Thursday – A little Personal #RRBC’s Behind the Pen with Bethany Turner

John W. Howell's avatarFiction Favorites

Last Saturday I was Interview by Bethany Turner on her Blogtalk radio show titled Behind the Pen. Since I did not fall on my own petard I thought I would make the interview available should you wish to listen. It is a half-hour and If you can’t sit that long I understand. Below the link to the broadcast is a picture which will at least make your visit worthwhile.

a-behind-the-pen

Here is the link to the broadcast. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravereviewsbookclub/2015/05/02/rrbc-rave-waves-blogtalkradio-behind-the-pen

Here is the photo payoff for the visit. It is a stormy sunrise.

2013-08-22 06.59.51

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… ‘wannabe’ or ‘aspiring’ Authors… if yeez doubt yeez can write… at whatever age… please read this… great post from my pal, Lauren Sapala…

Seumas Gallacher's avatarSeumas Gallacher

…I’ve cut and pasted this fabulous post from my pal Lauren Sapala… it’s a MUST read… whatever age yeez are!…

Great Big ShipsI met a woman in my first writing program who told me about her 40th birthday. She said it was the best and worst birthday she ever had. She was so happy when she turned 30, she remembered. She had a big party on the beach and all her friends came. But ten years later she found herself sobbing all alone in her bedroom the night before she turned 40.

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Wish for Me (The Djinn Order, Act One) by A. Star #DjinnTour #bookreview #Steampunk

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So You Wanna Use a Pet in Fiction?

Shadow and Interceptor from Final Fantasy

Shadow and Interceptor from Final Fantasy

Long ago, I remember playing a D&D game where our group had several pets.  There was a bear who ended up being killed by a goblin firing squad.  Two wolves that were killed because the player kept demanding we heal their injuries even after we did all we could.  A mountain lion that my Monk left at home when he saw the fate of the other pets.  Let’s just say pets are not that easy to put into a game or a story.  Here are some tips:

  1. For the love of all that is holy, have the pet make sense.  Even if it’s a dragon or a three-headed marmoset, you need to make it clear how the character has the thing tamed.  Normal pets can be explained easily since we’re used to those.  The more exotic critters may need a touch of back story.  Especially if the same animal can show up as a monster.
  2. Remember that they’re in the story.  One of the mistakes I made in the first draft of Beginning of a Hero is not giving much time to Stiletto the dog.  He wasn’t really around and I kept ignoring him, so his big scene fell flat.  The easy thing about a pet in a book is that you don’t need to do much.  Honestly, they really only have to be in a scene and interact with their owner.  Bring them up in conversation too and it reveals the bond.
  3. If they aren’t battle-oriented then keep them out of a fight.  Wizards with familiars is one thing since the animal gives them strength.  A warrior with a wolf that obeys his orders makes sense since that’s a fighting system.  Having a knight carry his pet parakeet into a war . . . that thing better do something impressive.
  4. Give them some method of showing mood.  This goes for all animal characters because they can’t talk.  Facial expressions, non-word sounds, and tail movements are all methods of communication for them.  It helps to do a little research on how each animal communicates.  If you’re working with a fictional beast then try to find a real world equivalent to examine.  For example, study hawks and lions to create the way a griffin shows emotions and thoughts.
  5. If the pet is big enough for the character to ride then have them do it.  Unless the creature lacks the temperament.  Seriously, riding a bear into battle is a great idea as long as Mr. Grizzly isn’t prone to eating his rider.  Again, give reasons/explanations for certain beast’s taming.
  6. Personal opinion:  If you don’t have the courage to harm an animal in fiction then don’t put them in dangerous positions.  A pet that follows a warrior has a high risk of getting caught in a fight.  Be careful creating an animal companion if you think you’ll have it survive every extremely dangerous encounter unscathed.
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Dragons Are People, Too by @sarah_nicolas @entangledteen #Giveaway #fantasy #review

Enter a fun giveaway and help spread the word.

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How to help a writer…

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For all you fantasy fanatics

Check out these stellar reviews for ‘The Cock of the South’!

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

 

nce upon a time, the whole European landmass was covered by more people than humans.

Centaurs roamed the open forests. Cyclops lived a tribal lifestyle in the deeper forests. Humans mingled with these races, but it wasn’t always a happy existence. Humans expanded their cities, and forced many of these races out. Some of the human women formed bands of their own called Amazons.

They are all gone now; only the humans remain. A brilliant researcher, named Boyack, combed through ancient pottery shards and scrolls and discovered bits and pieces of their story. The stories always led back to a Southern Dwarf who may have been named Paulus Atrius. Most of the texts refer to him simply as Cobby.

Boyack aggregated these bits and pieces into a story he called, The Cock of the South. This story tells the tale of these other peoples, before man took completely over.

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Here’s an Infographic I made for Authors…

A simple explanation of a great promotional opportunity from a great blog.

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

PLEASE SHARE IT FAR AND WIDE

THANK YOU

😀

Tsra InfoG

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Paperback Giveaway!

Kate Sparkes's avatardisregard the prologue

Hey, guys!

Just a quick note today, and one some of you might be interested in.

Paperback copies of Torn are finally here! Formatting issues are all cleared up, and they look fantastic. Drool-worthy, even. A little distracting, actually.

*stares at front cover*

Ahem.

Anyway, to celebrate, and to say thanks to readers, I’m doing a signed paperback giveaway for newsletter subscribers! All you’ll have to do is watch for the rafflecopter link in the next newsletter (coming Thursday) and click through to enter. The winner will be chosen at random, and given the option of which book (or Bound audiobook) they want. Open internationally. The only requirement will be that you get the newsletter.

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Not signed up yet? No worries, there’s still time! Follow this link and enter your name and e-mail address. I don’t send out newsletters very often, just when there’s something exciting going on like a…

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Disney’s The Isle of The Lost PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

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