Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 38

More from FutureLearn: Classics and Literary

I’ve mentioned FutureLearn before, as an excellent resource for no-stress, free-time further education. I’ve had the chance to do some more courses over the past few months, and thought I’d share my experience.

Classics

The first course I’ve done at FutureLearn was about a complete virtual model of ancient Rome (see here). It was an amazing tool to learn and absorb the fabric of that city, so I tried a few more courses. I’ve now completed several courses in thei...

Jame (of the Kencyrath Chronicles, by P.C. Hodgell)

Dear readers, tonight we are extremely excited to host a character from a fantasy series we’ve been following since childhood (ours, as well as hers).

Jamethiel’s Priest’s-bane, known as Jame to most, comes to us from down the chain of creation, where her people ...

Book Review: Over a God’s Dead Body, by Joel Spriggs

I was in the mood for some humorous fantasy, and this novel fitted the bill perfectly. If you’re a fan of American Gods and College Humour, this is for you.

What to expect

A crazy tale of cluey and clueless humans and far-less-than-perfect gods, struggling over a small college town in Indiana. Old gods and supernatural creatures converge on the town as part of grand schemes, and local residents discover the supernatural world (and most of what you knew or thought about those old gods w...

Cass Argent (of The Continuum: Place in Time, by Wendy Nikel)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a young student from the 22nd century. She is here to tell us about life as a waitress – and about time travel.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

My name is Cass, and I’m just your typical 22nd century university student – or so I thought. Up until recently, I was living and at...

Cost of Living (in Ancient Rome)

I recently received the map on the left from my fellow author Eric Klein (click to enlarge it — it’s beautiful). This is a classic configuration for a Roman-era house, at least for those who could afford it.

It’s quite similar to what I have in mind when I describe Felix’s own house (the only thing missing is the leering faun fountain in the garden).

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about housing arrangements and the cost of living in Egretia and (Republican)...

Celebrating 200 Character Interviews!

We’ve now published 200 character interviews, from indie and traditionally published authors, across genres and times. Not bad for a project that started as a crazy 3am idea

Book Review: Kings of the Wyld, by Nicholas Eames

I saw this book praised repeatedly on many an online source, and was in the mood for some classic, light fantasy.

I wasn’t disappointed. Kings of the Wyld is tremendous fantasy, touching all the important aspects and with plenty of humour, that is sure to delight anyone who ever played D&D.

What to expect

If you’ve ever played fantasy role-playing games and wondered how the world would really look with all those adventuring groups running all over the place, this book has the...

We’re giving away $75 in Amazon gift cards!

My publisher is holding a raffle for Amazon gift cards, totalling US $75! Head here for details on how to enter (and win

Conversations in My Head: Things I’ve Learnt from Reading

Whenever I’m reading a book, I have this silent conversation with the author in my head. This is particularly true for indie authors I’m reviewing, but most authors are ‘targeted’. Sometimes, there are more people in my head. So if you’re feeling like someone is walking on your grave, it might be me, reading your works.

Anyway. What, you might ask, am I talking to them about?

A plethora of subjects. From complimenting on a nice turn of phrase, to constructing th...

Kara Tanner (of Glyphbinder, by T. Eric Bakutis)

Dear readers, tonight with me is Kara Tanner, a recent graduate of the Magic Academy of Solyr. What follows is Scribemaster Tarano’s interview with Kara several days before her planned graduation.

The chaos that unfolded on Kara’s graduation day is still unclear to many, but we do know the academy came under attack, a number of students were injured, and that Kara and several of her friends (including an amnesic soldier treated for his wounds at the academy) disappeared. Their current wherea...