Lynn Wallace's Blog: Blog on Books and Writing, page 6

Under the Influence

All great accomplishments start with inspiration. My books are no exception. Sometimes the inspiration is vague; other times it’s very, very specific. In this post I’d like to pay tribute to the various things that have “influenced” me along the way, particularly in relation to my recently published anthology.

So, let’s back up a bit, and start at the beginning. When I first started writing (which was during the second half of my college tenure, over a decade ago XD), I concocted the idea for the first novel, some ideas on a trilogy featuring elves, and a handful of short stories. Believe it or not, at that time “Love Bites” was actually a stand-alone story; I didn’t realize that vampire would turn out to be Alex until years after I had written it. Likewise, when I originally wrote the wedding scene from “A Wedding, an Afternoon Stroll, and a Little Book-Shopping,” I knew vaguely that it connected with my other elf-story ideas, but I wasn’t sure how or where.

Then life happened, and I didn’t work seriously on my writing until I was married and my husband and I were living in Austin while I worked and he did his master’s degree. One fateful drive to work at 5 am, and the story “In the Beginning” imagined itself into reality during my 30-minute commute. There wasn’t really a specific something that “inspired” the story, but I find it fascinating that a simple daydreaming session (while driving to work in the wee hours of the morning, no less!) could have such incredible consequences. It was that singular short story that suddenly connected all the dots and tied "The Heart of Everything" (and its sequel!) to the aforementioned trilogy as well as to “Love Bites” and “A Wedding, an Afternoon Stroll, and a Little Book-Shopping” and basically set off the entire story arc for “Love, Blood & Magic.” Thus the anthology was born.

From there, I can name several specific inspirations for some of the other stories. There’s a song by Joy Williams titled, “2000 Decembers Ago” that gave the idea for “Her First Christmas” (to this day that song is still a part of my Christmas playlist that I listen to every year). The movie “Timeline” from 2003 inspired the scene featuring the Earl of Derby in “His First Dance.” Even the setting for my Christmas short story (you can get a copy FREE when you subscribe to my newsletter!) had a source: namely, the movie “The Lion in Winter.” It all just goes to show that great stories can come from anywhere, at any time – you just have to be open enough to see it!

What do you think? Until the next time, keep reading!

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Blast from the Past: The Best of the Backstory

Ah, the backstory! One of my all-time favorite elements of storytelling is the exploration of what has come before. I know that nothing will ever compare to the original trilogy of “Star Wars” movies (that’s episodes IV, V, and VI for those that don’t know) – my husband has explained this to me many times ><. But, I will admit, I really liked the “prequels” (episodes I, II, and III) because they explained how Darth Vader came into existence. And for me, having that background, that fullness to the story, was what made those movies such classics.

I can think of two great examples of backstories in the literary world. One is T. A. Barron’s "Merlin" series. These five books trace the origin of the great wizard Merlin – made so famous in the stories of King Arthur – starting from his early life as a young man. For me, it was fascinating to discover a version of Merlin without a long white beard or wizard’s robes. I loved watching the various skills he acquired, his romance with the deer woman Hallia, his relationship with his sister, etc. In fact, just seeing him as a young man, uncertain and still learning (as opposed to the king’s wisest advisor) was entirely refreshing.

Another example is "The Magician’s Nephew" from the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis. Most people prefer or are most familiar with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which was written first but is chronologically the third book in the series. "The Magician’s Nephew" is numbered as the first story, because it shows us the origins for several elements that we see later in the series. This is the novel where we discover how the White Witch came to Narnia, why a lamppost exists in a magical world, and of course, the source of the wardrobe itself. And as wonderful as the rest of the series is, it is those simple, humble beginnings, those tiny incidences that send giant ripples into the future, affecting all the stories down the line, that make "The Magician’s Nephew" my favorite book in that collection.

All this to say, I’m such a fan of backstories that I naturally HAD to write some of my own. Technically, “Love, Blood and Magic” was written prior to "The Heart of Everything;" but since it was published second, it sheds light on the many things we don’t know from the original story. Here we get the full story of Emer’s strange and mysterious past, without ruining the “surprise” of the first book. Things like the amulet, the otherworldly origins of the priestess, even the tangled love triangle between Jesse, Alex and the priestess are finally explained within the pages of this anthology. And while those explanations aren’t strictly necessary to be able to enjoy "The Heart of Everything," like all backstories, they add a richness to the original novel that you wouldn’t have otherwise ;-).

What do you think? Until the next time, keep reading!

P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link:
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The Magician's Nephew
The Lost Years of Merlin
The Fires of Merlin
The Wings of Merlin
The Seven Songs of Merlin

The Truth Behind the Text

Have you ever come across a line in a book that struck you as particularly true, not just in the context of the story, but also in real life? Several examples come to my mind.

“If I fret over tomorrow, I’ll have little joy today,” spoken by Llonio in "Taran Wanderer" by Lloyd Alexander ("The Chronicles of Prydain") – rather reminiscent of certain lines in Scripture, don’t you think?

In "The House of Hades" ("The Heroes of Olympus" series by Rick Riordan), Annabeth tells Bob the Titan that “monsters are eternal” – and while she doesn’t mean it this way, it captures the idea that evil never dies.

From my favorite manga, "InuYasha," we get this wonderful quote spoken by Sesshoumaru’s mother as she explains the limits of his life-saving sword: “Life is not supposed to be limitless. It’s not something that can be renewed over and over again for your convenience. Sesshoumaru, had you come to believe you were a god, and did not need to fear death?”

One that I’ve quoted several times myself comes from the movie When Good Ghouls Go Bad, when Dayna tells Danny why Halloween is important: “If you don’t get to survive being scared as a kid, how are you ever going to survive being scared as an adult? When there’s so much more to be scared of.”

And one of the simplest, yet most thought-provoking, comes from the film National Treasure, when Agent Sadusky says, “Someone has to go to prison, Ben.” A single sentence, yet it perfectly parallels why Christ had to die for our sins: someone had to pay the price. Justice had to be done. End of story.

(Forgive me, I know the last two were quotes from movies – but those are stories too!)

This is one of my favorite aspects of storytelling. When fiction stretches so far that it actually touches the surface of reality, and you can see from one straight into the other – like the way soap bubbles sling to one another, separated by only a thin film. Sometimes the fictional world and the real world are not as far apart as we think.

I try to incorporate this into my novels as often as I can. I love capturing a bit of truth and weaving into my writing, where it can catch your eye as you read – similar to a single metallic thread in a tapestry. A few examples from "The Heart of Everything" include: Jesse’s line of “The world was already broken;” Alex’s explanation that “All the best things in life are choices. Love is a choice. Faith is a choice. Even joy is a choice. Nothing ever just happens;” and of course another one of Jesse’s lines: “You can’t save yourself all on your own. No one can do that.”

I’ll continue to share bits of truth in my books – and in the meantime, feel free to share the “lines of truth” you’ve discovered in other stories in the comments section!

Until the next time, keep reading!

P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link:
http://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog...

The House of Hades
Taran Wanderer
InuYasha: Mixed Messages

Alice in Wonderland: Nothing but Nonsense

You know how the original Disney animated version of “Alice in Wonderland” featured a lot of strange animals and random events, then ended with Alice waking up from her dream during an afternoon nap? That’s pretty much exactly what the original stories by Lewis Carroll are like.

"Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" and its follow-up, "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There," are basically the detailed dreams that young Alice has, one on a midsummer afternoon, one on a cold winter day. Sure, there are some highly educated book critics and literary folks who can produce pages upon pages of analysis detailing the meaning and merit behind these notable works (the edition I have certainly has a couple dozen pages of introduction for just that purpose), but if it takes all that extra work to explain one children’s story, then really, what’s the point? You’re reading someone else’s interpretation, and not the book. And I’m not a fan of needing help to understand a story (if I do, either it’s a poorly written story, or it’s just not my type).

Coming from someone who has read the book (and nothing but the book), I can say that in my straightforward opinion, it’s all just nonsense. Silly and somewhat amusing, but nonsense all the same. Even Alice herself states as much at the end of "Through the Looking Glass": “What dreadful nonsense we are talking!”

While I’m glad to be able to say I’ve finally read this timeless children’s classic, I will admit that I don’t care for nonsense books. To me, as an author who takes great care to include truth and meaning in what she writes, I can’t stand a story without a purpose. There’s just no point! I felt like I wasted my time reading it, because there was nothing for me to take away, no lessons to learn, no message to apply to my own life. I can appreciate a story that is diverting for entertainment’s sake, and entertainment alone. But these stories are literally just nonsense! Alice is here, then there, talking to this creature, then that creature… the scenes shift randomly, the plotline doesn’t make any sense, you can’t even describe it as a “story” because all that seems to happen is Alice wandering around a land of make believe and having nonsensical conversations with imaginary characters. Maybe that’s fun for some people. Mostly it just gave me a headache ><.

So, I am here to declare once and for all that you should never, ever expect such a book from me! I may include bits of silliness and random scenes that are more for fun than for pushing the plot, but it they will be small bits of fluff woven into a very solid story arc! I have too many meaningful things to share in my stories to waste my words on something pointless. As the Mock-Turtle in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland declared, “No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.” ;-)

What do you think? Share your thoughts with me! Until the next time, keep reading!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass

Manga: The Monster Mayhem of Rosario Vampire

Hmm, a manga series with the word “vampire” in the title? Of course I’ve read it :-P. This 10-volume series by Akihisa Ikeda features the usual elements of shonen manga: a school setting with an average teen boy surrounded by plenty of cute girls, but with an additional twist – the “average teen boy” is human, and the girls are not!

Tsukune can’t get accepted into any high school except Yokai Academy, which turns out to be a high school for monsters! Despite being the lone human, Tsukune manages to befriend several of the beautiful female monsters (be aware that since this manga is aimed at older teen boys, there is a fair amount of “fan service”); in particular there’s Moka, a vampire who wears a “rosario” (crucifix with a rosary bead in the center) to keep her powers in check, thus explaining the title of the series. Naturally, with Tsukune’s kind and accepting disposition, all of the girls want him for themselves, and not just to suck his blood or devour his soul. Tsukune, of course, is generally too busy just trying to stay alive XD. It’s a fun series – there’s the classic high school love triangles (though technically, the love subplot has more sides than a triangle :-P), epic fight scenes between monsters, and hapless Tsukune caught in the middle! And there’s actually a second, “sequel series” that I haven’t yet acquired. But the story, which is relatively straightforward, isn’t really what catches my interest.

What I like about this manga is how it humanizes the monsters. Literally. The monster students are required to maintain human form at all times (they don’t always, obviously ><) as they learn how to integrate into the human world beyond their school. And that’s what I love to do. Although, I prefer to dive deeper than this series does when giving monsters their humanity, focusing on redemption rather than just a purely physical level. I love to explore the “darker side” people try to hide and in turn give hope that all is not lost just because you aren’t perfect.

The other fun aspect to this book is the twist on monsters and society: typically, we see monsters struggling to be accepted by the humans. This time, it’s the singular human who is trying to be accepted by the monsters! Not only does this remind us how deep the need runs for acceptance, but it capitalizes on traits that bring people together, such as kindness and forgiveness. When a human manages to make friends out of monsters because he doesn’t judge them or penalize them for being who they are, it’s an incredible reminder of how we are all called to love one another ;-).

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Until the next time, keep reading!

P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link:
​http://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog...

Rosario+Vampire Vol. 1
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #02 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #03 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #04 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #05 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #06 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #07 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #08 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #09 - ROSARIO+
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE #10 - ROSARIO+

Minor Characters: More Than Just a Sidekick

Great characters are essential to a story: the more we can relate to them, empathize with them, and cheer them on, the more we connect with the story overall. But it’s not just the major players that make a story a success. Minor characters are important too, and not just as filler for the pages.

I can think of several minor characters that I just absolutely loved reading about. There was Gurgie, the lovable, furry rascal from the "Chronicles of Prydain". In the Percy Jackson series we meet Tyson, Percy’s half-brother, who happens to be a very sweet, very young Cyclops. From other books by Rick Riordan we meet Khufu, a baboon who loves basketball, and Ella, a harpy with a photographic memory. Dobby from the world of "Harry Potter" is now perhaps the most famous house-elf the world over. And of course there is Iko, the would-be human android from the "Lunar Chronicles" (who also is mentioned in my blog post on "Wires and Nerve").

Minor characters serve multiple functions. Not only do they give the main characters someone to interact with and therefore demonstrate their shortcomings and/ or growth, but they can give you someone to cheer for when the main character isn’t behaving as we wish they would. Side characters often have a child-like personality (whether from age, size, race or background) and because of this they can bring a unique perspective to the story – along with a lot of laughs.

But I think what I like best about minor characters is that they remind me of how God often uses the weak, the broken, or the unimportant to do His work. I see this especially in the self-sacrifices of Dobby and Gurgie, and again in Iko’s insistence that she not get a new android body just because hers was damaged in the war, since “none of her friends’ bodies were disposable, so why should hers be?” (from Winter, volume 4 of the "Lunar Chronicles"). They remind us that life is precious and sacred, and that being human is a blessing, not a curse. Just as the sidekicks give the major characters the opportunity to be heroes, so does God’s strength shine brightest through His weak and fragile children. :-)

I admit, writing “weak” characters is not one of my strengths. I haven’t created many minor characters thus far – certainly not any with great literary appeal (unless you count Artie…?) And I really should, after all I’ve said touting their possibilities! So I guess I need to work that ;-).

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Until the next time, keep reading!

P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link:
http://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Winter
The Black Cauldron
Rick Riordan

Booksweeps Contest!

Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you...

I’ve teamed up with 50+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Paranormal & Sci-Fi Romances to 2 lucky winners!



Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁

You can win my novel, The Heart of Everything, plus books from authors like Aidy Award and Cynthia Sax.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉 bit.ly/SciFi-PNR-Sept2020

Good luck and enjoy!
Lynn Wallace