Narcisse Navarre's Blog, page 3

Get Past Writer’s Block And Write

Waiting for inspiration to strike is like waiting for lightning to strike on a specific day at a specific hour in a specific place. Don't do this. The only way to get past writer's block is to GET PAST IT and write.

Query and Rejection Letters: Selling Our Novel

Many blogs have been written on the reality that one should always write for oneself. There are also variations of that theme; such as how writing to be rich and famous is a fool’s journey and the trials of endless rejection letters. Granted there are some aspects unique to writing,...

Our Foray into Kingdom Death: Monster

My eyes open yet all I see is Darkness. Where am I? WHO am I? Answers evade me. What is that? A tiny pool of amber LIGHT! I rise, unsteady and alone, with naught but a loincloth to cover me. Beneath my feet the uneven, stony surface bites at my...

A Tale of Two Empanadas: And Why I Choose Optimism

Let me start by telling you about the empanada. It’s delicious. How could it not be? An empanada is made by stuffing a piece of thin dough with your choice of filling (meat, fruit, cheese), sealing the edge with a fork and deep frying. I grew up in Cuba where...

Xarla: Feeding my Daemons in Barcelona

Two years ago, around this time, I found myself cloistered in a Barcelona hotel room for hours at a time. While my husband pushed the latest and greatest of his company’s achievements at a technology convention, I slogged away the hours doing design for my agency back in New York....

Book Review: A Mouthful of Tongues

A Mouthful of Tongues is a short novel at 184 pages, but the story it tells and the imagery it conjures is epic.

Book Review: The Merman’s Children by Poul Anderson

The Merman's Children by Poul Anderson takes the reader into the realms of magic and fey. It is a wonderful book well worth the read.

A Review of The Merman’s Children by Poul Anderson

Have you ever read a book so beautiful that the thought of it lingers long after you have reached the end? The Merman’s Children, by Poul Anderson, is just such a tale. At around page fifty, I began to feel a growing sense of sadness knowing that I would–in a few days–reach the end of the book.This is not one of Poul Anderson’s most well-known works, but it is one of his most inspired. The language is beautiful, rich and evocative.It is the kind of writing that can inspirea writer; a little l...

Making the Fantasy Real: Why Backstory Matters

One of the joys of writing fantasy is that you get to tell fantastic stories. Our newest novel, The Tendrils of Fate (currently being queried), stars a creature called a naera–which is our mix of Nereid, siren, and mermaid. When submerged, Avaren Ensther transforms into a creature of legend, but she is not all fairy glamor. She is more monster than little mermaid; more scheming than love-struck.

Through the course ofwriting the book, Marzio and I spent a lot of time massaging the lore of our...

John Varley’s Gaean Trilogy: Too Hot for Hollywood

One of my New Year’s resolutions was toread more and I’m slowly making good on my promise. Early January,I picked up John Varley’s Titanstarring the ballsy heroine Cirocco Jonesand by mid January I was done. I wrapped up Wizardby the end of the monthwhile on vacationin Portugal and finished the last book, Demon, just last night.

John Varley’s GaeanTrilogy is as entertaining as it is thought provoking. The author doesn’t take himself too seriouslynor does he delve too deep into the science be...