Cometh The Shadow Queen

Aug28

She doesn’t come in darkness. She IS the darkness

Sensual as a slice of cold steel drawn across the throat.

Her every wish is murder.

Mother to mayhem, she is yet alone,

Breathing terror into those who but think her name.

Trapped in her hidden world, she plots, waging her secret campaign to re-claim all that has been taken from her.

In nightmares, she bides her time.

But her patience is not equal to the millenia of her imprisonment.

Her hour draws nigh. Beware, my child. The Shadow Queen cometh.

– Tsura di Iacopo Ritagliatore compassionevole, Witch –

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Relax, Enjoy, Take A Breath

Aug25

This moment, right now, is singular. It will never come again.

How are you going to spend it?

Should A Writer Not Be A Reader?

Aug24

I find the notion ludicrous.

I can somewhat understand reading LESS frequently or for shorter intervals during some of the more intense phases of writing … but to stop altogether is like being a shark and deciding to stop swimming. You’re going to drown.

When I’m asked for “tips” on writing, the first thing I say is “Write.”

The second thing I say is “Read.”

If I don’t read, how am I to be exposed to anything new? How am I to know what is exciting readers? How am I to see shifts in market? By reading books in my own genre(s), I educate myself on terms and conventions I might not have known. I see new viewpoints and new uses of language, and I am reminded of things I have forgotten.

To me, reading and writing are as essential to an author as air and water are essential to life. You might exist for a little while without one or the other, but you’re not going to last long.

For those who have asked, Yes. I read. Constantly.

Currently, I am finishing Elizabeth Moon’s trilogy, “The Deed of Paksenarrion.”

FANTASY vs. REALITY

Aug22

As I am a fantasist, I have to say that my approach comes from the impossible made real. However, for there to be any emotional and/or intellectual value, the reader must be allowed to make “realistic” correlations. Therefore, realism is a necessary element to fantasy. I believe fantasy can best be perceived as an “extrapolation” of reality. Fantasy is merely asking “what if” and running freely with such conjecture without the restrictions of “reality” as it is currently understood. The fact of the matter is that much of so-called “science fiction” is really fantasy. The further fact is that so much of what we call “reality” today was once regarded as fantasy. I consider fantasy a necessary element to a healthy life and state of psychological well-being, as it is through fantasy that we engage our imaginations and perceive possibility where possibilities would otherwise not exist.

For those following the development of A WIZARD’S LIFE, the foregoing images represent a taste of what’s to come.

FOLLOW ME

Aug7

The journey ahead promises to be an exciting one.

I would like to take as many along as are willing to follow.

There is room yet in the caravan.

If you haven’t chosen to follow this blog already, please do so. For those who are following, please extend an invitation to your family and friends. Things are speeding up and the word needs to be spread.

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