David M. Samuels's Blog, page 4
April 12, 2020
THIEF Flowchart [Fantasy Book Recommendations]
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The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
Theft of Swords
Michael Sullivan
Among Thieves
Douglas Hulick
River of Thieves
Clayton Snyder
Twelve Kings of Sharakhai
Bradley Beaulieu
City of Brass
S.A. Chakraborty
I, Exile
David Samuels
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids
Michael McClung
It Takes a Thief to Catch a Sunrise
Rob J. Hayes
The Gutter Prayer
Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
March 22, 2020
Knighthoods, Cults, and Merchant Guilds: Creating Organization Titles in Fantasy
For some time I’ve had trouble naming the groups within my world. I didn’t want to consign myself to generic fill-ins that I see so often in rookie fiction: “royal guards,” “rebel army,” etc. Here’s a list of organization names from authors I admire. Hopefully it will help jog your mind!
GROUPS
“Sons of Perdition”
“the Congress of Mages”
warhost
“Order of the Headless Spear”
“Honorable Company of Wine Merchants”
“Assembly of Notables”
“The Ducal Concord”
“Banker’s Association of Ostia”
“Dominiate, where the noble families met to make law”
“Inner Council”
“Chamber of Peers”
Consistory (church council)
“Knights Pursuivant”
Fifth column (a group within a country at war who are sympathetic or working for its enemies)
Quorum (the minimum number of members of an assembly that must be present at a meeting to make an agrement)
Sons of Jacob (Margaret Atwood)
Chancery (court of equity)
Merchant-venturers
Banking firms
Syndicate: a group of individuals or organizations combined to promote some common interest
Cohort: group of people banded together or treated as a group)
Cadre: small group of people specially trained for certain skill or profession | “cadre of hired assassins”
Cortege: train of attendants; especially in a funeral procession)
Host
Assembly
Constabulary: the constables of a district, collectively
Collegium: a group in which each person has approximately equal authority
Personnel: body of people employed by company or organization)
Synod: ecclesiastical governing or advisory council)
Deputation: group of people chosen to represent another
Federation
Inner circle (“an honored member of the pope’s inner circle”)
“Federated banks”
“Mages of the Twilight Order”
Coalition
Directorate
Merchant Venturers
“Orphans of the Greenblood”
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March 13, 2020
I, EXILE Free Today [Apocalyptic Low Fantasy]
[FREE 3/13-4]
If you enjoy The Mummy (1999) Indiana Jones, and Mad Max, then I, EXILE might be down your alley. It’s set in a low fantasy world that’s only recently recovering from a tidal apocalypse.
Exiled into a wasteland because of a heist gone wrong, Emelith vows to hunt down the one responsible. Except everything is not what it seems in the haunted realm of the Cauldron.
As a promotion for its recent release, I, EXILE is free on Amazon (3/13-14). Pick up your copy today!
February 29, 2020
I, EXILE [High Fantasy Released Today!]
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Image by Kabir Nagarkatti and Ryan Bielak
Exiled into a wasteland because of a heist gone wrong, Emelith vows to hunt down the one responsible. Except not all is what it seems in the haunted realm of the Cauldron.
February 16, 2020
Possession/Exorcism Fiction Flowchart [Horror]
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Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Exorcist by William Blatty
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (Reader’s Choice)
Ararat by Christopher Golden
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Violet by Scott Thomas (Reader’s Choice)
The Devil’s Labyrinth by John Saul
Sour Candy by Kealen Patrick Burke (Reader’s Choice)
Come Closer by Sara Gran
Seed by Ania Ahlborn
February 9, 2020
KJ Parker Flowchart (Fantasy & Historical Fiction)
KJ Parker is probably one of my favorite fantasy authors. He’s also highly underrated. As a devoted fanboy, I’ve read all of his stuff. I’ve listed my favorite works of his in this flowchart for anyone who wants to give KJ a try.
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Free (2/9) Short Story by David Samuels:
February 3, 2020
Pale Faces, Pink Faces, and Very, Very Pissed Faces (Writer’s Phrase List)
Fear, embarrassment, and rage can all be expressed by discoloration in the character’s face. It doesn’t stop there, either. A red face can be a sign of physical exhaustion.
First let’s start with the basics. Here are some commonplace mechanics to get you familiar with the building blocks (I like to think of them as legos):
DISCLAIMER: None of these excerpts belong to me. They’re drawn from my reading and are meant to jog your imagination, so please do not copy them.
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RED
red in the face
Face red with exertion
“the boy’s face flooded red”
“Rullus flushed pink.”
She burned scarlet | crimson
“A red spot burgeoned in each of Rutila’s cheeks.”
“Colors flare high on his cheekbones”
The blush deepened
Color rushed into her face
“Color tinged Tiberius’s cheeks”
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WHITE
Whitened
White-faced (fear
“Lascelles turned a dead white.”
pallor
He was/looked as pale/white as wax/ivory/alabaster/deathly white/ghost-white/
“Looking as if she was going to die, so grey and blighted was her face”
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With the basic mechanics in mind, you can also expand into sensory detail (if the character who’s blushing or going pale is the PoV, at least):
“She felt her face burning, a flush that had nothing to do with the heat”
“Mike thought about having to confess to the theft. The back of his neck burned with embarrassment,”
“Leesha felt a flash of heat on her face.”
““He trusted his flush from the heat masked his blush”
“cheeks grew warm”
Skin flushed
“I felt the color drain from my face”
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There’s also opportunities to characterize:
“Michael hid the color of hi face in the widest brimmed wine cup.”
“I’m sure I blushed, and I was thankful that the room was lit only by oil lamps.”
The color rising in his jowls
“The blood flushed to the surface of Bidwell’s jowls”
Blushed through his acne
A blush spread over the angular features
Her face lost all color except for the two balls of rouge flaming on her cheeks
“The color had leached from his sun-kissed skin.”
“The boy’s face drained of color, turning his usual high olive complexion a dirty yellow gray.”
“He was fighting back a blush, one of the drawbacks of his fair complexion.”
“Her face reddened under its cosmetic chalk”
“Crassus Orator caused him to go the same color as his toga”
Mike blushed all the way to the base of his neck (collar of his [article of clothing])
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Hopefully this will help your skills with physically expressing fear, embarrassment, and anger/exhaustion!
IMG Source: http://photographyamayahmagazine.salaovirtual.ru/853392-best-photography-men-portrait-faces-ideas.html
January 12, 2020
[Free Fantasy Short] Ebb & Flow by David Samuels [Published on Swords and Sorcery Magazine]
“Pirates. Nothing good ever came from pirates.”
-Tidelord Zuhkrum
Journal entries from both sides of a naval siege in my fantasy world.
