R.J. Larson's Blog, page 9

KING Vocabulary List

Now that King is on its way to the printing presses--well ahead of deadline--it's time to add to the Books of the Infinite vocabulary list. Here it is, the list for King, Books of the Infinite series, volume 3!
Have fun, everyone. :)
In order of name’s appearance:
Akabe Garric \Ah-cabe Gair-rick\ Former Siphran rebel. The Infinite’s chosen king of Siphra.Barth of Siymont \Barth See-mont\ Royal page and son of Lord Ruis of Siymont.Ela Roeh \El-ah Roe-eh\ Prophet of the vanquished city-state of Parne.Ruis of Siymont \Roo-es See-mont\ A lord of Siphra. Father of Barth.Belaal \Bell-A-el\ Kingdom south of Siphra.Tamri Het \Tam-ree Het\ Former Siphran revolutionary, and one of Ela’s chaperones.Cyan Thaenfall \Sigh-an Thane-fall\ Siphran lord and suspected Atean. Caitria’s father.Kien Lantec \Kee-en Lan-tek\ Military judge-advocate for the Tracelands.Aeyrievale \air-ee-veil, or, eer-ee-veil\ Former rebel Siphran province in the Snake Mountains.Ishvah Nesac \Ish-vaw Ness-ak\ The Infinite’s chief priest of the vanquished city-state of Parne.Dan Roeh \Dan Roe-eh\ Ela’s father.Rade Lantec \Raid Lan-tek\ Kien’s father. The Tracelands preeminent statesman.General Rol \Rawl\ The Traceland’s General of the Army.Kalme Roeh \Call-may Roe-eh\ Ela’s mother.Ara Lantec \Are-ah Lan-tek\ Rade Lantec’s wife. Kien’s mother.Beka Thel \Bek-ah Thell\ Jon Thel’s wife. Kien’s sister.Jon Thel \Jon Thell\ A Tracelands military commander. Beka’s husband.ToronSea \Tor-on-Sea, or, Tor-on-Sea\ Southern coastal town in the Tracelands.Riddig Tyne\Rid-ig Tine\ Akabe’s field surgeon.Ruestock \Roo-stock\ Exiled former Siphran ambassador to the Tracelands.Caitria Thaenfall \Kay-tree-ah Thane-fall\ Daughter of Cyan Thaenfall.Bel-Tygeon \Bell-Ty-jee-on\ King of Belaal.Rtial Vioc \Reh-tee-al Vee-oak\ A commander of Belaal.Dasarai \Da-Sar-ay\ Princess of Belaal. Sovereign of Sulaanc’s Women’s Palace.Siyrsun \Seer-sun\ Belaal’s General of the Army.Tzana Roeh \Tsaw-nah Roe-eh\ Ela’s sister.

Books of the Infinite Cover Art Inspirations

Authors are often asked about cover designs.
Did you choose the model or landscape? Did you select the model's clothes? Did you design the background?Did you pay for the cover? 
An author's answer often depends upon the publisher. Many publishers have a design team, and the final design--after much debate and some input from marketing--is presented to the author as a (hopefully) pleasant surprise. 
I was thrilled to sign on with Bethany House, which is noted for its beautiful cover designs, and I've been delighted with their visions for the Books of the Infinite series. For each cover, I was asked to hunt up images for the design team to use as references for their work.

While pondering visuals for King, I was suffering from my usual desperate longing for the ocean. Truly, that was my only wish: Water! Give me an ocean!
Bless the Bethany House design team, they responded in grand style and threw in a longsword as a bonus. Huzzah!!!!

Now, if only I could wade into that water for a moment and breathe some salt air.... *Sigh.*

Months earlier, as the design team debated over the look for Prophet, I was asked, "What about Ela's clothes?"
By the time we were done exchanging emails and discussing images for Ela's "other-world Biblical" attire, I felt as if I'd been on a lavish shopping spree without spending a dime, and I loved the results. See my baby? Isn't she pretty?   
The cover for Judge on the other hand, was less about Kien's attire and more about his weapons and the background. Kien's beloved sword, of course, was a must, as was his dark traveling cloak. The arm guards were a bonus, chosen by the design team--and I was instantly smitten with the look. (Yes, I still want those arm guards!)
As for the mountains in the background...well...those started in Colorado. 
I was hiking around with my husband, DearJerry, in Colorado's foothills at the base of the Rocky Mountains. While we were enjoying the scenery, this caught my attention->  
I wanted to build a log cabin and live here. With a trustworthy and plentiful water supply, of course.
Unfortunately--or fortunately--we already have a house with a mortgage, so the log cabin idea had to remain in dreamland.
However, I sent the foothills image to my editors. "Perhaps something like this would work for the Judge background."
This was their reply:
Dear Reader, I've a feeling we're not in Colorado anymore!
But that's okay. I'm willing to follow Kien into the Snake Mountains. Just give me an Azurnite sword. 
And those arm guards!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year, nothing witty.Something homemade—imperfectly pretty. A gift from my hands, and Katharin’s Art. We offer you…this simple heart. Have a blessed Valentine’s day!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop and a Giveaway!

Welcome back, everyone!
It's late January, time for the Christmas decorations to come down, and time for a new blog post!

This month, the amazing Robin Lee Hatcher volunteered me for a blog hop. My mission is to answer ten questions about my latest WIP (work-in-progress) which is The Next Big Thing, and then I will tag three new fantasy authors with links to their blogs!

To add to the fun, I will give three different readers their choice of one book: Prophet, Judge, or (when it's published) King. The winners will be chosen by RaffleCopter on January 30th, and announced on the 31st.

Ready? Here goes:



Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of your book? King. This was the working title and it’s now set in stone. Or, rather, in the book’s just-released cover image. Where did the idea come from for the book?Kingportrays difficult situations faced by several Old Testament kings and prophets. King isn’t so much a retelling of the scriptures as a variation of OT spiritual themes, and adventures.What genre does your book fall under?Fantasy fiction, teens and up!Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?I have a terrible time trying to match actors with my characters—each one is unique. However, Ioan Gruffudd might portray Akabe, the Siphran King:











And Anne Hathaway as Caitria: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?King Akabe of Siphra’s lifelong dream—to rebuild the Infinite’s temple in Siphra—is threatened by powerful enemies who have vowed to kill Akabe and his mysterious new queen.Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?Kingis scheduled for publication by Bethany House on July 1, 2013. I’ve heard other authors compare publication timeframes to pregnancies, and it’s so true. But like a baby, books are worth the wait.How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?Usually, I can write a first draft in six months on my two days off per week, if I resist Facebook and Pinterest, and seriously focus on the task. Chocolate helps!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Though I haven’t yet read this one, Kingdom’s Dawn, by Chuck Black, seems to reflect King’s sense of other-world adventure.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? As strange as it sounds, the entire Books of the Infinite series, including King was inspired by a dream fragment. In 2010, I woke up one morning, still seeing a brief, stark dream of a young woman in a dim chamber. She was struggling to make a life-changing choice, and there was a glowing branch in that same dream, so I knew that if I wrote the story behind the dream it must be a fantasy. It was odd. Usually my dreams are bright and colorful. However, this dark fragment became Prophet, which was published two years later.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? King’s plotline, like Prophet and Judge, is written to appeal to men and women, young and old. Parents are reading these books with their teens!


***
Now, readers, it's time for some fun!
Hope over to the following pages to visit these three fantasy authors, who will be posting their Next Big Thing answers within the next seven days:
Patrick W. Carr
Carla Laureano
and 
Pauline Creeden

And enter to win a copy of Prophet, or Judge, or (soon) King, in the Rafflecopter entry form below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"His Love Endures Forever"

 Holiday Blessings


My card to you, dear Reader, is a nostalgic offering from Katharin Fiscaletti, reminding us of a childhood pastime we've most likely shared. Simple folds of white paper, snipped with snub-tipped scissors to form snowflakes in honor of the coming winter.

But look again at this design. Do you see them?
Hearts. Cast over an endless universe of deep violets and blues, sprinkled with distant suns. Symbols of love, particularly framing the Messiah's star.

Why?

One reason. One thought to hold in our hearts as we look up at the stars this week.

His love endures forever.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Blessings, dear everyone!

Adversity

 
Today, with help from Kien, Scythe/Pet, and Ela, (in an imagined scene from PROPHET, courtesy of awesome artist, Katharin Fiscaletti) we are contemplating adversity.
We’ve already discussed villains and antiheroes—those characters who drive the plot and add tension by keeping our heroes and readers in suspense.  But what about pure, simple adversity--the trials and travails that force us out of our comfort zones?
What is adversity’s role in our stories and our lives?
From a literary perspective, adversity provides the means to explore our protagonist’s views of life, and tests his or her reactions to life’s slingstones of misfortune.
Adversity, be it spiritual testing, physical ordeals that wear upon us over time, or personal battles with emotions, force us to become stronger, better people (or creatures, as in Pet’s case) and hopefully compel us to become fascinating characters who delight others.
What do we cherish as we journey through life? What makes us whole spiritually? What gives us strength?
True adversity, dear readers, compels us to choose our values. Knowing this, what will Kien decide?
Is love worth destroyer-style pain?

Unexpected Christmas Hero

The moment I saw the cover for this book, Unexpected Christmas Hero, I fell in love with its charming, wistful "greeting card" mood. But there's a real-life mystery behind this Unexpected Christmas Hero cover--offering us a chance to reunite a family for the holidays. Read on!
Unexpected Christmas Hero is an inspiring and compelling story of friendship and survival. Forced by unexpected circumstances to live on the streets and in homeless shelters, Josie Meyers and her two small children share in the lives and struggles of other homeless people. Eventually, Josie meets Rick, a homeless, disabled vet who becomes their hero and friend. While living in the shelters she continually hears the gospel, reigniting memories of the words she heard and believed as a child. Will these events lead her and her children home to the ultimate shelter?



Read "the story behind the story" and help reunite a family: http://kathimacias.com/help-reunite-a-family/

SCAVENGER HUNT STOP # 15!R. J. LarsonHome of Biblical Fan...

SCAVENGER HUNT STOP # 15!
R. J. LarsonHome of Biblical Fantasy author R. J. Larson's Blog.
First *R.J. steps aside* The official guidelines!

Follow the clues to win the grand prize: a Kindle Fire and 31 free books, each autographed by the authors!
WELCOME, to the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt~~we hope you're enjoying the stories as you search!

·         This hunt begins 10/25 at noon MDT
·         The fun finish falls on 10/28 at midnight MDT—plenty of time; no need to rush!
·         Enjoy 31 stops, each with a different author and fresh, new-to-you content!
·         Discover authors with new or soon-to-be-released novels
·         Collect the clues in redon each post, beginning from Stop #1 and at Stop#32, fill out the Rafflecopter form. Be ready to provide the completed clue quote, gathered from all 31 stops, within 24 hours of email notification or another winner will be randomly drawn. No need to email/submit it, unless you are notified on 10/29/12. Grand Prize: A new Kindle Fire, plus 31 new novels!  UPDATE!!! The winners have been chosen!
The GRAND PRIZE winner is: Jennifer Friedley
The second and third prize $50 gift certificates went to: Laura McEwen and Gretchen Michels Garrison!!!

Congratulations, to the winners!!!

·         2nd & 3rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B&N, CBD or BookDepository.com gift certificate
·         (Contest is open to international entrants. If the winner lives outside the United States, they shall win the equivalent in gift certificate funds to the prize in US dollars.)
[R. J. returns!]
Welcome, Hunters! I'm pleased to introduce our delightful guest at this stop, one of my fellow Shakespeare-fan friends, Leslie Gould!
 Leslie Gould is the Christy award-winning and bestselling author of fifteen novels. Her latest, Courting Cate, is inspired by Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Leslie enjoys traveling, watching soccer games, and binge reading. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and four children. Visit her at
Her Website    
FaceBook! 
 and
Twitter!
 Courting Cate:
In Paradise, Pennsylvania, Cate Miller is known more for her sharp tongue and fiery temper than her striking appearance. Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!

But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor--until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.

Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play?
 
Now, dear Hunter, here is an exclusive sneak-peek at Leslie's recent journey to Lancaster county, the setting for Courting Cate, narrated by Leslie!
  Snapshots of Lancaster CountyShakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” influenced the plot of Courting Cate, while the pastoral beauty of Lancaster County inspired the setting.



Courting Cate is set in the picturesque landscape around Paradise, Pennsylvania. I drew on this photo of green rolling hills and Amish barns as I described the “farmette” where Cate lives and the surrounding countryside. Don’t be fooled by the beauty of the laundry on the line. It took a lot of hard work to get it there. I’d much rather write about the work of an Amish woman than actually do it. Cate, in my story, avoids doing laundry at all costs, leaving it to her sister, Betsy.
I love this photograph for a couple of reasons. First, someone who lives in an Amish home is selling a motorbike. Is he (I’m assuming it’s a young man) finished with his Rumschpringe(running around time)? Or upgrading to a bigger bike? Cate, in my story, is a bit prickly (okay, a lot prickly), but she’s not wild. The whole Rumschpringenever appealed to her, and she joined the church while still in her teens. Still, she has some growing up to do.

My husband, daughter, and I just happened to drive by this church wagon while tooling around Lancaster County. “Stop!” I shouted. (My poor hubby.) I have lots of church wagons in my stories, but this is the only one I’ve seen in real life. A wagon like this one would be filled with tables, benches, and other items and transported to the family hosting church services that Sunday in their home.














Cate is a bit of a speed demon when it comes to driving her buggy. In a pivotal scene in the story she and Pete, the man she loves to hate, go for a drive and race over a covered bridge. Even though covered bridges have a romantic quality, this particular scene doesn’t. The romance comes later.    Speaking of romance, this image inspired me to incorporate a sunset into Courting Cate as the backdrop for these lines:And where two raging fires meet together,They do consume the thing that feeds their fury.“The Taming of the Shrew,” II.1.125-126, William Shakespeare
R. J. here: Leslie, thank you!  I'm a fantasy/history/Biblical "swords and cloaks" author and reader, but Courting Cate is now on my reading list~~I cannot resist Shakespeare, and Cate's feisty, "I dare you" image on the cover!
Hunters, if you are equally tempted by Courting Cate, here are a few handy "Buy Now" links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD! Or purchase a copy at your favorite bookstore! 
THE SCAVENGER HUNT BASICS: 
Before you go, write down this STOP #15 clue: And  WAIT! Speaking of and : Enter to win a signed copy of PROPHET, plus the audio cd of Volume #1 in the acclaimed Books of the Infinite series! *Easy*
Just click on the Rafflecopter form below to "like"
R. J. Larson's Facebook page!  <a Rafflecopter giveaway>

Now, blessings and onward to stop #16, Leslie Gould's own site!


 
Dear hunter, thanks for visiting my blog! Your next stop is #16 Leslie Gould'sown blog!

While I'm pondering my next blog post, Dear Reader, it oc...

While I'm pondering my next blog post, Dear Reader, it occurred to me that I haven't fulfilled a pledge to post a vocab list for my series. As promised, here it is...the Character List for JUDGE. Enjoy!


In order of name’s appearance:
Kien Lantec \Kee-en Lan-tek\ Military judge-advocate for the Tracelands.ToronSea \Tor-on-Sea, or, Tor-on-Sea\ Southern coastal town in the Tracelands.Ela Roeh \El-ah Roe-eh\ Prophet of Parne.Ara Lantec \Are-ah Lan-tek\ Rade Lantec’s wife. Kien’s mother.Scythe \ Sīth\Long 'I'\ A destroyer. Kien and Ela’s monster-warhorse.General Rol \Rawl\ The Traceland’s General of the Army.Tamri Het \Tam-ree Het\ Citizen of Munra, Siphra.Tzana Roeh \Tsaw-nah Roe-eh\ Ela’s sister.Beka Thel \Bek-ah Thell\ Jon Thel’s wife. Kien’s sister.Belaal \Bell-A-el\ Kingdom south of Siphra.Agocii \Ah-goss-ee\ Mountain tribes bordering Belaal. Eosyths \E-o-siths\ Mountain tribes south of Parne.Jon Thel \Jon Thell\ A Tracelands military commander. Beka’s husband.Rade Lantec \Raid Lan-tek\ Kien’s father. The Tracelands preeminent statesman.Ruestock \Roo-stock\ Exiled former Siphran ambassador to the Tracelands.Tsir Aun \Sir Awn\ Istgard’s prime minister. Tek Lara’s husband.Tek Lara \Tek Lar-ah\ A cousin to the deceased king of Istgard.Bel-Tygeon \Bell-Ty-jee-on\ King of Belaal.Akabe Garric \Ah-cabe Gair-rick\ Former Siphran rebel. The Infinite’s chosen king of Siphra.Adar-iyr \Ad-are-eer\ Island kingdom off the coast of Siphra.Sius Chacen \See-es Chase-en\ Eldest son of Parne’s deposed chief priest, Zade Chacen.Zade Chacen \Zaid Chase-en\ Parne’s deposed chief priest.Dan Roeh \Dan Roe-eh\ Ela’s father.Kalme Roeh \Call-may Roe-eh\ Ela’s mother.Ninus \Nine-es\ King of the island-city, Adar-iyr.Za’af Chacen \Zay-aff Chase-en\ Second son of Parne’s deposed chief priest Zade Chacen.Ishvah Nesac \Ish-vaw Ness-ak\ The Infinite’s chosen chief priest of Parne.Siyrsun \Seer-sun\ Belaal’s General of the Army.





Now.... Don your cloaks, say a prayer, and follow Kien....

Batman. Dirty Harry. Scarlett O’Hara. Hamlet. Gollu...

 
Batman. Dirty Harry. Scarlett O’Hara. Hamlet. Gollum. Bad Master. Sydney Carton.
 Often described as a literary or cultural trope, the antihero is probably older than Odysseus. Older, even, than most classically accepted hero-types.
Today, in order to illustrate a few points, I’ve joined forces with YA wonder-artist, fifteen-year-old Kristina Fiscaletti, (of the amazing Fiscaletti clan) who has graciously shared her own sketches of the tragic antihero, Bad Master. *Bows to Kristina.*
Dark, brooding, or simply willing to defy cultural norms to achieve a goal, a true antihero reflects humanity’s bleaker, almost repulsive traits. Yet we love our not-quite-heroes and heroines.
Why?
Simple. Antiheroes are closer to true human nature than classic heroes. Antiheroes embody our secret weaknesses and often act out our defiant hidden impulses, which are usually—with good reason—frowned upon by civilized societies. Most antiheroes don’t accept oppression meekly. (But neither do strong classic heroes!) And a true antihero often reveals noble characteristics, usually with a courage most of us mere mortals only wish we possessed.
Often, antiheroes are called upon to save heroes—to brave harm or death for the sake of good. Remember the alcoholic Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities? As he is facing death for the sake of his beloved and her hero-husband, he concludes, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known!" *R. J. searches for tissue. Blows nose.*
By contrast, Antiheroes are often resentful if they’re rescued, particularly if the rescuer is—through some cruel twist of the author’s scheming imagination—an erstwhile foe, or *worse* the hero! (For pity’s sake, doesn’t the hero draw enough accolades?)
Most important to the author, however, is that an antihero’s tempestuous nature presents opportunities for redemption, usually at a pivotal moment in the plot, or even at the story’s epic climax. Better yet, the antihero might be allowed to remain an unresolved mystery to readers.  See those tears? Are they real? Dare we allow ourselves to hope for our beloved antihero’s redemption? Stay tuned, Dear Reader!Stay tuned....