Monthly Archives: October 2013

by | October 24, 2013 · 9:00 am

Days of the Dead—Reign of Ash and Deadly Curiosities are Coming!

Welcome to my annual Days of the Dead Online Event. As always, I’ve got lots of treats—excerpts (from my own stuff plus some of my friends), audios, and even some giveaways for Ice Forged!

I’ve always thought this week is the best time of the year.  Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos all in one week—what’s not to love?  And I just came back from the ContraFlow convention in New Orleans, so I had a chance to soak up all that haunted history that makes the Big Easy so amazing.  Be sure to check out my pictures of voodoo museums, haunted cemeteries and supernaturally-spectacular mansions on Facebook on my Gail Martin profile page.

While you’re on Facebook, “like” my Winter Kingdoms page and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a signed copy of The Sworn.

On 10/31, Ice Forged will be the Kindle Daily Deal, so you can get it on Kindle for just 1.99 that day only—please grab a copy for yourself and tell all your friends.

I’ve also got a new book video for Ice Forged and Reign of Ash!

What’s up this year?  Reign of Ash comes out from Orbit Books in April, 2014.  It’s Book Two in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and picks up where Ice Forged leaves off.  Then in July, I’ll have a brand new urban fantasy novel out with Solaris Books, Deadly Curiosities.  It’s set in modern-day Charleston, SC and tells the story of Cassidy Kincaide, who owns Trifles & Folly, an antiques and curio shop that exists to get dangerous magical objects off the market.  Both are rollicking-good adventures, so please join me for the ride!

I’m in four new anthologies in 2014: Unexpected Journeys from the British Fantasy Society, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens from Zombies Need Brains Press, Athena’s Daughters from Silence in the Library Press, and With Great Power, a superhero anthology.

Did you know I publish a new short story every month on ebook?  I write two ebook series, with original content every month.  The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures are a prequel to The Summoner, and show you how Jonmarc became the greatest warrior in the Winter Kingdoms and what it cost him.  In the Deadly Curiosities Adventures, I share the back story for the new novel, tracking the exploits of an intrepid group of mortals and undead whose mission is to find and destroy magically malicious objects.  The short stories are lots of fun, and at .99 each, they’re a cheap thrill!

This year’s Days of the Dead Tour has more free giveaways of Ice Forged than ever before—details are below, but with all those chances, why not try your luck!

Here’s the deal—different blogs will post my guest articles on different days.  Make the rounds, enter the contests, be entertained and grab some fun freebies!

What are you waiting for?  You can get in on all the Days of the Dead fun on a treasure hunt/Trick-or-Treat just by visiting these sites.  And please, “like” my TheWinterKingdoms page on Facebook when you visit to get the goodies!

Here’s where the action is:

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without Trick or Treat, and so not only will you find downloadable links to excerpts from my books, but you’ll also find sneak previews and excerpts from dozens of my author friends. Enjoy!

Remember—each partner site with an excerpt from Ice Forged has a different excerpt!

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by | October 23, 2013 · 11:21 am

What’s coming in 2014

There is so much going on in 2014!

Strap on your seatbelt, because it’s going to be a wild ride!

In April, Reign of Ash comes out from Orbit Books.  It’s the immediate sequel to Ice Forged, so it picks up right where the action left off.

Then in July, my new urban fantasy series launches with Deadly Curiosities, a new novel from Solaris Books.  Deadly Curiosities (the novel) takes place in modern-day Charleston, SC and introduces you to Cassidy Kincaide, owner of Trifles & Folly, an antique and curio shop that exists to get magically dangerous items out of circulation.  If you’ve read any of my Deadly Curiosities Adventures short stories, you’ll know that Cassidy is the latest in a long line of Trifles & Folly owners with a dangerous supernatural history.

Speaking of short stories, I’ll be continuing to bring out a new short story on ebook every month.  Look for more in the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures as Jonmarc heads toward Principality and a chance to join up with the mercenaries.  In the Deadly Curiosities Adventures, expect more about Sorren, Dante, Coltt and Cassidy across the centuries as they battle magically malicious heirlooms.

I’m excited to be in four new anthologies in 2014, with some storytelling that is going in totally different directions!  I’m in the British Fantasy Society’s “Unexpected Journeys,” and in Silence in the Library’s “Athena’s Daughters,” as well as “Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens” for Zombies Need Brains Press, and a superhero story for “With Great Power.”  Plus I’ve just promised a new steampunk story and an urban fantasy story to Dark Oak Press for two additional anthologies that may also come out in 2014!

Expect to see a lot of me at conventions in 2014!  Here’s the list so far—as well as a couple of 2013 stragglers:

  • Nov 10-12 Philcon, Cherry Hill, NJ
  • Nov. 16 – 17 Carolina Renaissance Festival, Charlotte, NC
  • Jan 10-12 Illogicon, Cary, NC  NEW!
  • Jan 17-20 Arisia, Boston, MA
  • Feb 21-23 Mysticon, Roanoke, VA
  • March 23-24 Arizona Renaissance Festival, Apache Junction, AZ
  • April—Reign of Ash launches!
  • April 2  9 a.m. ET I’m Fantasy Writer of the Day on Reddit—come Ask Me Anything!
  • May 30 – Jun 1  ConCarolinas, Charlotte, NC
  • June 21 Hawthorn Moon Online Event
  • Jun 27-29 LibertyCon, Chattanooga, TN  NEW!
  • July—Deadly Curiosities launches!
  • Jul 11-13 Congregate, Winston-Salem, NC  NEW!

I also host a live Meetup group every month in the north Charlotte area where we talk about writing and publishing.  It’s free and lots of fun—come join us!  https://www.meetup.com/Thrifty-Author-Publishing-Success-Network/

I also host a monthly discussion on Goodreads that lurches from fandom to fantasy and sometimes into writing and publishing—always something new!  https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin

If Pinterest is more your style, I’ve got a couple of boards you might like: Sci Fi Convention Memories with the photos I take in my travels (https://www.pinterest.com/gzmartin/sci-fi-convention-memories/) and Abandoned Places https://www.pinterest.com/gzmartin/abandoned-places/

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by | October 21, 2013 · 9:00 am

Sneak Peek for Reign of Ash

by Gail Z. Martin

Ice Forged launched the popular new Ascendant Kingdoms Saga in January 2013, and Book Two: Reign of Ash is coming in early 2014.  Author Gail Z. Martin is doing her annual “sneak peek” Hawthorn Moon event featuring Reign of Ash beginning June 21 with an international blog tour, podcasts, excerpts, readings, giveaways and more.  We asked her what readers should expect from Reign of Ash, and what she’s planning for the two new books she’s just signed with Orbit to write to extend the series into books 3 and 4.

Q:  What can you tell us about where Reign of Ash will take Ascendant Kingdoms readers?

A:  Reign of Ash picks up right after Ice Forged, with Blaine McFadden’s quest to restore his homeland of Donderath.  As Ice Forged readers know, the quest isn’t completed at the end of Book 1 because there is so much more to do, so much damage to overcome.  It’s going to take all that Blaine and his friends have to give to survive!

Q:  How have Blaine, Kestel, Piran and the other Ice Forged characters changed going into Reign of Ash?

A:  Exile and prison brought Blaine’s group together, so they’re used to having each others’ backs.  That serves them well in the very dangerous and unstable conditions in post-war Donderath.  Now that they’re free, there will be choices to make.  Blaine is still very much at the center of the group, and in Reign of Ash, several new characters get added to the circle, some old friends and new allies.  Going forward, they will be at the heart of bringing the ruined kingdom back to life, and the paths they choose will determine Donderath’s future.

Q: Will we see more of Connor and Lord Penhallow?

A:  Absolutely! Bevin Connor remains an important viewpoint character.  We met him in Ice Forged fleeing for his life when Donderath fell, and see him emerge as an unexpectedly heroic person.  No one is surprised at that more than Connor himself!  In Reign of Ash, Connor grows into an even more important role, playing an enormously important part in the book’s life-or-death climax.

Q:  Will Ice Forged’s bad guys be back for more?

A:  Bet on it! Pentreath Reece and Vedran Pollard have their own agenda for the post-war wreckage, and their vision involves seeing themselves emerging as the ultimate power players. Anarchy breeds opportunists, so Reece and Pollard are in their element, and the only thing standing in their way is Blaine McFadden.  Expect serious fireworks!

Q:  When will Reign of Ash be released?
A:  April, 2014 is the launch date.  Wondering what to read until then?  If you haven’t read my Fallen Kings Cycle books, The Sworn and The Dread, now is a good time!

Q:  What is your Hawthorn Moon sneak peek all about?

A:  It’s something I started with my first book, The Summoner, and it’s become a tradition.  The Hawthorn Moon blog tour is the first look at the next cover, plus book giveaways, excerpts, and exclusive guest blogs.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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by | October 17, 2013 · 9:28 am

Q&A with Ice Forged’s Gail Z. Martin

Q:  Ice Forged is the first book in your new Ascendant Kingdoms’ Saga series.  What comes next?

A:  Ice Forged introduces readers to the kingdoms of Donderath and Meroven, and to the disastrous war that destroys both kingdoms and makes magic fail.  Readers also meet Blaine McFadden, a disgraced lord, convict and exile who just might be the only one who can put things right.

The story will continue in early 2014 with Reign of Ash, and we’ll see more of Blaine and his convict friends as they deal with their post-apocalyptic world.  The bad guys are back, too, with even bigger plans to use the chaos for their own ends, and there’s plenty of action, betrayal and surprises.

Q:  Why a post-apocalyptic medieval setting?

A:  Why not?  After all, the real Middle Ages were no stranger to devastating natural disasters like famine, plague, and even volcanic eruptions and severe climate swings.  For the people who lived through those hard times, I’m sure it felt like the end of the world.  I’ve always been fascinated with those periods in history, so I decided to create my own!

Q:  Why is the failure of magic so important?

A: In Blaine McFadden’s world, magic is the convenient short-cut.  It’s like our power grid.  Sure, you can wash clothes without electric appliances, but it takes more work and nowadays, does anyone remember how?  It’s the same way in Blaine’s world.  The old ways of doing things without magic have been forgotten, and people have come to rely on magic for as a quick fix.  Imagine what a shoddy workman could do with a little bit of magic, things like propping up a poorly built wall or shoring up a sagging fence.  When the magic fails, so do those fixes, and things literally begin to fall apart.  Then there are the bigger magics, like keeping the sea from flooding the shoreline or using magic to heal.  When magic doesn’t work anymore, how do you heal the sick or keep back the tide?  Donderath has a really big problem on its hands.

Q:  How did you decide to make your main character a convicted murderer?

A:  Blaine’s not just a convicted murderer, he’s completely unrepentant about killing the man who molested his sister.  He did what he felt he had to do, and was willing to accept the consequences, whether that meant death or exile.  I wanted to create a situation which put Blaine into exile, but at the same time, I wanted readers to identify with him and think, “yeah, I would have done the same thing.”  He’s not a squeaky-clean hero!

Q: Where can readers find your books?

A:  My Chronicles of the Necromancer series, Fallen Kings Cycle books and Ascendant Kingdoms Saga books can be found in bookstores everywhere.  I also write two series of short stories, the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Adventures, which are available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook.

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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by | October 14, 2013 · 9:27 am

Q&A with Fantasy Author Gail Z. Martin

Q:  For readers who haven’t met you, tell us a little about your books.

A:  I write the Chronicles of the Necromancer series for Solaris Books and the Fallen Kings Cycle and Ascendant Kingdoms Saga for Orbit Books.  I’ve also been in a variety of US and UK anthologies, and I publish two series of short stories on Kindle, Kobo and Nook—the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Adventure.  My most recent book is Ice Forged, the first book in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the next book, Reign of Ash, will come out in April, 2014.

Q:  Ice Forged started a new series for you, with a different world and all-new characters from what you’ve written before.  What made you decide to write a different series instead of continuing with your other characters?

A:  I still have plans to write more stories in the Chronicles world, but I had reached a good place to take a break and do something different for a while.  There’s a natural break in the plot line after The Dread that makes a logical resting point.  So while my characters are taking a much-deserved vacation, I had the opportunity to write some new stories that had been banging around in my head.

Q:  In Ice Forged, the plot hinges on a war going terribly wrong and mages on both sides launching a doomsday strike that not only rains down fire from the sky but also cause magic to stop working. Why is the failure of magic so important?

A: In Blaine McFadden’s world, magic is the convenient short-cut.  It’s like our power grid.  Sure, you can wash clothes without electric appliances, but it takes more work and nowadays, does anyone remember how?  It’s the same way in Blaine’s world.  The old ways of doing things without magic have been forgotten, and people have come to rely on magic for as a quick fix.  Imagine what a shoddy workman could do with a little bit of magic, things like propping up a poorly built wall or shoring up a sagging fence.  When the magic fails, so do those fixes, and things literally begin to fall apart.  Then there are the bigger magics, like keeping the sea from flooding the shoreline or using magic to heal.  When magic doesn’t work anymore, how do you heal the sick or keep back the tide?  Donderath has a really big problem on its hands.

Q:  Where did the genesis of the Ice Forged’s main character, Blaine “Mick” McFadden, begin?

I really started with the idea of exile, and what would it have been like if England had sent its prisoners north to somewhere like Iceland or Greenland instead of to Australia.  (Obviously Russia had Siberia, but that’s different, in part because there was no sea voyage.)  Then I started to think about why a character would be exiled, and murder was a good reason.  But it had to be a murder the reader would agree with (so many readers have commented that Ian McFadden “had it coming”).  Where Tris, in my first series, was accused of a crime he didn’t commit, I wanted Blaine to be unrepentant about a crime he did commit.

Q: The setting of Velant is a really interesting place, because you’ve combined elements of post-apocalyptic with the classical idea of northern wastes we often see in fantasy, but this setting really affects the characters, doesn’t it?

A: Being sent into exile in an arctic prison colony is bad enough, but having the magic fail is like losing the power grid—it takes away an important factor for survival.  I had focused on really big magic in my first books, and in Ice Forged, I wanted to look at what it would mean to lose the little magics that people used in their everyday lives.  Food spoils, herds die, crops fail, magical repairs to buildings and ships fall apart, and things people used magic to do as a short cut now needed to be done the old fashioned way, which few remember.

Velant is the same distance as a sea journey from Donderath that Australia was from England, in good weather.  The weather is dramatically different, harsh and inhospitable.  It gets the arctic 6-months of day and night.  The prison itself is run by a commander who was a “useful monster” during a war, but too feral to bring home, so they exiled him by putting him in command of a prison no one else wanted to run.  The guards are likewise exiled because they were unsuitable for normal military life and civilized society.  While many of the convicts were exiled for real crimes, many more were sent away for petty infractions, political reasons, or just being poor.

It’s not the kind of place anyone wants to live in, but it’s amazing what the human spirit will endure!  Prisoners who earn their “ticket of leave” become colonists, and manage to make Edgeland their home.

Q:  What’s next for you?

A:  Good question!  I’ve just signed on with Orbit for another two books in the Ascendant Kingdoms world, so I’m working on the sequel to Reign of Ashes (it’s weird how you’re working two books out from what anyone else has read).  I’m also committed to bringing out a new short story every month, so that’s actually turning out to be a lot of fun.  And I’ve got some different directions I’d like to explore in addition to epic fantasy, so I might just surprise you and turn up with something completely different one of these days!

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series.  Her books are available in bookstores worldwide and on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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by | October 10, 2013 · 9:25 am

Q&A with Fantasy Author Gail Z. Martin

Q: What is your newest book and what inspired you to write it?

A: Ice Forged is my most recently published book, which launched in January 2013.  It’s a medieval post-apocalyptic story, when war not only destroys a kingdom but also causes the magic to fail.  Losing magic for the people of Donderath is a lot like it would be for us if the power grid went down permanently.  Sure, there are ways to do things without magic (just like there are ways to survive without electricity), but those methods are more difficult and it’s been so long, people don’t quite remember how they worked.  The only man who might be able to restore the magic is a convicted murder and disgraced lord exiled to a prison colony in the arctic.  Reign of Ash is the sequel, and it will come out in April, 2014.

My inspiration was thinking about “what if a culture depended on magic the way we rely on electricity, and the magic failed?”  The more I thought about it, the more ideas came to mind for where the story could go.  And I liked the idea of doing a post-apocalyptic story in a medieval setting because there are so many end-of-the-world stories set in modern times.  I wanted to do something different.

Q:  Why a post-apocalyptic medieval setting?

A:  Why not?  After all, the real Middle Ages were no stranger to devastating natural disasters like famine, plague, and even volcanic eruptions and severe climate swings.  For the people who lived through those hard times, I’m sure it felt like the end of the world.  I’ve always been fascinated with those periods in history, so I decided to create my own!

Q:  You write epic fantasy.  What got you interested in sword-and-sorcery stuff?

A:  As a kid, I loved anything about King Arthur, and I read every book I could find about Arthur, Merlin, Morgan LeFey, and the Round Table.  I know all the words to every song from Camelot! That got me interested in real history, and I read a lot about kings, castles, wars and then of course, magic.  Then I got into reading mythology and folklore, and when you put it all together, I started thinking up stories of my own!

Q:  You’re very active on social media.  Why?

A:  My books are available internationally, and in several languages.  Yet I can’t possibly be in everyone’s local bookstore.  From the very first book, The Summoner, I knew I wanted to reach out to readers and make a personal connection.  Social media makes that very easy.  So I’m very active on Twitter and Facebook, and I love to answer questions, talk about TV shows, movies and books, and generally hang out with people who enjoy fantasy and fandom.  I have a lot of fun sharing photos on Facebook and Pinterest of books I’ve read, genre conventions I’ve attended, and cool things that catch my attention.  It makes writing a lot more personal when I can connect with readers, and I don’t want anyone to feel left out just because I live too far away to meet up for coffee!

Q: What’s next after Reign of Ash?

A:  I’ve just signed a contract with Orbit Books for two more novels in the Ascendant Kingdoms series, and I’m hard at work on book three.  After that, I’ve got some more ideas and some different directions I’d like to explore!  I’ve also started writing a new short story every month for ebook in two different series.  My Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures explore the back story of one of the most popular characters from my Chronicles of the Necromancer books.  The Deadly Curiosities Adventures were a world I originally created for anthologies, but I started having so much fun with the characters, I wanted to write more stories.  It’s essentially an urban fantasy that spans 500 years.  My short stories are available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook, and they’re priced at the equivalent of 99 cents USD.  They’re a cheap thrill!

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series.  Her books are available in bookstores worldwide and on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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by | October 7, 2013 · 9:23 am

After Apocalypse

By Gail Z. Martin

Maybe it’s a sign of the times, but we seem to be obsessed with the end of the world.

Sure, such fascinations, both literary and religious, have come and gone in times past.  It’s just our luck to live in the midst of a resurgence of end-of-the-world fatalism.

Pick your poison—climate change, asteroid collision, bio-warfare, zombies, or mad scientists, there are plenty of ways to die.  Personally, I prefer magic.

In Ice Forged, and the upcoming Reign of Ash, Books 1 and 2 in my Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, mages on both sides of a devastating war use magic as their doomsday weapon.  They manage to destroy civilization on their continent, and magic itself.

Apocalypse-by-mage was a twist that intrigued me.  Magic, in the world of the Ascendant Kingdoms, does for them what technology does for us—heals the sick, makes routine tasks easier, reduces effort, and controls the environment.  Long ago, people used to do those things without magic, but since the wild power was harnessed so that it could be controlled by humans, people have forgotten the old ways.

That makes it rough when the magic stops working.

There’s a fantastic TV series about “Life After People” that shows just how quickly the modern world falls apart—literally—when people are suddenly removed and no one is left to maintain what has been built.  I watched those shows, riveted, as it speculated that in about 250 years after all people disappeared, the world would heal itself and most of our structures would be largely obliterated.  We’re not as important as we think we are.

That concept served well as I imagined the apocalypse in Ice Forged.  Not only do survivors of the war endure hardship because of the fire that rained down from the skies in a powerful magic strike, they also suffer because there is no magic.  Few people know how to treat wounds, protect crops from pests, or do many other essential tasks.  Where magic was used for infrastructure, either as a repair patch or to do something important, like keeping back the sea at the sea wall, magic’s failure results in additional disaster.  Not only that, but the once-harnessed magic, returned to the wild, becomes a violent force of nature, creating dangerous storms and unnatural monsters.

So when exiled convict and disgraced lord Blaine McFadden discovers that he might be the only one who can restore the magic, the stakes are high.  Trying to bring magic back might cause Blaine’s death, and there’s no guarantee the attempt will work.  Even if he can restore the magic, it may not function the way it did before, and in any event, the kingdom is in rubble, its leaders dead.

It’s been said that “fortune” is the combination of “danger” and “opportunity.”  If you define it that way, then Blaine McFadden is a very “fortunate” man.

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series.  Her books are available in bookstores worldwide and on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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by | October 3, 2013 · 9:22 am

Making Magic

By Gail Z. Martin

Which comes first—the mage or the magic?

If you’re an author, the magic system you develop for your world determines a lot about who becomes a mage, and how your mage functions.  And that’s the fun.

Between my Chronicles of the Necromancer/Fallen Kings series and my Ascendant Kingdoms Saga books, I’ve created two very different magical systems—leading to two very different types of mages.

Where do you begin?  It depends on where you want to end up.

It helps to start by thinking about the role magic plays in the world you want to build.  Where does magic come from?  Is it something that comes from inside an individual, like a talent, or is it a natural force that some people can channel better than others?  How many people can do magic?  A society in which everyone can do a little magic is going to be very different from one in which only a few people can do very powerful magic.

Is magic an open fact, or something hidden?  Are magic users accepted and valued, or feared and persecuted?  This will make a big difference for your character.  And if magic is largely accepted or largely punished, are there places where there’s an exception to the rule?  Do some parts of society feel differently about magic than other groups?

What does magic cost the mage?  If there isn’t some kind of personal limitation or cost to doing magic, mages become all-powerful.  There must be limits.  Maybe magic causes a severe physical reaction, like headache or weakness that limits how much a single mage can do without dying.  Perhaps magic can burn a person up if handled wrong.  Maybe a mage must study for decades to learn spells and potions, or perhaps the mage doesn’t need any tools or fancy words at all, using only the power of his/her mind.

How does your character feel about magic?  Does he/she possess any magical ability?  If so, does he see it as a good thing?  If not, does she wish she had ability?  Is power a blessing or a curse, or just a tool to be used?  If magic is rare, does the character feel special?  If it’s more like a talent, does the character take it for granted?

Once you have a clear idea about how magic works in your world and how mages function, it becomes a lot easier to develop your mage characters and set them in a world that functions with logical rules.  I’ve found that it also helps to do your homework and read up on magical beliefs in the real world, both past and present, and understand the tools and rituals that practitioners believe summon or enhance power.

Writing about magic and mages is part of the fun of creating a fantasy world, one of my favorite parts.  Whether you write magic or just read about it, the next time you come upon a magical system, pay attention to how it works.  After all, that author worked hard to make magic!

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series.  Her books are available in bookstores worldwide and on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

 

 

 

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