time' (hence no need to use 'for' in front of it).
3. Using a speechmark/inverted comma instead of an apostrophe. Most commonly I've spotted it when authors write 'em (shortening for them). This requires an apostrophe before the 'e' but more often than not, I see speechmarks.
V
"Very" and similar words
There's a famous quote from Mark Twain: “Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
I agree that the use of words, such as 'very' are often repeated too much in manuscripts. When you are editing you should look out for as many repeated words as possible, and either cut them out or think of a different word that could be used in their place.
Voting
This is a point for readers to note. Here on Goodreads, there are various 'listopia' lists, where you can vote for your favourite books. This is a good way to help your favourite writers by recommending their books to other Goodreads users. When you finish a good book, please consider adding it to a few of the current lists.
W
Website
For writers, I think it's a good idea to have your own website. I like having a website because I can use it to keep a record of all the events in my writing life, I can link to all my books, my blog, and all my networking sites. It makes it easier for readers to find out what they want to know without having to visit a hundred different places: http://www.mariasavva.com
Writer's Block
I don't think writer's block exists. Yes, writers will find that there are times when they are unable to come up with anything new, they'll maybe panic that they will never write again, but there are simple ways to combat these feelings, and the causes are usually more to do with fear than any real issue.
The concept of writer's block probably developed because someone had a deadline to meet and couldn't meet it because they had 'run out of words'.
The great thing about being self-published is that we don't have deadlines. You can take your time to perfect your writing, and shouldn't feel rushed. Despite some advice to the contrary, I don't think it's necessary to write every day, in fact, I would say that is detrimental; unless you're working on a novel and you want to keep up the flow and get the first draft written. Take your time. Be inspired by the world around you. It sounds silly, but 'wait' for the ideas to come to you and then write them, rather than chasing ideas, in a frantic rush to get some words on paper.
If you ever find yourself unable to write and you stare at a blank page for hours, the best thing to do is stop trying. Go and do something else. Your brain is probably overworked and needs a recharge, or you have probably been sitting at a computer in a room for too long and have run out of inspiration. We need to engage in the world around us as writers in order to be inspired and find things to write about.
Alternatively, if you are working on a particular project and you can't find a way to continue that, start working on another. More often than not you will soon find that you are then able to go back to your other project and continue that. Probably your brain needed time to think about it. The creative process is linked to the subconscious mind, so when we think too much we're not doing ourselves any favours. Sometimes the mind needs to work things out on its own, without our own conscious chattering.
Another suggestion when you're running low on writing fodder is that you should go and read. Read widely, lots of different genres, and read a lot. If I ever meet writers who tell me they don't read, I am always suspicious of them and of their writing skills. A typical writer is addicted to words and language, is usually a bookworm.
X
I couldn't come up with anything beginning with X, but did find this rather funny post online about a book that was written about things found inside people in X-Rays, LOL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11...
A cassette?
Back to slightly more serious stuff:
Y
Yahoo Groups
I don't really use these due to lack of time, but have joined a few writing/literary groups on Yahoo. They seem to work in the same way as groups you can join on LinkedIn or Goodreads, where writers can chat and promote etc.
YouTube
YouTube is fast becoming one of the most popular places for promotion. I make my own book trailers and upload them there: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv.... I am yet to discover the best way to get more views, so if anyone has any tips please leave them in the comments below.
Bestsellerbound has a YouTube channel, showcasing books by our members.
Darcia Helle produces those videos. She also recently started interviewing authors and producing audio videos. You may have seen those in some of my earlier blogs. Here's a link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietFury...
Z
As with 'X' I struggled to find something beginning with 'Z', so I'll end the series with a bit of fun (because remember, writing is supposed to be fun!).
Here's a picture of Zebedee from one of my favourite TV programmes as a child: The Magic Roundabout:
Zebedee is a magician, and book are magic, are they not?
If you're in doubt, here's a quote from one of the greatest writers:
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
That concludes the series... I hope you enjoyed it.
Links to the other blog posts in the series:
A-C: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...
D-F: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
G: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
H-J: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
K-M: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
N-P: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Q-S: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
T: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
I hope that both writers and readers have found this series helpful. I'll put links to the older blogs in the series at the bottom of the post so that you can refer to them in case you missed any.
U
Usage
Here are a few common grammatical issues that I pick up when reading independent works.
1. Blonde/blond.
The general rule here is that blonde is used when describing a female and blond when describing a male. Too often, I see indie authors using the terms wrongly.
2. Awhile/ a while
You should NEVER use awhile after you've used the word 'for'. NEVER.
Awhile means 'for a time' (hence no need to use 'for' in front of it).
3. Using a speechmark/inverted comma instead of an apostrophe. Most commonly I've spotted it when authors write 'em (shortening for them). This requires an apostrophe before the 'e' but more often than not, I see speechmarks.
V
"Very" and similar words
There's a famous quote from Mark Twain: “Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
I agree that the use of words, such as 'very' are often repeated too much in manuscripts. When you are editing you should look out for as many repeated words as possible, and either cut them out or think of a different word that could be used in their place.
Voting
This is a point for readers to note. Here on Goodreads, there are various 'listopia' lists, where you can vote for your favourite books. This is a good way to help your favourite writers by recommending their books to other Goodreads users. When you finish a good book, please consider adding it to a few of the current lists.
W
Website
For writers, I think it's a good idea to have your own website. I like having a website because I can use it to keep a record of all the events in my writing life, I can link to all my books, my blog, and all my networking sites. It makes it easier for readers to find out what they want to know without having to visit a hundred different places: http://www.mariasavva.com
Writer's Block
I don't think writer's block exists. Yes, writers will find that there are times when they are unable to come up with anything new, they'll maybe panic that they will never write again, but there are simple ways to combat these feelings, and the causes are usually more to do with fear than any real issue.
The concept of writer's block probably developed because someone had a deadline to meet and couldn't meet it because they had 'run out of words'.
The great thing about being self-published is that we don't have deadlines. You can take your time to perfect your writing, and shouldn't feel rushed. Despite some advice to the contrary, I don't think it's necessary to write every day, in fact, I would say that is detrimental; unless you're working on a novel and you want to keep up the flow and get the first draft written. Take your time. Be inspired by the world around you. It sounds silly, but 'wait' for the ideas to come to you and then write them, rather than chasing ideas, in a frantic rush to get some words on paper.
If you ever find yourself unable to write and you stare at a blank page for hours, the best thing to do is stop trying. Go and do something else. Your brain is probably overworked and needs a recharge, or you have probably been sitting at a computer in a room for too long and have run out of inspiration. We need to engage in the world around us as writers in order to be inspired and find things to write about.
Alternatively, if you are working on a particular project and you can't find a way to continue that, start working on another. More often than not you will soon find that you are then able to go back to your other project and continue that. Probably your brain needed time to think about it. The creative process is linked to the subconscious mind, so when we think too much we're not doing ourselves any favours. Sometimes the mind needs to work things out on its own, without our own conscious chattering.
Another suggestion when you're running low on writing fodder is that you should go and read. Read widely, lots of different genres, and read a lot. If I ever meet writers who tell me they don't read, I am always suspicious of them and of their writing skills. A typical writer is addicted to words and language, is usually a bookworm.
X
I couldn't come up with anything beginning with X, but did find this rather funny post online about a book that was written about things found inside people in X-Rays, LOL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11...
A cassette?
Back to slightly more serious stuff:
Y
Yahoo Groups
I don't really use these due to lack of time, but have joined a few writing/literary groups on Yahoo. They seem to work in the same way as groups you can join on LinkedIn or Goodreads, where writers can chat and promote etc.
YouTube
YouTube is fast becoming one of the most popular places for promotion. I make my own book trailers and upload them there: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv.... I am yet to discover the best way to get more views, so if anyone has any tips please leave them in the comments below.
Bestsellerbound has a YouTube channel, showcasing books by our members.
Darcia Helle produces those videos. She also recently started interviewing authors and producing audio videos. You may have seen those in some of my earlier blogs. Here's a link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietFury...
Z
As with 'X' I struggled to find something beginning with 'Z', so I'll end the series with a bit of fun (because remember, writing is supposed to be fun!).
Here's a picture of Zebedee from one of my favourite TV programmes as a child: The Magic Roundabout:
Zebedee is a magician, and book are magic, are they not?
If you're in doubt, here's a quote from one of the greatest writers:
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
That concludes the series... I hope you enjoyed it.
Links to the other blog posts in the series:
A-C: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...
D-F: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
G: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
H-J: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
K-M: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
N-P: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Q-S: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
T: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Free book: Touch of Darkness, by J. Michael Radcliffe
J. Michael Radcliffe's wonderful fantasy tale, Touch of Darkness, will be free this week from Monday 15th - Friday 19th February!
Grab your free copy while you can.
I am a big fan of J. Michael Radcliffe's stories. I used to read fantasy books as a child, but then didn't really read them. When I met Michael online a few years ago (as well as another brilliant fantasy author Julie Elizabeth Powell) my love of the fantasy genre was rekindled.
J. Michael Radcliffe is a master of the genre. His books are full of magic, dragons, intrigue, and mystery.
"Touch of Darkness" is book 4 in the Beyond The Veil series. I would highly recommend all the books in the series. I don't think it's necessary to have read the other 3 books in order to enjoy A Touch of Darkness, however, as the author always gives details of the background in each of his stories.
About the book:
“…There was a sudden flash, and two large, yellow, cat-like eyes appeared before him in the darkness. Rami stumbled backward, unable to see in the jet-black surroundings. “You killed them Rami, their blood is on your hands …” Rami felt something warm and wet dripping from his hands, and he frantically wiped them on his tunic as he continued to stumble blindly, desperate to escape the eyes. He pitched backwards as the stone give way beneath him, and he tumbled into the darkness. The voice dissolved into harsh laughter, echoing all around him. Then he woke up, screaming…”
Alone and on the run from his past, Rami is tormented by the dark spirit that haunts his dreams. Terrified of the power he may possess, he must find a way to control it before it drives him insane. When he finds himself thrown into an unlikely partnership with the alluring and stubborn daughter of a caravan leader, he soon realizes she may be his downfall. Like a moth to a flame, Amirah is drawn to Rami and his mysterious past. Together they must find the long lost ‘Book of the Dead,’ before they are consumed by the darkness..
J. Michael Radcliffe is also a "Mind's Eye" series author. He's contributed many great stories to the series, including 2 new ones for the upcoming book. I'll have more news about that soon.
If you haven't read any of Michael's books, don't miss your chance to sample his work by downloading Touch of Darkness this week.
Links:
Amazon:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Touch-Darknes...
US: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Darkness-...
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Touch-Darkness-B...
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Touch-Darkne...
FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Touch-Darkness-B...
IT: http://www.amazon.it/Touch-Darkness-B...
DE: http://www.amazon.de/Touch-Darkness-B...
NL: http://www.amazon.nl/Touch-Darkness-B...
ES: http://www.amazon.es/Touch-Darkness-B...
MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Touch-Darkne...
BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Touch-Darkne...
IN: http://www.amazon.in/Touch-Darkness-B...
JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Touch-Darknes...
Author links:
Website/blog: https://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/J-Michael-Ra...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alderdrache
Grab your free copy while you can.
I am a big fan of J. Michael Radcliffe's stories. I used to read fantasy books as a child, but then didn't really read them. When I met Michael online a few years ago (as well as another brilliant fantasy author Julie Elizabeth Powell) my love of the fantasy genre was rekindled.
J. Michael Radcliffe is a master of the genre. His books are full of magic, dragons, intrigue, and mystery.
"Touch of Darkness" is book 4 in the Beyond The Veil series. I would highly recommend all the books in the series. I don't think it's necessary to have read the other 3 books in order to enjoy A Touch of Darkness, however, as the author always gives details of the background in each of his stories.
About the book:
“…There was a sudden flash, and two large, yellow, cat-like eyes appeared before him in the darkness. Rami stumbled backward, unable to see in the jet-black surroundings. “You killed them Rami, their blood is on your hands …” Rami felt something warm and wet dripping from his hands, and he frantically wiped them on his tunic as he continued to stumble blindly, desperate to escape the eyes. He pitched backwards as the stone give way beneath him, and he tumbled into the darkness. The voice dissolved into harsh laughter, echoing all around him. Then he woke up, screaming…”
Alone and on the run from his past, Rami is tormented by the dark spirit that haunts his dreams. Terrified of the power he may possess, he must find a way to control it before it drives him insane. When he finds himself thrown into an unlikely partnership with the alluring and stubborn daughter of a caravan leader, he soon realizes she may be his downfall. Like a moth to a flame, Amirah is drawn to Rami and his mysterious past. Together they must find the long lost ‘Book of the Dead,’ before they are consumed by the darkness..
J. Michael Radcliffe is also a "Mind's Eye" series author. He's contributed many great stories to the series, including 2 new ones for the upcoming book. I'll have more news about that soon.
If you haven't read any of Michael's books, don't miss your chance to sample his work by downloading Touch of Darkness this week.
Links:
Amazon:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Touch-Darknes...
US: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Darkness-...
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Touch-Darkness-B...
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Touch-Darkne...
FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Touch-Darkness-B...
IT: http://www.amazon.it/Touch-Darkness-B...
DE: http://www.amazon.de/Touch-Darkness-B...
NL: http://www.amazon.nl/Touch-Darkness-B...
ES: http://www.amazon.es/Touch-Darkness-B...
MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Touch-Darkne...
BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Touch-Darkne...
IN: http://www.amazon.in/Touch-Darkness-B...
JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Touch-Darknes...
Author links:
Website/blog: https://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/J-Michael-Ra...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alderdrache
Book Review: Maisie, by Julie Elizabeth Powell
Maisie by Julie Elizabeth PowellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Maisie" is a story that would appeal to older children and young adults. It's a fantasy adventure that begins in the real world and takes the reader to another realm, Mageia. Julie Elizabeth Powell is one of the most imaginative writers I know, and in this book she has excelled herself with a fantastical story that challenges the way we view the world.
There are two characters in "Maisie" who will be familiar to fans of the author. Jorga originally appeared in the novel "Of Sound Mind" as did the world of Mageia. The other character, Adam, first appeared in "Lost Shadows". Adam plays a pivotal role in "Maisie".
Maisie is a seven-year-old blind girl, although while dreaming and while in the mystical land of Mageia she is able to see clearly. It's often hard to remember that Maisie is a child, when reading the story, due to the way she interacts with other characters but the reason behind this is cleverly revealed towards the end of the book. In this fantasy tale, the young girl soon starts to realise that she has many magical powers. For a seven year old all of the new discoveries are quite bewildering and confusing. The author portrays this brilliantly.
We follow Maisie in this adventure where she discovers that her destiny is to enter a strange new world and fight against the evil powers that threaten to destroy everything. She meets many colourful characters along the way, including fairies, elves, and giants. She is caught up in a win or lose situation and is helped along the way by a magical collection of characters that have a deeper connection to her than she knows.
One thing this author does well, and something that is a hallmark of her work, is introducing and developing multiple characters each with their own distinct quirks and foibles. It really is a skill and is not easy to master. There were a couple of times where I lost track of which character was speaking, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of this intricate tale.
The story moves at a fast and furious pace and is full of intrigue, danger, and magic. It's a wondrous adventure. The story flows well and introduces some interesting ideas about life and death, past lives and mortality.
Recommended for fantasy fans.
View all my reviews
