I was saddened to hear that Ray Bradbury died at the age of 91 yesterday, June 5, 2012. I must admit I haven’t read most of his work, and I read the Martian Chronicles so long ago that I barely remember it. However, I recognize Mr. Bradbury as being one of the pioneers of the […]
Flash Fiction Story "Sorcerer’s Staff"
May 30, 2012 by
Just for fun, I decided to enter a flash fiction story into Mysti Parker’s May Flash Fiction contest. The basic rules were that the story had to be 600 words or less and begin with the following sentence: I never expected to be in this position so soon, saying goodbye to my son. I’m not […]
Creature Feature: The Spirits of Mundia
May 27, 2012 by
This creature feature started out as a brainstorming session on what form religion would take in the Vaetra Chronicles world of Mundia. I could have adapted a pantheon from human history, made up my own gods, or (unusual in fantasy) gone for the mono-theistic approach that has evolved in our own world history. But I […]
Location Lore: The Archives Sanctuary Network
May 19, 2012 by
Click image to enlarge The first book of The Vaetra Chronicles briefly introduces readers to a sorcerer sanctuary in the town of Northshore. In Vaetra Unveiled, agents Sulana Delano and Daven Prost leave the sanctuary to speak with the town’s captain of the guard. That brief reference only hints at the significance of the sanctuaries […]
Book Review: "Sorcerer’s Code" by Christopher Kellen
April 22, 2012 by
Sorcerer’s Code is the second book in Christopher Kellen’s Tales of Eisengoth series. However, having read The Corpse King (book 1 of the series), I can attest that this novelette stands completely on its own. It is the tale of Edar Moncrief, a sorcerer who discovers a magical artifact and inadvertently attracts the attention of […]
On Writing Reviews
April 22, 2012 by
The view from our lanai in Princeville, Kauai I spent the past couple of weeks in Hawaii enjoying my first vacation in about 2 1/2 years. Yeah, I know, to all you workaholics out there that’s nothing, but for someone who is used to regularly vacationing for two weeks each year, it was a long […]
5 Reasons Why Book Ratings Are Useless
March 26, 2012 by
No, I didn’t just get a 1-star review (at least as far as I know). So this isn’t about sour grapes. It’s about something that has bugged me as a reader for a long time: book or “star” ratings. It bothers me that they get such prominent placement on the retailer sites when they mean […]
Fantasy in First Person
March 18, 2012 by
I never really thought much about character point of view (POV) until I decided to write fiction. In my non-fiction writing, I normally write in second person because I’m often giving instructions on what “you” can do to solve a problem. But fiction writers almost never use second person. A Fantasy Detective Novel? When I […]
Book Giveaway: Dragonfriend by Roger Eschbacher
March 11, 2012 by
This week, I’m pleased to offer a deal you can’t refuse. I’m giving away two copies of Roger Eschbacher’s young adult magical fantasy book Dragonfriend. Roger is a fellow author on the Magic Appreciation Tour and has generously offered to let me give away one paperback edition and one Kindle edition of his book. I […]
