10 ways reading creates a sharper brain – Guest Post by, Evie Harrison…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

I remember the first time I read Jane Austin; it was the first of a long list of novels, memoirs and biographies that showed me how to unwind from the woes of this world. For me, like for many others, the combination of duty, desire and destiny that govern our lives seemed to simply fade away and my mind became free to explore its creative potential when it was just me and my latest pick.

With each finished book, I felt an amplification in my mental vigour in one way or another and found myself much more prepared to take on the challenges of the world. So, I recently decided to understand what happens in the brain when a person reads.

Not surprisingly, I found that reading enriches the brain. However, the intricacy and meticulousness with which this improvement occurs was baffling. Research confirms that reading does more than add…

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Outline Poking: Monster vs Monster vs . . . Monster?

Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah

So, I have less time for stuff than I expected, which has led to me thinking in circles on Raven’s Wrath.  For those who don’t know, this is the October story series I’ve been doing for the last 3 years and will complete next year.  Horror isn’t my wheelhouse, so I’m never sure what I’m doing here.  Just been going along with what feels right, which is why the following has happened:

  1. Raven’s Hold– Supernatural, psychological thriller attempt
  2. Raven’s Game– Serial killer supernatural thriller attempt
  3. Raven’s Dawn– Cult college supernatural attempt

This leaves me with Raven’s Wrath, which has a character from the first book returning with the same reality-bending powers as Dawn Addison.  I don’t think it would work to have them battling for all 13 chapters/31 sections.  So, I’ve been looking at Freddy vs Jason and Godzilla movies for ideas.  Nothing has happened, but I think part of it is because I’m leaning toward a strange move in this series.  It brings me closer to my comfort zone, so I figured I’ll pose it here and see what people think:

The idea is that Dawn is split in her first encounter with Ian.  You have insane Dawn on the rampage and sane Dawn, who is the one that the story follows.  She’s heading for a rumored haven in the hopes of getting away from her other self and Ian, so she travels with people.  The battling reality warpers have twisted the world, so it would be a journey through deadly terrains.  Unlike the previous stories, it won’t take place in one location and the killing scenes might be mass attacks or something else.  Probably some bizarre meetings with distorted denizens. It’s very different from the previous stories, which makes me wonder if it works.

So, what do people think?  Does it make sense to end this horror series with an adventure type story?

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Sari Answers Your Questions

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

On October 16th, I made a post asking for questions that Sari can answer.  This is to help kick off the hype and final march towards Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age.  Let’s start.

L. Marie asked: How do you keep your positive outlook when you face so many dangers?

Because being negative will get you killed.  I might be more open about it than most adventurers, but you really can’t go into these situations thinking you’re going to die.  Even when you’re relaxing, it’s healthier to enjoy life and not let the stress consume you.  By being more out there with my feelings, I help the others relax too.  Somebody needs to do it, especially when things get more serious and dangerous.  Won’t say that I don’t have my moments of pessimism though.  Very few people are devoid of negativity, so you have to simply drown the bad with more good.

Victoria Zigler asked: Of all the customs and traditions of your clan, which was your favourite and the one you miss the most since losing them?

I never really had a favorite because I loved all of the singing, dancing, rites of passage, and everything else that was part of my life.  To be fair, I never got to experience any of the customs and traditions that deal with parenthood, which would be the top of the list for things I miss.  Not sure if they count though.  Out of the ones I was involved in, I would say the weekly feasts where we played games, told stories, and forgot all of our cares until morning.  This would be when people renewed vows, differences were settled, and we talked about being a family.  The champions relax like this at times, but it isn’t the same and I feel like I’m the one running the show.  Since we’re all from different cultures and backgrounds, the meaning behind our celebrations tends to be varied.

Colin Noel-Johnson asked: Of all your companions over your journey, which one would you most like to share a drink with in twenty years? Do you ever regret not robbing someone? If you could have swapped a skill with one of your companions, which one would you have chosen?

  1. Whoever is still talking me.  Seriously, I don’t plan on losing contact with anyone, so I’d much rather a big party where everyone is there.  We’ll be different people by then, but not enough that we’d be strangers.  I’m kind of like Nyxie in that I see all of us as a big clan.  Although, I guess if I had to pick one person it would be whoever dies fighting the Baron.  There is that whole ‘someone will perish’ warning that Gabriel gave us that we’ve all been thinking about.
  2. Tend to hear the opposite question, but I can’t think of anyone.  I really only do it when I need money . . . or I’m bored . . . or the person makes me mad . . . or I want to show off for someone.  My point is that I always have a reason for stealing and there are plenty of people that I haven’t taken money from.  If it happens then it happens as far as I’m concerned.
  3. I’m a tough one to ask that of because I have so many abilities.  Think the others would love to swap with me, which sounds dirtier out loud than it did in my head.  Honestly, I can’t think of any other powers that would suit my methods.  Maybe Fizzle’s invisibility spell since that’s a lot stronger than my own.  He can turn it on and off without any effort while I have to do all the hand gestures.  It might take the fun out of heists, but I’d only use it when in emergencies.

Chris the Story Reading Ape asked: Who do you consider your greatest rival and why?

Aside from any guards who might try to arrest me? That probably doesn’t count since being a champion has taken the fun out of stealing.  I never really had a sinister rival like some of the others.  Guess it would have to be Kira Grasdon since we were both going after Luke, but that’s kind of awkward.  The whole open relationship thing caused a whole mess that we have to get over.  She had him first and I pushed too far and he went along with it without complaint and then we all had to accept that we were acting like children.  I will say that Kira helped me realize more about myself when we were competing with each other.  I still like to take a few digs at her too.

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A Perfect 10 with Ritu Bhathal

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

Today, I have the distinct pleasure of featuring Ritu Bhathal on this edition of A Perfect 10. Ritu is a respected blogger and author and I’m glad she stopped by to tell us more about herself.

Please enjoy this special installment of A Perfect 10

If you want to check out past interviews, you can find them in the following links:

A.C. Flory, Steve Boseley, Kayla Matt, Mae Clair, Jill Sammut, Deanna Kahler, Dawn Reno Langley, John Howell, Elaine Cougler, Jan Sikes, Nancy Bell, Nick Davis, Kathleen Lopez, Susan Thatcher, Charles Yallowitz, Armand Rosamilia, Tracey Pagana, Anna Dobritt, Karen Oberlaender, Deby Fredericks, Teri Polen, Darlene Foster, Robert Rayner, C.C. Naughton, Sherry Rentshler, Linda Bradley, Luna St. Clair, Joan Hall, Staci Troilo, 

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Nyx Answers Your Questions

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

On October 9th, I made a post asking for questions that Nyx can answer.  This is to help kick off the hype and final march towards Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age.  Let’s start.

Victoria Zigler asked: Do you remember the day you learned of your destiny, and how you learned it?

It was my fifth birthday and my adoptive parents waited until after the party. I was still tired from everything, but they saw I kept using an energizing spell on myself to avoid falling asleep. They sat me down in the library and told me about Baron Kernaghan, which I first heard as this great darkness.  As the conversation continued, I began hearing his name and that was the final piece of the puzzle.  They told me I was destined to fight against him when he tries to return, which I’m learning isn’t as simple as it sounds.  Not the fighting, but the situation.  After that, I focused a lot more on my magic training and other studies while my etiquette lessons came secondary.  Willow really wasn’t happy about that.

Colin Noel-Johnson asked: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you could change into a member of any race, which one would you choose? If you could relive your life in another profession, what would you be instead of a caster?

  1.  It might come off as cliche, but I really love chocolate.  Sadly, I don’t have it as much as I used to since I started adventuring.  Not sure how they do it in your world, but Windemere has a lot of varieties that have special effects on the body.  My favorites are the kinds that give you an energy boost, which helped me get through late-night study sessions.  It’s tastier and has less of a crash than if I used my magic.  Although, it can build up if you overdo it and then you end up sleeping for an entire weekend.
  2. Not really sure I would since I’m a half-elf.  I’ve never really felt connected to one race or the other, which goes for a lot of my kind.  Maybe I would want to be a calico for the tail and ear tufts?  I like cats, so that could work.
  3. Bartender.  It appeals to my interest in creating things, I like being in a tavern, and it would be nice to watch a bar fight instead of getting into one.  Not sure I would want to own a business though.  That doesn’t really appeal to me since it’s a lot of responsibility and I’m still mastering the art of finances.  You really don’t have to worry about budgeting when you’re wandering the land.  Then again, I’d probably learn about it if that was my life.

Nicholas Rossis asked: With your destiny preordained, do you ever feel you’re not really free? Would you choose your path all over again if you were free to reject it, or would you follow a different one?

Windemere isn’t like your world where free will rules all.  So, all of us feel the pull of some destiny, but it just happens that I’m more in its thrall than most.  For most of my life, I never really considered my freedom and was proud of being chosen for such a role.  That’s why I worked so hard to excel in magic and toughen myself up for fighting.  It did change when I finally left Gaia.  No matter how much a person prepares for destiny, they can’t be ready for the real world’s cruelty.  Losing friends and seeing destruction on such a scale as I have makes me feel like I’m a pawn.  I can be hurt and tormented, but Gabriel would never let me die, which could be a blessing and a curse.  Makes it difficult to plan a future as well because I either think I’m destined to continue losing people or my life ends in the final battle.  I mean, why bother keeping a weapon around once it’s done what it was designed to do?

Now, would I choose my path again if I could reject it?  While I might do things differently, I don’t think I would step away.  Being destined is a major part of what I am, regardless of it being a source of pain or not.  Not to mention, somebody else would be put in my place if I walked away.  If this person isn’t up to the task then the Baron wins and Windemere suffers, which means I would be draw into a fight whether I like it or not.  Somebody with my level of power doesn’t really have the luxury of bowing out of grand events.

L. Marie asked: What, if anything, is your biggest regret?

I so want to say I have none because everything happens for a reason, but there’s one that keeps coming back to my mind.  The time I lost control in Hero’s Gate.  At the time, I didn’t know the full range of my magic, but that isn’t an excuse.  I flipped out when cornered and wiped out hundreds of lives in seconds.  Not to mention getting the gods to worry about me being too dangerous, the nightmares afterwards, losing my magic for a while because of the trauma, and practically cursing the city.  Guess that one is a fairly big regret.  On the plus side, I fixed it when I got back.

The Story Reading Ape asked: Apart from Luke – who else would you consider a close friend and why?

That’s a tough one because I look at the other champions as my family.  Having grown up without siblings and knowing I was adopted, I always wanted a big family.  It started with me calling Luke my little brother and then Sari was my little sister.  Then we got Timoran as my big brother, Dariana as my big sister, and Delvin . . . Well, we know what happened there. Never had a nickname for Fizzle since he’s so much older and he never really cared if he had one or not.  Feels kind of wrong to single out one other person.  All of us have been through so much together that my bond to all of them is equally as strong and important to me.

Deby Fredericks asked: Which of your enemies has made you fight the hardest for victory?

Hard to decide between two of them.  Stephen Kernaghan scared me the most and made me fight really hard.  Yet, he tended to be a group effort and I never had any success facing him on my own.  Can’t think of anyone who did.  If we’re going for fights that I won and pushed my limits for, Queen Trinity would be the one.  Both of us are channelers and have been rivals since we first met, so we’ve always been pushing each other.  At least one of us ends up badly hurt too.  I’d like to say it’s been her more than me, but I’m not sure at this point.  Honestly, I doubt I’d be as strong as I am now if I didn’t have to keep battling someone as cunning and tenacious as Trinity.

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The Author Presentation…for Newbies

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Originally posted on Story Empire:
Hello, SEers! Mae here, sending out a thank you for hanging with me today as I take a look at author presentations. I’ve done several book signings, all with other authors, but recently did my…

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November Rafflecopter Giveaway And A Sale

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
The Language Of Bears First, the sale: I came across a book with a premise that piqued my curiosity. The Language of Bears is John Eidswick’s first book. John lives with his family in Japan,…

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A Perfect 10 with Win Charles

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

Just a note before today’s Perfect 10

The requests to be interviewed on my humble blog skyrocketed over the past month or so. As a result, I am going to be featuring an author just about every day from now until the end of 2017. I considered letting the series spill over into 2018, but I like to cook up a new interview format each year.

Please enjoy the bonus interviews that will be posted. I’ll likely post regular original content as well, but potentially not in as high a volume to give my creativity muscle a rest.


In this edition of A Perfect 10, I have the pleasure of featuring Author Win Charles.

Please enjoy this special installment of A Perfect 10

If you want to check out past interviews, you can find them in the following links:

A.C. Flory, Steve Boseley, Kayla Matt, Mae Clair

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Luke Callindor Answers Your Questions

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Way back on October 2nd, I made a post asking for questions that Luke Callindor can answer.  This is the theme of the week with each champion getting some time in the hot seat.  All to kick off the hype and final march towards Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age.  Let’s start.

The Story Reading Ape asked: Has knowing and working with Fizzle changed the way you think or do things?

I haven’t really thought about it.  Sure it has since Fizzle has taught me a lot about nature and drites.  He’s very curious, which gets me to think about stuff that I normally wouldn’t consider.  Trying to see things through his eyes, which are very child-like, can alter one’s perceptions.  Though, that might be the hallucinogenic breath. As far as doing things, I know he has my back, which helps me maintain confidence.  I’m typically not lacking there, but having a small dragon as one of your partners can really take some of the fear out of certain situations.

C.S. Boyack asked: Luke and friends have spent a lot of time in the wilderness. What’s the best food to safely forage for?

Safety makes this answer tougher because there are a lot of wild animals out there that you have to watch out for.  So, I think hunting in general has a risk.  You never know when you’re stalking the same deer that a bear or snake fiend has set its sights on.  There was one time I was going after a rabbit and ended up battling a chameleon spider.  Personally, I think fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and berries are the best things to forage for.  They’re fairly plentiful in most seasons and you don’t have to chase them. You can gather a good amount without it making a mess in your bag or going bad quickly too.

Victoria Zigler asked: If you could trade abilities/powers with any of the other characters in your party, which one would you choose, and why?

Not sure I have a good answer for this one.  I like who I am and it’s weird thinking of myself as anything else.  Maybe being more of a thinking warrior like Delvin, but it sounds like I’d have to take the whole package.  I’m built more for speed and agility while he’s more for defense and reflexes.  We’re polar opposites in terms of tactics, which is why I’m curious to see how it would be to act like him for a day.  Certainly isn’t something I would keep forever.

John W Howell asked: What has been the most significant event in your life that has made you what you are today?

Well, I know what recently happened to me is foremost on my mind, but it’s actually my first big loss that comes to mind most often.  I tangled with the Hellfire Elf before I was ready and it nearly killed me.  That tempered my arrogance and made me more cautious if you can believe it.  I still jump into battle fairly quickly, but I’m always thinking and focusing on the area around me to react to changes.  This took a lot of training, which stemmed from me being unable to adapt to that one fight.

L.Marie asked: Since you’re a young hero, you’ve probably been given plenty of advice from those older than you. What advice were you given that you were tempted to ignore, but later realized was actually good advice?

To be honest, I’ve never been tempted to ignore advice.  There are times that I haven’t understood what the person meant and only found out later.  Still, I listen because it’s typically coming from someone either more experienced than me or that wants to help me out.

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I Have No Witty Title: The Week That Nearly Won?

Noticing that these posts are becoming less about my goals and more about what I go through every week.  Well, there were people who wanted to know more about my life over here.  Anyway, I’m just going to barrel right into it:

The One-Armed Wife

Needless to say, this has taken up a lot of my time because she’s still in the sling.  We were expecting her to get a cast on Wednesday, but they wanted to delay it another week because things were healing well.  Guess you don’t mess with a good thing and finding a problem after the cast is on would be a pain.  She’s still going back to work on Monday and I’m driving.  My mornings and late afternoons will be spent playing chauffeur until mid-December.  I plan on being exhausted fairly quickly, especially since any doctor appointments she has will require that I head out too.  Might have to find a place to hang around on those days since it makes no sense to drive there, drive home, get an hour, and then go back.

Things will be easier if she gets the cast this Wednesday because that will give her mobility and she might be able to carry her bag to the office.  For now, I have to park and help her get up there since she has a large purse and another large bag.  Don’t ask because even I’m not sure.  Again, I sense I’ll be exhausted fairly quickly, especially since I still have the kid to prepare for school, get on the bus, and help with homework.  Martial arts will be tough, but a grandparent might be willing to do that. My biking is on hold until next Friday too because I have mid-morning appointments that I have to run to once I drop her off.  They were set up to allow me to bike first, but that’s not going to happen now.

Honestly, this whole thing leaves me wondering how people manage to survive these things without falling into a financial/vacation time abyss.  I know ‘people find a way’, but I’m seeing that most of these times it’s a way that leaves them in dire straits by the very end.

Writing

The main goal was to finish editing Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age.  That was accomplished yesterday and I believe I finished the last two interviews for the promotion.  It’s a weight off my shoulders, but I’m getting really nervous about the release.  All I need is the cover now, which many will realize is the point where I feel most anxious.  Next week is the results of the character interviews, which should take some pressure of me.  I hope.  My anxiety has been stuck on high since the summer and I’m finding that I’m withdrawing a lot.  Trying my best to peek out of my shell, but the world feels like a colder place for so long.

My wife has been reading War of Nytefall: Loyalty, which has been somewhat smooth and rough.  I think she’s too used to my heroes being more noble and Clyde can be a jerk at times.  He argues with Mab a lot, which irks her since Mab was her vampire character and she’s as protective of her as she is of Nyx.  My doubt with this series is causing some trouble too because I keep fearing that the characters are inconsistent, the plot doesn’t make real sense, and that I can’t move beyond the first series.  At this point, I think I should just admit that I’m becoming a slave of doubt, but only when I’m not doing the actual writing.  In the moment, I’m confident and this goes for editing too.  I haven’t edited this yet either, which might be an issue as well as me going with vampires.  That topic always tends to bring out the pre-existing notions of readers, so you get told why something isn’t right even if you changed the mythos.

The writing for this week and the foreseeable future might be outlining.  I shouldn’t tackle editing or the stand-alone Legends of Windemere book until the wife is healed and the final book is out.  That might be January, so I’m be setting up the outline for Raven’s Wrath, which will be the end of the Dawn Addison/October story set.  I can’t figure it out though and that’s frustrating.  It’s Monster vs Monster, but I need victims to focus on because you never have one of the monsters as the focal point.  They lose their mystery and menace.  I’m thinking Dawn and Ian had their first encounter and the world has been decimated, so it follows a group of people trying to reach a rumored haven.  They’ll be taken out as they progress for some reason.  I keep looking over Freddy vs Jason, but they started as ‘allies’ and then fought over victims.  Ian is really only after Dawn and those who follow her.

I might start outlining and preparing for the next Ichabod Brooks collection too even though that’s a 2019 thing.  I have 8 stories that didn’t make the last set and 1 that will be a sequel to a previous story.  That means I need about 2-3 more, which I’ll gradually work on at times.  After that, I might spend the rest of the year outlining the Sin stuff.

Life

Belligerent and exhausting.

Goals of the week:

  1. Outline Raven’s Wrath.
  2. Plan a bit of The Longbow of Ichabod Brooks.  (Take off of The Sword of Conan.)
  3. Tend to wife
  4. Retain some sanity and energy
  5. Help son with homework
  6. Accept that we’ll have to wait for Justice League on DVD.  Sucks too because I really wanted to see it.
  7. Watch a DVD set while outlining.  Maybe Louie the Rune Soldier or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
  8. Stay warm
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