Tag Archives: fantasy

September 20, 2011

THE FANTASY AUTHOR’S HANDBOOK INTERVIEW: ALAN DEAN FOSTER

Read the interview linked here. Philip Athans is worth following in his own right, but add an interview by Alan Dean Foster and you have the makings of a great blog post. THE FANTASY AUTHOR’S HANDBOOK INTERVIEW: ALAN DEAN FOSTER.


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March 21, 2011

Progress and Overload

  Well it is a time for decisions I think, but before I get into that let me give you a little update on where I am with all of my various projects. ALONE The story is progressing along nicely and I recently introduced a new character who will hopefully add a different form of tension to the story in addition to all of the innate tension that goes with life in a post-apocalyptic world.  I really feel like the story is coming along now and the main character is developing into something more than he started out as, and isn't that the way it should be going?  Something about the story is really driving me right now and I feel it pulling me like none of my other projects are.  I've been sharing one part a week for some time now and I'm wondering if I should pick up the pace on the writing and/or the sharing. TWISTED IN TWO (the tentative title for my fantasy novel) I have written more on this than on any other project, turning an early attempt at novel writing into something bigger and I think better than it had started off as, but as I've been working on it I have felt the focus of the story shifting dramatically, to the point where the old outline of the story may no longer even be relevent.  I hate to lose the momentum on this one, but I'm starting to think that I should stop working on this one for now, re-do the timeline and flesh out some of the new character information before I continue on and turn the story into a rambling mess.  This one is my baby and I'm worried about leaving it alone for too long. MARCH WRITER'S CHALLENGE I have started working on my participation piece for my March Writer's Challenge and I'm liking what I have going, but I think it may turn out longer than I expected.  I'm okay with long, but it needs to stay within the criteria and I need it to be done on time.  I should be all right with that and I want it to be good.  Even though I am not eligible to win the challenge, it is my contest and I'd really like to not look like a complete hack when compared to everyone else.  I decided to take the piece down a dark road and I've managed to work in a number of the words/concepts listed in the challenge so I'm doing pretty well with it, but it may just end up being left dangling...a scene of something bigger that I may add to over time.  I kind of like the idea.  I can try and revisit the world and characters whenever I participate in another contest.... BOOK REVIEWS I have completed five book reviews since I started doing them and I am reading King Whisperers by Kerwin Swint for my next review and it is a little departure from the others.  My first five were all fiction, but this one is not.  I'm not a fact checker and I have stated previously that all of my reviews are based on how well I like the book in question, so when I post the review you'll all know exactly what I thought of the book, but not if what he says is true...I'm taking it on faith that the man did his research and did not twist the facts to suit his own ends. So where am I going with all of this?  Well to be honest I'm feeling like I've spread myself a little too thin and that I'm jeopardy af failing at all of my writing because I have taken on too much at once.  In addition to my writing I have a wife and two kids that I devote a lot of my time to and while I would love to be a professional writer who can live off of any money made writing, I am not, and so I have a full-time job I have to deal with.  Don't get me wrong here.  I am not throwing myself a pity party and I don't expect any sympathy.  So why am I sharing all of this with you?  I share this with you because I would love to hear from you about times you have taken on too much with your writing and how you managed to deal with it.  I have a pretty good Idea about what I am going to do, but hearing from you would be great and help remind me that I'm not out there alone.
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March 2, 2011

Book Review: Sebastian and the Afterlife

"I can't be dead...that's ridiculous." But a feeling inside told him that this was not a dream.  His face sank and his stomach sickened as he came to grips with his current state. "So, I'm a ghost?" The rationalization was disorienting. How far would you go to be with the one you love? Are you tired of the barrage of supernatural young adult fiction littered with vampires and werewolves?  Are you looking for something a little different that still brings with it something beyond the normal life?  Do you like excellent writing and a tremendous story?  Well if you do then Sebastian and the Afterlife by William J. Barry is the book for you. The story revolves around Sebastian, a recently deceased teenager who finds himself at a school for spirits who aren't quite ready to move on to the afterlife.  He makes some new friends at the school and they must work together to come to grips with their own deaths and figure out what it is that is holding them back, but just like life in the mortal realm things are never quite so simple as they seem.  Will they survive their own death in a world where the Grim Reaper reigns supreme and growing threat by spirit draining villains lurks in the darker places of the spirit realm? William J. Barry fills the book with stories within stories, layering the life and death of the various characters together in a seemless orchestration of events that is easy to follow and connect together when the time is right, making the book an absolute pleasure to read.  But don't worry, not everything is tied up in a neat little package by the end of the book.  Little threads are left loose, just enough to suggest a sequal, not enough to leave you irritated by it.  Personally I look forward to the day when I can return to the world of Sebastian and the Afterlife.
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