Jen Cudmore's Blog, page 37

Converstations in a Paradise Lost

For me John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ is one of the greatest stories ever told. If you want to know why then feel free to see my old blog post on the subject (http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/paradise-lost-greatest-story-ever-told.html). Great stories ask questions, and Paradise Lost asks many questions, deep questions about the universe and our place in it. Classic stories try to answer those questions and that is what Milton did with Paradise Lost. However whenever I read it I can’t help but wonder about some of those.

In many ways we have a greater understanding of the universe than we did in Milton’s time, but he did incorporate the new learning of his time in the story. Of course the physical universe is only a small part of creation and his verse does a marvellous job of bringing the celestial realm to life, expressing the wonder of it in a way that we can understand.

Our greater understanding of the physical realm hasn’t progressed our understanding of the higher realms, except to maybe to try and eliminate it completely.  That may be the case, but what if there is something more, how might that fit with our modern theories? That was an interesting idea to investigate.

In Milton’s text the reason for existence is clear; through his writing he expresses his faith. For him God’s existence in itself is sufficient to explain the reason for existence. That still holds true for many people still. Faith and religion is something that has interested me for many years, but for this story I wanted to take it as given that God exists and is the creator of the universe.

With those assumptions a few key questions arise that Milton did answer, but to my mind the answer was a little lacking, or rather it lacked the detail I wanted. Now don’t get me wrong I haven’t written a story to rival Milton’s great work, that would require hubris of Lucifer’s magnitude! However I did want to look at these questions and see what answers I could construct into an interesting story.

Of these questions two really stand out for me, the first is why do we exist? The second, if God did create us, why does he ignore our plight? I wanted to come at this from a different angle from one of faith and see where that took me.

Writing ‘Conversations in the Abyss’ allowed me to explore these questions, and others as well. As a book it was great fun to write and I hope it is as much fun to read.

Conversations in the Abyss: The second book in ‘The Third Path’ trilogy.

Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.

But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.

There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse.

Buy now from:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BCP08JU/

Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115281270?ean=2940016700465&isbn=2940016700465

iTunes (US): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/id647298331

iTunes (UK): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/id647298331

About the Author:

Michael Brookes considers himself a fortunate man. By day he works as an Executive Producer making video games for a leading independent developer, and by night he writes fiction in the horror and science fiction genres.

He is also very active is supporting indie authors from all genres through interviews and guest posts on his blog. He also runs a monthly short fiction contest that is open for everyone.

Follow him on his blog: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/

You can also follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/TheCultofMe

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCultofMe

When You’re Naming Characters

When it comes to choosing names for your characters, the worst thing you can do is just pick something out of thin air. Assigning a name should add strength and validity to the novel. Baby books and genealogy websites can be good resources. Whatever your method, be sure to put plenty of thought into it.

First, consider their backstories.

Nicknames: Sometimes nicknames are more powerful than a character’s real name because they are more intimate. They also define a character. And yet there may be times when a long, formal name is more appropriate.


Ethnic and regional names: If you hear the name “Billy Bob” don’t you automatically assume the person is from the south? When I was working on my Lawmen novels, I had one character of Italian decent and one Native American, so I searched for a name that fit their heritage. Be careful to match the name with the heritage. A person from Scotland cannot have a German or Chinese name – unless it somehow adds conflict to the story.


Generational names: Remember that hundreds of years ago nobody was named Jessica or Brandon. Researching history can reveal many names to choose from. When I started my Viking novels, I wrote down every name that appeared in the research books I read. This provided a starting point for choosing names for my Viking characters. Whether you’re writing during the Roman Empire, the Crusades, or the Renaissance, you’ll need a name that sounds like it came form that time period. Knights, Pirates, and cowboys all need names that were popular back then.


Symbolic names: You must consider the feeling that a specific name conveys. A princess should have a name that sounds sweet and pretty. A Navy Seal will need a name that sounds strong and courageous. One of my favorite names of all time is Bill Myer’s character Wally McDoogle, a young boy who is always getting into mischief in the My Life As series. Doesn’t that name sound ridiculous? Just saying it makes you want to laugh, which is the goal of the stories.

Second, be sure all your characters have different names so it’s easy for the reader to identify them. As a general rule, start each name with a different letter. And stay away from rhyming names. These can make following the characters difficult for the reader.

Do you have any tips for naming characters?

Guest Post: Common Denominators: Thoughts on Fictional Realities

Common Denominators: Thoughts on Fictional Realities

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose - “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

If you’re a military history geek, you’ve probably heard the origin of the Gatling gun.

Designed by the American doctor Richard J. Gatling in 1861, he figured the multiplied firepower from a single weapon would reduce the demand for massive armies and large, set-piece battles, and ultimately show the world’s leaders the savagery and futility of war. Enter the American Civil War with 620,000 dead; more than the total American losses from every conflict from the War for Independence to Vietnam. Combined.

What about the theory of long-range, large-scale strategic bombing that was developed after the appalling carnage of World War One? Strike at vital war-making centers, shorten the conflict, save lives, right?

Unfortunately the theory didn’t quite play out as expected a quarter century later, as the residents of London, Tokyo, Berlin, and other cities can attest. Take as an example the city of Dresden, Germany, on which Allied bombers dropped almost 4,000 tons of explosives over the course of two days, demolishing 15 square miles of the city and an estimated 25,000 German civilians.

Remember when television and the internet were touted as world-changing educational tools that would raise the collective intellect of Mankind?

It’s the thought that counts. I guess.

The staple of Science Fiction is the notion that Society and Humanity will advance with Science and Technology. All Mankind needs is FTL or nano-tech or faster broadband, and eventually, inevitably, we’ll be lifted beyond the meat, the mud, the divisions into a new, enlightened phase of human existence in which we can boldly go where no man has gone before.

Nice idea. Only trouble is history says otherwise, with repeated tragic eloquence.

Let me be clear here: I’m not a scientist or sociologist.  I’m just an indie author offering thoughts on constructing realistic science fiction settings, so sprinkle your grains of salt liberally as you read. Your mileage may vary.

1.  “No matter where you go, there you are.” – Buckaroo Banzai

Whenever I approach a sci fi story as a writer, my foundational premise is this: Technology won’t carry Humanity beyond itself; it merely creates new avenues of expression for what we already are. So will nano-tech processors that can build anything imaginable given enough raw material eliminate economic disparity? Probably not. Sure they’d be revolutionary and incredibly beneficial. Absolutely true. But the first agenda of the powerful is to maintain power, so if you think people won’t construct value systems and some form of currency that enables them to accumulate influence, affluence, and social distinctions, you’re fantasizing.

Occupy Proxima Centauri! Good Luck with that. Rather than envisioning a Worker’s Paradise In Space, I think the real challenge for the Spec-Fiction writer is to hypothesize regarding that future economy’s mechanisms and how they impact society and individuals. Who will be the new Power Brokers, Refugees, Luddites? What drives them? What scares them?

If History is any indicator, Humanity is hard-wired against Socialist Utopia. People have equal value but not equal abilities. Cybernetics, bio-tech, gene-therapy will certainly be employed to off-set disease and disabilities, but they will also be leveraged to increase those distinctions. Someone will always strive to be stronger, faster, smarter, ahead of the curve. The issue isn’t  the Body, it’s the Heart. Technology is simply a new appendage.

2.  “It’s a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.” - Ulysses Everett McGill

In my opinion, the second important premise of good science fiction is that it isn’t about fictional science. Fact is, I loathe books that read like a doctoral thesis. Ark ship to Gliese 581c? I’m not interested in a physics-contorting treatise on practical FTL travel. I want to see people dealing with relative aging, extended space travel, leaving Earth and all known references behind for an alien planet, not read page after page detailing viable cryogenic hibernation or sustainable eco-systems in deep space, low-grav arcologies – except to the extent they apply to the characters in your story. Scientific theory may titillate the more cerebral reader, but people read fiction for more visceral reasons.

Good fiction that strikes that primal chord is about people’s struggles, their failures and triumphs. Good science fiction (IMO) is about people wrestling with the new iterations of those issues in the face of advancing technology and discovery. Any prescience in speculative fiction is the result of asking the right questions and discerning what impulses really move us as human beings.

William Faulkner, in his 1950 Nobel Laureate speech, said writers had “forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.” He ended with “The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.”

I agree wholeheartedly, and confess that’s my ultimate target every time I write. I think one of the most mysterious yet infuriatingly recognizable feature of any century, any locale, any culture will always be the human heart.

3.  “The future has already arrived. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”  ― William Gibson

A while back, I saw author Cory Doctorow on a Google interview and he said all futurists really did was throw shovelfuls of the present at the big gaping unknown around the next bend. Guilty as charged, yer Honor. The third thing I do is shove current trends off the edge. I extrapolate. So whether it’s another model of the M-series assault rifle, the dramatic rise of private military contractors, the exponential increase in robotics and remote-control drones in every field, or the latest U.N. numbers on the amount of people who don’t even have clean drinking water, (estimated 1 billion as of this writing, or one out of every seven people on the planet.) expanding common denominators makes the background familiar yet foreign.

I find this facet the most fascinating to research. I end up with pages of notes, video references, hyperlinks, and a fairly long reading list. Sometimes explained, mostly hinted at, all of it goes into the backdrop that forms and frames the characters.

4. ” My stories run up and bite me on the leg – I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.”  – Ray Bradbury

As I close, of course you’re free to disagree and find exceptions. You read what resonates with you, and you have to write what moves you. I keep coming back to the notion authors are  called to tell stories that fire the imagination, not deliver lectures that notify the intellect. Those are lectures, sermons. Fiction certainly can and does inform, but it’s a horse of a different color.  As far as constructing realistic fictional settings, I believe they are rendered most convincingly not when they’re holding up not a “window into the unknown”, but a mirror angled further down the road. Whether we take comfort or warning depends on what we see, but we must remember part of the image is a reflection of right now.

Should Humanity expand into our solar system and beyond, the simple fact is we’ll bring ourselves with us. Our elemental struggles will continue in different skin, under different stars. If justice, compassion, peace and genuine civilization prevail, it won’t be due to robots and networks but because we carried them with us, then struggled mightily to establish them.

 

Patrick Todoroff lives on Cape Cod running a custom stained glass studio when he isn’t writing or playing with his grand kids. His books are available at Amazon.        Eshu International Book One: Running Black

Greek Mythology in a Western Novel?

A couple people have asked me how a bit of Greek mythology ended up in my first novel, Athena Creek. There was nothing magical, no major inspiration or epiphany. I was simply trying to think outside the box.

One of the things writing professionals tell you is to stay away from cliches, do something different. So when I set out to name the towns in Clayton County, I tried to think of something unusual, a name that didn’t fit the typical tough cowboy feel.

I started with the character who named the town. Charles McCrae is the suspected villain in the story. He’s a city boy who has a passion for the arts. I decided to give him a fascination for Greek mythology before sending him on a journey across the Oregon Trail.

Because of his personality, I wanted to go with a feminine name and yet something powerful. At first I thought of Aphrodite, but that was a bit too much of a mouthful. So I went with Athena instead, goddess of war. To make it fit better, I chose “Athena Creek”. And that’s all there was to it!

What does MEGA-DARK mean?

What is the MEGA DARK Blog Tour all about?

Fellow author Mark Carver started this group on Goodreads because he was “tired of trite Gothic-lite stories with emotional demons, lovelorn vampires, and simplistic teenage heroes whose destinies are already laid out to the end.” He wants to read stories that are “sinister, philosophical, violent, and with characters that weren’t easy to love or root for.”

Not all the authors in the MEGA-DARK group are Christian, but the ones who are have one goal in mind. They are all tired of the same “insipid” and “saccharine mediocrity” in modern Christian novels, as author Patrick Todoroff explained in his post this week.

While I’m not necessarily in to dark content, I do think there is a place for this. Many readers would never pick up a novel labeled “Christian”. I like how Mark explains it in his recent post: “It can sometimes be difficult to appreciate the light unless it is contrasted with the darkness, and that is my mission.”

He states his books are “extremely dark, violent, and even disturbing, as I present a world that bows before Satan himself. My primary purpose in writing these books is to entertain, but I also wanted to reveal just how depraved and abysmal the human heart can be when it snuffs out the light of God.”

Which is why I believe Ted Dekker is a national best-selling author. While his books are too gruesome for my personal tastes, he’s attracting readers like crazy. Why? Because many people are interested in this this type of edgy content.

Perhaps dark and sinister stories aren’t your thing. But if they are, or you know someone who finds it interesting, follow the MEGA-DARK Blog Tour during the month of August!

http://markcarverbooks.blogspot.com

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.jesshanna.com/category/blog/

http://www.smwhitefiction.com

http://www.jencudmore.com

http://pattodoroff.com/

Guest Post: Gothic Cathedrals and the Art of Melodrama

As the seeds for The Age of Apollyon were taking root in my imagination, I read Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In addition to being a fantastic story, that book opened my eyes to the breathtaking marvels of Gothic architecture. I’d always been a casual fan of cathedrals (who isn’t?) but after finishing Hugo’s masterpiece, I was determined to incorporate the Gothic church and all of its accompanying melodramatics into my own writing.

The Age of Apollyon doesn’t aim for the same heights as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I never intended to write a massive, sweeping epic to ring throughout the ages – I just wanted to create a rip-roaring horror/action novel with all of the creepy, gothic-y goodness I could muster. So I chartered the Good Ship Google and set out on a virtual journey through dozens of cathedrals and churches, searching for the proper settings for my scenes. It was quite an endeavor, because I had to find several churches that fit descriptions I had already written. But with the power of Google Images and Wikipedia at my fingertips, I was able to find everything I was looking for.

A total of seven churches are featured in The Age of Apollyon. Not all of them fall under the umbrella of Gothic architecture, but they all contain rich history and dramatic atmosphere. Three of them, St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and the Milan Cathedral, are quite famous, while the others are less well-known. And, I must confess, not all of them emerge from the book unscathed. Yet each church plays an important role in the story, and though I’ve never visited them personally, I strove to capture what I imagined their unique personalities to be like. It was a tiring ordeal that devoured countless hours, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had doing research. Sometimes just staring (and drooling) over photos of these architectural masterworks was enough to inspire entire passages of writing.

My love affair with historic churches continues in books #2 and #3 of The Age of Apollyon Trilogy, entitled Black Sun (available now) and Scorn (coming this Halloween). These books aren’t only about churches and cathedrals of course, but for my money, it doesn’t get any better than a ferocious gun battle in a soaring candlelit sanctuary.

Or maybe I’ve just watched too many movies.

Mark Carver lives in China where he teaches English and writing at a university.

Mark is also on Facebook and Goodreads. Please visit his homepage: http://markcarverbooks.blogspot.com

 

Review by Nate: Spirit Fighter

Title & Author: Spirit Fighter by Jerel Law

Short Summary: 7th grader Johan Stone is happy with his life until his mom is captured by demons. The secret it out, his mom is a nephilim: half human, half fallen angel. This makes Jonah and his siblings part angel. With their new found powers, Jonah and his sister must save their mom, and the earth as well.

What I liked about the story: I liked the fact that this is the only story not directly from the Bible that I’ve read about face to face human-angel interaction.

What I liked about the writing: I liked the descriptions of the hidden realm and of the angels and demons. I felt like I could draw one based on the wording in the book.

Review by Nate, age 13

Book summary from Goodreads: Your mom always said you were an angel. What if she was right? Jonah Stone has always thought of himself as average, but in seventh grade he learns a fascinating family secret, and his world turns upside down. Jonah’s mom is a nephilim, the daughter of a human and a fallen angel, which makes Jonah one-quarter angel. When his mom is kidnapped by fallen angels, it’s up to Jonah and his sister Eliza to rescue her. Guided by prayer and a guardian angel, Jonah and Eliza embark on an epic adventure through the streets of New York and come to understand that God plans in ways they never could have imagined. Spirit Fighter, Book 1 in the Son of Angels: Jonah Stone series, is an imaginative adventure that is based on scripture in the book of Genesis.

 

Review by Miki: Chopsticks

Title & Author: Chopsticks by Sandra Byrd

Short summary: This story is a christian novel. Paige is always ignored because of her siblings. Jaine, the oldest, is super smart. Justin, her brother, is a strong athlete. Kate is Paige’s only musical friend and they enter the same contest by accident. They both have a good cause for the $400 prize. Kate wants to give presents to the poor. Paige wants to help homeless pets get a home.

What I liked about the story: I like that it trades views from Paige to Kate. When they switch chapters, they use the last words stated with the other girl. I like how things end up in the end of the book.

What I liked about the writing: I like how the text was in easy-to-read font and how the story was easy to understand. Sandra is a good writer for 9-12 year olds.

Review by Miki, age 10

Summary from Goodreads: Two girls each have friends, family, and crushes pushing for them to win. But they can’t both win – someone must lose and disappoint those who love them.

Paige Winsome has always been in the shadow of her athletic brother and academic sister and, as a result, is too often overlooked by her family.

Kate Kennedy, a pastor’s daughter and only child, received plenty of praise and attention for her voice, but her family struggles to make ends meet and must constantly accept others’ charity – and put downs.

No sooner do Paige and Kate meet and become fast friends than they discover they’re both entering the same singer-songwriter competition and competing for the same $400 prize. Each girl sees this contest as an answer to her problem – for Paige to finally get the recognition she’s been waiting, and for Kate, to help others financially without having to ask for handouts. Can this new friendship survive the stress of competition? After all, only one can win …

Coming Soon: MEGA-DARK Blog Tour

For the month of August I’ll be participating with 5 other authors in a Blog Tour. They all write speculative fiction, so I’ll be a bit different, but we have one thing in common: we all like stories with dark elements.

Yes, I know, a western romance doesn’t necessarily fit with science fiction or fantasy. But I enjoy a good thriller at times, as long as it’s not very gory. I also love stories like  Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

I know some of you are in agreement with me. And others are wondering just how much “darkness” a Christian should delve into.  I’ll give you my take on this controversial issue over the next few weeks!

So join me next month as I host a blog by each of the following authors:

Michael Brookes
Patrick Todoroff
Mark Carver
SM White
Jess Hanna

 

Athena Creek in Paperback!

Both volumes of The Lawmen of Clayton County: Athena Creek will be off to the printer this week! I know some of you have been waiting for the hard copy. They should be available on Amazon soon. I’m hoping to have a box of them in my hands by the end of the month that I can sign!

Here’s another little snippit from the novel.

____________________________________________________

Snatching his hat from the peg on the wall, Trace stepped out onto the porch. “Good morning, ma’am. Can I help you with something?”

“Sure can.” She didn’t bother to look up as she flipped the reins over the post. “I’m here to git the boys you locked up last night.”

Orabella Madison. She’d come all the way into town to claim the prisoners rather than send another ranch hand. Folks in town often talked of her stubbornness and strong-iron will. Her husband was killed in an accident when she was only forty-two, leaving the ranch in her ever-capable hands for the past four years. With the help of her son and the foreman, she successfully managed the land, the animals, and the cowhands.

Careful to keep the surprise from his face, Trace smiled. “I’ll go wake them.”

She met his gaze with piercing eyes, her expression unreadable.

Trace removed his hat. “Good to finally meet you, Mrs. Madison.”

“Don’t bother with pleasantries.” One arm draped over the side of the wagon, she stared him full in the face. “I’m not interested in a formal introduction.”

“Nothing formal about me, ma’am.”

Mrs. Madison’s eyes narrowed. “Save your manners for someone else. I can’t be fooled like the rest of this idol-worshiping town. Your fancy title don’t mean anything to me, Marshal. You’re nothin’ more than a hired gun so McCrae can keep this town under his control. So you take that silver badge and the thirty coins lining your pockets back inside that jailhouse.”