A.R. Cook's Blog, page 6
March 9, 2015
So What's Coming Up...
Got a couple of events coming up...in case you haven't checked out the new author website (as you should! Go to http://scholarandsphinx.wix.com/arcook before you do any other single solitary thing!) here's what's on the plate for the month of March:
Author School Visit to Moore Middle School
March 12 @ 10:00 am
Moore Middle School
1221 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Author School Visit to Gainesville Middle School
March 19 @ 11:00 am
Gainesville Middle School
1581 Community Way, Gainesville, GA 30501
Looking forward to talking to the students and sharing a little bit about mythology, stories, writing, and creativity. Should be fun!
And in the next week or so, I'll be doing a chat on Twitter, so here's your chance to ask me anything you want: about writing, about upcoming conventions, about lasagna, about narwhals, about Five Nights at Freddy's game theories (because everyone has one, apparently)...
I would love to chat with you, so stay tuned for the time and date!
Author School Visit to Moore Middle School
March 12 @ 10:00 am
Moore Middle School
1221 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Author School Visit to Gainesville Middle School
March 19 @ 11:00 am
Gainesville Middle School
1581 Community Way, Gainesville, GA 30501
Looking forward to talking to the students and sharing a little bit about mythology, stories, writing, and creativity. Should be fun!
And in the next week or so, I'll be doing a chat on Twitter, so here's your chance to ask me anything you want: about writing, about upcoming conventions, about lasagna, about narwhals, about Five Nights at Freddy's game theories (because everyone has one, apparently)...
I would love to chat with you, so stay tuned for the time and date!
February 10, 2015
A Legend of Zelda Netflix series? And they need writers?? Show me how!
I'm not normally one to do this kind of thing. I realize the odds of me even asking in any way, shape or social-media format and actually finding an answer is astronomical...
Some of you may have heard by now that Netflix is in the development stages of creating a "Legend of Zelda" live-action television series...a family-friendly "Games of Thrones," if you will: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/08/entertainment/zelda-netflix/
If this will even come to fruition is a big question. Nintendo is extremely protective of their property, and I have a hard time seeing them let this happen in the hands of Netflix. The past attempt to create a Legend of Zelda TV show (remember that 80's cartoon paired up with the Super Mario Brothers Super Show? You don't? "Well excuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!") remains a strike against trying to resurrect the video game franchise as a show, and the abysmal "Super Mario Brothers" movie from that same decade nearly put a nail in the coffin for video game-turned-film adaptations (among many others).
Also, what more or new can be done with the "good guy saves princess from evil monster/wizard/insert-your-baddie-here" genre? And how to you build an entire series around a main character who, in none of the video games, has ever spoken a word? (Maybe Link will be good at charades...)
But now the reason I'm writing this in the first place. Because this project is still so early in development, Netflix is still looking for writers for the show. So...how does one offer their services for this?
I know, I know...there are a million raving, foaming-at-the-mouth Zelda fanatics who will be pouncing all over this opportunity, people who have played every Zelda game, read every conspiracy theory, dissected every plot-line and plot-hole and so on. There are people who live, eat and breathe this franchise. More importantly, there are more than enough writers out there in California, and I'm sure Netflix already has a list of their own writers they are sorting through.
But this is a fantasy writer's dream come true. It feels weird and a bit narcissistic to stand up and shout, "Hey! Perfect writer for you, right here!" but thanks to my husband, I am pretty well-versed on the Legend of Zelda universe (he's played just about every game in the franchise, and I've watched him) but I'm not such a crazy unyielding Zelda literalist that I wouldn't be willing to try and take it in a fresh, unique direction, while remaining faithful to the source material. I have three fantasy novels (the 3rd will be out in November 2015) as well as several fantasy short stories under my belt, and I've got a TV screenplay in the works...so how's about giving this dreamer a chance?
Netflix, if you just so happen to be Googling and by some act of God comes across this, check out my work and drop me a line. The fans are all abuzz with excitement, and we could make the next big television epic. Sometimes what you need may come from the most unlikely place, and sometimes it just takes a leap of faith and imagination.
Some of you may have heard by now that Netflix is in the development stages of creating a "Legend of Zelda" live-action television series...a family-friendly "Games of Thrones," if you will: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/08/entertainment/zelda-netflix/
If this will even come to fruition is a big question. Nintendo is extremely protective of their property, and I have a hard time seeing them let this happen in the hands of Netflix. The past attempt to create a Legend of Zelda TV show (remember that 80's cartoon paired up with the Super Mario Brothers Super Show? You don't? "Well excuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!") remains a strike against trying to resurrect the video game franchise as a show, and the abysmal "Super Mario Brothers" movie from that same decade nearly put a nail in the coffin for video game-turned-film adaptations (among many others).
Also, what more or new can be done with the "good guy saves princess from evil monster/wizard/insert-your-baddie-here" genre? And how to you build an entire series around a main character who, in none of the video games, has ever spoken a word? (Maybe Link will be good at charades...)
But now the reason I'm writing this in the first place. Because this project is still so early in development, Netflix is still looking for writers for the show. So...how does one offer their services for this?
I know, I know...there are a million raving, foaming-at-the-mouth Zelda fanatics who will be pouncing all over this opportunity, people who have played every Zelda game, read every conspiracy theory, dissected every plot-line and plot-hole and so on. There are people who live, eat and breathe this franchise. More importantly, there are more than enough writers out there in California, and I'm sure Netflix already has a list of their own writers they are sorting through.
But this is a fantasy writer's dream come true. It feels weird and a bit narcissistic to stand up and shout, "Hey! Perfect writer for you, right here!" but thanks to my husband, I am pretty well-versed on the Legend of Zelda universe (he's played just about every game in the franchise, and I've watched him) but I'm not such a crazy unyielding Zelda literalist that I wouldn't be willing to try and take it in a fresh, unique direction, while remaining faithful to the source material. I have three fantasy novels (the 3rd will be out in November 2015) as well as several fantasy short stories under my belt, and I've got a TV screenplay in the works...so how's about giving this dreamer a chance?
Netflix, if you just so happen to be Googling and by some act of God comes across this, check out my work and drop me a line. The fans are all abuzz with excitement, and we could make the next big television epic. Sometimes what you need may come from the most unlikely place, and sometimes it just takes a leap of faith and imagination.
January 24, 2015
Thank You All for a Successful Book Launch!
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Brenau University hosted my book launch for "The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Fang of Fenrir." It was a spectacular night, sold lots of books and everyone had a great time. We even got a few young girls from the community who are aspiring writers and wanted to learn more. I commend them and anyone who wishes to pursue their dreams of writing.
Thank you to David Morrison, Danielle Miller (who helped me make everything so nice and pretty), David Cook and Nick Dentamaro (who took pictures), Aramark for catering, and all who attended for making it such a special evening.
Also, please visit my new author website at http://scholarandsphinx.wix.com/arcook! It has lots more updated information, included upcoming events, book purchase links, reviews and more!
Thank you to David Morrison, Danielle Miller (who helped me make everything so nice and pretty), David Cook and Nick Dentamaro (who took pictures), Aramark for catering, and all who attended for making it such a special evening.
Also, please visit my new author website at http://scholarandsphinx.wix.com/arcook! It has lots more updated information, included upcoming events, book purchase links, reviews and more!
January 13, 2015
What I Learned about Young Adult Romance Novels (and their Fans)
*This post was originally written for the Mithras Books website for their blog, but for some reason isn't showing up on there, so I decided to post it here.
I had a unique experience this past September 2014 during Labor Day weekend when I attended Atlanta’s DragonCon, the largest science fiction/fantasy convention on the East Coast, to participate in an author panel. The panel was called “Kissing Optional: Does YA Need Romance?” My views on this question going into the panel did a 180 degree turn after concluding the event.When you think of the most prominent YA series in the past decade—Twilight, Divergent, The Hunger Games—one cannot imagine these stories without their romantic plot-points. Given that these books are directed at an age group where romance is a budding sensation, replacing the childhood “ew, cooties” view that most have prior to middle and high school, my belief going into this panel was, “if you write a YA novel without romance in it, good luck getting anyone to read it.”On the one hand, it’s been said that every story is, or has elements of, a love story. It’s almost unavoidable especially if you have both male and female characters of similar ages as protagonists. But as I sat on the author panel aside Delilah S. Dawson (author of the Blud series), Shaun Hutchinson (author of The Deathday Letter and The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley), and DragonCon moderators Lil Watson and Alexa Donne, the audience proved to not only have a different standing on the topic, but they guided me to a different outlook on YA romance.For one, while most YA books have a touch of the romantic, many stories have it as a background element while there is a greater conflict at the center of the plot. This is particularly true of “genre” novels (i.e. science fiction, paranormal, dystopian, etc.) where the protagonists have an action-driven plot as opposed to a “slice-of-life” story (teenagers in a realistic setting that deal more with exploring their emotions than saving the world). So while romance may be present, it doesn’t have to be what sets the story in motion or drives the plot.But are there popular YA novels where romance is absent entirely? Again, you may have to dig around in the “genre” category to find them, but novels such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Protectors of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, and The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott were all mentioned by the audience, all wildly popular books that don’t need romance to captivate young readers.Then the audience took the discussion into a completely other area entirely: the presence of homosexual, asexual, and pansexual relationships in YA. The question, ultimately, is why these orientations aren’t more widely represented in young adult fiction, as these orientations are increasingly becoming accepted by society. I hated to point out the marketing reasons most likely responsible for its under-representation—while there is a reading audience for it, as the people at my panel clearly proved, it is simply a smaller group than what publishers prefer to mass-market to demographically—but it did raise an interesting point and time will tell if there will be more sexual-orientation diversity in YA books in the future.Yes, young adult fiction can be popular, even award worthy, without romance. There is no need for authors to follow a formula to mimic what made other YA books hit the bestsellers list, but it still must speak to young readers and provide characters and obstacles with which they can identify. It will be up to readers as well as authors and publishers what trends persist and what bold new risks are taken with YA books, both in terms of romance and the treatment of character genders/sexual orientation overall.
I had a unique experience this past September 2014 during Labor Day weekend when I attended Atlanta’s DragonCon, the largest science fiction/fantasy convention on the East Coast, to participate in an author panel. The panel was called “Kissing Optional: Does YA Need Romance?” My views on this question going into the panel did a 180 degree turn after concluding the event.When you think of the most prominent YA series in the past decade—Twilight, Divergent, The Hunger Games—one cannot imagine these stories without their romantic plot-points. Given that these books are directed at an age group where romance is a budding sensation, replacing the childhood “ew, cooties” view that most have prior to middle and high school, my belief going into this panel was, “if you write a YA novel without romance in it, good luck getting anyone to read it.”On the one hand, it’s been said that every story is, or has elements of, a love story. It’s almost unavoidable especially if you have both male and female characters of similar ages as protagonists. But as I sat on the author panel aside Delilah S. Dawson (author of the Blud series), Shaun Hutchinson (author of The Deathday Letter and The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley), and DragonCon moderators Lil Watson and Alexa Donne, the audience proved to not only have a different standing on the topic, but they guided me to a different outlook on YA romance.For one, while most YA books have a touch of the romantic, many stories have it as a background element while there is a greater conflict at the center of the plot. This is particularly true of “genre” novels (i.e. science fiction, paranormal, dystopian, etc.) where the protagonists have an action-driven plot as opposed to a “slice-of-life” story (teenagers in a realistic setting that deal more with exploring their emotions than saving the world). So while romance may be present, it doesn’t have to be what sets the story in motion or drives the plot.But are there popular YA novels where romance is absent entirely? Again, you may have to dig around in the “genre” category to find them, but novels such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Protectors of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, and The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott were all mentioned by the audience, all wildly popular books that don’t need romance to captivate young readers.Then the audience took the discussion into a completely other area entirely: the presence of homosexual, asexual, and pansexual relationships in YA. The question, ultimately, is why these orientations aren’t more widely represented in young adult fiction, as these orientations are increasingly becoming accepted by society. I hated to point out the marketing reasons most likely responsible for its under-representation—while there is a reading audience for it, as the people at my panel clearly proved, it is simply a smaller group than what publishers prefer to mass-market to demographically—but it did raise an interesting point and time will tell if there will be more sexual-orientation diversity in YA books in the future.Yes, young adult fiction can be popular, even award worthy, without romance. There is no need for authors to follow a formula to mimic what made other YA books hit the bestsellers list, but it still must speak to young readers and provide characters and obstacles with which they can identify. It will be up to readers as well as authors and publishers what trends persist and what bold new risks are taken with YA books, both in terms of romance and the treatment of character genders/sexual orientation overall.
January 8, 2015
The Gainesville Times Features the Scholar and the Sphinx!
There was a wonderful article today in the Gainesville Times about "The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Fang of Fenrir" and its upcoming book launch at Brenau University! Take a read:
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/201/article/107051/
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/201/article/107051/
January 2, 2015
Happy New Year! And Two Goodreads Giveaways Going On Now!
Happy 2015 Everyone! This should be an exciting year!
As a Happy New Year gift, you can go to Goodreads right now and enter to win a copy (or both, if you're lucky) of either Book One or Book Two of "The Scholar and the Sphinx" series! Now through the end of January.
Good luck! Click on the links below to enter the giveaways:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16100578-the-scholar-the-sphinx-and-the-shades-of-nyx
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23273499-the-scholar-the-sphinx-and-the-fang-of-fenrir
And also, thank you again for all your support of the series, and a big thank you to the couple of folks who have recently rated the books on Goodreads and Amazon. Have a wonderful and prosperous 2015!
As a Happy New Year gift, you can go to Goodreads right now and enter to win a copy (or both, if you're lucky) of either Book One or Book Two of "The Scholar and the Sphinx" series! Now through the end of January.
Good luck! Click on the links below to enter the giveaways:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16100578-the-scholar-the-sphinx-and-the-shades-of-nyx
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23273499-the-scholar-the-sphinx-and-the-fang-of-fenrir
And also, thank you again for all your support of the series, and a big thank you to the couple of folks who have recently rated the books on Goodreads and Amazon. Have a wonderful and prosperous 2015!
December 16, 2014
Happy B-Day (Book Release Day) to "Fang of Fenrir"!
Happy Release Day to the latest book in The Scholar and the Sphinx series, "The Fang of Fenrir"! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my writing. You are all wonderful.
You can order now from all major book retailers, including Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Scholar-Sphinx-Fang-Fenrir/dp/1910282073, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Mithras Books/Knox Robinson Publishing!
You can order now from all major book retailers, including Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Scholar-Sphinx-Fang-Fenrir/dp/1910282073, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Mithras Books/Knox Robinson Publishing!
December 15, 2014
"Fang of Fenrir" in Access North Georgia!
This weekend, Access North Georgia posted a press release for the upcoming release of "The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Fang of Fenrir." Thank you to David Morrison and the Brenau University OC&P for helping me clean up this release and distribute it.
I hope this will catch a few eyes and spread the word about the series. Again, thank you all who support "The Scholar and the Sphinx" and have a happy holidays season!
Click here to see the article: https://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=282927
I hope this will catch a few eyes and spread the word about the series. Again, thank you all who support "The Scholar and the Sphinx" and have a happy holidays season!
Click here to see the article: https://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=282927
December 3, 2014
Happy Holidays from the Scholar and the Sphinx!
First of all, I hope everyone is having a joyful holiday season. There's so much to do!We're getting excited about the upcoming release of "The Scholar and the Sphinx" Book Two!
You can pre-order "The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Fang of Fenrir" now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or through Mithras Books, the YA imprint of Knox Robinson Publishing, at www.mithrasbooks.com. While you're there, check out the other great YA books they have to offer!The book launch for "The Fang of Fenrir" will be at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia on January 22 at 6:30 p.m. You can come to the Walters House, 305 Boulevard, to get a copy of the book and also grab a few light refreshments.
I'm also planning some author events at various fantasy conventions, and I'll update here to show upcoming events soon. And I've just started a newsletter that you can subscribe to. Send me a quick e-mail at scholarandsphinx@gmail.com and I can add your e-mail and name to the mailing list.
Most importantly, have a very harmonious holiday full of love, family, friends, and happiness that will last through the new year!
November 19, 2014
Visit the Dragon Writers Collective!
At CONjuration this past October, I met a pair of very friendly indie authors, Tom Bielawski (author of "A Tide of Shadows") and L.R.W. Lee (author of the Andy Smithson fantasy series). We got to talking and Tom invited me to join their collective of fantasy authors, appropriately names The Dragon Writers Collective.
Please check out their site and all the cool stuff they do! They have a free fantasy anthology on Amazon so you can get a taste of the fantastical worlds they create.
http://www.dragonwriterscollective.com/
If you're a fantasy novel fanatic, this is the place to quench your thirst for excellent stories!
Please check out their site and all the cool stuff they do! They have a free fantasy anthology on Amazon so you can get a taste of the fantastical worlds they create.
http://www.dragonwriterscollective.com/
If you're a fantasy novel fanatic, this is the place to quench your thirst for excellent stories!
