Linda C. McCabe's Blog, page 7
May 31, 2011
Quest of the Warrior Maid is now an ebook
My blog followers are a diverse group. There are writers, medievalists, lovers of France, while others like my essays on Harry Potter or other musings. I hope that there is a cross section of interest by my readers in epic historic fantasy set in the Middle Ages.
The many blog posts I wrote about France was a result of the research trip I took to see the lands of my story. Now you can see the fruits of my labor.
Book Description:
Quest of the Warrior Maid brings the legends of Charlemagne to life with a retelling of the classic love story of Bradamante and Ruggiero.
A love foretold between sworn enemies will determine the fate of Christendom.
Bradamante, the niece of Charlemagne, and Ruggiero, a Saracen knight descended from Hector of Troy, are renowned warriors who meet and fall in love on a battlefield before being separated.
The tale of impossible love between Bradamante and Ruggiero is set against the backdrop of a holy war between Islamic and Christian armies shown in bloody sieges in Marseille and Paris. Other legendary heroes such as Orlando and Renaud de Montauban are featured in this retelling of a classic tale of chivalry, betrayal, revenge and magic.
Advance praise for Quest of the Warrior Maid:
"All great legends, whether of Britain's King Arthur, Greece's Trojan War or Europe's Charlemagne cycle contain stories of minor characters begging to be elaborated on. In Quest of the Warrior Maid Linda McCabe has picked up the lesser known tale of Ruggiero and Bradamante, this last being the warrior maid of the title. Classic in its theme of young, idealistic lovers from opposing camps, it sheds a bright light on the culture, history and legends of a time and place too little explored by most western readers." – Persia Woolley, author of the acclaimed Guinevere series
"McCabe paints a vivid portrait of Medieval France whose vestiges can still be found in the streets of modern Paris." – Cara Black, author of the Aimée Leduc mystery series and Murder in Passy
"A grand and engaging re-telling of the original 'star crossed lovers' epic with everything Orlando – chivalry, romance, fights to the death, hippogriffs, madness, and beauty! As engaging a story as I have read this year, I couldn't put it down and I urge you to pick it up today." – John Granger, author of Unlocking Harry Potter
"In many ways Quest of the Warrior Maid is a distant mirror of our present day passions: both political and personal." – Rob Loughran, author of Tantric Zoo
"I read the story in one sitting and was devastated to find out what I had in my hands was only volume one! I look forward to volume two." – Ibrahim Al-Marashi, professor of History at IE University in Spain
"This is an original approach to the story of Bradamante and Ruggiero. Historically accurate, with a clever sense of plot and with an incredible set of characters. Once you start you simply can't stop!" – José Lúcio, professor of Economic Development at New University of Lisbon-Portugal
Quest of the Warrior Maid is volume one in the Bradamante and Ruggiero series and is available as an ebook from the following vendors:
Quest of the Warrior Maid can be purchased online at any of the following sites without global restrictions. In alphabetical order and not in any order of preference:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.de
Apple iBookstore (no link because you have to go to their online store and enter search terms like my name or the title of the book.)
Barnes and Noble.com
Diesel
Smashwords
Smashwords has seven different formats available so that hopefully whatever reading device, smart phone or computer you wish to read an ebook on will be covered.
For those who prefer the smell and feel of a real book, a trade paperback edition will be available this summer. There are plans for global distribution of that version as well.
The ebook is at a low introductory price of $2.99, (less than what it costs for a cup of coffee) which I hope will help sway people to try a new author.
Linda
May 18, 2011
Vote for Ozark Medieval Fortress as a Top Site in Arkansas
Arkansas is celebrating their 175th anniversary or their Septaquintaquinquecentennial. Try saying that three times fast.
They are also holding an online contest where you can vote on top sites to visit in Arkansas. It has been years since I visited that state, but the one thing that makes me want to travel there is so that I can see the Ozark Medieval Fortress and witness its progress firsthand.
Here is a link to a website where you can cast your vote. Please click on "attractions" and then select Ozark Medieval Fortress. You can vote once a day until June 8th. Let us in the online medievalist community help out this wonderful project get some recognition for their hard work and commitment to educating the public about how things were done in the past.
Thanks!
Linda
March 23, 2011
Ozark Medieval Fortress, reopening March 27th
For those unfamiliar with the OMF, think of being transported back in time and watching a medieval castle being built. You would see the quarrying of stone, stone masons shaping the stones, a blacksmith repairing the chisels used to cut the stones, a horse transporting the stones around the building site, a rope maker, a basket maker, a tile maker, etc.
That is what you will find in Lead Hill, Arkansas, not too far from the popular tourist city of Branson, Missouri.
Here is an architect's rendering of the site, (permission to use this image was to me granted by @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Noémi Brunet).
The site does not use power tools. They use thirteenth century technology. And that is what makes it so incredible. The process is just as important as the finished product.The workers are not only engaged in construction, they are there to answer questions as well.
The OMF closed for the winter in November, but they are reopening for 2011 this Sunday, March 27th.
I wanted to alert my medievalist friends to the entertaining and informative blog by "Medieval James" a guide who works at the OMF. He has blogged about topics such as medieval games, the introduction of clocks, and how things were measured on medieval construction sites.
You can even find a video on his blog showing how stones are split by repeated blows with hammers.
I was recently contacted by Canadian filmmaker Pierre Samuel Rioux who shared with me an excerpt from his forthcoming documentary The Beginning of Ozark Medieval Fortress...in America. The excerpt shows an interview with a Danish volunteer and you will see a few brief scenes of a stone tower being built. Should that link not work, here is another for the same clip.
I hope you will share this with others to help spread the word about the Ozark Medieval Fortress.
November 23, 2010
Review of the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
First some overall comments that do not include spoilers.
I thought this was one of the best adaptations of the series to the screen. I am glad they chose to split the story into two movies because the plot in the seventh book is so intricate that to try and condense it into a standard movie length story would oversimplify things to the point of eliminating the magic of the story.
If you have not read the series, the movie will probably confuse you. My husband has seen all the movies, but never read the books and he was confused by the movie. I had to explain some details about Horcruxes that I know were explained in the previous movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, (HPB), but that he probably forgot or maybe never really understood.
So if you are a casual fan of the series and have not read the books, I recommend seeing it with someone who has read all the books. They will then be able to explain things afterward to help you understand those things you missed.
Overall the special effects are wonderful and appear seamless. The tone of the movie is brooding and dark, but there are touches of humor to lighten the mood at times. There are odes to the darkness of World War II and attempts at race purification.
The acting is great and some of the stellar British actors involved in the series shine even when they have few lines and only a few moments onscreen. The child actors have grown into their parts and no longer appear uncomfortable in their roles.
After this point, I will be discussing aspects of the movie and for those who do not want to read spoilers, please stop reading this post now.
SPOILER Section
Movies by their nature as a visual medium are different than books as a vehicle for storytelling. Things that might need pages of description in a book can be conveyed with a few frames in a movie. There were many condensing of events to speed things along. For example, the death of Hedwig was done differently than in the book, but it worked and streamlined the narrative. Other examples of introducing information quickly was a line by Bill Weasley of being attacked by Fenrir Greyback, (since that event was not included in the movie version of HBP), and the radio news mentioning that Severus Snape was the newly appointed headmaster of Hogwarts.
I especially liked one of the beginning scenes where Hermione gave her parents a memory charm and erased her own image from family photographs. It was a sacrifice that moved me to tears.
The Seven Harry Potters scene included some great bits of physical humor. The twins, Fred and George, were only on screen for a short while, but they stole every scene they were in. I particularly liked Saint George quietly sipping his tea while watching his little sister kissing Harry Potter in the kitchen.
The scenes in Grimmauld Place were creepy as I expected. I do wish however, that we had been able to see the transformation of Kreacher after being given Regulus' locket. I thought that was one of the most touching aspects of the whole series.
Imelda Staunton gave another cloyingly evil performance as Dolores Umbridge. I also liked the casting of Nick Moran as Scabior. He looked dangerous and had a Bad Boy look about him which made him ever so watchable.
The one thing that bugged me about the sequence at the Ministry of Magic was the delay of the Trio leaving the building once their Polyjuice Potion disguises wore off. Yes, it was funny that Ron Weasley had a woman who thought he was her husband and she wouldn't let him leave. However, Harry was standing there without anything covering his face and didn't try to disguise himself. Really? Come on. He's Undesirable #1, he's in the belly of the beast and is just waiting for his friend to extricate himself from a woman's arms? Really?
I had to re-read that passage and realized that the effects of the Polyjuice Potion held until after they left the Ministry. :shakes head: So that's one scene I don't really understand the different choices made by the screenwriter and director.
I mean, the Trio should be practicing CONSTANT VIGILANCE. Harry should have covered his face and pretended to cough. He should cough enough to get people to want to avoid him, but not enough to bring unwanted attention to himself.
The splinching worked, but my husband was wondering what "splinching" meant. I had to whisper the explanation to him.
I liked Xenophilius Lovegood, his strange house and the animation sequence telling the story of the Three Brothers. I thought that worked well. The animation reminded me of the Tim Burton style.
I loved the scenes in Malfoy Manor where Lucius Malfoy looked like a broken man. His choice years ago to become a follower of Voldemort had taken its toll. He was now a prisoner in his own home with unwanted guests that he could not evict.
Tom Felton as Draco also looked as if he regretted becoming a Death Eater. He had followed his father's footsteps, but there were signs that he did not like what was happening. The Evil was just a bit too much for him. Or so it seemed.
I was glad to see Dobby once again. He had been a part of other books, but this was his first reappearance in a movie since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Dobby was one of my favorite characters. He was odd, but fiercely loyal to Harry Potter. The one thing I did not understand was the clothing he wore. Dobby was a free elf. He should have been wearing something other than a nasty pillowcase. He could worn a flower print shirt, a strange necktie, and paisley printed shorts. Instead they just gave him clunky shoes to wear to designate his free elf status. Bah! Dobby was free, he deserved clothes.
Beyond that minor wardrobe related criticism, I loved the scenes with Dobby. He was a great character who helped rescue Harry and his friends. The death of Dobby was something that made me cry both in the reading of the book and in the movie. His sacrifice on behalf of Harry Potter was touching.
I am glad that the movie ended there as well as Voldemort grave robbing from Dumbledore's tomb. It shows where both sides in the war are at this point in time. It will also allow for the action/adventure sequences of Gringotts, Aberforth's confessions about Dumbledore, Snape's death and deathbed memories, the sacrifice in the Forbidden Forest as well as the ending duel to be shown in detail for great cinematic glory. Part II should be a wonderful ending to a marvelous series.
For those who are just fans of the series, I would love to hear your thoughts on the movie in the comment section.
SHIPPING Thoughts from a recovering Harry Potter addict
Now onto the matter of Harry and Hermione's relationship in this film. For those who were not a part of the online Harry Potter fandom, you will not understand how a movie scene that was not in the book could be potentially controversial.
It is only because I was a part of the fandom and participated in the online debates that I realize the dance scene could be like chum to sharks. It is likely to set off a feeding frenzy. The most vituperative subject of debates in the online fandom dealt with romantic relationships, also known as "shipping."
I looked at it as a communal attempt at in-depth literary analysis. It was not the passive writing a paper for a professor and hoping to get a good grade. No, it was putting forth your thoughts in public and having others challenge your assumptions and then offer up their own theories. Sometimes it was just getting kudos or cyber stinkbombs sent your way.
I argued on behalf of the Harry/Hermione ship. I also argued that I welcomed a Love Triangle between the Trio. That was something many Ron/Hermione shippers simply did not want to contemplate. They thought it would be too painful and that Harry wouldn't want to risk hurting his friend Ron.
I feel that love triangles can be powerful dramatic constructs. It has inherent conflict in its structure. There had been so many other love triangles used in the series that having a love triangle between Harry/Hermione/Ron seemed inevitable.
As it turns out, I was right. Jo Rowling used a Love Triangle within the Trio and it worked well, both in the book and in the movie. Ron was certainly jealous at the thought of Harry and Hermione becoming a couple. It showed on his face with black circles under his eyes when he wore the cursed locket around his neck and saw them talking together. Later, when he was challenged by Harry to destroy the Horcrux his fears were demonstrated by the torturous images shown by a piece of Voldemort's soul depicting his friends in a compromising position. Something that would drive him mad and perhaps make him use the sword against Harry and not the locket.
All of that was in the canon. However, there was a scene in the movie that was not in the book and it surprised me.
The Dance Scene.
Ron stormed off and left Harry Potter for his search for Horcruxes, Hermione chose to remain behind and not leave with Ron. Harry and Hermione are alone in a tent and are listening to music on a radio. Harry coaxes Hermione to join him in a dance. At first it is a light and breezy dance, a little awkward in the steps, but it ends with them in an embrace.
They could have easily kissed at that point. Hermione looked as if she considered kissing Harry then deliberately avoided succumbing to that temptation.
As I was sitting in the theater, I could not help but think how upset the Ron/Hermione shippers I had debated all those years ago would be with that scene. All it would have taken was one kiss and then the pairings Would Have Changed Forever. Harry would have realized that the woman for him was not his best friend's little sister, but his other best friend who had been by his side through countless adventures. A woman who had saved his life several times and had shown unwavering loyalty and sacrifice on his behalf.
There are countless number of Harry/Hermione fanfics that are nothing more than finding some kind of excuse to get them alone together so they can discover that they are attracted to one another. One kiss and then fade to black or possibly NC-17 territory. It all depends on the fic writer and what their intent is on writing the story of them becoming a couple.
In this case, if they had kissed it would probably have led to them being in bed together. These were two teens with raging hormones were alone together where no one could hear them, see them, or find them. They were also under the ever present threat of being found, captured and killed. That kind of wartime stress has led to many quick romances. In this case it would have been for two best friends discovering their attraction to one another. It would have changed the romantic pairings forever. It would also have been Ron's greatest fear when he destroyed the locket: Hermione had chosen Harry over him.
Another thing that surprised me about the movie was seeing Jo Rowling's name in the credits as a producer. She could easily have had that scene removed from the movie if she wanted. She had given a note to the screenwriter in HBP when there was a bit of dialogue of Dumbledore reminiscing of a long-lost girlfriend that said, "Dumbledore is gay." That nixed those proposed lines.
Rowling allowed the dance scene showing the possibility of Harry and Hermione becoming a romantic couple to remain in the movie. Why?
Was it a bone for Harry/Hermione shippers?
Or was it included because it was good drama?
I believe it was the latter, because I believe in the power of drama.
I am also certain that some stalwart Ron/Hermione shippers will find that scene offensive because of their years of arguing against H/Hr. That would make them not want to see even subtle hints of that romantic pairing.
Jo Rowling admitted in an interview published in Melissa Anelli's book Harry: A History that it could have gone Harry/Hermione.
"Now, the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. He walked out. She shared something very intense with Harry. So, I think it could have gone that way." Page 266
Precisely. We were not delusional at all. We saw the romantic potential that could have been.
And now, there is even a poll (totally non-scientific) by MTV to see whether or not people wished it had gone H/Hr over R/Hr.
As I am writing this, H/Hr is winning.
Last night my twelve year old son asked me why Jo Rowling went with Ron and Hermione as a couple when he thinks that Harry and Hermione would have made a better couple. I sighed and then had to try and explain to him that Jo Rowling was using literary alchemy as the underlying framework for her story. Therefore Harry's girlfriends had hair color that went in the following sequence: black, white, red. (Cho, Luna - they did have one little date in HBP, Ginny) This was supposed to reflect the three stages of alchemy in order: nigredo, albedo, rubedo.
Hermione had brown hair, so she didn't fit in that schema.
Instead, Hermione was supposed to represent the element mercury and Ron was sulphur, both are needed in the alchemical formula to create gold.
For those shaking their heads, I point you to my friend John Granger's capable hands in understanding the usage of alchemy throughout the series. It was something I didn't want to acknowledge as constraining Rowling's dramatic choices, but as it turns out: John's original assumptions and predictions of Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione were spot on because those pairings work alchemically.
In case you were wondering, my son shook his head at my explanation. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.
What are your thoughts of the movie? Did that dance scene delight or bother you?
http://lcmccabe.blogspot.com/2010/11/...
August 31, 2010
In Memory of Edward F. Dolan
Edward Francis Dolan, Jr.
February 10, 1924 - August 12, 2010
Over the years I have met many writers. Some work on their craft for years before achieving any publishing success. Some are published, but continue to work "day jobs" and dream of one day being able to work full time as a writer.
And then there was Ed Dolan.
He lived an extraordinary life. His first paid publication was an article when he was only sixteen years old. After serving as an infantryman in World War II, he returned home to California with a bride from England.
Edward and Rose DolanEd wrote articles, short stories, and was an editor of a magazine for awhile. He wrote and performed approximately 800 television programs in San Francisco. His character named "Buckskin Dan" was popular in the 1950s.
Ed was chairman of the Speech Department at Monticello College in Illinois for awhile, and later taught English at Golden Gate University and at a private high school. He also was an award winning reporter for the Novato Advance newspaper.
In 1958, his first book was published, but not before tragedy had struck. A fire had destroyed the manuscript he had worked on for two years. He had to re-write the entire book from scratch.
Ed found his true calling in writing Hi-Lo juvenile books. High interest, low vocabulary books for reluctant readers. It soon occupied all his time and he had to give up teaching.
In the span of about fifty years, Ed Dolan had 120 books published.
One hundred and twenty books.
Five of them were published this last September. It was a series about careers in the military. Each branch had their own volume.
Ed was known as a 9-to-5 workman. If you wanted it, he would write it. He wrote nonfiction that encompassed a wide range of topics: sports biographies; biographies on historical figures; historical events; books on controversial topics such as capital punishment, child abuse, animal rights, drugs in sports, privacy rights, pollution, etc.
He wrote mostly for children, but he also wrote a book for adults titled: Legal Action: A layman's guide. He did his research by attending open court sessions and interviewing lawyers. This was around the same time that Nolo Press started providing legal guides for the general public.
Ed had been a member of Redwood Writers for nearly thirty-five years. He had served as our president twice and was a friend and mentor to many. He had been in great demand as a speaker at writers club meetings and conferences. He was asked back again and again, because he was knowledgeable, personable and a great entertainer.
He also kept meticulous records. He has notes, contracts and original manuscripts of all of his books. In one of his scrapbooks was this story:
The Kite and the Butterfly
a kite flew far up into the clouds.
it played with the wind.
it looked at the sun.
the kite saw a butterfly far below.
look at me, said the kite, see how high I am.
I can see far far away.
maybe I can fly to the sun.
don't you wish you were a kite,
then you could fly to the sun.
oh no, said the butterfly
I do not fly very high
but I go where I please.
you fly very high
but you are tied to a string.
Edward F. Dolan
1931, age 7
I am amazed at talent like that at such a tender age. It is easy for me to see why he spent his life as a writer. He simply had no choice.
Later in life Ed even wrote a book on kite flying.
He was also quoted in a news article about his career as a writer having said, "the desire to fly free is natural." The theme of the kite and the butterfly lasted throughout his life.
Ed Dolan passed away on August 12, 2010 at the age of 86. He had a hearty laugh and a warm presence. I am a richer person for having known him and for having him as a friend.
Linda
http://lcmccabe.blogspot.com/2010/08/...
June 27, 2010
Review Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha
I find the power of the internet to be amazing. Last year due to a guest post on a friend's blog, I learned of the debut novel Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha. I enjoyed reading it, and posted my review on this blog.
A few weeks later, a publicist at Simon and Schuster emailed me and wanted to know if I would be interested in a review copy for another debut novelist. I gave her my mailing address and over the last year I have periodically received novels from different Simon and Schuster publicists, mostly in the historical fiction genre.
Some I have read and blogged about, others I have not.
The most recent book I received was a follow up novel by Kamran Pasha titled Shadow of the Swords. I remembered from his author notes in Mother of the Believers that he was working on a novel about the Crusades. I would have bought this book on my own, but was delighted when I received a free copy prior to its official publication date.
On the publicity materials was a mention that he was available for interviews. After I finished reading the book, I contacted the publicist to see how I could interview him. I expected that I would be emailing him questions, but I was surprised to learn I could speak with him by phone.
After a few attempts at finding a mutually convenient time, Kamran and I spoke by Skype on the morning his book was released to the public. I owe having that opportunity to the power of the internet.
"(T)he rabbi knew that the marauders had ceased to think in terms of God or religion. They were like men possessed, driven by their own fears of death to kill…It was not about right or wrong, or the well-considered arguments of religious scholars. Terror was its own kind of madness and no reason, no faith, could shine a light into that darkest region of the human soul." – Kamran Pasha, Shadow of the Swords, p. 239.
That madness is religious zealotry. It does not matter the faith of the zealot, because it is the fear and the fervor that overpowers the mind and allows atrocities to occur in the name of God. One of the most notorious examples of this kind of faith-based zealotry was during the Crusades.
However, the mere mention of that period of history can evoke emotional responses by people today:
Antagonism and defensiveness.
The choosing of sides.
The listing of atrocities perpetrated by Our Enemies that justified the actions by Our Heroes.
This entrenched mindset perpetuates itself in every new generation even though the Crusades began nearly a thousand years ago and those involved in the military campaigns have long ago been reduced to skeletons. The cultural wounds inflicted by these multiple wars between Christians and Muslims continue to cast long shadows over today's international politics.
Kamran Pasha's new novel, Shadow of the Swords, was inspired in reaction to the horrific events of September 11, 2001. As an American Muslim, he not only felt devastated by the human tragedy, but he felt an additional burden of knowing that the culprits of those crimes claimed to be acting on behalf of his faith.
He knew the terrorists' beliefs were a perversion of Islam and recognized the attacks would fan the smoldering flames of conflict between Christians and Muslims.
As a lifelong student of history and religion, Pasha wanted to write a story examining the roots of the animosity between Christianity and Islam. He chose the time period of the Third Crusade led by the iconic figures of King Richard the Lionheart on the Christian side and Sultan Saladin on the Muslim side.
Pasha breaks the age-old Good vs. Evil dichotomy by utilizing multiple viewpoints demonstrating that everyone sees themselves as hero in their own life story. Even if they commit atrocities, they will justify their acts under the guise of heroism.
The historical figure of Saladin is revered by Muslims and respected by Christians for his uncommon acts of chivalry, some of which are depicted in this novel. Two examples: sending his own physician to treat King Richard, who was dying from an illness; offering his own horse as a replacement when King Richard's horse was killed on the battlefield.
Whereas, while King Richard the Lionheart has a legendary mystique about him, enhanced by tales of Robin Hood when he was away on Crusade, the historic figure is less sympathetic. To counterbalance this, Pasha created the character of Sir William Chinon to depict the chivalric ideal to carry the standard for the Christians.
Pasha was not content with just showing the epic scope of the battles led by Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart, he also examines the perspective of Jews in the Levant at the time and their relationship with Muslims and Christians. The historical figure of Maimonides, a rabbi and physician to Saladin, is featured prominently as well as the character of Miriam, an educated and high-spirited Jewish woman. Miriam serves the dramatic function of interacting with both Saladin and King Richard and allows the readers to see them as human beings and not icons of legend.
It is the intersection of the three great faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam that gives the novel its strength and heart. To understand where we are going, it is important to know where we came from. There is a lot of commonality in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic religious traditions, hopefully Shadow of the Swords will help readers focus on those unifying areas more than the differences which divides us.
Edited to add: I had intended on writing a summary of the discussion I had with Kamran. My digital recorder started giving me fits. Modern technology can be a wonderful thing, until it has develops a mind of its own.
I discovered a website that has an online podcast interview of Kamran Pasha discussing Shadow of the Swords. Check it out on writerscast.com .
http://lcmccabe.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-shadow-of-swords-by-kamran-pasha.html
June 13, 2010
Review of Spotlight by John Granger
With the impending media frenzy over the release of the movie Eclipse, the third installment in the Twilight saga, I felt it was high time for me to finish my long overdue review on John Granger's book Spotlight: a close-up look at the artistry and meaning of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga.
I first discovered John Granger due to his analyses of the Harry Potter series. He has a shrewd and learned eye regarding literature and delves deeper into underlying symbolic meanings better than anyone else I know.
He has now taken his formidable talents and trained them upon the Twilight saga. I had taken my own crack at the series last year with a blog post, trying not to include too many spoilers. My analysis dealt with wish fulfillment regarding romantic partners as well as how traditional vampire lore was subverted as if Stephenie Meyer was squeamish about certain unsavory aspects to the legend and preferred to sanitize things to make her "good vampires" more palatable.
John went much further in his analysis.
He describes how conscience and free choice is the underlying theme of the series. He not only uses his own argument in analyzing the text to come up with that conclusion, but he includes excerpts of interviews with Stephenie Meyer that back up his claim.
Reading John Granger's work is never a passive affair. He challenges your underlying assumptions as well as your intellect. While I do not always agree with all of his points, he makes me consider things I would not otherwise and for that I am grateful.
Granger introduced me to the topic of literary alchemy. He takes what seems like an arcane and trivial subject and demonstrates why it is not only important, but how it triggers an unconscious response in readers.
His writings on this subject have not only helped me recognize these patterns when they appear in literature, but to understand their underlying meaning.
While it is uncertain if Meyer made deliberate choices of including literary alchemy symbolic elements or if they were incidental, Granger explains the impact of these patterns on the narrative.
Granger also spends a lot of time examining the influence of Meyer's faith has on the series. These books may not seem to be the Great American Mormon Novel, but Granger argues that to understand the literary choices used by Meyer, you must first understand how her faith influences her worldview.
One example is Granger's argument regarding the naming of the character Rosalie Hale as being a pointer to Emma Hale Smith, the first wife of the founder of the Mormon Church. He includes other examples of how some seemimgly minor details are instead carefully constructed choices used either to defend or to criticize the history and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints by Stephenie Meyer.
Granger provides an in-depth analysis of the Twilight series and is willing to go beyond mere plot points to understand the scaffolding involved at creating what is widely recognized as being a literary phenomenon. He argues passionately that the success of the Twilight series is not a fluke, but because there is great substance behind the story.
For an ongoing discussion about his thoughts on the Twilight series, you should check out his blog at Forks High School Professor or at his Hogwarts Professor blog.
June 12, 2010
Sponsor a Young Writer and Attend a Fabulous Writers Conference for FREE
I would love to see this conference be a rousing success.
Linda
Dear Colleagues and friends:
As some of you may know already, this summer Capitol City Young Writers will be having a writers conference on JULY 17, from 9:00 - 5:00 p.m. at San Domenico School in Marin Count, CA, which features the keynote speakers, philanthropist/screenwriter, James Redford (Robert Redford's son), Jane Friedman (publisher at Writers Digest), and author of The Last Unicorn (and more) Peter S. Beagle.
I am pleased and honored to be a part of this conference, which was originally intended for middle school and high school pupils only. However, we've recently discovered that a number of interested pupils cannot afford the conference fee. Though CCYW would love to sponsor all of those aspiring writers, we are a non-profit. And the purpose of this conference was not only to give young writers an opportunity to meet and learn from these terrific speakers, but also to raise money for scholarships and future activities for them.
Therefore, we have decided to open up the conference to other interested adult writers in this way: Anyone who sponsors a student gets to attend the conference for free, on a first-come, first-serve basis. In other words, for 100 dollars (cost of registration) you get to attend the conference and break-out sessions, have lunch with the speakers, and also allow us to sponsor a high school or middle school child to attend. (All high school and middle school pupils who attend also get a free book)
(If you cannot attend the conference, but would like to sponsor a student, you may purchase a gift registration for another person to attend for 100 dollars, or sponsor a pupil alone for 100 dollars.)
In addition to our three keynotes and the following writers, screenwriters, filmmakers, journalist and other arts professionals will be speaking:
Authors David Corbett, Deborah Grabien, Seth Harwood, Gil Mansergh, and Patricia V. Davis.
San Francisco Chronicle journalist, Leah Garchik
Marin IJ journalist, Vicki Larson
Peabody-winning director, Paul S. Kaufman
Radio show host, Michael Krasny
Literary agents, Peter Beren and Verna Dreisbach
Stanford University acting professor, Kay Andreas
Books Inc. manager, Nick Petrulakis
Song writer for the 'Jefferson Starship' (and more), Jeannette Sears
Senior editor of Redroom.com, Huntington Sharp
Litquake organizer and author, Ransom Stephens
WordJourneys.com editor-in-chief, Bob Yehling
California Film Institute Producer of indy film, 'Touching Home', Jeromy Zajonc
More information about our speakers is at: http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.or...
A complete list of break-out session topics will be listed by June 14. Registration information is also available on the same conference page of the Capitol City Young Writers website
I hope I have been able to capture your interest and support for this wonderful organization and conference. It's the first of its kind, and we hope to make it a success so that it becomes a yearly opportunity for young people.
Please help support this worthy endeavor!
Don't delay ─ come register for Capitol City Young Writers First Annual Conference at: http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.or...
Thank you all kindly for your attention,
Verna Dreisbach
President and Founder
Capitol City Young Writers
June 8, 2010
Review: The Widow's Husband by Tamim Ansary
In my last blog post, I embedded video from the keynote address that Tamim Ansary gave to the Redwood Writers Conference in October 2009. During the introduction, I mentioned that he also had an historical novel that covered the ill-fated occupation of Afghanistan by British forces in the 19th century.Here is my review of that novel:
Good historical fiction transports the reader into another place and time and serves to bring the past back "to life." It allows the reader to understand historical events, that often appear larger than life, to be brought down to a human level through the eyes of a character.
In The Widow's Husband we see life in a small village of Char Bagh in rural Afghanistan in the 19th century. The concerns of family, community, as well as having enough food stores to last through winter is recognizable, even if the names and customs are unusual to our "western" ears. The routine of rural life in Char Bagh is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger. Hospitality is extended to the man and it soon becomes apparent that he is not a normal traveler, but is instead a mystic. This holy man attracts pilgrims from miles around. Soon the reputation of Char Bagh is even noticed by the British military who have settled in Kabul which then threatens the peacefulness and stability of the village.
The novel shows how the British colonized Afghanistan: bribery and force.
Attempts by the British to interact with the Afghan people without attempting to understand their customs and traditions led to the inevitable clash depicted in the novel when the people revolted in response to the mistreatment of their women and girls.
The Widow's Husband serves to illuminate events from history and allow us to draw parallels to current events from our own military campaigns and why it is important to be there with the consent of the people.
The novel can be purchased as an ebook from Scribd.com or a trade paperback version is available from the publisher.
May 29, 2010
Video from Redwood Writers 2009 Conference
It has been a long time since I last posted to my blog. I have been busy and to demonstrate this, I will share with you the fruits of my labor.
I finally discovered how to make a video and upload it to Youtube. I figured that since there are millions of videos on that site that I should also be able to accomplish this task as well.
Last fall my writers club held a writers conference in Santa Rosa, California.
I was fortunate to introduce our keynote speaker Tamim Ansary. He is a well respected writer in the San Francisco Bay Area, a bestselling author, and an endearing speaker.
I loved his books West of Kabul, East of New York and Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. They are profound and insightful and told in a readily accessible manner.
For those wondering what I look or sound like, you can watch me in action as I introduce Tamim Ansary.
Due to time limitations on Youtube, I broke his talk into four parts.
Part I
Part II
Part III
And Part IV
