Alex Epstein's Blog, page 8

Star's Point of View

This is probably what is going through the mind of your star as you craft a show for her.

A. F. Stewart Reviews TCC

Fantasy Writer A. F. Stewart (Chronicles of the Undead) had some nice things to say about The Circle Cast:

... an excellent addition to the genre of Arthurian folklore and legend. The author crafts worlds past with a deft hand, easily pulling a reader into the story...

The author has a nice take on the magical aspects of the story, weaving a mysterious aspect in to the narrative by his effective use of Celtic religion and myth.

The writer also does an exceptional job at creating the main...

A Wrinkle Needing Ironing

At the used bookstore, I picked up Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time, which I remember liking as a kid, and the nice old lady there said, "When you read it as an adult, it's so much better."

Mmmmm, well, no, that was not my experience.

The main character, Meg, is a good YA heroine. She gets picked on for being smart. She acts out. She's impatient. I can dig it. I spent most of junior high not living up to my potential.

But she never gets to do anything with that personality. In fact, she ba...

Game of Thrones

I know that Game of Thrones is a big deal to a lot of people. And I have to admit that I only read the free Kindle sample, and watched the first episode of the miniseries (which seemed to follow the sample fairly faithfully). After all, there are people who've read all of the GoT books ten times.
But I'm not falling in love with it. Is it because everyone is so sad, and mean? Is it because I feel betrayed that after a promising start with "the white walkers," magic doesn't show up again, and t...

TCC Makes the British Fantasy Awards Long List

The Circle Cast is on the British Fantasy Awards Long List, so if you are a British Fantasy member, please vote for it!

Historical Novel Review Review

Laurie Rezanoff of Historical Novel Review just posted this lovely review of TCC:

I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Epstein's look into her life, in Ireland and how that exile helped her to become the driven and powerful woman she was later known to be...

Alex has captured the raw energy of the land, the people of that time in history, and the mythical person who we know as Morgan Le Fay. Her encounters with power-hungry figures influenced her decisions and ensured her survival to become the Sorceress ...

Book Trailer

My publisher would like to shoot a book trailer for The Circle Cast. I'm jazzed about it; his director has shot some stylish short films.

What are your favorite book trailers? If you've read my book, what scenes stand out for you?

OneBookShy reviews

OneBookShy says TCC is: "a fascinating tale ... a great addition to the many King Arthur stories, although he doesn't play a part in this early story until the end. I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a good adventure story as well as new takes on old legends."

And the WGC Award Goes To...

Last night was the WGC Awards, one of the best parties in town. Getting an award from your peers is tremendously fulfilling, especially since it's based on your script, not just the movie that someone else made it into. Last night's winners were:

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Forever Young Adult reviews TCC

Forever Young Adult is a really awesomely witty and fun blog (see her posts on YA Book Covers and YA Deal Breakers), so I was thrilled to read her review of THE CIRCLE CAST. There isn't a single quote that catches the magic of her image-packed style, but:

Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half sister, is exiled when her mother sleeps with Uter Pendragon and Uter kills Morgan's father, Gorlois. If her exile is mentioned at all, it's usually that she's sent to a convent, or as Marion Zimmer Bradley w...