Genese Davis's Blog, page 16
April 24, 2013
Sarkmarr
Sarkmarr is an elite group of video game players in the online game called Edannair. Edannair is a massively multi-player online role playing game found in the novel, The Holder’s Dominion. Sarkmarr players rank among the highest competitive MMORPG players in Edannair’s challenges. Real players from all around the world inspired the development of Sarkmarr, and The Holder’s Dominion demonstrates real scenarios that unfolded between guild and linkshell members.
Sarkmarr Lynx Symbol
Final Fantasy XI is my favorite video game because of how much it changed my life and my perspective on video games. It was the first online video game I ever played and it showed me how interactive and social gaming can be. In Final Fantasy XI there is a translator function where the player can tab through phrases in different languages and select the appropriate questions/responses. So, even though you’re playing from one country, you can still meet and forge friendships with players from all over the world. This aspect of the game absolutely inspired ideas for how Edannair and groups like Sarkmarr could come alive, and was the driving force behind my goal to illuminate the team-effort and collaborative communication that MMOs produce.
Beyond the MMOs that inspired Holder’s, the novel’s virtual world of Edannair bears some differences to the typical high fantasy settings that seem especially prevalent in many of today’s MMOs, books, and movies. Instead, Edannair has unusual races like the catlike Zanas and the tiny, mousy Elowfons, as well as futuristic AI features, and new twists on raiding and PvP. I love the current online games and fantasy novels out there, but I did want to extrapolate from what MMOs currently offer, and show what I hope we can look forward to in next-gen MMOs. It was really exciting creating an online game that incorporated new races, classes, and unique PVP and PVE elements. Even though some of the technology I added to Edannair hasn’t been fully developed yet, I think we’re on the cusp of inventing this kind of AI and interactive elements into next-gen MMORPGs.
To find out more about Sarkmarr and The Holder’s Dominion visit: www.Sarkmarr.com and www.TheHoldersDominion.com
About the novel:
After her father’s death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a 
relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott’s unfamiliar world.
Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder’s tests.
Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?
About the author:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
April 18, 2013
Edannair
Edannair is the fictional MMORPG found in the novel, The Holder’s Dominion. I’ve been asked quite a few times which scene or characters in The Holder’s Dominion were the most difficult for me to write and why. And I’d have to say developing the online game world for Edannair was super challenging. Some nights I’d wonder, “How am I ever going to create an online world on my own for this novel? This is a job for teams of people!” There are thousands upon thousands of details that go into designing games, so writing and creating an online game that doesn’t yet exist was intimidating. There were many late nights of “blue sky sessions” plus research and development, but it was a blast creating new elements to show how the gaming experience enlightens people’s lives.
So why invent a fantasy MMO to base The Holder’s Dominion around rather than, say, write a straight fantasy novel set in Edannair? Although writing a fantasy novel set in Edannair is a really cool idea, what inspired me to create this MMO goes back to the goals for this story—connecting people together. Even if a reader has never touched an MMO, he or she can read The Holder’s Dominion and experience a glimpse of what an MMO offers, what it’s like to collaborate with others on such a world-wide scale, and ultimately see a new perspective to why gamers game. A speculative thriller like Holder’s is an approachable form of entertainment for communities unfamiliar with fantasy novels, and fantasy worlds in video games.
As I imagined the MMO world for Edannair, I tried to focus on a few main changes. What things could enhance MMOs even more? What game mechanics would I invent? The three areas I decided to focus on were more fan inclusion for PvP, a different approach to exploration, and a new raiding twist.
Below is a zone in Edannair brought to life by the incredibly talented Senior Matte Painter, Fabio Barretta Zungrone. His talent in the video game industry continues to bring the most impeccable matte paintings in some of our most beloved games.
The Holder’s Dominion team created absolutely breathtaking websites to extend the experience of the novel beyond the last page. Visionaries like , Candace Jordan, and extended Holder’s through book trailers, character videos, websites, and social media. Tune in tomorrow to find out more!
Visit Edannair’s official webpage: www.Edannair.com
Synopsis, The Holder’s Dominion:
After her father’s death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott’s unfamiliar world.
Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder’s tests.
Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?
About the Author:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
April 16, 2013
Bring Your Book to Life Through Film
I’m excited to share with you some overlooked secrets when it comes to enriching the experience of your novel. (These tips can be applied to other projects, too, such as short stories and stage-plays!) Specifically, let’s take a look at how film brought The Holder’s Dominion to life in amazing new ways!
First let’s get our bearings with what this speculative thriller is all about:
Synopsis, The Holder’s Dominion:
After her father’s death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott’s unfamiliar world.
Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder’s tests.
Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?
Now, let’s take a look at how directors and brought the book to life through this award-winning, live-action book trailer!
When planning out your book trailer, it is especially important to pick out key elements that can incite the backbone of your story in only a few words. Bringing your book to life through film doesn’t have to end with your book trailer. You can also bring to life scenes in your book through character videos. For example, in The Holder’s Dominion, there are scenes where characters are actually watching videos about the mysterious Holder. Bringing those moments to life can extend your book’s experience beyond the pages. Check out these videos that show what Kaylie Ames (the protagonist in The Holder’s Dominion) and her gang would have watched while researching Sarkmarr and Edannair. You may find yourself asking the same questions they did!
Watch more videos by visiting the Genese Davis YouTube channel here!
You can live the experience of novels even after you’ve finished reading the last page. The experience can be extended through book trailers, character videos, websites, and social media. Speaking of websites… Tune in tomorrow and find out how The Holder’s Dominion team created absolutely breathtaking websites to extend the experience of the novel even more! Also, join me at the Las Vegas Valley Book Festival November 2nd where I’ll be co-leading a panel about how to shoot a live-action book trailer. For more details, follow my “News and Appearances” section at GeneseDavis.com and my Facebook author page. 
Join the conversation and share your thoughts about what you’d create to extend novel’s worlds!
Connect: The Holder’s Dominion is on Facebook!
April 9, 2013
Genese Davis Hosts Pixel Vision by Pixel Legends
Pixel Legends presents their newest web series: Pixel Vision—with me as the host!
The début episode—The Gamer In You—discussed the importance of understanding what “Gamer” really means and why we need to redefine this term. Watch episode 1 here.
Now, episode 2—Interactive Storytelling—is live! Join the discussion about how video games differ from every other form of entertainment. It is only in video games that audiences are allowed to… Wait! You know what? I’m too excited! Watch the video and you will be finishing my sentence!
More about Pixel Legends:
In 2011, Matt Atkinson founded Pixel Legends to bring gaming audiences exclusive coverage for conventions such as E3 and Comic-Con. Later that year, Andrew DeZarn and Ethan Hawkes joined Matt to introduce a creative outlet for entertaining, critical writings about video games, and gaming archetypes. Now the crew extends their unique look into the world of video games with Genese Davis as their Pixel Vision host.
Pixel Legends review console and PC games, with an emphasis on strategy games, platformers and western RPGs. Being all writers themselves, the PL crew love a good story and look for video games where the writing is stellar, even if the gameplay falls below par. The PL crew also spends a lot of time trying out indie games and loves supporting independent developers!
More about Genese Davis:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
April 8, 2013
Professional Gamer Reviews The Holder’s Dominion
Professional gamers are profoundly talented and tenacious. It is such a delight to present the review of the new gamer fiction, The Holder’s Dominion, by world-renowned #1 US ranked professional gamer, Timothy Mitchell.
“The Holder’s Dominion was a very good read, and really makes one look forward to the further development and potential of the author. In particular, her ability to start a story and launch the reader into a fast moving plot is really exceptional. The intensity and intricacies in the dynamics of a family struggling to cope with loss, and the echoes and reverberation of loss were expressed very well. I personally found The Holder’s Dominion to be very eye opening. It revealed a way of experiencing a unique set of circumstances such that they became constituent parts of an alchemical sort of formulation that blended loss, hope, rebirth, fantasy, frustration and wanting to take positive action and make things right, combined with the humility to admit one does not always see everything around them perfectly the first time. It’s wonderful food for thought for a run afterwards, or a long walk.”
—Timothy Mitchell, professional gamer
Read more about Timothy Mitchell’s views on raiding and MMORPGs here. Congratulations Timothy on all your US and world rankings!
April 6, 2013
1337LoungeLive Interviews Genese Davis
An absolutely awesome way to televise gaming and gamer lit culture, 1337LoungeLive has captured something special that gamers from around the world want to enjoy—the electric atmosphere of arcades. Built inside Jace Hall’s studios at HDFilms, 1337LoungeLive captures the spirit and excitement of the arcade with nightly broadcasts highlighting new and classic gaming topics!
Right from home you can check out gaming news, special video game industry guests, and classic arcade style competition at 1337LoungeLive!
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As The Holder’s Dominion debuted, 1337LoungeLive captured the exact potential this new gamer lit novel brings audiences worldwide:
Join hosts and every weeknight at 1337LoungeLive.com!
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About The Holder’s Dominion:
Transforming the representation of the video game industry worldwide, The Holder’s Dominion is the only new gamer fiction of its kind. Following a newcomer to the world of online role-playing games, this book sidesteps stereotypes and reveals a tight-knit community facing a very real threat.
Davis brings her own online experiences and insider knowledge to a story that engages dedicated players and non-gamers alike in Kaylie’s quest to protect the ones she loves from a power-hungry manipulator. Along the way she realizes that the problems she hoped to forget are right there in her escapist fantasy—but so are the solutions. This fast-paced story aims to bridge the gap between families and friends of gamers who wonder about the allure behind their loved ones’ fascination with video games.
About Genese Davis:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
April 5, 2013
Authors Popping Above the Noise!
Marla Miller has been in the publishing industry for over a decade. In addition to journalism, authorship (co-author with Alicia Marie–The Booty Bible), co-directing and teaching at writers conferences, Marla also founded Marketing the Muse—a query letter critique workshop.
Recently Marla debuted a brand new section in her newsletter: “Authors Popping Above the Noise.” She used The Holder’s Dominion as the first feature saying: “…[Davis] attended my MarkingtheMuse workshop at the 2012 Southern California Writers Conference and read the first few pages of her work in progress. ‘The Holder’s Dominion is a thriller that spotlights gaming….’ When she read the opening, we knew we were hearing a ‘fresh’ story. We wanted more. Why? Not just because it was ‘fresh’ but because it was written so well. Good story telling of a ‘fresh’ topic? Those two ingredients combined spell success. With Genese’s permission, I am using her ‘press kit’ information to show you how she is popping above the noise. It all begins by writing compelling prose.
Genese’s post about the Y/A vs adult fiction dilemma attracted Publisher’s Weekly. Publishers Weekly | Genese Davis | Overcoming the YA Obsession: A debut author sticks to her new adult guns
BOOK TRAILER:
Genese kept it short -my recommendation-& made sure it telegraphed the novel’s drama.
The Holder’s Dominion | Live-Action Teaser Trailer
ENDORSEMENTS:
Why is networking so important? Here’s why.
“The Holder’s Dominion is a heartfelt, fast-paced thrill ride that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.”—Micky Neilson, New York Times-bestselling author
“Genese Davis is astonishingly deft at creating believable characters with a few sentences. You fall at once into Kaylie’s world, thinking you’re in for one story, and Davis sneakily takes you on another ride altogether. It will keep you turning the pages.” —Christie Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Ascension and World of Warcraft: Arthas—Rise of the Lich King
“The Holder’s Dominion is a must-read for gamers. . . . My secret hope is that her strong heroine’s experiences in such a rich video game world inspires more women to enter the game industry and make a game that can be this immersive and life-changing.”—Billy Cain, vice-chairman, International Game Developers Association – Austin
“Davis creates both an everyday world and a world of adventure, then she laces them together and pulls tightly. If anyone implemented Edannair, I’d certainly want to play it!”—Richard A. Bartle, PhD, Professor of Game Design, University of Essex
“A complex and inventive tale, The Holder’s Dominion reveals the world of online gaming through revolutionary characters. Gaming has never looked more intriguing . . . or inviting.”—Kristian Nairn, actor
“Genese Davis is an author to watch.”—James Waugh, senior developer and entertainment executive
“An imaginative outing. Davis gives a post-modern take on a classic fantasy journey as a young woman steps away from a broken family and faces a larger world.”—Alan Kistler, author and host of Crazy Sexy Geeks Podcast
“The Holder’s Dominion was a very good read. . . . The intensity and intricacies in the dynamics of a family struggling to cope with loss were expressed very well. . . . very eye opening.”—Timothy Mitchell, highly ranked World of Warcraft player
“A captivating adventure, a struggle through personal pain paralleled by the challenge to take on a mysterious leader, entirely real and curiously mystical . . . human emotions and relatable characters enhanced by a vivid fantasy realm.”—Jacob Horning, musician and video game expert
“With its climatic chapters, I can’t remember the last time a book kept me in such suspense like The Holder’s Dominion.”—Sarah Cypher, CEO, The Threepenny Editor“
About The Holder’s Dominion:
After her father’s death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott’s unfamiliar world.
Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder’s tests.
Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?
About Genese Davis:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Thank you Marla Miller for featuring The Holder’s Dominion as a book popping above the noise!
April 4, 2013
Alan Kistler Endorses The Holder’s Dominion
Alan Kistler started reading comics as a young child and immediately began his passion for how they influence pop culture, and affect the trends in society and politics. Now as an entertainment journalist, host, and a historian on comic books, Kistler has invented new ways to bring us closer to the subjects we love. For example, his column Agents of S.T.Y.L.E., discuss the evolution and history of superhero fashion and design. He’s also the host of the popular podcast Crazy Sexy Geeks where episodes feature discussions on the latest entertainment news.
Joining iconic industry veterans like Christie Golden, Dr. Richard Bartle, and Micky Neilson, Alan Kistler endorses what many sources are calling a “breakthrough novel.” Publishers Weekly praised The Holder’s Dominion revering its “new adult” classification. How exciting to present Alan Kistler’s review for the new gamer fiction, The Holder’s Dominion:
“An imaginative outing. Davis gives a post-modern take on a classic fantasy journey as a young woman steps away from a broken family and faces a larger world.”
—Alan Kistler, author and host of Crazy Sexy Geeks Podcast
Alan Kistler and Genese Davis at WonderCon 2013
To find out more about Alan Kistler visit his website: AlanKistler.com
About The Holder’s Dominion:
After her father’s death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott’s unfamiliar world.
Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder’s tests.
Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?
About Genese Davis:
Author, host, and columnist Genese Davis is a thought-leader in video game culture and its social development. Through her passion for the art community, Davis demonstrates how team-based video games like MMORPGs affect our lives and the new place video games have in fiction and other forms of media. Davis lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion, animal rescue. To learn more, connect here: Website | Facebook | Twitter
April 3, 2013
Genese Davis attends WonderCon 2013
The 2013 WonderCon wrapped its final day on Sunday, March 31st, and what an amazing weekend! As a celebration of art and a tribute to the arduous journey that made that artwork possible, WonderCon has blossomed into an international convention to share the creative ingenuity of every art medium. And now every year exhibitors and attendees from around the world come together to celebrate comics, movies, books, anime, video games, cos-players and much much more! Huge shout out to all the incredible people who attended and worked the event—so thrilled we got to chat and connect!
Today we have a special WonderCon recap. Make sure to share the following links with all your circles:
Pixel Legends interviews Genese Davis at WonderCon 2013:
Genese Davis, author of The Holder’s Dominion at WonderCon!
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About The Holder’s Dominion:
Transforming the representation of the video game industry worldwide, The Holder’s Dominion is the only new gamer fiction of its kind. Following a newcomer to the world of online role-playing games, this book sidesteps stereotypes and reveals a tight-knit community facing a very real threat.
Click to view slideshow.
Share videos and pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Flickr
Snag a look at Genese’s book tour; see you at the next event!
March 28, 2013
James Waugh Endorses Author Genese Davis
It is my pleasure to present the extremely talented writer, James Waugh:
James began his inspiring career analyzing stories for the world renowned Scott Free Productions which led him to become an executive for Suntaur Entertainment. In addition to writing for film, books, TV, comic series and new media, Waugh is also the Senior Story Developer and Lead Writer for the renowned video game company, Blizzard Entertainment, who’s credits include a myriad of award-winning titles in Starcraft and Warcraft. Alongside Waugh’s legendary colleague, Micky Neilson, this dynamic writing duo have produced titles such as World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen and Diablo III: Heroes Rise, Darkness Falls.
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What an honor it is to announce that James Waugh endorsed author Genese Davis and her writing for the newly released novel, The Holder’s Dominion:
About The Holder’s Dominion:
Transforming the representation of the video game industry worldwide, The Holder’s Dominion is the only new gamer fiction of its kind. Following a newcomer to the world of online role-playing games, this book sidesteps stereotypes and reveals a tight-knit community facing a very real threat.
Davis brings her own online experiences and insider knowledge to a story that engages dedicated players and non-gamers alike in Kaylie’s quest to protect the ones she loves from a power-hungry manipulator. Along the way she realizes that the problems she hoped to forget are right there in her escapist fantasy—but so are the solutions. This fast-paced story aims to bridge the gap between families and friends of gamers who wonder about the allure behind their loved ones’ fascination with video games.
About the Author:
Genese Davis graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English. She is the author of The Holder’s Dominion, a new adult gaming novel heralded as a breakthrough story by Publishers Weekly. Davis is also the owner of The Gamer In You, an online movement offering new meaning to the word ‘gamer.’ As a thought leader in video game culture and its social development, Davis aims to bridge the gap between families and friends of gamers who wonder about the allure behind their loved ones’ fascination with video games. She lives in Irvine, California, where she advocates for her other passion: animal rescue.
Thank You, James! The entire team at Genese Davis Books is thrilled to have your excitement and enthusiasm for The Holder’s Dominion. You are a truly inspiring and prolific writer who continually brings the world so many wonderful stories! Your enticing worlds and characters continue to capture and inspire us.
