Blog Posts

Celtic Fantasy - from Alaska. Interview with author Lela Markham.

11/23/2014

Lela Markham is the author of The Willow Branch, Book One of the Daermad Cycle. The book is available now as an ebook but comes out in paperback on 25th of November (though you might actually be able to get it a bit earlier than that). Follow the links given at the end of the article.

The Willow Branch is the story of a Celtic people who have escaped the Roman occupation of Europe by Druid magic, and have come to live in a land occupied by an Elfish people. The Elvan belief in one true God is not in-line with that of the newcomers. I was lucky enough to read this book as a beta reader and enjoyed every minute of it. The trouble is, now I’m hooked and have to hang out for the next book to come out.

Lela lives in Alaska, anyone who lives in Alaska and writes about Celtic/Christian mythology has got to be an interesting person, so I thought I’d ask her some questions for my BLOG.

Lela, can you tell us about your book, The Willow Branch?

The Celts have been in Daermad (what they call the land they live in) for about a thousand years and they've built up a lovely society on the ruins of the Kin (elven) civilization that had existed there before the Celdryans drove them into the mountains. Needless to say, there are some old animosities between these two races.

There are dark forces at work in Celdrya that destroyed the royal family. I have a thread of the story that occurs in that time 100 years in the past, showing how a vengeful Celtic goddesses and black mages dismantled the kingdom. The main part of the story follows the restoration. Padraig, a part-Kin healer, is tasked with finding the One's True King. He's joined in his quest by Tamys, a soldier with a shadowy past, and (remotely) Ryanna, a Kin woman who is both psychically gifted and physically talented. They are opposed by that same vengeful Celtic goddess and the society of black mages, but they are also unaware of an impending invasion by a more powerful neighbor. If the Kin and the Celdryans don't decide to work together, they're going to regret it.

Because this is a first in the series, I resisted the temptation to tie things up at the end and instead set up cliff-hangers that I hope will have readers as intrigued as you are.

What was your inspiration for writing the book? Have you been writing for a while?

The Daermad Cycle is 22 years in the making, inspired by some research I did when we were naming our daughter an unusual family name. That sent me researching Celtic mythology. I wrote the book following Padraig and Tamys. The local critique group liked it, but most of the writers there at the time were focused on writing Alaskana and they thought a fantasy not based in Alaska was just plain weird. The Willow Branch sort of stayed on my computer without an audience until I discovered Authonomy four years ago and got some actually useful critique from people who write fantasy. Believe or not, the best critique I got was from the chronic troll Absolution/Surtsey Krakatoa, Emily whatsit. I broke a very long book into segments, discovered they weren't adequate as stand-alone stories and that the action didn't start until the third or fourth book. So I went back and brought in the historical thread and more of the bad guys to make a much better book and ultimately a better series.

I think you’ve captured the essence of a feudalistic Celtic society in your book. Where does the Celtic background come from? Did you have to do a lot of research for this?

I did a lot of research into Celtic mythology and Medieval society. The Celtic background has always been an interest of mine – some of my mother's ancestry is Irish. So is my husband's family ... they're REALLY Irish. About 15 years ago, when I was writing the rough-rough draft of the original Willow Branch, I was reading a lot of Morgan Llewellyn and Katharine Kerr, so they definitely influenced the culture depicted in the book. Ultimately, though, the Celdryans left Gaul a thousand years ago, so there has been cultural drift which means, as a writer, I have lots of leeway.

You have a strong Christian ethos amongst the Elven population of The Willow Branch, can you tell us a bit about this?

The Celts left Gaul in the 5th century AD, which was the early Christian era. A few Christians were in that group. The Kin (the elves) believed in a single god they called The One. When they interacted with the Christians, they formed a type of syncretism. Christianity or Belief, call it what you will, the Celdyrans don't like it and it's going to cause problems since the One has sent Padraig to find His king.

I tried to give equal footing to the Celtic religion because I was not seeking to write a strictly “Christian” novel.

Living in Alaska must influence you as a writer. Do we see this in your book?

In The Willow Branch, there are a couple of descriptions that reflect places in Alaska. Later in the series, when there is more action in the province of Denygal, you will see a lot of Alaskan references.

What is life in Alaska like?

In some ways it's just like everywhere else in America. We have electricity and running water, jobs, movie theaters, Netflix. On the surface, we're anywhere American with long, dark winters. But the culture here is different. We tend to be more independent, more willing to do things by ourselves for ourselves. We're outspoken. We debate politics and religion in polite society and it works out okay. We also have two very distinct seasons – summer which has nearly 24 hours of daylight, so we spend it out of doors when we're not working or sleeping (and we don't sleep much) and winter which has two hours of sunlight (about six hours of daylight) and we spend indoors as much as possible. It's the best possible world for a writer because you have all these adventures in the summer and all this time to create in the winter.

Can you tell us anything about the rest of the books in the Daermad series? Are there any other books on the horizon?

I am working on Mirklin Wood, the second book in the series, which will follow the survivors of all those cliff-hangers. The excerpt at the end of The Willow Branch gives you some idea of who that might be. Padraig and Ryanna will continue their search for the True King, Gil will continue his quest to subjugate the people of Daermad and .... well, you'll have to read the other books.

Finally, can you tell us a little about Lela Markham, the author and person?

Lela Markham is a pen name because I didn't enjoy having drunks call me at 3 am when I worked as a reporter under my real name and I promised my husband to protect his privacy. I grew up in Alaska and chose to live here as an adult because it's an adventure just getting to work in the morning and I can't imagine fitting in anywhere else. When I'm not writing, I'm a wife, a mom, an employee, a hiker, a quilter, a Sunday School teacher and kind of an anarchist.

Press Kit https://aurorawatcherak.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/press-kit.pdf

Book Blurb

A healer must mend a fractured kingdom and bring two enemy races together before a greater enemy destroys them both.

Fate took Prince Maryn by surprise,‭ ‬leaving Celdrya to tear itself apart.‭ ‬A century later an army amasses against the warring remains of the kingdom as prophesy sends a half-elven healer on a journey to find the nameless True King.‭ ‬Padraig lacks the power to put the True King on the throne,‭ ‬yet compelled by forces greater than himself,‭ ‬Padraig contends with dark mages,‭ ‬Celtic goddesses,‭ ‬human factions and the ancient animosities of two peoples while seeking a myth.‭ ‬With all that distraction,‭ ‬a man might meet the True King and not recognize him.

The Willow Branch is available on Amazon both in ebook and paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Branch-Book-Daermad-Cycle-ebook/dp/B00OL13YF2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416698911&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Willow+Branch

and Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=The+Willow+Branch

Website https://aurorawatcherak.wordpress.com/

Book Site http://thewillowbranchbookonedaermadcycle.wordpress.com/

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When Life Gives You Troubles, Write! An interview with author, Laura Emmons.

10/26/2014

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Laura Emmons is the author of the “Queen of the Night” trilogy, a series of young adult/fantasy books set in West Virginia (see links below). They’re the story of a young girl Maggie, and her unique magical heritage. The first of the series is “Seeing Magic”, which I’ve read and enjoyed. Laura will also be featured tomorrow in a Morning Rain Blog for a Freaky Flash fiction contest (see the announcement at http://morningrainpublishing.com/freaky-flash-fiction-finalists-2014/ ). Laura's flash fiction story will appear at this link http://morningrainpublishing.com/blog/ sometime this coming week.

Laura, can you tell us about your first book in the series?
The first book, Seeing Magic, is a coming-of-age story. Maggie is thrust into this strange world of magic and Appalachian rural culture against her wishes and has no choice but to make the best of her time there. When the queen of the local fairy contingent casts a spell on her that exposes dormant magical gifts, Maggie has to learn to control them as well as use them to solve a medical mystery plaguing the community. In the end, Maggie accepts her heritage, magical abilities, and responsibilities as a valued member of this secret coven.

What was the inspiration behind it?
I came across an article on Granny Magic several years ago while researching possible eco-tourism sites for my sister, Dia. She is a hospice-care nurse by profession, but has also trained in Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, New Mexico and West Africa as a shamana. She is well-versed in homeopathic remedies and herbal medicine. I wondered what interesting places might exist in our own country for those studying medical anthropology. Granny Magic is a cultural phenomenon unique to the Appalachian region of the U.S., where Scottish immigrants merged Celtic folklore with indigenous Tsalagi (Cherokee) healing methods and herbal medicine. All of the books in this series borrow heavily from the oral traditions of Granny Magic practitioners.

And please tell us a little about yourself? What inspired you to write? Have you always written, or is it a more recent part of your life?
I grew up in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. When you live so close to Hollywood, artistic endeavors and performing arts are just a way of life. I loved music, but have an awful voice. I loved ballet, but have never been athletically inclined. I enjoyed acting, but in LA that’s a cutthroat business even for third graders (eight-year olds), so after witnessing my acting coach take a bribe from a grandmother and then give my part away to the granddaughter, I joined the writing class at the Parks & Recreation Department instead. I found a niche and have enjoyed writing ever since.

The second book in the series (which I’m currently reading) is called “Healing Hands” can you tell us a little about this book?
Healing Hands is a romance in every sense of the word. Maggie is drawn to Evan, a psychic, but their union is forbidden by coven law. Their need to understand why a love that feels so right is considered wrong drives them to uncover a horrible secret: the moon goddess has arranged the untimely deaths of dozens of Maggie’s ancestors in order to prevent a prophesy from coming to pass. In her zeal to stop the prophesy, she inadvertently sets events in motion that make it come true. Maggie and Evan expose the moon goddess as a murderer and convince others to repeal the coven law banning their relationship.

And what of the third in the series?
Saving Daylight is an epic tale of war. Once the moon goddess is exposed, and the prophesy comes true, she declares war on the entire community. Maggie, Evan, and the coven leadership must pull together to defend their home and way of life.

The trilogy is set in the semi-rural backdrop of Berkley Springs. I actually looked this town up after reading the first book because I wanted to know if it’s a real place or not…it is! What enticed you to use this location for the setting of your stories? You seem to know this town very well, do you have ties to it?
Berkeley Springs is located about fifteen miles from where my mother lived for many years, and about thirty miles from where I live now. From the first time I visited I knew there was something unique about the place. Shops on the main road through town feature new-age boutiques, herbal supply stores and a food cooperative. The natural hot springs have always been rumored to heal the sick. The natural landscape is breathtaking. Wiccan practitioners flock to the place, so although I don’t live there myself, how could I not set my story there?

You have a peculiar and at times, quite difficult, writing environment. I know that you’re often up at very odd hours writing away (as I can sometimes tell that you’re on-line at such times) can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
After college I gave up artistic pursuits in lieu of a career in telecommunications, but fate dealt me a serious of unfortunate events which sidelined my corporate career. Within weeks of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001, my son was diagnosed with Autism and my husband was let go from his job. 9-11 had a devastating effect on the telecommunications industry, and within nine months I had also been laid off. Instead of trying to compete with the masses for another corporate position, I chose to open a daycare for children in the autism spectrum out of my home. That worked for three years until my second son was born with Spina Bifida. Between the two of them, the demands of motherhood precluded any attempt at keeping a job or running my own small business, so I became a full-time stay-at-home mom. We also became desperately poor and homeless for about two-and-a-half years. I returned to writing fiction as a way to distract myself from real-life problems, particularly because we didn’t have access to cable television in our campground. My fictional stories were a form of entertainment. Nighttime, after the family is safely asleep, is still my best time to write. My oldest son, Chris, was accepted into a residential school program for developmentally-delayed and behaviorally-challenged kids at the Grafton Institute about a year ago, so I have more time now during the day, but I like the quiet of midnight.

In the second book of your series I think you’ve managed a particularly nice blend of Christian and Celtic lore and beliefs, it seems seamless and quite natural the way you present it. Did you find that difficult to accomplish?
That blend of pagan and Christian beliefs actually feels more natural to me than the fanatic Christian faith which is so prominent in this part of America. I am a confirmed Episcopalian, but also fascinated with the religious beliefs of my ancestors. Part Scottish-American, part Native American, and part Mexican, I have a lot of heritage to choose from. The more I study comparative mythology, the more I realize that there is always a fundamental set of morals which exists in every religion. I try to focus on those common values.

Amongst other things, you’ve managed to provide a fairly good background into herbalism, native beliefs and you seem to have a fairly intimate knowledge of life in West Virginia. Did you have to do much research for this book series?
I have done a great deal of research for these novels, but I’ve also utilized other resources. My sister has reviewed every herbal potion in the books and has verified them for authenticity.

Although the Queen of the Night series is a fantasy series, what are your views on magic? Is there magic in our world?
I certainly hope so, although I’ve not seen it for myself. My ten-year old believes that magic exists. I’d like to believe that there are forces beyond our understanding that balance out good and evil and that some people can tap into those forces.

Are there any other books on the horizon? What can we expect from Laura Emmons in the near future?
I plan to release Saving Daylight early in 2015. I’m also finishing up my first YA murder mystery tentatively titled The Pitbull Plaything. I’ll post to my blog as often as possible. Plus, my first real publishing credit will debut during Halloween week when Morning Rain Publishing will feature my flash fiction horror story, “Strange Donation” on their blog. Lastly, I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month which starts on November 1st. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. I’ll be writing a fourth book set in my fictional Queen of the Night universe. The story will focus on Maggie’s little brother, Corey, who is unhappy and unlucky after the third book in the trilogy. I felt bad about leaving him like that, so hopefully I’ll be able to write him a happy ending next month. Is it wrong that I talk about my characters as if they’re real people? Hmmm… Thanks for taking the time to interview me. This was fun! Here are links to follow my progress:

“Strange Donation” will be available sometime between October 27 and October 31 at http://morningrainpublishing.com/blog/.

My weekly blog can be found at http://lauraewrites.blogspot.com/. Find SEEING MAGIC at http://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Magic-Queen-Night-Book-ebook/dp/B00NHRIOYC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414041753&sr=1-1&keywords=Seeing+Magic/.

Find HEALING HANDS at http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Hands-Queen-Night-Book-ebook/dp/B00NIXZO98/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414041839&sr=1-6&keywords=Healing+Hands/. Follow my novels on Facebook at http://www,facebook.com/seeingmagic/ OR http://www.facebook.com/lauraewrites/.

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The Pixie Express, Sunday, 31st of August 2014

8/31/2014

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All over Europe the taps are being turned off! Pixie communities from Croatia to Wales, from Poland to France have joined the small Pixie Kingdom of Just Outside Kiel in refusing to steal any more Russian oil or gas. In what is being heralded as a uniting force behind European Pixiedom the boycott has become an impetus for bringing together disparate and far flung communities . Talk of a European pixie parliament briefly arose, though the idea seems to have been immediately discarded because of the failed human example.

Having ‘borrowed’ a human cell phone and doctored the internals so that it no longer registers for billing (we’ll leave it like that when we return it) we were able to contact the Just Outside Kiel monarch, Henri the 37th, for an exclusive interview. King Henri is the originator of the protest against the Russian leader, Puddle Duck, and is attributed with great leadership in uniting the pixie for this cause.

“King Henri, what inspired you to start the ‘we won’t take any more Russian oil or gas’ movement?”

“Well, totally nameless Pixie Express interviewer, our pixie village is across from a human house with a nice little window where we can see a human television set. We were watching the BBC when we heard about the Russian leader, Puddle Duck, being mean to people. We thought that that wasn’t very nice, and wondered what we could do about it. The only thing Russian around here is the Russian oil and gas that we used to steal to light and warm our pixie village. So in protest we decided to stop that immediately.”

“But what do you do now instead? Isn’t this a great hardship on your people?”

“Not so much, it’s still summer here, the nights are getting a bit cool, but we are finding other human power supplies that we can steal from in preparation for winter. We were able to ‘acquire’ a hoard of diesel petroleum from an American frigate before it sailed away. That should do us for many months. Being near a seaport many non-Russian vessels frequent here, so we have decided to only steal from those. The Pixie Kingdom of Just Outside Kiel will manage our way through.”

“Our Pixie tabulators have calculated the financial impact of the European Pixie boycott on Russia,” King Henri volunteered, “our estimates are that the combined effect of all the pixies in Europe no longer stealing Russian oil or gas is 197.23 Euro per month!”

“That sounds like a substantial amount!”

“Yes indeed! Per month, mind you, it adds up. We believe the Russians will stand up and take notice of the Pixie protest.”

In other news, when informed of the Pixie boycott and its estimated impact, the British Prime Minister’s reaction was: ”What?”.

The U.S. President, Banana, was even more taken aback, his reaction was “You’re kidding, right?”

Most interesting has been the Russian leader, Puddle Duck’s reaction to the embargo. Puddle Duck had remained silent on the issue until now. When this reporter had bypassed Russian security pigbacking the cell phone carrier wave on a Siberian emergency line to the Kremlin, the Russian leader’s reaction, in an exclusive interview, was “Vhat?” before my illegal tap was found by post-KGB secret police and terminated.

Further developments on the pixienet will be reported here as they happen.

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The Pixie Express! 30th of August 2014

8/30/2014

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In a move which is bound to lead the rest of Europe, the Western Pixie Kingdom of Just Outside Kiel have announced their refusal to steal any further oil or gas from Russian pipelines. The small pixie kingdom has relied on stolen oil and gas reserves since 1992 for heating and lighting their pixie village. But no more! The illegal taps have been shut down at the order of their Pixie King, Henri the 37th.

We’ve received third hand fairly recent quotations, possibly even accurate, from the Just Outside of Kiel monarch. Where are they now? I think I wrote them down on some bubble gum paper. Ah, here they are:

“We’ve heard that the Russian leader, Puddle Duck, has been mean to people and a bit of a bully, so we won’t be stealing his oil anymore.” King Henry is reported to have said.

Further reports just in from the Just Outside of Kiel, Clever Technical Stuff Working Group, tell of moves to tap the reserves of a US military frigate docked not far from the pixie village, thus eliminating any future dependence on Russian produced hydrocarbons.

“We just have to find a really, really long hose in case the ship decides to sail off somewhere.” Head of the Clever Technical Stuff Working Group, pixie Longthought, offered.

In moves which mirror the initiative of the Just Outside of Kiel Kingdom, French Pixie groups have quickly moved to follow suit and have also turned off the taps refusing further theft.

“We are going nucléaire, and stealing from our local French power plant instead. We will not be out done by the German Pixie.” One source is reported to have said.

Elsewhere in Europe solar and wind plants are being tapped for their energy. The Welsh pixie have apparently returned to burning coal in the short term. “We don’t even need to steal it, it’s just lying around on the ground.”

Meanwhile Russian Pixie groups remain glum and despondent with no comment forthcoming. Neither has any reply been made by the Russian leader, Puddle Duck, regarding the Western Pixie actions.

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How much access to books do we have?

8/24/2014

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As book stores grow rarer the printed word seems to be disappearing. So looking towards a brave new future, how much access will we and our children have to books? Are e-books the new environmentally friendly replacement? The easiest stats to find are for America, apparently a surprisingly large number of people there own e-readers. In 2014 32% of Americans had an e-reader. 42% had tablets that could be used as e-readers. Some smart phones can also be used as e-readers, and of course laptops can be used as well. But despite the availability of e-readers only 28% of Americans 18 years or older will read an e-book this year (see http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/01/16/e-reading-rises-as-device-ownership-jumps/ ).

There seems to have been a massive investment in reading devices, or e-reading capable devices, but where are the readers? Are we falling short in ensuring that our children read? Are tablets only used for games, on-line television and u-tube? Or are people slowly preparing for a change to an unfamiliar new world. Apparently many of those who bought e-reading devices were still reading printed books.

I don't know, it's all a bit hard really. Maybe many others feel this way. But hey, kids are faster than adults at adopting new technology, so even if you're still hooked on paper books, don't forget your kids when it comes to encouraging their reading. You've made the capital investment, e-books are a very small step in terms of cost. Maybe they could do with a few e-books as well as all those computer and tablet games. If you've bought an e-reader and you haven't yet started using it yourself, lend it to your ten year old. Oh, and buy the Fairly Stillwart Chronicles, while you're at it.

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What are the great issues for writers today?

8/5/2014

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Authors, such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, even George Orwell with 1984 (yuck) were authors with great social problems that they fearlessly grappled with. Slavery, poverty, social indifference and subjugation. But today, I have to ask, what are the social problems that we as authors have to contend with?

My first thought is bullying, as it's something I’ve written about, and because it's a great problem for young people in many places, but I only have to look at the book Tom Brown’s School Days, the 1859 novel by Thomas Hughes, to know that it is not a new social problem.

Is it still slavery? What slavery? Slavery was abolished years ago. But what of sexual slavery, and the slavery of under classes in third world countries, working in subsistence conditions to produce western goods.

I have to ask, what in the world has really changed? The problems of almost two hundred years ago still exist today, though we hide them all the better in places further afield, or in sweat shops that we still ignore.

To me, the social conscience is changing, but never changing. The ills of the world move position, they hide for a while until they are uncovered again, but they are still around, just shifted to somewhere new. The London slums of Charles Dickens still exist in the slums of Asia, Africa and the Americas. The slavery of Mark Twain, still exists in sweat shops and sex houses on almost every continent, and in almost every developed and under-developed country in the world.

As present day authors, we still have a challenge, and always will, to alert the world to what is wrong; what can be better; how we can improve the human condition. I look back at my own writing and see that I have done so almost unconsciously. It’s simply part of my being to write what I think. I look at internet threads by other authors, and see their outrage… then they write about it.

Cheers to you all. Write angry words; write words of your experience, never fear to say that something is wrong, though we have all suffered from saying so. Write what your heart tells you, my brothers and sisters - wherever you are.

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The Rise of Fat Mogul: an Interview with Adam Oster.

8/3/2014

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So I promised Adam Oster that I’d help blog his new book, The Rise of Fat Mogul, the second book in the Buddy Hero series. Well, I had to do it: Adam almost died because of me. There was some chain bloggy thing, and if I’d broken the chain, well, poor Adam… As it was I was two weeks late getting it on the internet (not my fault, I hadn’t done it before… well, maybe it was). He might have snuffed it while waiting for me!

Anyway, I actually like Adam’s first book, The Legend of Buddy Hero, so I’m glad he didn’t die, and that he’s survived long enough to write the second book. I read some excerpts of the first Buddy Hero some time ago, and I’ve since been reading the full version at home. It’s a terrific superhero story, following the great tradition of American superhero literature! Except that Buddy Hero is a bit of a slob, just like me!

Now I guess I should ask Adam some questions, it’s in keeping with bloggering.

So I sent him some questions on facebook. Waiting, waiting, waiting, it’s been almost 30 seconds now and …no reply.

I guess there was a delayed reaction in regards the late posting of that chain blog. Adam is gone. I thought that since he’d survived up to when I posted it that he’d be good, but chain bloggs are unforgiving, they can get you when you least expect it. I myself have broken several of these and know that my time is limited. Yep, I’ll be dropping off the twig in the next sixty years. I may not make it to 111, or even 100. I was hoping for a letter from the Queen too. Let’s see, she’ll be… ooo… 140 something or other when I’m 100. So she’ll be good, I probably won’t. Maybe she’ll send me a letter when she turns 100. I can only hope.

Oh, look he’s replied. That was almost two minutes! Apparently he was driving back from the pool, but he’s stopped and got his wife to drive so he could text. This is almost live!

Question: Are you glad you didn’t die while waiting for me to do that chain bloggy thing?

Answer: I actually died more than a little while waiting, but since I don't have any major addictions, I figure it just gets me closer to true author hood.

Question: One of your less than erudite fans was crittering the "Legend of Buddy Hero" saying that there wasn't a good explanation of how the Fat Mogul got to where he was. Should he/she be buying the second book?

Answer: Book two does give a lot more back story, but not all answers will be revealed. One of the points of the series is to go along with Buddy as he learns the history.

I should explain that answer, Buddy’s mind was wiped of all his memory in the first book, so he’s rediscovering himself. It’s not a hippy thing.

Question: Now be honest, Buddy Hero, Buddy Holly… are you a fan?

You know, the name Buddy Hero was a silly thing I came up with ages before I even considered writing a book about superheroes. Kind of inspired by "buddy Christ" of dogma fame. But yeah, took me a while before I didn't think of Holly whenever the name came up.

I actually didn’t understand that answer either.

Question: Why Sun city?

Answer: I actually had a difficult time coming up with a city for Buddy to live in. I didn't want him to be constrained by the reality of any city, but live in a Gotham /metropolis type of deal. Sun City is actually a fairly common city name in the states and I liked the rather optimistic outlook it gives. Seems like the perfect name for a super hero to live in.

Question: Will you be playing roulette with chain blog again? Or can we expect a third book in the series?

Answer: Basically, if I get tagged I usually do it. They're dumb and no one actually reads them, but I don't want to appear as though I don't play well with others. And yes, “The Return of Kid Zero” is the third book and I'm really excited for where that book will take the series, as will most folks who have read book 2. I don't really have a plan to end this series. I like to think of it as a comic book without the pictures (as one of my detractors has mentioned as well) I've got tons of stories to tell about Buddy and company.

There you go, Buddy Hero, that middle American, beer drinking dude, living in that ordinary Sun City – could be anyone of us really, well maybe not me because I’m living in Canada, but hey! I like beer too. Yep, it’s my hope that having thrown some giant creature northward from the borders of America, that I’ll be in a bar somewhere as Buddy comes in the door to buy a round for all us Canucks to apologise for the destruction of Toronto. No actual loss there, but I’ll be looking forward to introducing Buddy to Richard’s Red or Molsen’s Canadian.

I also look forward to reading some more of Buddy’s adventures, I’m off to get my copy of “The Rise of Fat Mogul”. This is from the dust jacket:

"Saving the world doesn’t mean squat if no one knows it was ever in trouble.

Buddy Hero and The New Defenders may have defeated the villainous Dominion and saved the world from ultimate destruction, but thanks to another worldwide redaction, no one knows. So when a familiar face reappears and claims to be the head of the Meta Human Defense Team, the heroic team finds themselves facing the ultimate decision.

The New Defenders find danger coming at them from all sides as they face off against yet another world-threatening calamity, all in full view of the Sun City Comic Convention and the Real Life Superheroes.

Now if only they could come up with a way to pay the rent."

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An Excerpt From the First Fairly Stillwart Chronicle: Bullied in School

7/30/2014

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Being a lone pixie among fairies, poor Stillwart wasn't always accepted by the fairy children. She was bullied because she was a different, but she was a strong little thing, she fought hard to make a place for herself in the fairy realm of the Great Southland. This is part of her story, though to find out how she faired you'd have to read the chronicles themselves:

Chapter 2: Fairly School

“No!”

“Come now, Still. You have to go to fairy school.”

“No, I’m not a fairy.” She stomped her foot and pursed her lips, head sternly turned down, with eyes to her feet. Her arms were crossed in that strange way that only Still could do. No fairy ever crossed their arms, except when holding a grain.

I didn’t say anything to Fiona. It wasn’t my place. Appleblossom was actually bouncing with excitement. I couldn’t understand Still at all. She had always been this way. Fairies didn’t get angry, nor were they ever that willful. She was stubborn and actually rude. It had been like this almost from the start. She was nothing like Appleblossom. Apple was all smiles and was never angry at anything.

“Come on, Still; it’ll be fun! I want to go to school,” Appleblossom coaxed.

“Fairy school. I’m not a fairy.”

“No, Still, you’re not. But I’ll have a talk to Mr. Scribe to see if it can be a fairy-pixie school,” said Fiona.

Still’s eyes came away from the floor. “Really?” she asked.

“Really,” Fiona replied.

Her arms came away to her sides, the pursed lips were gone. “Really.” She smiled.

“Really.” Fiona smiled back.

Still leaned forward and hugged Fiona’s legs. It was enough. I could see the love, but, oh my sister, how patient she was. I could never have done it. Still would have been too much for me.

***

Mr. Scribe later told me how everything had gone so wrong for Still’s first school day. It had been the fairy children who had given Still the name Wart: Stillwart.

It had something to do with Still’s ability to fly. You see, the other children couldn’t, not at that age. Their wings weren’t ready. When she had appeared in class, they had all gotten a bit excited and a bit too close. Too many fairies, all crowding in on her at once, trying to see the pixie child they had all heard about. Still didn’t like it, and with only one direction to go – up – then up was where she went. It had caused a major disruption.

“She can fly!”

“Her wings are ready.”

”But they’re green… brown, arrh.”

“Arrhh, arrhh.”

“She’s so ugly.”

“Sit down children. Sit down please,” Mr. Scribe had cried.

“She looks like a giant wart.”

“Her name must be Wart.”

“She’s a wart. Hey, Wart.”

“My name’s Still,” the little pixie objected.

“Stillwart! Stillwart! Stillwart!” the children cried. Mr. Scribe had never seen anything like it. He had tried to stop them, but he hadn’t been able to. He had never seen fairy children behave so badly in all his life.

Still had simply fled, tears streaming down her face. She had flown as far from the fairy school as she could: through the trees, through the brush, faster and faster. Many years later, she had told us what happened to her. Still had been gone for days. The whole fairy realm had been searching for her. She had masked herself from us so we couldn’t feel her with magic; she didn’t want to be found.

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We are two turns of a leaf.

7/27/2014

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“We are two turns of a leaf: one dark but strong; one light but happy. Both turns of the leaf are needed” Nightwood the Pixie Knight, the Second Fairly Stillwart Chronicle.

I wrote the above quotation to describe the relation between pixies and fairies in the Fairly Stillwart Chronicles. But the truth is that it’s actually based on people. I was recently reminded of this when I posted a picture of a local cemetery, which for a couple of weeks every year blooms pretty in pink. I found it a beautiful and uplifting image and thought others might find the same. However, I had underestimated people’s inherent repulsion of cemeteries and anything relating to death. The posting had the worst interaction of any posting I’d had for a long time. I think there was only one other dark soul who saw the beauty I did.

“Fairy’s are glittery, golden and happy.” I’ve met many people like this. Perhaps we all have. They always have a smile, and it’s often contagious, it can lift your day just being with them. I’m not one of those golden souls myself. I have a darker tinge. It is the rare person who is glittery and golden, but also strong.

In my other book, An Eagles Heart I have a character who can’t handle his wife’s cancer. So he leaves. In the sequel he’ll feature again, it’s good to have a character evolve a bit, because we all do. Having had cancer myself I found that many of my friends stayed away for a while when I was being treated. They didn’t want to be depressed. Some came back when I’d recovered, some never did, as though I was somehow tainted with memories they found too depressing to handle. I can’t judge anyone for this, everyone is different. I was glad when a few of my glittery friends returned. But I was also glad of my darker and stronger friends, who hung around when things weren’t so nice. Thank heavens too for a wife who had been a nurse, and has that mix of glittery and golden but with strength when needed.

Some of us darker souls must be puzzles to our fellows, and yet with all the movies and books about vampires and zombies you’d think not. But those aren’t real - they’re fiction. Apparently a picture of a cemetery is a bit more than most can handle. It’s the difference between the imagined and the real. And it’s no coincidence that vampire and zombie movies appeal to the young. When we’re younger some of those imaginings blur, but as you grow older, and your friends start to pass away, I think some would rather not know. Their own mortality comes into question. Zombie’s and vampires are put aside, as the reality of what death really means takes hold. We change.

But for some of us a cemetery doesn’t hold any ill feeling. I find such places are often very green, quiet and relaxing. I’ve always felt that my life gave me more than expected, so when I found I had cancer (and before we found out it was a very treatable one) I didn’t feel any fear, or any sense of denial. I think there are meant to be five stages of emotion for those facing death, I went immediately to ‘acceptance’. I think many people found this strange, but it’s just the way I am. There’s a very good book by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross about the stages of grief and the preparation that we go through, for those who are interested.

The lighter souls bring us all a bit of happiness, and bring a smile to our faces. I think we darker souls have our place in the world too. In earlier times when extended families lived together, and life was a bit shorter than it is now, everyone was exposed to death, very few could escape having experienced first hand the death of someone they loved. We darker souls were probably more plentiful then. Nowadays, we live longer, and we’re further afield from each other. It’s a lot easier to be glittery and golden and avoid all that depressing death stuff. Perhaps us darker souls are there so that when the time does come, not just for death but for other tragedy too, there are a few of us to help and support when needed.

The world is made of all sorts of people, some glittery and golden, some dark but strong. I think that both turns of the leaf are needed. Oh, and I still like vampire books, sometimes zombie ones too.

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I'm not too grumpy, and a preview of the 4th Stillwart Chronicle "Tory Blithe and the St John's Pixie"

7/19/2014

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So I've been accused of being a bit grumpy. But am I too grumpy to be a writer? Bollocks, of course I'm not. No emotion is too coarse, too trivial, or too demeaning for a writer to use, though we work it to a style appropriate to the audience. Of course I'm grumpy. I'm the king of grumpiness. I'm a lot of other things too. But my grumpiness is a tool I can use. So here it is, an example of Grumpy at work, an excerpt from the start of the Fourth Fairly Stillwart Chronicle (Tory Blithe and the St John's Pixie). No Character is as grumpy as the character Muckrake the Elder. So read it, enjoy it, and go buy the other ones. There's a link if you click the picture below.

They'll probably edit out all the good grumpiness, the final version will probably have lost grump. So here it is unedited and uncut!!!