Sandy Addison's Blog
December 17, 2021
Smashwords Sale
Hi all
Just to let everyone know Sellswords is Free to download on Smashwords until January First. So now is the time to take a look.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Sandy
Just to let everyone know Sellswords is Free to download on Smashwords until January First. So now is the time to take a look.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Sandy
August 8, 2017
The Taleless Rat
Some of the feedback has been regarding the Inn's name in Fairy Godsister. Let me assure everyone that no this isn't a spelling mistake and The Taleless Rat is a rat that doesn't have a story, but still has a tail.
I've always loved English pub/inn names, loved using that model to my drinking/eating establishments. The Taleless Rat struck me as an interesting play on words that commented (and therefore remembered) by it patrons; and it turns out that I was correct.
Unfortunately, given my history of memorable misspellings those that know me already just assumed that I had got the wrong spelling.
In this case; no that's the word that I wanted, and that is how it is spelled.
It that true with some other words in the story...
Bring the light to your own dark place.
I've always loved English pub/inn names, loved using that model to my drinking/eating establishments. The Taleless Rat struck me as an interesting play on words that commented (and therefore remembered) by it patrons; and it turns out that I was correct.
Unfortunately, given my history of memorable misspellings those that know me already just assumed that I had got the wrong spelling.
In this case; no that's the word that I wanted, and that is how it is spelled.
It that true with some other words in the story...
Bring the light to your own dark place.
August 5, 2017
Enlightenment Fantasy
Since I appear to have coined the phrase I guess I’d better explain what I mean by Enlightenment Fantasy. Basically, it refers to any fantasy that is supposed to take place between our earths roughly 18 and 19 centuries. As opposed to the more traditional fantasy taking place in our medieval era.
Okay many of you are probably going ‘thank you captain obvious’ but if you think about it for a bit, the term Enlightenment Fantasy almost becomes a bit oxymoronic. A fundamental foundation, (I’d argue the fundamental foundation) of The Enlightenment is rationality. The world operated under a set of rational laws: 1+1 always equalled 2 no matter your social status, cultural background, or religion. By using science and the scientific method these laws could be not only be discovered but used for the betterment of everyone and the general improvement of the world. Further many great thinkers of The Enlightenment also believed that all people were rational and that they were kept from acting rationally because of repressive government and church laws, and superstition. Remove the church, remove the repressive government and most importantly remove the superstition from off the necks from all people then everyone would react rationally.
So, in general The Enlightenment could be defined as rational, optimistic, and forward looking. It was also incredibly elitist. Among most Enlightenment thinkers there was only one definition rationality, and of course that it was the thinker whose defined that rationality. That caused a lot of problem (like the terror during the French Revolution) but I think you get the idea.
Modern Fantasy has its roots in the Romantic Era, the era right after the Enlightenment. It was backwards looking, where kings must rule to protect the masses as much from themselves as from external threats. It was all about getting back to nature, having faith that thinks would turn as they should, and raw emotion where the noble gesture and heroic last stand mean more than the ‘bigger battalions’. And that often sums what a lot of fantasy of the 20th century. Think of Tolkien’s Middle Earth where all the great achievements were in the past and most the War of the Ring is fought by countries and beings that were mostly in decline. How the last battle at the Gates of Mordor was fought not because it was the tactically right thing to do. But on the hope that it would provide assistance to Frodo and Sam who at the time no one even knew if they were alive or not.
Nowadays I feel that fantasy has grown beyond romantic roots. That modern fantasy, thanks to no small influence of Dungeons and Dragons and other table top Role-Playing Games has a strong rational bend to it: hence one of the reasons for the popularity of urban fantasy (thank you Shadowrun). In my opinion, just been a general laziness on many writer’s parts, along with a very strong taboo against mixing magic and gunpowder, that has kept so much of fantasy locked in a medieval world. My goal is to offer a new paradigm to people while writing entertaining stories.
By the way I firmly believe that if people don’t say your crazy your goals aren’t big enough.
So, what is Enlightenment Fantasy? It is fantasy where people get out of problems not through the raw emotion, and brute strength (Like how Harry Dresden draws magical power from his strong emotions) but through cool rational thought. That my characters are looking to make the world a better place, and while the respect the achievement of the past they’re not cowed by them. They know they can do as well if not better. That while there may be magic and immortal other worldly beings in the world; while they’re here they have to obey rational understandable laws. That even the most chaotic demon has an logic behind its actions: and to understand even a bit of that logic brings sanity and reduces fear NOT insanity and increased fear.
This last point is very important to me personally. I’ve spent my entire adult life working within the disability and mental health fields. Time after time I’ve seen the knowledge of why someone acts the way they do increased a client’s quality of life and reduce staff fear. I think it time we start seeing characters do that in fantasy as well.
Bring the light to your own dark place.
Okay many of you are probably going ‘thank you captain obvious’ but if you think about it for a bit, the term Enlightenment Fantasy almost becomes a bit oxymoronic. A fundamental foundation, (I’d argue the fundamental foundation) of The Enlightenment is rationality. The world operated under a set of rational laws: 1+1 always equalled 2 no matter your social status, cultural background, or religion. By using science and the scientific method these laws could be not only be discovered but used for the betterment of everyone and the general improvement of the world. Further many great thinkers of The Enlightenment also believed that all people were rational and that they were kept from acting rationally because of repressive government and church laws, and superstition. Remove the church, remove the repressive government and most importantly remove the superstition from off the necks from all people then everyone would react rationally.
So, in general The Enlightenment could be defined as rational, optimistic, and forward looking. It was also incredibly elitist. Among most Enlightenment thinkers there was only one definition rationality, and of course that it was the thinker whose defined that rationality. That caused a lot of problem (like the terror during the French Revolution) but I think you get the idea.
Modern Fantasy has its roots in the Romantic Era, the era right after the Enlightenment. It was backwards looking, where kings must rule to protect the masses as much from themselves as from external threats. It was all about getting back to nature, having faith that thinks would turn as they should, and raw emotion where the noble gesture and heroic last stand mean more than the ‘bigger battalions’. And that often sums what a lot of fantasy of the 20th century. Think of Tolkien’s Middle Earth where all the great achievements were in the past and most the War of the Ring is fought by countries and beings that were mostly in decline. How the last battle at the Gates of Mordor was fought not because it was the tactically right thing to do. But on the hope that it would provide assistance to Frodo and Sam who at the time no one even knew if they were alive or not.
Nowadays I feel that fantasy has grown beyond romantic roots. That modern fantasy, thanks to no small influence of Dungeons and Dragons and other table top Role-Playing Games has a strong rational bend to it: hence one of the reasons for the popularity of urban fantasy (thank you Shadowrun). In my opinion, just been a general laziness on many writer’s parts, along with a very strong taboo against mixing magic and gunpowder, that has kept so much of fantasy locked in a medieval world. My goal is to offer a new paradigm to people while writing entertaining stories.
By the way I firmly believe that if people don’t say your crazy your goals aren’t big enough.
So, what is Enlightenment Fantasy? It is fantasy where people get out of problems not through the raw emotion, and brute strength (Like how Harry Dresden draws magical power from his strong emotions) but through cool rational thought. That my characters are looking to make the world a better place, and while the respect the achievement of the past they’re not cowed by them. They know they can do as well if not better. That while there may be magic and immortal other worldly beings in the world; while they’re here they have to obey rational understandable laws. That even the most chaotic demon has an logic behind its actions: and to understand even a bit of that logic brings sanity and reduces fear NOT insanity and increased fear.
This last point is very important to me personally. I’ve spent my entire adult life working within the disability and mental health fields. Time after time I’ve seen the knowledge of why someone acts the way they do increased a client’s quality of life and reduce staff fear. I think it time we start seeing characters do that in fantasy as well.
Bring the light to your own dark place.
July 15, 2017
July Sale at Smashwords
Sellswords is currently part of Smashwords July Summer/Winter sale.
Check it out here.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Check it out here.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
