Matthew D. Ryan's Blog, page 7
March 22, 2016
Pressure Points in Fantasy Literature
One of the topics I’ve been interested in lately is pressure points. I purchased a couple books on the subject from Barnes and Noble and read up on it. What I wanted to find was a complete map listing all the pressure points in the body and how best to use them, so I could experiment on myself with this or that technique and see what happens. I’m still looking. I found a book on Shiatsu Massage and Acupressure and that listed a great many of them, but not all. A number of those listed were on...
March 3, 2016
Odin Speaks: The Legend versus the Myth
Arf. I am Odin. When I speak, you listen, for I am all-knowing and wise.
Once again, I stumbled across a curious fact while reading some of my more unconventional fare (more specifically, while I was reading a couple books on Atlantis). Apparently, there is a distinction between a legend and a myth. Both are stories, of a sort. A Legend is based on some historical fact; it contains some kernel of truth; however, whatever truth it contains has been buried by an avalanche of distortion and hist...
February 16, 2016
“From the Ashes of Ruin” Blurb Blitz Blog Tour
Goddess Fish Promotions is sponsoring a blog tour for my series, From the Ashes of Ruin. The tour began on February 1st, and will last until February 19th. We are currently in the 3rd and final week of the tour. It is primarily a Blurb Blitz Tour, meaning that every stop will have a blurb and excerpt from one of the books. The Blog Schedule is listed below. The books in the series so far include: Drasmyr (The Prequel), The Children of Lubrochius (Bk.I), and The Sceptre of Morgulan (Bk.II)....
February 8, 2016
“From the Ashes of Ruin” Blurb Blitz Blog Tour
Goddess Fish Promotions is sponsoring a blog tour for my series, From the Ashes of Ruin. The tour began on February 1st, and will last until February 19th. We are currently in the 2nd week of the tour. It is primarily a Blurb Blitz Tour, meaning that every stop will have a blurb and excerpt from one of the books. The Blog Schedule is listed below. The books in the series so far include: Drasmyr (The Prequel), The Children of Lubrochius (Bk.I), and The Sceptre of Morgulan (Bk.II). Also, make...
February 1, 2016
“From the Ashes of Ruin” Blog Tour
Goddess Fish Promotions is sponsoring a blog tour for my series, From the Ashes of Ruin. The tour begins today, February 1st, and will last until February 19th. It will be primarily a Blurb Blitz Tour, meaning that every stop will have a blurb and excerpt from one of the books. The Blog Schedule is listed below. The books in the series so far include: Drasmyr (The Prequel), The Children of Lubrochius (Bk.I), and The Sceptre of Morgulan (Bk.II). Also, make sure you check out the sponsor of th...
January 25, 2016
Fantasy and Demons
A ways back, I wrote an article for my newsletter (sign up here, if you are interested in receiving future mailings of my newsletter) dealing with demons. It was a light-hearted foray into a potentially serious subject. I say ‘serious’ because I’m not entirely certain if real-life demons are fiction or reality. Those familiar with my life story might know that I suffer from a psychological disorder and a delusion that revolves around demons. So, forgive me if I take them more seriously than...
January 21, 2016
From the Ashes of Ruin” Blurb Blitz Blog Tour
Goddess Fish Promotions will be sponsoring a blog tour for my series, From the Ashes of Ruin, during the first half of February. The tour will begin on February 1st and will last until February 19th. It will be primarily a Blurb Blitz Tour, meaning that every stop will have a blurb and excerpt from one of the books. The Blog Schedule will be listed shortly. There’s still a lot of open slots, so if you are interested, please contact Goddess Fish Promotions. The books in the series so far incl...
January 18, 2016
Atlantis: Fact or Fiction?
This post has little to do with fantasy literature, per se. At least not directly. The connection is that the story of Atlantis is kind of fantastical.
The story of Atlantis comes to us from Plato, specifically from his dialogue The Timaeus. I never studied that one in college. I’ve read bits and pieces of it—mostly the stuff about the demi-urge and such. Anyway, within the dialogue we are given the legend of Atlantis in which Plato tells of an ancient advanced civilization that was wiped ou...
January 15, 2016
Announcement: Upcoming Blurb Blitz Virtual Tour for “From the Ashes of Ruin”
As of November 2015, I released my latest novel, The Sceptre of Morgulan, for general consumption. It is the second book in my series, From the Ashes of Ruin. In honor of the release, I am doing a Blurb Blitz Virtual Tour for the entire series so far, including the prequel. There will be excerpts and blurbs from each book. That’s right; you’ll get tantalizing excerpts not only from The Sceptre of Morgulan but also from The Children of Lubrochius and Drasmyr. Once again, Goddess Fish Promotion...
January 8, 2016
The Art of Writing: Brainstorming
So, you want to write your next big novel or short story. The first step (at least it is for me) is to brainstorm your story. Jot down all you can about your story. Start with the characters: the people around which the story revolves. Who is the main character? What characteristics define them? What are their goals? Is there a love interest? Do the same for him or her. Flesh them out. Once you have your characters straight, you can work on the plot of the story. What’s the conflict? What dri...
