We are all myth-weavers and lore-tellers. Perhaps we tell our children fantastical stories. Perhaps we spend long months and years crafting them into a manuscript. If we aren’t telling or writing them, perhaps we are the listeners or the readers, allowing the stories to come alive through our imaginations. Tolkien argued that fantasy stories in particular evoke a deep wonder and longing in us because these stories bear truth to an underlying reality. He said, “We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true …
Seven Questions with Nadine Brandes
Hi everyone! Today we are excited to have Nadine Brandes with us! Yeah! She’s an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. She writes about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination. Her dystopian trilogy (The Out of Time Series) challenged her to pursue shalom, which is now her favorite word (followed closely by bumbershoot.) When she’s not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, she and her knight-in-shining armor (nickname: “hubby”) are out pursuing adventures. Welcome! 1) What is your favorite part of speculative fiction? The fact that there are no limits! Almost all other genres start in an existing world whether that’s …
Transformation of a Character
By Gillian Bronte Adams Picture Bilbo, if you will, at the start of The Hobbit. Comfortable in his waistcoat and jacket with a pocket handkerchief never far from hand, living in a house decorated with doilies and with pantries (he does, after all, have several) all very well stocked. He dreams of adventure from the warmth of his hearthside but dreaming of adventure is as far as he wants to go. Now picture Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit, toiling up to the Hill after his long journey. His waistcoat and jacket have lost their buttons and fit him …
Seven Questions with Gillian Bronte Adams
Today we have the lovely Gillian Bronte Adams with us! Gillian is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, coffee-loving speculative fiction author from the great state of Texas and the dreamer behind the Songkeeper Chronicles. During the day, she manages the equestrian program at a youth camp. But at night, she kicks off her boots and spurs, pulls out her trusty laptop, and transforms into a novelist. Join me in welcoming Gillian! 1) What is your favorite part of speculative fiction? How true it can be. It seems like the more fantastic a story is, the less readers should be able to relate or actually …
Villains: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Villains: without them, there would be no heroes. But where do villains come from? What causes a person or a being to go down that dark path? And do they realize what they’ve become? I once read that a villain is the hero of his or her own story. I’m not sure if that is true for every villain. After all, some villains know they’re bad and they don’t care. But there are others who think they’re the good guys. I then realized that in the broad scope of things, you could break villains down into three categories: the good, …
Between the Lines: Side Jobs, by Jim Butcher (The Warrior short story)
I don’t have a lot of room in my house for a book stash. That’s why it’s hard for books to find a home there. I don’t keep them unless they’re A) written by friends of mine, or B) ones I know I will re-read. Jim Butcher’s done that. Harry Dresden is a great character, an everyman wizard detective, a guy who saves the day, but usually after great trial and tribulation. He’s far from perfect, but he’s a hero. One of the Dresden volumes I re-read is Side Jobs, a collection of short stories published by Roc in 2011. It’s …
Between the Lines: Side Jobs, by Jim Butcher (The Warrior short story)Read More
Seven Questions with Paul Regnier
Hey everyone! This month we have our very own Paul Regnier for our seven questions interview. Paul is a technology junkie and web designer with a fascination for all things futuristic. He has turned his childhood love of storytelling into a professional pursuit. Please join me in welcoming Paul today! 1) What is your favorite part of speculative fiction? There’s no limits to the imagination. For me, it’s the genre of writing that sets creativity free. You can create your own worlds, language, technology, magic, cultures, transportation, and more. 2) Everyone seems to have a “how I got published” story. …
Between the Lines: Agents of Shield
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived on ABC in 2013, bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to television for the first time since the debut of the Iron Man movie five years earlier. Many viewers—even the diehard fans—agree the first half of Season One was rough, to the point a lot of people stopped watching. Those who stuck with the show have been greatly rewarded. A little background. S.H.I.E.L.D. is an acronym for Strategic Homeland Intervention and Enforcement Logistics Division. It’s been a staple of Marvel Comics for decades, a shadowy spy organization tasked with keeping tabs on superheroes and threats to …
Seven Questions with Ronie Kendig
Today we are excited to have Ronie Kendig with us. You may know her for her rapid-fire fiction and military novels, but she also writes fantasy! Not just that, but the final book in her epic fantasy series, Fierian, came out this week (wahoo!). An Army brat, Ronie Kendig grew up in the classic military family, with her father often TDY and her mother holding down the proverbial fort. Their family moved often, which left Ronie attending six schools by the time she’d entered fourth grade. Her only respite and “friends” during this time were the characters she created. It was no …