It’s Star Wars Day, which times out nicely as my new post schedule is for Saturdays. Although you could be asking why a fantasy writer is talking about a science fiction franchise. I’m talking about it here because Star Wars is most often considered to be Science Fantasy these days, with its Force and other […]
May the Fourth Be With You Read More »
Read them right now, for free. Most casual readers of fantasy presume that J.R.R. Tolkien invented it. Not quite. Fantasy as an element of fiction has been around since history began, in all cultures and eras. The bible itself has fantastical stories, Greek myths are stuffed full of it, even The Arabian Nights tales are
The Original Modern Fantasies. Read More »
Unveiling the Tapestry Real-World History’s Impact on Fantasy Worldbuilding I’m a history nut. I don’t know if every fantasy author is also a history nut, but a love of history must surely become a facet of fantasy authors’ careers the longer they write fantasy. We all pull from history for our worldbuilding, after all. History
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Authors can go to extraordinary lengths to build their fictional worlds. They have travelled the world, and spent decades in research. James Cameron has gone where few men have gone before–in ocean depths that few have ever seen. Based on his research he wrote The Abyss (one of my favourite movies ever) and Titanic. J.R.R. Tolkien invented
Tolkien’s Sources… Read More »
Cory Doctorow is a science fiction writer who is also a political activist, with a lot to say about capitalism, most of it not nice. He does not mince words. Recently, he wrote a long post that is of relevance to both authors and readers. ‘How a billionaire’s mediocre pump-and-dump “book” became a “bestseller“‘ takes
Helping Authors Without Spending A Penny Read More »
I’ve posted a couple of posts lately about urban fantasy versus contemporary fantasy (here and here) and got a ton of emails and messages from all of you, discussing how you see the genres, and what you think they are. All very interesting. I’m a member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association), and
Have you ever read a fantastic book, thought about leaving a review, then decided there was no point? After all, you’re just one voice among millions. No one is going to care what you think about the book. No one would even see any review you wrote. If you’ve ever hesitated about writing a review
Why Everyone Talks About Book Reviews Read More »
Phew! Lots of reactions to my post about Urban Fantasy versus Contemporary Fantasy! Thank you to everyone who responded. There were some interesting answers in there! I found that your responses fell more or less evenly on either side of the question I asked. About half of the responses indicated that all fantasy set in
Where to find Contemporary Fantasy Read More »
The first time I heard the term “cozy epic fantasy”, I blinked, because at first glance, it sounds like a complete contradiction in terms. “Epic” fantasy is all about the scale, with huge stakes; the entire world is often in jeopardy. There are three or four major fantasy species, each with their own convoluted histories,
Cozy Epic Fantasy…say what? Read More »
Among writers, the shades of genre can be passionately argued discussed, as we try to figure out what readers expect from their fiction. And recently, I had one of those discussions about urban fantasy. Actually, it was my fault the discussion took place at all. I asked the fatal question; What IS urban fantasy? I
Urban Fantasy? Or Contemporary Fantasy? You Tell Me. Read More »