P.J. Reed's Blog, page 14
March 3, 2018
If You Want Some Magic in Your Life, Open a Fantasy Novel
Sometimes life is hard. It kicks you to the floor, you struggle to get to your feet again and then life punches you in the face. It takes away the things you the most – partners, pets, self-confidence, or happiness, and leaves you empty. You end up just lying on the floor, thinking why is this happening to me?
These are the times when you need to escape from your life and enter the realms of fantasy. Fantasy gives you freedom from all your earthly ties and lets you explore new galaxies, races, and ‘to boldly go where no man has gone before.’
Good fantasy excites and challenges you on an intellectual and emotional level.
New languages can be experienced and even learnt. There are exceptional people in the sci-fi community who can actually speak Klingon and other people who have learnt the Tolkien’s elvish phrases. Why some study the philosophy behind the fantasy, the use of genetic engineering to create greater humans and the consequences of such endeavours as in Gene Roddenberry’s ‘Andromeda.’ These are fascinating glimpses into new realities and an intellectual diversion from one’s own.
On the book front, the importance of fantasy books can be seen in the popularity of the genre.
The Telegraph reported in April 2017 – “today we're in the middle of an unprecedented fantasy boom. Sales continue to rise year on year and it is now the biggest genre in publishing, dwarfing its former powerhouse cousin, science fiction, and the once-ubiquitous romance. The more rational the world gets, with super-science all around us, the more we demand the irrational in our fiction.”
While the top 4 books in the Wikipedia list of all-time best-selling books are all fantasy novels.
Therefore, if you want some magic in your life, open a fantasy novel.
P.J. Reed author of ‘The Torcian Chronicles
February 23, 2018
Torcia became very much alive for me
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” ― Dr. Seuss
Fantasy fiction is the imagining of the impossible and the realisation of the improbable.
It is an escape from the everyday and the normality of human existence. High fantasy writing offers its readers a chance to explore a different reality, filled with magic and wonder. Where heroes fight to save the weak with bows and arrows, swords, and powerful magic spells. It is world people can explore, experience new lands, and come face to face with magical creatures and beings.
A fantasy world should be a living, breathing world which the reader will enter and become part of. Hopefully, when reading The Torcian Chronicles, the world will become alive to you and propel you into a more vivid, brighter world.
I was delighted to receive this 5* review from Nicky, who wrote,
"I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure. This is a well written and nicely structured novel. What lets down so many fantasy books is not enough attention to world building. Not so with this story. Torcia became very much alive for me. The author adds to this strong backbone with some strong characterisation particularly that of Mesham who's special abilities carry the plot well. I would highly recommend this to all fantasy fans. You won't be disappointed."
He had entered the kingdom of Torcia.
February 17, 2018
Celebrating The Dark Side
Today on the Sizzler we are off to the dark side.
Some people may argue that it is the natural place for me to be but villains need our support to. A lot of the time they get very negative press and people misinterpret their actions as dictatorial where in reality they are just trying to do what is best for the worlds they rule. After all, law and order is the key to maintaining a successful, productive society A fact which the motley vagabond resistance lawbreakers simply do not understand.
I was delighted to meet that much-maligned intergalactic hero Darth Vader at Devcon18. He was extremely interested in the latest news from Torcia and in particular, the map of the two lands, investigating the great citadels of the country and whether they had survived the Mivirian incursion. He also questioned whether the Mivirian Temple warlocks would be interested in working to maintain law and order in other parts of the galaxy.
Unfortunately, unlike the force, warlocks rely on aweosung reserves to cast their spells and curses. The aweosung reserves locked away in the faulstan chrystals sprinkled throughout the lands ofTorcia and Mivir. Consequently, they have to remain on Cristallic.
Which was a shame because magical forces are extremely useful when trying to create order in the universe. However, Vader did mention he would return with stormtroopers at a later date working as military advisers to help support the Mivirian incursion.
To find out more about the temple warlocks of Mivir read 'The Torcian Chronicles' by P.J. Reed
Available On
Kindle - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078817Q1N
Free on Kindle Unlimited - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Torcian-Chronicles-Defiance-P-Reed-ebook/dp/B078817Q1N/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515333474&sr=8-1&keywords=the+torcian
February 10, 2018
Inside Devcon18
Well, last weekend as part of the EAA Fantasy Department I had the delight appearing at Devcon18. Any comic-con which sparks a security alert is quite exhilarating. Apparently, a member of the public saw cosplay players in black complete with balaclava and bright orange Nerf gun waiting for his friends outside the convention and decided it was a terrorist attack. I would state here that although I don't know much about terrorism I feel that waiting for your co-conspirators on the steps of a building you are going to terrorise is never a good criminal plan.
It's great that people their civic responsibilities seriously but even the police had a good laugh about it when they arrived.
That was a drama which was difficult to top. However, I did manage to get arrested by Stormtroopers and met Darth Vader, two things that I can now tick off my bucket list. There was also a pair of alliance pilots which were great too. The only Harry Potter character on show was Severus Snape and I'm glad to say his wand was not working that day or we would all be dead!
One of the things I love is talking about the lands of Torcia and Mivir. Unfortunately, I'm not so good at map reading especially when its upside down so I was explaining to everyone about the invasion of Torcia and basically... I had the Mivirian horde sweeping in from completely the wrong side (west not east) but then anyone who has ever been in a car with me knows not to follow my directions ever.
A great day!
February 3, 2018
Guest author feature - H.E. Joyce
Today on The Saturday Sizzler we have a guest author H.E. Joyce in the sizzling seat as we investigate his book
The Deadliest Game...
Background Information
H.E. Joyce lives among the beautiful Chilterns of Buckinghamshire, England, with his wife and black Labrador. He has two children and four grandchildren.
Thrillers with unexpected twists are the genre which he enjoys reading and writing, playing mind-games with his readers.
The inspiration behind the story.
'With The Deadliest Game, I definitely found inspiration while visiting various small coastal towns in New England, and although I visited during the summer months, I imagined what they might be like during the stormy season and felt it would be a great setting for a thriller. The rest just followed.'
The Blurb
'A storm is coming, to the small town of Brooksville, Maine, and also for Laura. After moving from Chicago with her young son, Laura finds a degree of the inner peace she has longed for. However, the idyllic life she has found changes when Laura meets Michael Peterson at a Halloween dance. After a brief romance, they marry and, for a while, life seems perfect. That is until she begins to receive disturbing phone calls and sees shapes lurking in dark shadows. Deep feelings of distrust take over her thoughts. Is she losing touch with reality? Or is her past catching up with her?' (from Amazon)
My Review
I thought I would just read this book a chapter a night as bedtime reading. However, I found the book compulsive reading and actually read it compulsively for two days. The story is a slow burning one where you have time to meet the characters and explore the beautiful little seaside town of Brooksville before the psychological games begin. Michael and Laura, the main protagonists both have things lurking in their history and these are revealed slowly and subtly. Added to the characters own demons is the mysterious 'unknown suspect' which creates a sinister background menace.
I particularly enjoyed the sensitive psychological portrayals of Michael and Laura, learning their thoughts through head-hopping which I always like. Another positive aspect was the use of descriptive narrative which successfully creates a picture in the reader's mind of Brooksville.
I would highly recommend this book to lovers of psychological thrillers and multi-genre readers who enjoy a good story.
