May 15, 2019 | Allegory in fantasy, Book five, New releases, Philosophy, The Sixth Strand, Themes |
As I write this, one of my daughters is blasting a symphonic version of “The Amazing Spiderman” from her room upstairs. It makes me very proud, both as a musician and a fantasy fan. You try to educate your children in life areas of critical importance—Star Wars, LOTR,...
Oct 19, 2015 | Book Three, Cephrael's Hand, Character Development, fantasy, Kingdom Blades, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, Sexuality, The Dagger of Adendigaeth, Themes |
Some of you have written in asking me about the presentation and treatment of homosexuality in my novels. You pointed out that the majority of incidents involving homosexual characters portray those characters as being evil. You indicated to me that in presenting...
Jun 23, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Artists, Imagination & Creativity, Integrity, Philosophy, writing |
Most people think of the word integrity as ‘adherence to moral and ethical principles,’ but there is another definition equally important to understanding the word: ‘the state of being whole, entire or undiminished.’ The two meanings of integrity are integral to each...
Jun 5, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Book Three, fantasy, Fantasy tropes, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, Series mythology |
Destiny versus choice, fate versus free will—these are core concepts in fantasy. Whether addressed indirectly (“You were born to save the world”) or as a subject of the character’s growth (“Accept this role and take up your sword”), the concepts often form the woof...
Apr 21, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Character Development, fantasy, Kingdom Blades, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, Story Concepts |
A reader wrote in to me recently and mentioned that while she didn’t have the same visceral reaction to a particular scene (no spoilers) as many other readers had, she didn’t like that one of the characters had to use sex as part of the resolution of the...
Feb 16, 2015 | Author-Reader interaction, Book Three, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, reading, Reviews, Social Media, Story Concepts, writing |
This new age of social media makes it easier than ever for readers and writers to interact. Whether via reviews posted online, comments on a blog, forum discussions, Facebook or twitter, authors now have the opportunity to engage with their readers via multiple direct...
