Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 27

Heavy Metal Music Versus Fantasy Literature

On the surface, many think that heavy metal and fantasy have very little in common. After all, the stereotypical images of both groups couldn’t be more different from each other.

A metalhead is someone headbanging with excessively long hair, trying to slam into a bunch of other people with reckless abandon while loud music is blasted through a set of speakers.A fantasy fan is someone sitting at a table playing a game with odd shaped dice while drinking mountain dew and eating chips.
I admit there are some major differences between heavy metal and fantasy. However the similarities between the fantasy genre in literature and the heavy metal genre in music are pretty amazing. In fact, fantasy literature like A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, and The Dark Tower series have been the inspiration for songs by many bands such as Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, The Sword, Rush, and Led Zepplin.

For decades, heavy metal bands have borrowed from the fantasy genre when crafting their lyrics or band image. Yet, how often do you see pictures of someone at Comic-Con wearing a Megadeth T-shirt? Probably about as often as you’ve seen someone at a Judas Priest show carrying around their copy of Game of Thrones.

Personally, I don’t think there is enough of a crossover between the groups. So, as a huge fan of both heavy metal music and fantasy literature, I’m here to give you several reasons why if you’re into one of these areas of interest, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice by not getting into the other.
Both are outcasts – Fantasy/sci-fi fans are often looked down upon by the mystery/thriller/romance fans, even worse by sports and non-fiction readers.

Heavy Metal is no different. It isn’t as mass-appealing as country or as catchy as pop, nor is it as formulaic as most of the rock on radio today.

Oddly enough, both groups have a tendency to pride themselves at being outcasts of society, defiant in being who they are, regardless of what others think about them.
Both are misunderstood – People who read fantasy are often accused of having their head in the clouds or being escapists who can’t deal with the real world.

With heavy metal, most assume you’re a drug addict or some other dreg of society.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “YOU listen to heavy metal?” It’s only slightly more often than “You read fantasy?”
Both have rabid fan bases – Fantasy fans will read the same book over and over until the spine breaks, memorizing every detail. Some even write fan fiction about their favorite characters or worlds. I don’t hear that from any other genre.

Heavy Metal is no different. Live bootlegs are floated around all the time and fans will travel all over the world to see their favorite bands. Rob Zombie has a great line about the loyalty of metal fans. “I’ve never heard someone say they were into Slayer for one summer.” Metal isn’t something you grow out of.

You’re a metalhead for life and generally it seems that way for fantasy/sci-fi fans as well.
Both are nerds – Many metal fans won’t admit this, but most would put fantasy fans to shame in their geekiness. Not only do they know everything about the content of the music, the band, and the band’s personal life, but many will even analyze the time signature changes, the settings of the amps, and so on (Dream Theater fans, cough).
Both fans dress differently than the rest of society – A fantasy fan will dress up as their favorite character at a convention.

A heavy metal fan will wear all black on the hottest day of summer just to pay homage to their favorite band.
Both have their own forms of greeting – A fantasy/sci-fi fan might flash you the Vulcan salute made famous by Spock.

A heavy metal fan might flash you the “Metal Horns” hand gesture made famous by Ronnie James Dio.Bottom line, if you want loyalty, fantasy and heavy metal are where you’ll find it. So if you’re a heavy metal fan, try picking up The Black Company while you rock out to the latest Anthrax album. If you’re a fantasy fan, try listening to Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast when you’re ready to crack open the newest Steven Erikson release.

I have a feeling that in both cases you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Music Monday - Armageddon

Armageddon is a great side project by Arch Enemy guitarist Chris Amontt. Awesome Hard Rock.

Gathering of the Storm/Burn the Sun


Well of Sadness

Lessons Learned from Writing the Second Book in a Series

With Steel and Sorrow ’s release last week, I thought I’d take a few moments to reflect on what it was like for me to write my second book which also happened to be the second book in the Blood and Tears Trilogy.

To start, I was pretty worried that Steel and Sorrow wouldn’t be as good as Rise and Fall. Although Rise and Fall was the first book I ever wrote, I’ve received really positive feedback on it, and am overall happy with the end result. In my mind, Steel and Sorrow had to be at least as good as Rise and Fall. However, I really wanted it to be better because the last thing I wanted was for it to suffer “middle-book syndrome.”

For those who don’t know, middle-book syndrome is what many people call the second (or middle) book in a long series or a fantasy trilogy. It’s not uncommon for the middle book to be the weakest in the series because the characters and world aren’t usually as new and exciting as the first book, and the second book doesn’t offer the closure/excitement the ending book(s) bring. The middle-book often feels incomplete and in many ways a large setup for the third book.

Here’s how I tried to avoid those pitfalls.
Expand the cast of characters. Rise and Fall mostly focused on three people: Elyse, Tobin, and Jonrell. Some of the other characters received a bigger role toward the end of the book, but ultimately they remained minor. For Book Two, I wanted to bring up some of the minor characters and make them second tier major characters. This allowed me to keep a certain amount of newness to the series.
Expand the world. Similar to the first point, I took readers to new parts of my world that were only mentioned in Book One. This helped prevent a certain amount of stagnation that can occur from staying within the same location.
I didn’t play it safe. Some of my characters go through pretty radical changes (both good and bad) in Steel and Sorrow. Some die. My world can be harsh and I wanted my readers to experience those events.
I kept challenging myself. I always outline, but I’m not afraid to deviate from the outline if it strengthens the story. While writing Steel and Sorrow, I cut and added subplots, cut and added character POVs, cut and added action scenes all to make the story better.
Thankfully, my early readers felt Steel and Sorrow was as good, and in most cases, better than Rise and Fall. I would have to agree with them. I’m very proud of the way Steel and Sorrow came out.

Now, the question is, can I wrap up this series with a strong and satisfying third book? I’m about 67K into the rough draft, so let’s hope so!

Music Monday - Jerry Lee Lewis

Sometimes it’s fun to look at the old school musicians from the past. Jerry Lee Lewis was not only a great pianist, musician, and songwriter, but also one of the performers who really pushed Rock and Roll forward. I have a feeling that if there was heavy metal back in the 50s, he would have tried to incorporate a piano into it.

Good stuff.

Great Balls of Fire

Whole Lotta Shakin Going On

Wild One

STEEL AND SORROW Official Release

. . . and the story continues!


Steel and Sorrow: Book Two of the Blood and Tears Trilogy can be purchased from the following locations for only $3.99 in ebook form. (Use Smashwords for your non-Kindle, Kobo, and Nook ereaders.)



If you do not have an ereader or a phone capable of acting as an ereader and are interested in reading the story, you can always download Amazon Kindle application for your desktop or laptop and read it from your computer.

Steel and Sorrow is also available in print at Amazon for just $14.95. You can purchase it here.

Here is a brief synopsis of Steel and Sorrow (warning, contains some spoilers for Rise and Fall)

A Warleader proves his worth, a High Mage seeks revenge, a Commander overcomes his past, and a Queen solidifies her rule.

On the continent of Hesh, Tobin has finally gained the two things that have always been out of his reach—the respect of his clan and a woman’s love. He now seeks to finish what his father began. When Tobin faces an enemy he never knew to suspect, he is left questioning not only his ability to rule, but also his sanity.

A High Mage has been humbled, but he has not been defeated. After spending his time devouring the history of Hesh, he’s discovered a way to return home and reclaim what was once his. But before he exacts revenge on his enemies, he fulfills an obligation to his one remaining friend.

In the aftermath of great tragedy, Kaz has taken the role of commander, and with it, a mountain of headaches. He expected threats from his enemies. He did not expect the largest headaches to from within his own ranks. To make matters worse, the faded memories of Kaz’s previous life are returning and what he sees haunts him.

Queen Elyse’s kingdom faces collapse at the hands of a civil war. While her army has been organizing to secure the crown against traitorous lords, she has worked at her role as queen. Suspicion of traitors among the ranks of her council threatens to undermine Elyse's authority when a chance for peace presents itself.

A year after the events of Rise and Fall, Steel and Sorrow is the second book in the Blood and Tears Trilogy.

To read an excerpt of Steel and Sorrow, click the “Sample” button below. You can always access it by clicking on the "Books" menu tab above.



However, I would warn you not to read a sample unless you’ve already read Rise and Fall as the sample does contain spoilers for the first book.

If you enjoy the story or any of my other works, please consider leaving a rating or review at the site of purchase as well as other places such as Goodreads and Librarything. Like many other indie authors, I do not have a marketing team working for me and a positive review (even if only a couple of sentences long) can go a long way in enticing others to give my works a try.

Another easy way to help me out is by clicking the “Like” button or “Share button” on the Amazon product page.

You can also shoot me an email at joshuapsimon.author@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks!

Music Monday - Sepultura

One of the heavier bands I’ve ever heard. Sepultura also has an awesome rhythm sound as they’ve incorporated their Brazilian heritage/influence into their music. Good stuff.

Refuse Resist


Arise


Dead Embryonic Cells


Bloody Roots

I have maps!

In preparation for the Steel and Sorrow: Book Two of the Blood and Tears Trilogy launch in the next couple of weeks, I decided to create three maps of the world. These maps will be included in both the electronic and paper versions of the second book. I also plan to go back and add them to both the electronic and paper versions of Rise and Fall for anyone who purchases the books going forward.

There are several reasons why I didn’t include maps in the initial release of Rise and Fall, but in the end it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I have them now and they look awesome. Click on the maps below to see more detail. (They open in a new window.)

The first map is of the world I created.



The second map is a close-up of the Kingdom of Cadonia. I’ve only noted the major cities/landmarks that are important within the overall story.



The third map is a close-up of the continent of Hesh. Again, I’ve only noted the major cities/landmarks that are important within the overall story.



Maps have never been necessary for me (yes, I’m an anomaly within fantasy). I usually glance at them once before starting a book and then never refer to them again. However, I know they mean a lot to others. Hopefully, this will improve the reading experience for those individuals.

By the way, I wanted to thank my wife, Leah, as she took my chicken scratch rough drafts and made the awesomeness above. Thanks, babe!

So, what do you think?

Music Monday - Alice in Chains - Dirt

This is one of my favorite albums of all time by one of my favorite bands. It’s REALLY hard not to just select the whole album for Music Monday, but I managed to narrow down my song selections a little.

Rain When I Die (my fav AIC song)

Down in a Hole (unplugged)


Dirt


Angry Chair


Junkhead


Would

A Real Hero

I love to read and write fantasy. That should be pretty obvious to those who spend more than a few minutes on my blog. Part of what I love about the genre is the heroes (flawed or not) that are represented within it. These people can, and sometimes do, inspire me to be a better person.

However, those heroes aren’t real, and so their stories don’t quite hold the same amount of weight as those in our world.

About a week ago, I read an article on MSN that told the story of someone who in my mind epitomized what it means to be a hero. I cut and pasted the article below, worried that the link would expire before I could post it to my blog. It’s a pretty short read and well worth your time.

The parents of Xander Vento, a little boy who was forced under the water while saving another child at a neighborhood pool in Fort Worth, Texas, earlier this week, say they are taking their son off life support.

Cris and Misty Vento released the following statement Thursday:

"We’ve made the extremely difficult decision to remove our precious son Xander from life support. We send heartfelt thanks to all of you who kept our family in your thoughts and prayers; we’re appreciative of your love and support.

We in some way hope our son’s life serves as an inspiration. He was the angel in the pool who sacrificed himself to save another. And now he continues to give as an organ donor. We were blessed to have such a kind and caring boy as Xander who set an example for all of us and even now he will be saving lives by giving of himself."

Xander, 4, held a struggling 3-year-old girl above the water, and after becoming exhausted, slipped below the water’s surface, the Associated Press reported. He was found at the bottom of the pool. After Xander was pulled from the water, rescuers did get a pulse from him, the Dallas Morning News reported, but he was unable to breathe on his own before they loaded him into a helicopter.

Xander was hospitalized at Cook Children’s Medical center, where he fell into a coma. He had been on life support since Monday.

Adults were present at the pool during the incident, including an off-duty nurse who helped rescue the children, according to the Dallas Morning News. It wasn’t clear where the adults were when the incident happened.

The 3-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, apparently swallowed water but never lost consciousness.

I’m not sure if I’m more sensitive to stories like this now that I’m a parent or not, but I admit that I choked me up a bit when reading it. For someone so young to show such unselfishness and strength is humbling to me in ways I can’t even put into words.

Xander Vento, you are a real hero.

Music Monday - Covers That Are Better Than the Original Song - Part One

It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a cover will actually turn out better than the original version. Below are a couple that definitely fall into this category for me (though I do like the originals as well).

BALL OF CONFUSION
Anthrax (cover)


The Temptations (original version)


STARBREAKER
Arch Enemy (cover)


Judas Priest (original version)


WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT
Nirvana (cover)


Leadbelly (original version)


Any covers that you feel are better than the original?