New Outlet For Fantasy Writers And Readers

I just stumbled across a really nifty site. It’s called PodCastle and should be opening up for business fairly soon. Basically it bills itself as “the world’s first fantasy audio magazine”.

For readers of fantasy this site will offer “short stories across the spectrum of fantasy from leading authors and new discoveries” – all absolutely free! You’ve got to love that.

For writers of fantasy PodCastle will pay you for your submissions. $20 for what they call Flash Fiction (short stories up to 1,000 words) and $100 for Short Stories (2,000 to 6,000 words). Be sure to check the Submission Guidelines for detailed instructions.

I can’t wait for the launch – this really sounds like a great new venue for those of us who love our magic!

PJacks

Dear Santa,

Uh huh, you read that right. I’m going to take a night and indulge in one of the most heartwarming (and yet oh so hilarious events) I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of. This was the first year that my 4 year old was actually able to understand and “write” his very own letter to Santa. We did the whole bit with the envelope addressed to the North Pole (although I didn’t go completely crazy and pay for that “Dear Santa” letter thing). We got the Dear Santa part down and then my son got this very serious expression on his face.

After a few moments of intense concentration (and no writing) I asked him what he was doing. His answer? “Mother,” (all drawn out, I can’t wait until he’s a teenager *shudder*), “I want to get it right.”

“Get it right?” This from me staring in amazement (and confusion) at this little being who was looking like he had found a genie bottle and was only allowed one wish. I had been expecting a frenzied babbling of every toy he’d seen in every commercial for the last 6 months. “Honey, what would you really like for Santa to bring you?”

And it finally clicked. The slow grin spread across the face. Those beautiful green eyes lit up. And we were off.

“I want a rocket that will take me places like they have on Little Einsteins and I want a dragon that can live in our tree – he’ll be my very best friend. And I want a Power Rangers bike with the dragon and the sounds,” (finally, something I could actually take care of), “and I want a little brother . . . ” (Uh oh) “. . . the same age as me so that we can play baseball and chase together.”

Well by now I have writer’s cramp and a headache from trying to figure out how to get around the ‘little brother’ issue. And then comes the pièce de résistance . . . “and Santa, I want you to make it so my mommy doesn’t have to work so that she’s not tired and she can spend all day playing with me.”

Wow! Number one I don’t think anyone has ever wished that for me before (except for maybe MY mommy) and number two – instant ocean of guilt. Am I too short with my son? Do I not spend enough time with him? I work from home. We do lots of activities together. Do I work too much? Well yeah, probably. But I have a house to take care of and rising costs from every direction.

My little one looked at me and I guess he saw the worry on my face because he grabbed me by the cheeks, planted a kiss, told me he loved me . . . and pointed at the paper because he had thought of some other things he wanted to add! Oh well, one of the few times that a short attention span is actually a good thing.

So now I think I’ll write my own letter to Santa. And I’ll ask for the health of my family and friends, prosperity . . . and a few extra hours a day to spend with the love of my life.

PJacks

What Is A Wendigo?

I’ve spent part of this holiday watching (with glee) seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Charmed (a present from a very sweet family member who always knows exactly what I want/need at any given time – even if I have no clue). I just finished watching the episode where Piper is turned into a Wendigo and I found my curiosity aroused so I pulled out my handy dandy Encyclopedia of Fantasy to look it up. Yes, I have an Encyclopedia of Fantasy (I have the Sci Fi one too) and yes, I’m going to share with you what I read because it was really . . . neat, cool, awesome (well, you get the idea). So here we go:

WENDIGO: In Native American tradition – especially among the Algonquins – an evil spirit. Native Americans believed you could be possessed by a Wendigo and thereby turned into one, a psychosis usually manifested by way of devouring. its main attribute is that it eats people and can transfer that affliction to any it bites – the parallels with European myths concerning Vampires are obvious. The Wendigo has been likened to the call-of-the-wild personified.

Wow! The piece actually goes on for about another five paragraphs but I thought that would be enough to get the gist. Funnily enough the Wendigo is normally portrayed as either a spirit of the wind (no body) or as a giant skeleton of ice. So much for the cute, furry creature that Piper turned into (well okay, if you take away the orange eyes and icky teeth).

I’ve decided that once a week I will pull something from this encyclopedia to write about – that way I’ll get my research time in and you may learn something new and exciting too!

PJacks

Finishing the Golden Compass

Okay, I’ve finished the first book of Phillip Putnam’s Dark Materials trilogy. It was a good story, if a little bleak at the ending, and made me want to read the second book, “The Subtle Knife” now. So I’ve started that one. I have to say I didn’t see a whole lot of religious (or atheist) undertones in the Compass – it was really a good read and I’m sure it will make a great movie. Most of the controversy I’ve read to date seems to echo my opinion that the first book is fine, that it’s in the second book that the undertones start coming out.

I almost wish I had read the books before all of the controversy started (I’ve had them for a while, just haven’t had the luxury of time to get through all of my pending reading). I am finding myself looking too closely for the supposed undertones instead of just relaxing and reading the story. Luckily the Compass was engrossing enough that I lost myself in the story before getting too far into it!

I should finish the second book this weekend, so I’ll have a better idea of what all of the fuss is about!

PJacks

Things I’m Thankful For:

Now that I am gradually coming back out of my turkey-induced stupor, I realized that I had not devoted any time to pondering all of the things that I am thankful for. So I thought I’d do a quick little list that I can look back on through the year when I get stressed or frustrated – I know it’s hard to imagine a writer getting stressed or frustrated, right?

My List:

1) My Family. I can’t imagine life without my family – even when they are being annoying!

2) The health of my family and friends – the good health I should add.

3) Technology – the fact that it allows me to work from home so that I can spend even more time with my family!

4) Coffee – there is nothing like the smell of coffee brewing and a great cup of coffee can make even the worst day better.

5) Imagination – both mine and other’s. Books, movies, songs – I love being able to disappear for a bit into someone else’s world. Although I’m always happy to come back home again after!

I could go on . . . but I think we all get the idea. I hope everyone (who celebrates it anyway) had a wonderful holiday and has their own list of things they are thankful for!

PJacks

Technology: Books and/or E-Books

I’ve read quite a bit about the booming technology industry and the question of whether or not real, paper and print books will disappear. My opinion is that no – they won’t. I love my technology – don’t get me wrong. I even have my PDA set up to where I can download e-books and carry them with me. To be honest I haven’t evolved enough yet to do the audio book thing but I have enjoyed most of the books that I’ve downloaded. They can be found for free all over the internet and it’s a great chance to read other unpublished authors in my same field – to see what’s out there.

Having said that – I still buy at least a book a week. There’s just something about holding the book in your hands and curling up on the couch. I stare at a computer screen all day long (and sometimes all night) and going to bed and staring at yet another electronic screen to read a book just does not sound that relaxing!

On the other hand – I can store 30 or 40 books on my PDA and slip it into my purse. It’s a great way to have something to read while waiting for an appointment or on a trip where you don’t want to be weighed down.

My final opinion is that they both have their place. I enjoy my e-books and all but they will never replace my love for a physical book that I can hold in my hand, dogear a page, and revisit like the old friends they are.

PJacks

Prude Or Crude – Swearing for the sake of swearing

I never really noticed how much foul language there is on television and the radio until I had a child. One that listens carefully and repeats new words back with glee – usually at the most inopportune time possible. Do I swear? Well . . . yeah. I’ll admit to a curse word or two in times of great crisis, pain, frustration, or surprise. Can I string together sentences without swearing? Well . . . yeah. A fact I am actually consciously working on at this point because of afore-mentioned glee of new words.

Then I started writing my Young Adult novel and spent some time listening to teens and pre-teens. I heard a lot of slang which I really don’t want to incorporate into my writing as it changes with the blink of an eye. I heard a lot of swearing. Not in the inebriating and yet terrifying way that I learned to cuss, saying the words seemingly boldly while my eyes scanned for adults. No, what I heard was foul language, without regard for who was around, in the almost bored manner of asking for a refill.

So do I include swear words in my work? I have to admit that if the situation calls for it (and some really do) then there might be a crap or a hell and every now and then there is a damn (but it’s rare). There are no f-bombs or any of the other “really dirty” words. Does it make me a prude? Not at all – everyone’s writing is shaped by their personality in some way or another and this is just something I decided on long ago. Will my target audience want to read my book without a lot of cursing? If the story and the characters are good enough they’ll probably never notice. How many curse words do you remember reading in Harry Potter?

PJacks

Eragon – Trilogy? Cycle?

So where is the 3rd book? I mean I know it felt like I waited forever for the final Harry Potter but it’s been forever and a day for Inheritance. I’ve got the first two books, I’ve got the movie . . . I just read an article that says it’s not the Inheritance Trilogy anymore, it’s the Inheritance Cycle. It looks like Book 3 will be out in September of 2008 – sheesh that’s still a long ways off!

Okay, now that I know that there is one coming I’d like to ponder the movie a bit. There’s no way they will be able to make Eldest into a movie – Eragon just differed too greatly from the book. Quite a few of the major plot points did not make it into the screenplay. I do have to admit that I really liked Jeremy Irons as Brom and Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira. I liked Ed Speleers as Eragon – he’s caught a lot of flak but I enjoyed his performance. I would have liked to have seen a lot more of Chris Egan as Roran. I mean the character has such a large story line in Eragon and then on into Eldest. I think I would have liked the movie more if I hadn’t read the book and didn’t know what all I was missing!

Well, I’ve made my post for today (my instructor didn’t say they had to be brilliant – just that there needed to be a post a day)! *laugh*

PJacks

Controversy Over “The Golden Compass”

Last Christmas I asked my family and friends to buy me books – lots and lots of books. I stacked them in my bookshelf, on the floor, under my desk – anywhere I could find room. Today I found a boxed set I had received from someone – it was Phillip Pullman’s “The Dark Materials” collection. I’ve seen the ads for the movie – looks pretty good. Talked to a friend of mine on the phone and told her what I was going to be reading this weekend. She yelled at me. Told me the books are anti-Christian, Pullman is an Atheist, and I should be ashamed of myself for even reading it. Oooh-kay.

Maybe they are, maybe he is . . . if it’s a good story, I’ll read it. Will it change my beliefs? No. It’s Fantasy – a place where there is magic and wizards and dragons and fairies and we never know where a story will take us.  But we prepare ourselves to enter a world of the unknown where anything is possible and everything is questionable because . . . well . . . it’s Fantasy!!

I’m curious what everyone out there thinks about this whole scenario – good or bad? Have you read the books or not?

PJacks

James Patterson’s – “Maximum Ride” Series

I have to admit I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I have been “researching” (i.e. reading like crazy – sure doesn’t feel like work) books in the Young Adult Fantasy (YAF) section. For a moment I thought I was in the wrong area – James Patterson? I had no idea he wrote YAF stories too. So I bought the book and took it home to read. I had been looking for a book with a lot of action to get a feel for the writing and to look at the structure of the paragraphs (all in an effort to tighten up my own writing – as you can see by reading my posts I can be a bit . . . umm . . . wordy). This book came recommended by my neighbor’s step-daughter (a 14 year old that doesn’t much care for reading but loved this book).

So I took it home. And I read it. And I went back to the bookstore and bought the second one (it’s a trilogy of sorts). And I read it. And then I ordered the 3rd one online that same night (because they didn’t have it at the store). It was really good. Action-packed doesn’t even come close. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many highs and lows, victories, obstacles, heartbreak, and well . . . action in so short a space. It literally left me breathless. While I’m waiting for the 3rd book to come in I’m going to go back through the first one (slowly this time) and really pay attention to what he did and how he did it.

If you like YAF and a lot of action, check out this book. Next on my reading list is Cornelia Funke’s “Inkheart”.