I deal with religion, magic, faith, or some sort of spiritual belief system in most of my books and quite a few of my short stories. If not the main thread, these form at least a subtle part of the world in which my characters operate.
These are not simple things to write about and there are a number of pitfalls inherent in dealing with matters of faith in a fictional context, whether you’re writing about existing religions (your own or someone else’s) or making one up for a future or otherworldly culture.
(Source: addtoany.com)
Book View Press presents: Guardian of the Freedom
Guardian of the Freedom (historical fantasy)
Merlin’s Descendants #5
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/guardian-of-the-freedom/
Irene Radford
May 15, 2012 $4.99 ISBN: 978-1-61138-171-9
1763: all of Europe is at war with each other and the Turks are storming toward Vienna. The magical protection of Britain requires that Georgina Kirkwood, a potential Merlin, leave the secret Pendragon Society and disguise herself as man to fight for England.
Wounded and no longer able to carry a sword, Georgina is recruited by the King as a spy in the American Colonies. Transplanted to a land and people vibrant with life and ideas, she begins to question her loyalties. Only her love for Major Roderick Wythe gives her the grounding and stability to work with Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams and many other notable leaders to discover what being the Merlin truly means and to determine who she is protecting from whom.
Irene Radford has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. A member of an endangered species, a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon, she and her husband make their home in Welches, Oregon where deer, bears, coyotes, hawks, owls, and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck.
A museum trained historian, Irene has spent many hours prowling pioneer cemeteries deepening her connections to the past. Raised in a military family she grew up all over the US and learned early on that books are friends that don’t get left behind with a move. Her interests and reading range from ancient history, to spiritual meditations, to space stations, and a whole lot in between.
Good action, like good dialogue, moves. It’s not easy to write, in part because the writer is dealing with time. The time it takes for the reader to read the words, make sense of them, and visualize what they’re saying. Given that action prose has to go through these stages, the writer needs to move the action along as quickly and concisely as possible.
Read more at Book View Cafe.
(Source: addtoany.com)
My annual stint in an online writers’ conference (the Catholic Writer’s Conference, of which I’ve been a non-Catholoic guest for the past several years) has me doing a chat workshop on writing dialogue and action. And, as often happens, this has resulted in a blog. So, without further ado please observe this Duel of Words…
(Source: addtoany.com)
New, from Book View Press!
Check out this book by a friend of mine from Book View Press
Publication Date: April 10, 2011
Outcasts: Three Stories
Vonda N. McIntyre
“Screwtop,” “Steelcollar Worker,” “The Genius Freaks.”
Kylis believes she can protect herself, but when the commander of the prison Screwtop threatens her lovers, she understands her own vulnerability. Jannine loves the accomplishment she feels in her Virtual Reality job… yet she fears doing it too well, and attracting the attention of her superiors. Lais, the freak, flees from comfort and rewards, knowing too much about herself.
Cover photo by Carolyn McIntyre
Cover design by Amy Sterling Casil
ISBN: 978-1-61138-164-1
BOOK VIEW CAFE BLOG
Perhaps the first thing we’re taught as fiction writers is that passive voice is the literary equivalent of a clogged artery. “Use active voice,” we’re told.
What exactly does that mean?
More at the end of this link!
(Source: addtoany.com)
Big Squee: Shadow Games Locus Bestseller!
So, my husband pushes his iPad under my nose and says, “Look at this!”
“This” was the Locus Magazine Website, where it is reported that STAR WARS: SHADOW GAMES (co-authored by yours truly and the amazing Michael Reaves) was the #1 bestselling media tie-in book for March 2012.
Thank you, STAR WARS fans! We love you!
Book View Cafe Release! Beyond Grimm: Tales Newly Twisted
Beyond Grimm: Tales Newly Twisted (Fairy Tales)
Deborah J. Ross and Phyllis Irene Radford, editors
March 13, 2012 $4.99 ISBN: 978-1-61138-155-9
Not your grandmother’s fairy tales…
From the far-ranging imaginations of Book View Café authors comes this delirious collection of classic tales newly twisted into dark, dangerous, and occasionally hilarious re-tellings. From the golden isles of Greece to the frozen north, from fairytale castles to urban slums, join us on an unforgettable journey!
Vonda N. McIntyre, Laura Anne Gilman, Sherwood Smith, Judith Tarr, and yours truly!
Read my stories: Ricky Cowlicky and The Tinderbox. Modern day retellings of two of my favorite childhood fairy tales. I’m reading the anthology now, myself! :) There are some really great, really scary, really thought-provoking stories in this volume. If you like fairy tales, you should read it too (even if I do say so myself!)
Part one of a series exploring the metaphor for writing given by a respected mainstream writer who shall remain nameless—largely because I cannot remember his name.
(Source: addtoany.com)
I field a lot of questions from new and aspiring writers about the craft and business of writing. I freely admit, I understand the craft a whole heck of a lot better than I do the business.
Words are friendly little things. They generally do what you want them to do and the trick is in knowing what you want them to do.
Business … not so much.
But there are places at which these two elements in a writer’s life intersect as you can see in these questions from a hopeful Neo Writer…
(Source: addtoany.com)
