Author Interview: D.I. Jolly

Tags

Author Interview, D.I. Jolly, Guest Post, Mostly Human, TinPot Publishing

**Note: The author is currently running a Goodreads giveaway for 5 copies of his book, Mostly Human, through January 7th. Be sure to hop on over and enter for a chance to win: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/213914-mostly-human

Welcome! Please tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

Born and raised in South African, I wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old after I found a fictional character in a video game who was a writer and I wanted to be him, more than anything else. I didn’t actually start writing things down right away, but I always had a whole different world in my head I would spend a lot of time in. I’ve never been much of a sleeper so I used to say that I’d tell myself bedtime stories until I fell asleep.

What motivates you to write?

It makes sense to me, stories fit the way I think and really I love doing it. Escaping to my own world and exploring by write stories about it.

What is the title of your most recent book? Give us a brief overview on what the book is about.

‘Mostly Human’ is the coming of age story of Alex Harris, as he goes from an adventures ten year old to the lead singer of the world famous band the WaterDogs. But he has a secret that he and his family have painstakingly kept since he was ten years old.

While playing in the woods on his grandparent’s farm, Alex stumbles across the body of a giant wolf. Driven by a naive love for all things dog and believing the animal dead he approaches the beast and quickly realises it wasn’t as dead as he though, nor was it a normal wolf.

What makes it unique from the other books out there?

There are a few simple ideas in ‘Mostly Human’ which I’ve never come across in other books of this genre. The main one being though that, wolves are very nurturing creatures who live in close knit families. They mate for life, raise their young and even collect food for the elderly when they are too old to hunt for themselves. Equally humans (mostly) do the same, so the idea that a creature that is part man part wolf being a murderous monster never really sat well with me. So I decided to do something about it.

What is the title of your current work-in-progress or the most recent manuscript you’ve completed apart from your most recent book? Would you mind sharing what it is about?

I’m currently working on a couple of things. One being Mostly Human 2 (working title) which is a sequel following on just a few months after the end of the first book.

The other is Poetry Club Vol. 1, an anthology of short stories and poems with some friends of mine, who I started a writing group with. Once a week we meet in a bar and read out the short story or poem we’ve written based on that weeks theme.

How often do you write?

At least once a week for Poetry Club either Sunday afternoon or Monday night, frantically on the train on my way there.

What famous author would you compare your own writing style with?

I’d really like to think Robert Rankin, just because it was after reading The Armageddon Trilogy that I realised that you really are allowed to write what every your heart and imagination desires.

Who are five of your favorite authors?

Anne Rice

Robert Rankin

Jim Butcher

Oscar Wilde

Jane Jensen

What are you currently reading?

Ready Player-One

Fight Club

Esper Files

Time for some quick questions:

• Favorite Quote?

 

Groovy – Ash from Evil Dead

• Favorite Book?

 

Frankenstein right now, but that might change

• Favorite Book Series?
  Dresden Files – Jim Butcher

 

Vampire Chronical – Anne Rice

Armageddon Trilogy – Robert Rankin

I love them all equally but differently.

• Favorite Movie?

 

Dark Knight (Probably)

• Favorite TV Show?

 

90s Batman Cartoon

• Coffee or Tea?

 

Coffee

• If you could have one superpower what would it be?

 

The Force

If you could be one character from your own writing, who would it be and why?

My knee jerk reaction is Jones P.I. from A guy a girl and a voodoo monkey hand. But when I think about it he is a fairly under developed character written by a teenager (me at 19), and I believe it shows. So I think really it’s Alex Harris from Mostly Human, his life isn’t close to perfect or easy, but he’s smart and capable, and doesn’t always get things right but has come out the other side of his mistakes smarter and more capable.

Finally, what advice would you give to other writers?

Practise and don’t accept unconstructive criticism. Anyone who says “Oh it’s just ****” or “I didn’t like it.” or “Yeah it’s great.” Without a follow on explanation, isn’t helping. Any comments on your work, good or bad, should come with an explanation so that you can learn what to grow and what to cut away.

And keep at it, the more you do something and get feedback from people, the better you’ll become at it. I know there is the desire to be perfect at something right away, or get it spot on in the first draft but almost all the time, that isn’t how it works, and that’s fine. A painting isn’t a single layer of paint, and a novel isn’t a first draft.

*****

Links:

Good Reads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30847240-mostly-human

Amazon (Book)

https://www.amazon.com/Mostly-Human-D-I-Jolly-ebook/dp/B01FYRHSOY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1478871584&sr=1-1&keywords=mostly+human

Amazon (me)
https://www.amazon.com/D.I.-Jolly/e/B00MCITL5S/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Voodoo.Monkey.Hand/

 

 

Bio:

Born and raised in South African, I wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old after I found a fictional character in a video game who was a writer and I wanted to be him, more than anything else. I didn’t actually start writing things down right away, but I always had a whole different world in my head I would spend a lot of time in. I’ve never been much of a sleeper so I used to say that I’d tell myself bedtime stories until I fell asleep.

As I got older I started to write these stories out but always found I’d lose the plot and couldn’t finish anything, until A Guy, A Girl and A Voodoo Monkey Hand that is, which actually started as a joke e-mail to a friend.

Finishing that story was a revelation in my mind, I finally felt justified to really start concentrating on my writing and started writing short stories, poems and setting about on the next novel, and the one after that. Since then I have always been writing something, and I never want to stop.

One day someone will find me lying dead on my keyboard, probably smiling.

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Book Spotlight: November Fox by E.E. Bertram

Tags

Augmented Reality, Book Release, Book Spotlight, E.E. Bertram, Following Joy, Guest Post, Indie Author, Metaphyiscal, November Fox, Sci-Fi

• Book Name: November Fox – Book 1. Following Joy
• Subtitle: A Metaphysical Visionary Fable
• Genre: SciFi/Fantasy/New Adult/Metaphysical/Visionary Fiction
• Audience: Broad age appeal. YA, New Adult & Adult
• Word Count: 71204
• Unique Bonus: 39 Augmented Reality Images
• Author: E.E. Bertram – Visionary Fiction Author & Music and Media Producer
• Subjects: Metaphysical/Consciousness/Perceptions of Reality/Philosophy/Adventure
• Success: Ran a Successful Kickstarter campaign raising over £11000 to print the larger than A4 Limited First Edition Hardback
• ISBN: 9780995381308
• PRICE $9.99-$19.99 (USD)
• EDITION: Ebook and Paperback
• Author and Book Info Link: http://www.eebertram.com
• Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv7_pceqsg0
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/estherbertram

 

• Blurb:THE STORY: Little does she know, The Architect, from the race of philosophical beings who create our world of form, has been watching over her all her life.Architect’s fascinating letter in a glass bottle washed ashore on Brighton Beach. Pages continue to magically appear as she, too, is compelled to follow November’s quest.Combining elements inspired by the new thought movement, the law of attraction, magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder, November learns that she can use the power of dreaming, imagination and positive thinking to remake herself and her world. November Fox will be enjoyed by readers who liked wisdomfilled, visionary fiction fables like “The Alchemist,” the escapism ofAs an idiosyncratic fantasy/science fiction crossover, it is suitable for teens and adults alike.“Things aren’t always as they seem, do we wake or do we dream?”
• It comes with 39 illustrations with an Augmented Reality technology feature, enabling readers to further expand their experience.
• “Alice in Wonderland” or the Mind-bending nature of the movie “The Matrix.”
• Realities eclipse as we embark on a metaphysical adventure through time and space. November learns that harnessing the power of her mind and heart is fundamental, if she wishes to unlock the cube and escape the sometimes sinister, sometimes wonderful dimensions into which she is propelled.
• Grieving Erica, a teacher and writer from London, finds The November Fox has never even heard of other dimensions when a teleporting magical cube appears on her doorstep. With a hole in her heart and a cosmic identity yet to be discovered, the orphan rock star accepts an invitation to find the key within herself that will unlock the mysteries of form.
• Think you’ve read it all? This revelatory chronicle will have you thinking otherwise. Into the swirling vortex, you will be drawn – whether you think this is your sort of book or not. You just might find yourself questioning your own perceptions of reality and be left craving more. + 39 Augmented Reality Illustrations.

• LINKS:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orphanrockstar/
• Amazon: http://bit.ly/NFVT09
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32608639-november-fox-1following-joy—a-metaphysical-visionary-fable
• Book: www.novemberfox.com

Advance Praise/Reviews

The 1st edition of this book was successfully funded on Kickstarter at the end of 2014, raising over £11000 for the creation of the limited edition (larger than A4) print version. The 2nd edition is due for release, in Ebook format, November 1st 2016. Kickstarter

Link: http://bit.ly/NovemberFox

 

*****

You will be irresistibly drawn into the extraordinary adventures of November Fox, orphaned rock star, as she finds the answers to life’s most confounding and compelling questions. November battles her personal demons through adventures that straddle identities and realities and finds her way through real and fantastical realms to a new awareness. Challenging situations, provocative theories and fantastic characters will tease you on. Expect the unexpected and to be confronted with other ways of thinking, seeing and being as the incredible becomes the credible and then back again, and time, place and characters take on new dimensions and realities. Effortlessly interwoven sub-plots subtly build behind the story, giving the tale depth and intrigue. The Augmented Reality illustrations give this book a unique visual and audio element, adding to the many ways November Fox and her cast of real and bizarre characters will challenge you. There’s no question you will be left craving more. – Lynne B.

 

*****

Wow, thank-you for a wonderful story, it really moved me and I cried at least 3 times. I love the soundtrack album as well! – Simon

Woolven

 

*****

‘She paused for a moment as the mood in the room went quickly from a light-hearted cake break to being as deep and reflective as a moonlit lake at midnight.’ This excerpt from the book describes this idiosyncratic fantasy chronicle perfectly. It’s a journey through the fantastical and is not just escapist but reflects the real world though departing from it. On November’s adventure, the reader gets to re-examine their conceptions of time and space and leave behind ‘real world’ mundanity. In that departure, we are shown that reality has more fantastical elements than first realised. November Fox is a stream of consciousness narrative which renders a flow of myriad impressions… visual, auditory, physical, associative and subliminal. The writer incorporates snatches of incoherent thought and free association of ideas, images, and words to capture the total flow of their characters’ consciousness. A promising narrative with a truly innovative digital experience, one can look forward to the next in the series. – Di Ebert

 

*****

 

From the first page it pulls you in with the phrase that decorates the back cover, “Things aren’t always as they seem, do we wake or do we dream?…” and the reader is introduced to the mysterious Architect who is to become an integral part and narrator of November Fox. As well as providing the reader with a curious plot and interesting characters, author E.E. Bertram has created this book to have an augmented reality: an additional component to the book accessed using an app that you download onto your phone or table. Scanning the pictures that accompany the chapter then activates this. Using this method the reader discovers a beautiful animated video paired with the chapter that is described as ‘taking a critical look at current events’ and follows a mysterious figure on a journey towards ‘inner peace”. November Fox is a refreshing, different book reminiscent of the curiosities of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. It is an interesting read and one that sticks in your head long after you’ve finished reading it. – Sussex Life Magazine

************

November Fox – Book 1. Following Joy

A Metaphysical Visionary Fable

By. E.E. Bertram

 

Introduction

 

Things aren’t always as they seem, do we wake or do we dream? Are we dreaming life or living the dream?

The answer may be we do both.

*****

A letter from me, to you. The dawn is near. How delightful. This being my first ever letter, I must apologise, as it may be on the long side as far as letters are concerned. My Father always said, if you are going to do something, do it properly, or not at all. They call me The Architect. I am much more accustomed to construction and landscaping, which is worlds away from writing language on a page. Although of late, I seem to be doing far more observing than designing.

Never could I have imagined I would become an observer and a letter-writer. Funny thing, life; how it sneaks up on you like that. Your World of Form fascinates me so—curious, busy people, always doing, doing, doing.

I must admit that I tend to be the same myself, although in a different way, as you will come to witness. Perhaps you and I shared some things in common? (It is, of course, no coincidence that you found my message.) I sense that you have spent some tick-tocks, or at least a few moments, wondering who you are? What is this life all about? How did we get here? Where are we going? I myself cannot give you any fixed answers to these questions, yet I can perhaps share with you another perspective on this wondrous ride we call life. My observations of one fascinating young lady—who you will soon know as November Fox—may also shed some light. In writing you this letter, I intend to show you a glimpse behind the curtain. This is a world not seen by anyone in your sphere, until now.

Before we get started, I must say I am rather joyous to meet you here, in this peculiar part of the universe. This invisible space; the distance of approximately 46cm or 18 inches that the black letters of these words travel to your eyes, which then absorb, filter, and process them. Yes, this is indeed a rather fascinating location, out of all the possible places to connect. This unique space is one where we can both float free in a dialogue of sorts, sharing this moment.

Although perhaps reading this, you may think I existed in the past, writing this letter?

Maybe you believe you are here, now, alone, scanning words I left behind for you to find? Is this the case? Let me say that the universe is far more mysterious than you have ever imagined. Are you open to the possibility that it may only be you travelling down linear tick-tock? I do hope so, because the truth is, I float here with you in this moment. Hello, (insert me shaking your hand and smiling,) I am delighted to make your acquaintance in this curious part of the cosmos.

My Father always called me a dreamer He was right about that. Dreamers are also important; I realise that now. As a young Architect, I spent any spare moment I could, stretched out across my magic flying carpet, Charlie, staring into the heavens and wondering how everything came into being. I shall tell you more about Charlie a little bit later. I still wonder why my Father displayed a notably more negative tone than his default persecutory edge when he called me a dreamer. Perhaps dreams and those bestowed with the job to explore them, are not so simple to understand; perhaps even frightening? I am rather sure, as one of the ones with my head in another dimension, that it is not always easy to be a dreamer. You will need to trust me on that, unless you are a dreamer yourself. Are you?

Oscar Wilde, the fine chap he is (or perhaps was, from your perspective), once said, A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. How true that is, and how punished I have been because of my dreaming. I say this with heartfelt sincerity; life can be a double-edged sword of tranquillity and loneliness, when living in the solitude of shadows. Yet I am not writing to dwell on such dark affairs. Today the precious dawn is soon to arrive, and I just cannot contain my excitement anymore. I can sense change in my bones; although, to be clear, I carry no skeletons as such. My TMD machine (I will also explain him later) is doing his utmost to translate, and “Bones” is the best the poor fellow could come up with. Anyway, the sun is near, my dear friend! So let this letterwriting business commence.

Have you ever had an exceptionally strong sense of something or a gigantic idea? One so immense that you are unsure your small body or mind can contain the complex monstrosity. You feel you may crack open when you allow it to push your edges too far. Well, the moment is here to let you in on my little secret.

Guest Post: EPIC by Dane Cobain

Tags

Dane Cobain, Epic, Guest Post, Indie Author, poetry

So I was contacted by poet and author Dane Cobain and, while I did not have the time to take on reading and reviewing one of his books, I was intrigued by his offer to write an exclusive poem based off five words I would provide. Being a bit of a fan of the Icelandic Sagas and Norse Mythology, I gave him this list of words: Saga, Shieldmaiden, Berserker, Valhalla, and Viking. So here is what he came up with, the poem that you won’t find anywhere else:

 

Epic

 

THIS.

IS.

EPIC.

 

Come on,

you act like you’ve never

met Thor before,

like you’re a berserker

without a purpose,

pillaging parishes

and pushing priests

over the sides

of a longship.

 

When I die,

they’ll burn me

in the back of a Volkswagen

Passat,

along with my

belongings;

Valhalla was made

for men like me,

maybe.

 

I once knew a Viking,

his meme was Stig

and he could drink more mead

than a Viking needs;

Stig died

when we were still

at university,

but I still miss him

when I go pillaging.

 

These days,

my shieldmaiden

is a little old lady,

an ageing Asian

who sharpens her tongue

on a whetstone.

 

And my saga

is set

to continue…

 

So there you have it. What did you think? Be sure to check out Dane’s work, which is listed below:

No Rest for the Wicked

(supernatural thriller)

When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.

When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Find out more.

 

Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home

(poetry)

Eyes Like Lighthouses is Dane Cobain’s first book of poetry, distilled from the sweat of a thousand memorised performances in this reality and others. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

“I’ve never seen anyone do a stream of consciousness piece as talented as that. Very impressed.” – Mark Allard-Will, author of Saskatch-A-Man and co-founder of Cuckoo’s Nest Press

Find out more.

 

Former.ly: The Rise and Fall of a Social Network

(literary fiction)

When Dan Roberts starts his new job at Former.ly, he has no idea what he’s getting into. The site deals in death – its users share their innermost thoughts, which are stored privately until they die. Then, their posts are shared with the world, often with unexpected consequences.

But something strange is going on, and the site’s two erratic founders share a dark secret. A secret that people are willing to kill for.

Find out more.

 

Social Paranoia: How Consumers and Brands Can Stay Safe in a Connected World

(non-fiction)

Social Paranoia: How Consumers and Brands Can Stay Safe in a Connected World is the true story of how sometimes the updates that you post come back to haunt you. Filled with real case studies and practical advice, it’s a guidebook for everyone who has an online presence from consumers to massive corporations.

Sometimes, people really are out to get you. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Find out more.

Tolkien’s Poetry in the Hobbit

Tags

Critical Insights, Guest Post, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josh Brown, Poems and Songs, The Hobbit

Today’s post is provided by Josh Brown, who has been featured on here a few times before. He has a piece on Tolkien’s poetry and songs that will be coming out next month in Critical Insights: The Hobbit, and this is something I’m very excited about and going to have to try to get my hands on. The table of contents for this piece can be found at the end of the post. Enjoy this guest post from Josh and be sure to check out his other work.

 

When someone says “J.R.R. Tolkien,” Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit almost always come to mind first. No doubt he is most well-known for these seminal works of fantasy fiction, works that very nearly defined the genre and have been praised and admired for multiple generations.

But J.R.R. Tolkien was also a very accomplished poet (and linguist), and he made good use of poetry within his works of fiction as a means to worldbuild, support the plot, and bring life to the characters. Not a single chapter goes by in The Hobbit without a song or poem. Have you ever wondered why?

Take the dwarves’ poems, for example. Most are written as quatrains with rigid form and meter. In “Far over the misty mountains cold” the reader gets information about dwarvish history, heritage, craftsmanship, and traditions. The poem actually outlines the entire basic plot of the book: they are about to set forth on a journey to reclaim their lost inheritance.

Elvish poetry arouses imagery of nature, while at the same time keeping a playful and light-hearted tone. Consider “Roll-roll-roll-roll,” where the elves can make even the most repetitive kind of work seem like a game of sorts. They are whimsical and cheerful, and express and expose these traits of theirs through their poetry.

Goblin poetry is dark, evil, even terrifying, just like the goblins themselves. Goblins are basically the opposite of elves, and this comes through in their verse. Their poetry has clipped lines that brings forth images of jagged teeth and snapping jaws. The mono-syllabic word choices in their poems portray them as simple and grotesque.

Tolkien was a master of his craft. There’s no doubt he crafted each line, each word, and each syllable of every poem within The Hobbit for a very specific purpose. Whether dwarvish, elvish, goblin, or hobbit, Tolkien’s poetry offers a contrast between the races of Middle-earth in verse, structure, and theme.

——-

Josh Brown is a writer living in Minneapolis, MN. He is the creator of “Shamrock,” a fantasy/adventure comic that appears regularly in Fantasy Scroll Magazine. His comic work has appeared numerous places, including the award-winning Negative Burn. His poetry and short fiction can be found in Mithila Review, Star*Line, Beechwood Review, Scifaikuest, SpeckLit, and a variety of anthologies such as Lovecraft After Dark (JWK Fiction), The Martian Wave 2015 (Nomadic Delirium Press), King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology (Uffda Press), and many more.

Josh’s “Poems and Songs of The Hobbit” is an essay included in Critical Insights: The Hobbit, available from Salem Press in September 2016. Critical Insights: The Hobbit, features in-depth critical discussions from top literary scholars.

http://www.salempress.com/press_titles.html?book=480

Critical Insights: The Hobbit

Table of Contents

Introduction

Stephen W. Potts: The Portal to Middle-earth

Context

Kelly Orazi: J. R. R. Tolkien’s World: Cultural and Historical Influences on Middle-earth’s Subcreator

Alicia Fox-Lenz: An Unexpected Success: The Hobbit and the Critics

Jason Fisher: The Riddle and the Cup: Germanic Medieval Sources and Analogues in The Hobbit

John Rosegrant: Bilbo Baggins, Harry Potter, and the Fate of Enchantment

Critical Views

Hannah Parry: “Of Gold and an Alloy”: Tolkien, The Hobbit, and Northern Heroic Spirit

Jared Lobdell: “Witness Those Rings and Roundelays”: Catholicism and Faërie in The Hobbit

Kris Swank: Fairy-stories that Fueled The Hobbit

Josh Brown: Poems and Songs of The Hobbit

Sara Waldorf: A Turning Point: The Effect of The Hobbit on Middle-earth

Jelena Borojević: The Hobbit: A Mythopoeic Need for Adventure

Kayla Shaw: Growing Up Tolkien: Finding our way through Mirkwood

Aurélie Brémont: How to slay a dragon when you are only three feet tall

M. Lee Alexander: Tolkien and the Illustrators

Scripture Saturday: Glass by Andrea Lundgren

Tags

Andrea Lundgren, Christian, Glass, Guest Post, poetry, Scripture Saturday

Apologies for the delayed posting on this one! Today we have a guest post from Andrea, who operates her own blog as well as co-authors one with her brother. Both will be linked down below! I am super-excited for this, as Andrea will be contributing a post every first Saturday of the month either in the form of a poetic work or some other form of devotional/thought-provoking post pertaining to Christianity. Enjoy this great poem and be sure to check out her blogs and her book!

There is Light

And there is Darkness

And we are glass.

 

Purified

So Day can shine through us

Illuminating hearts,

Changing lives.

 

Or clouded

So only Night can glare

Shriveling flowers,

Darkening worlds.

 

We may be warped by our choices

Whether Light

Whether Darkness

Until we can no longer change sides.

Set for good

Of locked on evil

Until

We

Break

And the pieces still reflect an every growing gloom.

 

But there is mercy

For the Glassmaker knows

When what passes through us is not ours,

And hating the darkness,

He still does not hate our form,

Our crystalline hearts.

He still wishes

To save us

From ourselves.

 

There is Light

And there is Darkness

And we are glass.

 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)

Copyright 2015 Andrea Lundgren
Photo by quicksandala, Creative Commons

Her personal blog, "Into the Writer Lea", which features Book Reviews, Writing Tips, Poetry and Life
"Operation Echo", a blog co-authored with her brother to empower Kingdom believers.

Check out her book, “Kisses Never Hurt Me”, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (and leave a review).

Guest Post: Arthur on Easter Island by C.A. Rowland

Tags

C.A. Rowland, Easter Island, Guest Post, King of Ages

King Arthur on Easter Island? It’s probably not the first thing anyone thinks of. It wasn’t my first thought either when I saw the call for stories for the King of Ages anthology. But I did want to do something different so I started thinking about where I had been and what might be fun – but also fit into the themes of the Arthur stories.

I’d been to Easter Island a few years ago. A week of exploring the island, the Moai statues, the quarry where the topknot “hats” where created and the volcano areas. It is a place unlike any other I’ve been where the wind blows constantly, the diet is one of fish that are caught offshore, brought in and carried literally across the street to the restaurants and market. The pace is leisurely, except the days where petrol is brought to shore from larger boats – when there is congestion at the stop sign leading to the boats.
After visiting, I did lots of research on the history of the island. There are many unknowns still today and I continue to watch the developments as they excavate the statues.
One of the most memorable places on the island are the upper most cliffs above the islet. There are knee high caves with glyphs carved into nearby rocks marking the time of the birdmen and where they trained. This part of my story is based on history. During this time period, there were competitions to see which clan leader would be the leader for all clans during the next year. Finding and returning with the first sotty tern egg was the prize.

When I thought back over this contest, I recognized that Arthur’s stories have contests and quests – and that I could use this similarity to craft a story using the same characters but in a different time with a different type of challenge.

But I also wanted to pay homage to some of the movies I’ve seen, in particular, Excalibur, and in thinking back, the scene at the bridge between Lancelot and Arthur has always been one that struck me. And I drew some inspiration from that for the fight scene.

I’m not sure where other writer’s draw their inspiration or how their stories come together but mine tend to be bits and pieces of things I’ve seen, places I’ve been or little details that are locked away in corners of my brain – waiting to come out and become part of a story.

I hope you enjoyed the story and others in the anthology. My thanks to David for inviting me to his blog and to Josh and Uffda Press for the opportunity to be a part of this anthology.

C.A. Rowland
www.carowland.com
www.mostlymystery.com
https://twitter.com/writer4993

Guest Post: Are You a Writer?

Tags

Are you a writer?, Being an Author, Guest Post, Josh Brown, Writing

Today we have a special guest post from Josh Brown. If you missed his guest post last month, be sure to check that one out as well! Read on to get challenged to answer the question: are you a writer or an author?

Are You A Writer?

Writers. I know you’ve seen them. You totally know the type. They like to write stories and are constantly trolling freelance writing ads or Facebook “calls for submission” groups, desperately trying to find the next themed anthology or literary zine that will accept their short fiction. These writers, they write—no doubt about that—and occasionally they even get published. But it’s what happens after they get published that matters.

What do writers do after getting published? Nothing. They’re too busy, well, writing. They’re banging out the next short story that will at best earn them $0.03/word or a split of profits that are non-existent and will never exist. They might have a blog, but it’s filled with pictures of cat memes, and their Twitter feed is a ghost town. Writers write, but they don’t do much else, and that’s what holds them back from evolving into authors.

Authors, on the other hand, are forward-thinking. They don’t just care about writing the best story possible, they care about what happens after the story is written. Once it is accepted. Once it is published out into the world. What then? Then, the real work begins.

In this day and age, being an author also means being an entrepreneur and a self-promoter. You need to write a great story, sell it, and then market/promote it. Those writers who are not putting forth every single effort to promote their published work are missing a step in this whole process. The easiest way to promote your published story is to announce it to all your friends and family on Facebook. Hopefully I don’t have to tell you that that is not enough. You need to get the word out on all social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. You need to engage with your fans, with the community at large. You need to have a blog where you can not only talk about your own work, but also the work of your peers, as well as other relevant topics that may interest your audience. You need to establish a brand, build a following. You need to write great stories.

I’m here to tell you that being a writer is different than being an author, and if you aspire to be successful in today’s publishing landscape, you need to be an author.

Don’t get sucked in to the writer trap. You deserve better; you owe it to yourself to follow through and to be an author.

————————————

 

Josh Brown is the writer and creator of “Shamrock,” a fantasy/adventure comic that appears regularly in Fantasy Scroll Mag. His comic work has appeared numerous places, including Alterna Tales from Alterna Comics and the award-winning Negative Burn. His poetry and short fiction can be found in Star*Line, Beechwood Review, Scifaikuest, SpeckLit, and a variety of anthologies such as Lovecraft After Dark (JWK Fiction), Dystopian Express (Hydra Publications), King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology (Uffda Press), and many more. Recently, he served as guest editor for issue 20 of Eye to the Telescope, the official online journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA).

https://ninjamindcontrol.wordpress.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Josh-Brown/e/B004S6S6HG/

http://eyetothetelescope.com/

Guest Post:An Arthurian Revolution by Paola K. Amaras

Tags

Dystopian, Guest Post, King Arthur, King of Ages, Paola K. Amaras, Twilight's Last Dreaming

Today we have a guest post from another author who contributed to the King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology. Paola’s story, “Twilight’s Last Dreaming”, is unique and imaginative and will sweep readers along on an exciting adventure. You can read this story and 12 others for free when you sign up for my newsletter for a limited time in May.

In the distant future, the Pendrag UthRoi and the Oligarchs’ Council control society, and a callow young man, ArtRoi, continually tinkers with his ayborg, Merl. Through the genius of this crèche charge, Merl is able to see the past and present, and extrapolate the future.

Only ArtRoi, living with his brother KāRoi on The Table, has avoided destiny. Even when his younger crèche brother BdwrRoi threw his lot in with the hoipols, ArtRoi preferred his lazy, indolent lifestyle to one of active involvement. Only once had he agreed to use his technical genius to please the Pendrag. His creation, the MORDREDS, drones used by the Pendrag  to spy on the hoipols, had worked far better than he had anticipated.

Society is crumbling and with his enhanced insight Merl knows that recruiting GwenEver, and her ayborg Viv, BdwrRoi, KāRoi, LanDulac and others, are the only bulwarks against the utter collapse of their world. All they need is a leader – a tech genius with access to UthRoi’s BadonMont operating system, and who can pull the Excali hardware from the stone. Someone to inspire, to create a new form of ruling, to ensure a better world. Merl dreams and knows that ArtRoi is the fulcrum for change, and the past and present must come together to create a future.

 

Twilight’s Last Dreaming came to me in my dreams. I was presented with the opportunity to write a story of King Arthur for inclusion in the King of Ages anthology. I started hearing Arthur stories when I was a little girl.  My family was into mythology and legends from all parts of the world, and I was reading  Mallory Morte D’Arthur, The Mabinogion, and The Once and Future King before most other books. I even found Alan Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamen had wonderful allusions to the sleeping once and future King.

My dream showed me a future with huge disparity between the ruling classes and the hoipoloi, or the common peoples.  Even with all the elements of an Arthurian tale, it was still a cautionary tale. How things like the MORDREDS that were developed to help the people became weaponized; how ArtRoi awakens to his responsibilities and becomes the leader of all his peoples; and how his stalwart knights  in KaRoi, BdwrRoi, and all the others became the paladins in this dystopian universe.

But I wanted to tell a different story, one where Arthur isn’t a hero at the start and the world is a very different place. I wanted to see how various factors could influence and change a bleak present into a vivid future.  I went to sleep and tossed all the components I wanted to have in the story, basically an outline of the classic tales of King Arthur, coupled with the pre-Mallory versions that show up in the Welsh stories, and the Roman legends of Artos fighting off the Saxon incursions. Excalibur or Caliburn was an issue, since a sword inside a future tale would be out of place, but I trusted my dreams and by the next morning, I knew how to structure the story.

The names and relationships are derived from all the old tales.  Bedivere or his Welsh name, Bedwyr, was Arthur’s first follower and a known tinkerer.  Kay was Arthur’s seneschal as well as his foster brother and in some cases his best friend. Lancelot DuLac was his friend, Guinevere or Gywnhefer his wife.  They became BdwrRoi, KāRoi, LanDulac, GwenEver.  All were crèche mates and are connected by bonds that transcend time.

ArtRoi’s fate is inextricably linked to the past and the future, and it’s Merl, Art’s enhanced artificially intelligent cyborg, or ayborg, that is the fulcrum that sees the dangers of the now, the possibilities of the future, and the heartbreak of the past.  KaRoi, unlike the ridiculous Disney version, or even White’s Sir Kay, protects and stands beside his brother as a true guardian, or seneschal, does.  Uthur Pendrag is based on myth and legend, as well as reflects the evils of tyranny. The drones, MORDREDS, hearken back to something Arthur created that went wrong.  His biological sister even hides one from him, in the hopes to destroy him as he did their father.

The story was fun to write, and playing with philosophical ideas in the guise of a dystopian future was an excellent mirror into our own age.

Paola K Amaras co-owns Scribes Unlimited, LLC. She is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and has a master’s from the University of Pittsburgh. With her writing partner, Paul Kraly, she co-authored six non-fiction books, has her own first novel, Exiles of Dal Ryeas published, and is working her new series, Shadows in Light: Book One of The Hidden Rims Saga.  She is a blogger for the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paola-k-amaras/,  Her Twitter is Writerswithcats, and you can find her author page at http://www.paolaamaras.com

Guest Post: The Second Coming of Arthur

Tags

Alex Ness, Apocalypse, Christianity, Guest Post, King of Ages

Two weeks ago I had Josh Brown, one of the authors in the King of Ages anthology, contribute a guest post where he discussed the indie author movement in writing and why authors should choose to do what is right for them. Today another author in the same anthology, Alex Ness, is discussing the work that went into his own short story in that collection. Read his story, “Arthurus Rex Tempus, Rex Eternae” and twelve others when you get a copy of King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology. Enjoy!

***

The tales of King Arthur have appealed to me since my earliest memories.  When the publisher of KING OF AGES, Josh Brown presented his theme/concept for the book I immediately turned to the primal templates of Arthur and Merlyn.  Arthur lived with the blood of a brave but iniquitous man, Uther Pendragon in his veins, and was born of a rape of the mother.  Arthur was innocent, despite the perverse origins, and the one to counsel him, and announce him was Merlyn.  Understanding them, as Arthur as King and Merlyn his seer are timeless and turn up through out history, and beyond, I saw them as relating to the iconic theme of John the Baptist, and Christ the King.  However, I also saw them in the future, with Christ returning to earth, in the form of Arthur.  But wherever there is Arthur, there is Merlyn, and wherever Christ appears, he is foretold and announced by John.

 

“I found Him in the shining of the stars,
I marked Him in the flowering of His fields,
But in His ways with men I find Him not.
I waged His wars, and now I pass and die.”

Idylls of the King (1856–1885) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Passing of Arthur

 

Only the setting of an apocalyptically destroyed earth was for me the prime setting for the return of the King.  Not for religious reasons, although I believe, but for the sake of purifying the setting to make the story stark by comparison.  When Arthur was drained from the sins of life, and his court, his land was ruined, when he sipped of the Grail he was renewed, and so, too, was the land.  I have loved the story of Arthur since I was able to read.  Being a poet, a lover of Arthur and his Legend, and a Christian, I sought to tell a story that utilized all of the parts of the works I love.

 

https://www.amazon.com/author/alexness

http://alexnesspoetry.blogspot.com

http://memoirsofalexness.blogspot.com/

http://cargokultmodernday.blogspot.com/

http://catastrophicmemories.blogspot.com/

March Guest Posts

Tags

Book Review, Guest Post, King of Ages, Naming Characters, revision, short story

I had planned on writing about Revising vs. Editing here but, given time constraints and the desire to finish my current short story before the April 2nd deadline, I have instead decided to make this a spot with links to all the guest posts I have written and had published over the course of this month. The first of these actually does deal with Revision, and discusses in passing the difference between revision and editing, so that one will be worth visiting!

As an important note to begin, my first newsletter went out today! Sign up now and I will make sure you get a copy of it in your email. This newsletter contains a short article about authors, a spotlight on an indie author you should be reading, a preview of my short story, “Words Like Rain”, and more!

Improving Your Manuscript Through Revision – posted on 3/21 on Hijinksblog

Naming Characters: Fantasy Edition – posted on 3/21 on Our Write Side

Short Story: The Best Birthday – posted on 3/12 on Our Write Side

Book Review: Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld – posted on 3/13 on Our Write Side

Arthurian Adaptation – posted on 3/20 on Lavinia Collins Author Page

A Space of My Own – posted on 3/3 on T.A. Barron’s blog

And, in case you missed it at the end of February, one of my favorite short stories is up on Sci Phi Journal: “The First Martian Church of God” so be sure to check that one out and let me know your thoughts on it!