Hugh B. Long's Blog, page 4

Yule Lads?

You can learn all about the Yule Lads on Wikipedia

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The Yuletide-lads, Yule Lads, or Yulemen, (Icelandic: jólasveinarnir or jólasveinar) are figures from Icelandic folklore who in modern times have become the Icelandic version of Santa Claus. Their number has varied over time, but currently there are considered to be thirteen.[1] They put rewards or punishments into shoes placed by children on window sills during the last thirteen nights before Christmas Eve. Every night, one Yuletide lad visits each child, leaving gifts or rotting potatoes,[2] depending on the child’s behaviour throughout the year.

Contents

1 History and origins
2 Modern depictions
3 List of Yuletide-lads
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

History and origins

The Yuletide-lads originate from Icelandic folklore.[3] Early on their number and depictions varied greatly depending on location, with each individual Lad ranging from a mere prankster[4] to a homicidal monster who eats children.[5]

In 1932, the poem "Jólasveinarnir" was published as a part of the popular poetry book Jólin Koma ("Christmas Is Coming") by Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum. The poem reintroduced Icelandic society to Icelandic Yuletide folklore and established what is now considered the canonical thirteen Yuletide-lads, their personalities and connection to other folkloric characters.[6][clarification needed]

The Yuletide-lads were originally portrayed as being mischievous, or even criminal, pranksters who would steal from, or otherwise harass the population (at the time mostly rural farmers).[7] They all had descriptive names that conveyed their modus operandi.

The Yuletide-lads are traditionally said to be the sons of the mountain-dwelling trolls Grýla and Leppalúði. They would trek from the mountains to scare[8] Icelandic children who misbehaved before Christmas. Additionally, the Yuletide-lads are often depicted with the Yule Cat, a beast that, according to folklore, eats children who do not receive new clothes for Christmas.

Modern depictions

[image error]

Yule lads lighting a Christmas tree in Akureyri

In modern times the Yuletide-lads have been depicted as taking on a more benevolent role[9] comparable to Santa Claus and other related figures. They are occasionally depicted as wearing late medieval style Icelandic clothing[10] (only in some books and decorations), but are otherwise generally shown wearing the costume traditionally worn by Santa Claus.

List of Yuletide-lads

The Yuletide-lads are said to "come to town" during the last 13 nights before Christmas. Below are the 'official' thirteen Yuletide-lads in the order they arrive (and depart).

Names in English are based on Hallberg Hallmundsson's translation of the poem.[11]

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Published on December 21, 2016 09:02

Etymology of Gallifrey?

I got this Merriam Webster word of the day this morning and had en epiphany: Could we all be TImelords? Just saying …

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Published on December 18, 2016 06:12

Abhuman Cover Tweaks

GREE EYES

BLACK EYES

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.yop-poll-results-bar-1_yp58565631ca9bf{margin-left:5px;}.yop-poll-forms-display{} Which version of the cover do you prefer? Green Eyes Black Eyes vote View Results Poll total answers: 5 Poll total votes: 5

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Published on December 17, 2016 08:24

All About The Covenant

What The Covenant is all about

“Star Wars and X-men meet The 100”

Star Wars and X-men meet The 100

That’s exactly the kind of story I set out to tell. It had to be like Star Wars, sweeping, nothing less than pan-galactic. Rich in history and lore, and deeply layered. I wanted the incredible, and semi-plausible, powers, such as found in the x-men series. No super, ultra powerful mutants who can kill nations with a puff. I liked the idea of powers though: telepathy, enhanced strength, speed, healing. There are lots of “powers” that we can actually tap into with current science, and if we extend that vector out a century, so much innovation is likely. What you’ll notice in Book 2, is that I start to explain a bit about how Abhumans power their powers, or fuel the fire. We have the energy in our bodies to do astonishing things — it’s all in the calories. Let me know what you think of that system. Finally, I wanted the depth of character that had me spellbound in The 100, by Kass Morgan (Books and TV).

I suppose you could call this series: Warring Galactic Mutants with Feeling?

Why These Story Arcs?

Why am I writing this series? To tell a story, of course. But who’s? At first, the book was supposed to be a straightforward Science Fiction story, told equally from the points of view (POV) of a teenage boy and girl. It was their story, their yin and yang. But as I wrote, the focus of the story changed. I’d never believed this kind of thing happened – where characters would really start to assert themselves and take you in places you didn’t intend to go, but it does–it did. And so the story became about three incredible women [Cheska, Delfina, & Madchen] and the challenges they struggle to overthrow an evil theocracy. It became a story about their intertwined roles as daughter and mother, hero and villain, or mentor and protege. And not to worry, there’s lots of action gluing it all together.

I’m also going to explore a few serious subjects in these stories. Philosophical, such as free-will and morality. But also more serious, and immediate issues, such depression. Do we think a hero does all this stuff, and his emotional state is perfectly balanced? I highly doubt it. So I’m going to explore what I think might happen to heroes who’ve had to much thrust upon them.

Real People

“Real people? I thought you wrote fiction?” Yeah, I do. But I want you to feel like the story people in my books are alive–like they have needs, wants, desires–real lives. To that end, I always start character building with a picture. I start by borrowing an actor’s photo for a quick mental sketch–that nails down hair, features, height, weight, etc. In order to share my characters with you visually, I commissioned a series of character sketches, see below. Then of course I do the normal writerly things, like make sure they have lots of problems.

Click the image to see the full list of major characters.

Intergalactic Dictionaries

I admit it, I use a lot of strange words in my fiction. I borrow shamelessly from dozens of languages. One thing a few people have asked for over the years, is a pronunciation guide. And so, I put one together for The Covenant series.

Here’s Abhuman as an example:

Some also wanted a quick guide to the various Abhumans – what types of powers they have, etc. I haven’t gone into great depth, you’ll have to read the books to experience the real terror that is The Covenant.

The Covenant Series Structure & Philosophy

How am I structuring this series? Great question! Abhuman started as novella that was well received by Beta readers back in 2015, and I began working it into a larger, full-length novel. But I ran into personal health issues etc, and the project got delayed. This summer (2016) I decided to continue the project, but to write more frequent installments–going back to the novella format.

These are NOT short stories- the first novella is around 37,000 words long. 50,000 is where novel territory begins. This is a similar strategy employed by many authors testing a new series – such as Wool (The Silo Saga) by Hugh Howey.

At an average of around 175 pages, these novellas are about the same size as “novels” that I used to read as a Young Adult (12-18). These days, novels have gotten fat. No two ways around it. 50k words used to be a solid novel. Now 120k+ is the norm, depending on genre.

My plan is to have three novellas represent one larger “cycle”. The first, is called the Abhuman Cycle, consisting of Books 1 to 3 in The Covenant series. Once all three novellas are in print, I’ll issue an Omnibus edition, collecting all three novellas into one larger book. That way folks can collect the smaller novellas (each with unique and stunning cover art), or buy the Omnibus edition.

Abhuman Cycle (Omnibus)

Abhuman: Revelation (The Covenant – Book 1)
Abhuman: Resistance (The Covenant – Book 2) (Q3 2016)
Abhuman: Redemption (The Covenant – Book 3) (Q1 2017)

Metahuman Cycle (Omnibus) – coming soon

Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 4) Q2 2017
Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 5) Q3 2017
Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 6) Q4 2017

My plan is to finish the Metahuman Cycle in 2017, and see how you folks are enjoying the series. I have truck-loads of ideas for the series, so if you love it, tell me! Heck, tell everyone!

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Published on December 14, 2016 18:41

Alternate Cover for Abhuman: Revelation

Revised Cover

I was tinkering with a more fantastical feel. Something that evoked Cheska’s innocence, yet captured the darkness she would embrace. This cover is NOT in print (yet).

Here’s the background alone

Learn More

Abhuman: Revelation (The Covenant - Book 1)

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Published on December 13, 2016 18:08

Worldbuilding

World-Building in general

Most of us have seen meme’s where the depth of a movie’s content is compared to that of a book. Usually the movie is depicted as the bit of the iceberg above water, and the book, the portion beneath the waves. But there is a third layer – world-building. That’s the massive portion of the work.

Some writers take little notice of world building before hand, and just make it up as they go. Others go the the extreme of crafting detailed worlds long before they ever write a word.

I fall somewhere in the middle. I like to feel comfortable enough with the surroundings that I can describe most areas. In addition to the setting portion of world-building, there are also the politics, religion, inter-personal interconnections. As a reader, you may never see any of that. But we, as writers, should be well acquainted with those details: a person behaves based on what he’s experienced or done before. Build a solid frame and your house will stand a century. The same is true for works of fiction. That’s not to say world-building is the be-all and end-all, but it’s important, especially for works of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Here’s my take on the literary iceberg:

Hugh’s Literary Iceberg

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Alternate Cover for Abhuman: Revelation →

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Published on December 13, 2016 13:46

Pronunciation Guide & More

World-Building in general

Most of us have seen meme’s where the depth of a movie’s content is compared to that of a book. Usually the movie is depicted as the bit of the iceberg above water, and the book, the portion beneath the waves. But there is a third layer – world-building. That’s the massive portion of the work.

Some writers take little notice of world building before hand, and just make it up as they go. Others go the the extreme of crafting detailed worlds long before they ever write a word.

I fall somewhere in the middle. I like to feel comfortable enough with the surroundings that I can describe most areas. In addition to the setting portion of world-building, there are also the politics, religion, inter-personal interconnections. As a reader, you may never see any of that. But we, as writers, should be well acquainted with those details: a person behaves based on what he’s experienced or done before. Build a solid frame and your house will stand a century. The same is true for works of fiction. That’s not to say world-building is the be-all and end-all, but it’s important, especially for works of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Here’s my take on the literary iceberg:

Hugh’s Literary Iceberg

Intergalactic Dictionaries

I admit it, I use a lot of strange words in my fiction. I borrow shamelessly from dozens of languages. One thing a few people have asked for over the years, is a pronunciation guide. And so, I put one together for The Covenant series.

Here’s Abhuman as an example:

Some also wanted a quick guide to the various Abhumans – what types of powers they have, etc. I haven’t gone into great depth, you’ll have to read the books to experience the real terror that is The Covenant.

Real People

“Real people? I thought you wrote fiction?” Yeah, I do. But I want you to feel like the story people in my books are alive–like they have needs, wants, desires–real lives. To that end, I always start character building with a picture. I start by borrowing an actor’s photo for a quick mental sketch–that nails down hair, features, height, weight, etc. In order to share my characters with you visually, I commissioned a series of character sketches, see below. Then of course I do the normal writerly things, like make sure they have lots of problems.

Click the image to see the full list of major characters.

What The Covenant is all about
“Star Wars and X-men meet The 100”

That’s exactly the kind of story I set out to tell. It had to be like Star Wars, sweeping, nothing less than pan-galactic. Rich in history and lore, and deeply layered. I wanted the incredible, and semi-plausible, powers, such as found in the x-men series. No super, ultra powerful mutants who can kill nations with a puff. I liked the idea of powers though: telepathy, enhanced strength, speed, healing. There are lots of “powers” that we can actually tap into with current science, and if we extend that vector out a century, so much innovation is likely. What you’ll notice in Book 2, is that I start to explain a bit about how Abhumans power their powers, or fuel the fire. We have the energy in our bodies to do astonishing things — it’s all in the calories. Let me know what you think of that system. Finally, I wanted the depth of character that had me spellbound in The 100, by Kass Morgan (Books and TV).

I suppose you could call this series: Warring Galactic Mutants with Feeling?

Why These Story Arcs?

Why am I writing this series? To tell a story, of course. But who’s? At first, the book was supposed to be a straightforward Science Fiction story, told equally from the points of view (POV) of a teenage boy and girl. It was their story, their yin and yang. But as I wrote, the focus of the story changed. I’d never believed this kind of thing happened – where characters would really start to assert themselves and take you in places you didn’t intend to go, but it does–it did. And so the story became about three incredible women [Cheska, Delfina, & Madchen] and the challenges they struggle to overthrow an evil theocracy. It became a story about their intertwined roles as daughter and mother, hero and villain, or mentor and protege. And not to worry, there’s lots of action gluing it all together.

I’m also going to explore a few serious subjects in these stories. Philosophical, such as free-will and morality. But also more serious, and immediate issues, such depression. Do we think a hero does all this stuff, and his emotional state is perfectly balanced? I highly doubt it. So I’m going to explore what I think might happen to heroes who’ve had to much thrust upon them.

The Covenant Series Structure & Philosophy

How am I structuring this series? Great question! Abhuman started as novella that was well received by Beta readers back in 2015, and I began working it into a larger, full-length novel. But I ran into personal health issues etc, and the project got delayed. This summer (2016) I decided to continue the project, but to write more frequent installments–going back to the novella format.

These are NOT short stories- the first novella is around 37,000 words long. 50,000 is where novel territory begins. This is a similar strategy employed by many authors testing a new series – such as Wool (The Silo Saga) by Hugh Howey.

At an average of around 175 pages, these novellas are about the same size as “novels” that I used to read as a Young Adult (12-18). These days, novels have gotten fat. No two ways around it. 50k words used to be a solid novel. Now 120k+ is the norm, depending on genre.

My plan is to have three novellas represent one larger “cycle”. The first, is called the Abhuman Cycle, consisting of Books 1 to 3 in The Covenant series. Once all three novellas are in print, I’ll issue an Omnibus edition, collecting all three novellas into one larger book. That way folks can collect the smaller novellas (each with unique and stunning cover art), or buy the Omnibus edition.

Abhuman Cycle (Omnibus)

Abhuman: Revelation (The Covenant – Book 1)
Abhuman: Resistance (The Covenant – Book 2) (Q3 2016)
Abhuman: Redemption (The Covenant – Book 3) (Q1 2017)

Metahuman Cycle (Omnibus) – coming soon

Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 4) Q2 2017
Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 5) Q3 2017
Metahuman: TBD (The Covenant – Book 6) Q4 2017

My plan is to finish the Metahuman Cycle in 2017, and see how you folks are enjoying the series. I have truck-loads of ideas for the series, so if you love it, tell me! Heck, tell everyone!

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Published on December 13, 2016 13:46

Abhuman: Resistance – Call for Beta Readers

Call for Beta Readers It’s that time again! I have the next book in The Covenant series ready for Beta Readers. WHY? You get to tell me what you like, what you don’t like, or what you’d like to see happen differently. I listen to my readers. COST? $0, Nada, Zip. It costs you nothing. […]

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Published on December 05, 2016 14:42

Abhuman – Resistance Cover

Abhuman – Resistance The Covenant: Book 2 Cover mockup for book 2 in The Covenant series. Coming soon!

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Published on November 30, 2016 08:59

Writers of the Future – Honorable Mention

I was very pleased when my story “A Relatively Nice Place” was given Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future Contest in the 3’rd Quarter of 2015.

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Published on March 02, 2016 19:14