C. Gockel's Blog, page 69
April 14, 2015
The complete I Bring the Fire series–a modern Loki myth....
The complete I Bring the Fire series–a modern Loki myth. The first book is free on Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and Google Play.
You can read the whole series FREE via Overdrive and your local library. Just request the ebooks–you’ll be able to read them on just about any device–even ancient Kindle Paperwhites. Also available to peeps with Scribd & Oyster subscriptions. (Both have free one month trials. So you know, if you feel like binge reading …)
myjetpack:
My book of cartoons ‘You’re All Just Jealous of my...
My book of cartoons ‘You’re All Just Jealous of my Jetpack’ is available now:US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1770461043
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1770461043
Other stockists and info at www.tomgauld.com (you can also buy prints there)
April 13, 2015
Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, a Native American FableLong...
Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, a Native American Fable
Long ago in the San Juan valley, among the Tewa people lived a young man named Deer Hunter and a young woman named White Corn Maiden. Deer hunter was revered because he never came back from a hunt empty handed. White Corn Maiden caught the other’s attention because of her fine pottery and beautiful embroidery.
The beauty of Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden brought them together. They were favored of the Gods, but the Elders warned them not to become so enraptured with each other that they forgot their people. Against the Elders advice, the two spent more and more time together until Deer hunter stopped hunting and White Corn Maiden abandoned her pottery and embroidery. They forgot their religion and traditions despite warnings that harm would befall the village if they continued in this way.
Their selfishness caused them to pledge that they would never be parted, yet White Corn Maiden fell ill and died three days later. Her soul wandered for four days in order for her to seek forgiveness from those she had wronged in life. Deer Hunter could not accept White Corn Maiden’s death. He sought out her spirit and even though she begged him to let her go, he could not. He pledged his love once more and she relented, and did not allow her spirit and body to leave the mortal world as she was meant to.
Soon, Deer Hunter began to realize that keeping White Corn Maiden in the mortal realm could not last. She began to decay and he soon sought to escape her. White Corn Maiden could not leave him, though, and wasted to bones as she chased after him. The village wasted away along with her just as the Elders had warned.
Seeking to end the torture of the village, a majestic figure with a large bow and two arrows appeared in the village center, calling out for Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden. When they appeared, he cursed them for their selfishness. Ruin had been brought to the village because of them. Their punishment for abandoning their religion and traditions was to serve as a reminder to the people of the Pueblo for all eternity of how important upholding their traditions and religion was. He placed Deer Hunter on one arrow and shot him into the sky. White Corn Maiden followed after him, both becoming stars that roamed the sky forever, White Corn Maiden eternally chasing behind her husband, yet ever catching him.
My friend, DelSheeree Gladden, bases her story, Twin Souls, on this Native American myth. The story is part of the Gods and Mortals collection and you can pick it up FREE for now on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
Image credits: Edward S. Curtis Collection
forestrolli:
In Finnish, Northern lights are called “Lights of...
In Finnish, Northern lights are called “Lights of the Fox”. It comes from the old beliefs, that says the lights come from the fox tail
hitting the snow.by Linda Piekäinen -> her art page on Facebook
April 10, 2015
cgockel:THANATOS, Greek God of Death, Brother of Hypnos, God of...
THANATOS, Greek God of Death, Brother of Hypnos, God of Sleep
“And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings, Sleep and Death, awful gods. The glowing Sun never looks upon them with his beams, neither as he goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down from heaven. And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and the sea’s broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods.“- Heisod in Theogony
Evelyn De Morgan, the painter of “Angel of Death” above, imagined Thanatos to be a bit different than Heisod’s take. My friend Eva Pohler imagines him more sympathetically too, but in modern times. She has an epic YA friendly fantasy, The Gatekeeper’s Sons, with him as a central player and love interest of a human heroine who challenges the gods. The first installment of the saga is The Gatekeeper’s Sons and you can download it FREE as part of the Gods and Mortals box set: Amazon US, UK, CA, AU, DE, Kobo, iBooks, B&N, GooglePlay
April 8, 2015
5 ways to increase/decrease suspense in your writing
Suspense is one of the trickier parts of writing to manage effectively because, as the author, you can’t experience your story the way a reader does. If you don’t have enough suspense, it can be difficult to keep your readers interested. If you have too much,…
April 7, 2015
April 6, 2015
THE EMPEROR’S EDGE COLLECTION IS ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS. As I...
THE EMPEROR’S EDGE COLLECTION IS ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS. As I think I have mentioned here before, I ate up this whole damn series like it was popcorn. (Okay, I don’t eat popcorn, I eat chocolate … 80% dark chocolate … so I noshed it up like that.) Anyways, you can get this set for 99 cents for a limited time from your crack dealer of choice:
‘Zon: http://www.amazon.com/Emperors-Edge-Collection-Books-ebook/dp/B007YU6EVI/?tag=ibrthfi-20
Kobo: https://bit.ly/1GFgDGM
It’s got the plucky heroine who is refreshingly not perfect and possesses no super human powers just resourcefulness. Also a deadly assassin. And krakens. DID I MENTION KRAKENS! But if you want to try it without risk, you can download the Emperor’s Edge, the first book in the series free. Just follow links above and scoot up to the author’s name, and you know the rest.
