by | January 21, 2014 · 1:12 pm

Cover Art Alert

I have a confession to make.


(Note: If you are impatient, like me, you can click here to go ahead and check out the fricking amazing artwork for the cover to my new novel Grudgebearer…)

(Additional note: If you love me or are as excited about the new series as I am, you can preorder it from Amazon here or from Barnes and Noble here… I'd be happy to link to other preorder sites, but those are the only two of which I am currently aware.)

Are you back now? Isn't it great?! 🙂

Now back to our story…

Long before the idea for Void City landed in my addled noggin, the first book I can remember buying with my own money was the Hobbit. I remember it so distinctly because I used my lunch money to buy the book and kind of had to smuggle the purchase into the house. I still got into trouble (not much) and I will never forget the look on my mother's face when I said, “I know that money was for my lunches. I'm not asking for more lunch money; I'd just rather have books than food.”

I was nine.

My opinion on the matter has only slightly changed.

What attracted me first to The Hobbit was the 1982 cover by Darrell K. Sweet.

Much like Derek Riggs's cover art drew me to Iron Maiden, Darrell Sweet's cover art drew me firmly into the world of fantasy literature via the Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings. I bought and read the Silmarillion that same year, but that another story for another time.

Covers draw in the reader. It's not about making the author happy, so much as it is about catching the eyes of internet denizen's and book store browsers. Making people pick up the book and flip through it… or click download a free sample to your e-reader of choice.

When an artist does both, it's a kind of magic.

Now on to the confession… eventually.

I love the Void City books. I want to write more of them, but long before the vampire-novel-which-shall-remain-nameless angered me to the point that I threw it across the room and started penning Staked, I wanted to write a fantasy novel. I simply didn't know how to go about it.

The world-building for the Grudgebearer Trilogy started in 1997. I started writing it the same year and failed. I wrote two and a half novels in the process of figuring that out, one set in the future and the other a kind of urban fantasy thing I'd like to revisit eventually. First I started with the wrong character. Then I started in the wrong part of the story… Then I had to do more world building…

It took writing well over a million words before I was ready to write the Void City novels and it took that million plus the roughly half a million word that comprise the Void City books to date before I could write a fantasy novel. Along the way, I have fantacized about having an awesome cover.

I got one.

Cover Art by the incomparable Todd Lockwood for Grudgebearer by J. F. Lewis

(Yet Another Additional note: Did I mention you could preorder it from Amazon here or from Barnes and Noble here… ? Oooh! I bet you could ask your favorite local indie bookstore to order it for you, too. One of my favorites is https://www.mystgalaxy.com )

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by | December 30, 2013 · 2:33 pm

Variations on Strength

by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

The variations on strength are infinite, tailored to the situation that has called for it. Strength does not just come from within us. It is a product of the conflicts we face. Those of you who are writers know that no story is complete without conflict. Nay, it does not even begin without conflict. Internal. External. Divine. Infernal. Somewhere in every story there are challenges to be met and things that must be overcome. The manner in which we meet those challenges define our strength.

It is impossible to have a primary character that is not strong in some manner, if only eventually. Whether they possess it at the offset or discover it on their way, some aspect of strength will rise to the fore when needed. If not…the author has not done their job properly. This goes for characters of either gender. This is not to say there will not be weaknesses or weak characters, after all, such is the nature of humanity, but to show only weakness for a character is to make the unsympathetic.

Not only that, but life is a study in contrasts. Strength has no meaning without weakness. Do not believe that a character must show only strength in order to be strong. To do so would be to produce two-dimensional characters to which the reader could not relate.

In my story, Looking Back, which will appear in Silence in the Library’s Athena’s Daughters (Spring 2014), my main character, Lady Clara, has several strengths: social standing, a title, determination and dedication. Society perceives her weaknesses as her gender and a lack of a man to take charge of her responsibilities.

Her true weakness? Her strengths, in conjunction with her fears, make her reckless. She is not a strong woman, but she is strong-willed and though this carries her to her ultimate goal, what of the costs? Clara’s conflict comes when she must decide if her goal is worth the risk, or if prudence calls for stepping back and relinquishing control to destiny.

Story Blurb:

If necessity is the mother of invention, then desperation is its sire. Lady Clara is left with stewardship of her lost cousin’s inheritance and the uncertainty of her own fate. She employs the dubious assistance of an American inventor to find her cousin before all is lost, only neither could have anticipated the unique nature of their…success.

Excerpt

https://danielleackleymcphail.booklikes.com/post/721768/excerpt-looking-back-by-danielle-ackley-mcphail-athena-s-daughters

https://danielleackleymcphail.booklikes.com/post/728267/running-out-of-time

Athena’s Daughters is a collection of short fiction from some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors in the industry, published by Silence in the Library Publishing. This anthology features stories written by women about women. I’m also incredibly excited to have an introduction to the anthology by retired astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Pam Melroy. A portion of every book sold will go to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Athena’s Daughters is a Kickstarter-funded project, which means readers like you bring it to life. Your contribution not only helps to create the book, but you can receive awesome rewards for participating. Become a part of the Athena’s Daughter’s journey by visiting https://tinyurl.com/athenasD

Bio

Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. Currently, she is a project editor and promotions manager for Dark Quest Books.

Her published works include five urban fantasy novels, Yesterday’s Dreams, Tomorrow’s Memories, Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court: and The Redcaps’ Queen: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale. She is also the author of the solo science fiction collection, A Legacy of Stars, the non-fiction writers guide, The Literary Handyman, and is the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series, Dragon’s Lure, and In An Iron Cage. Her work is included in numerous other anthologies and collections.

She is a member of the Garden State Speculative Fiction Writers, the New Jersey Authors Network, and Broad Universe, a writer’s organization focusing on promoting the works of women authors in the speculative genres.

Danielle lives in New Jersey with husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail, mother-in-law Teresa, and three extremely spoiled cats. She can be found on LiveJournal (damcphail, badassfaeries, darkquestbooks, lit_handyman), Facebook (Danielle Ackley-McPhail), and Twitter (DAckley-McPhail). To learn more about her work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com, www.literaryhandyman.com, or www.badassfaeries.com.

In her down time she concocts her own cookie recipes (Spirited Delights), gets crafty, and makes costume horns. All the spaces in between are filled with reading…lots of reading!

If you want to know more about what fun I had with urban fantasy, Irish myth, and some other Strong female characters I invite you to check out the Eternal Cycle trilogy and The Bad-Ass Faerie Tale series. Free excerpts of each book can be found on my website:

https://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/YesterdaysDreams-EX.pdf
https://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/TomorrowsMemories-EX.pdf
https://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/Today’sPromise-EX.pdf
https://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/HC-Excerpt.pdf
https://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/RQ-EX.pdf

Website and/or blog www.sidhenadaire.com, https://lit_handyman.livejournal.com, https://damcphail.livejournal.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DMcPhail
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/danielle.ackleymcphail
Amazon author page   https://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Ackley-McPhail/e/B002GZVZPQ/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/989939.Danielle_Ackley_McPhail

Click here to listen to Danielle read an excerpt from Looking Back.

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by | December 17, 2013 · 11:09 am

Kicking the Athena’s Daughters Kickstarter Up a Notch!

kickstarter, anthology, women, science fiction, fantasy,

Help fund the Kickstarter campaign to bring the Athena’s Daughters campaign to life!

Athena’s Daughters is the second Kickstarter anthology I’ve been part of. (The first is the upcoming Clockwork Universe: Steampunk Vs. Aliens by Zombies Need Brains Press.)

Once again, I am amazed by our fantabulous backers! We have passed Stretch Goal #20, which means all backers at $5+ get the audio book of War of the Seasons Part I by Janine Spendlove, plus the amazing print of Athena by Ginger Breo, plus a new anthology story by Jennifer Brozek, plus a new e-story by Tera Fulbright,–we added all those goodies just in the last couple of days, thanks to you!

Each time we make another stretch goal, all backers at the $5+ level get new stuff. The more people who back the Kickstarter, the more loot we all get. Got it? Fund it!

So what’s Stretch Goal #20? A limited edition hardcover of Athena’s Daughters will be published. This won’t be a freebie, but it will be available to order, and the funding at this level makes publication a possibility.

Stretch Goal #21 will mean an additional story will be added to the anthology by Diana Peterfreund.

Goal #22 will fund the creations of a companion anthology, Apollo’s Daughters, featuring female characters written by some of the top male science fiction and fantasy writers! Writers like Michael A. Stackpole, Aaron Alston, Aaron Rosenberg, David Mack and Brian Young, so you know this is going to be good!

And Goal #23 adds a story by Alma Alexander to the anthology!  We are adding new stretch goals and new pledge rewards almost daily! There’s still plenty of good stuff–but you’ve got to fund it to get it!

In addition to the Stretch Goals, there are still some awesome Pledge Rewards waiting to be gobbled up. These exclusive packages have limited quantities, and offer unique bundles of ebooks, print books, art, music and surprises. Support at the FIERCE level and get personalized, signed copies of my books The Sworn, The Dread and Ice Forged, plus other goodies. Support the REGAL level and get a personalized, signed copy of a limited-edition ARC of my book The Blood King. Support at the MENTOR level and get a manuscript review by one of our anthology’s published authors—perfect for your own work or to give as a gift to the writer in your life!

Here’s something else that’s awesome–for every book sold, Athena’s Daughters will contribute to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network), the largest anti-abuse network in the U.S.  You get the whole stretch goal package–books, ebooks, e-stories, artwork, music, and victims of abuse get the help they need to survive. It’s a great way to do good while getting goodies.

You’ve got it fund it to get it! Please become a backer of Athena’s Daughters: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/103879051/athenas-daughters-women-in-science-fiction-and-fan’s  (You’ll also see all the contributing authors, artists, editors and musicians, plus the AWESOME stretch goals, pledge reward levels and add-ons.)

Watch the Athena’s Daughter’s video.

Get to know the Athena’s Daughters awesome authors with our blog hop! Just follow this link to blogging bliss!

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Athena’s Daughters is a Kickstarter anthology featuring short stories by women writers in science fiction, fantasy and steampunk. Introduction by retired astronaut and former space shuttle pilot Pam Melroy. Authors include Mary Robinette Kowal, Gail Z. Martin, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jean Marie Ward, Janine Spendlove, Maggie Allen, Conley Lyons, Cleolinda Jones, Cynthia Ward, C.A. Verstraete, Tera Fulbright, Tanya Spackman, EJ Lawrence, Nisi Shawl, Vicki Johnson-Steger, DL Stever , Diana Peterfreund, Jennifer Brozek, Tricia Barr. Art by Tietjen Alverez, Kellie Neier, Betsy Waddell, Ginger Breo.  Edited by Jean Rabe.

 

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by | December 14, 2013 · 9:00 am

Q&A with Janine K. Spendlove

1. What is the title of your newest book or short story? What’s it about? Where can readers find it?
Athena’s Daughters: Millie. It’s about a Major Sara ColĂłn, a Marine pilot and her chance encounter with a very familiar time traveling aviatrix. Readers can find an excerpt at: https://www.wattpad.com/32027002-athena%27s-daughters-millie
2. What’s your favorite part of writing a new book or story? What do you like the least?
The world building is my absolute favorite part! Starting a new chapter. It always feels like starting a new book and can be overwhelming at times.
3. Where can readers find you on social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Library Thing, Redd It, etc.)
4. Who are your favorite fictional characters—your own, and from other books, TV shows and movies?
Of my own, it’s hands down Morrigann, the faerie prince, from my War of the Seasons trilogy. He’s charming and awful and such a delight to write! From everywhere else, I adore Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables (these two fierce ladies have always been role models for me), and currently on TV, Lieutenant Mills in Sleepy Hollow is definitely a fav of mine. She is AWESOME.
5. Was there a book you read in your childhood or teen years that changed your world? Tell us which book and how it made a difference for you.
The Chronicles of Narnia. I was so sad when I read The Last Battle. There was nothing else, but I craved it so badly. This was before the internet and well before I had any sort of access to fanfic, so I daydreamed and imagined myself in Narnia, and came up with new and exciting adventures for me and Penvansies. It was the first time my imagination was truly engaged, and you can see a lot of Narnian influence in my War of the Seasons novels and short stories.

Athena’s Daughters is a collection of short fiction from some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors in the industry, published by Silence in the Library Publishing. This anthology features stories written by women about women. I’m also incredibly excited to have an introduction to the anthology by retired astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Pam Melroy. A portion of every book sold will go to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Athena’s Daughters is a Kickstarter-funded project, which means readers like you bring it to life. Your contribution not only helps to create the book, but you can receive awesome rewards for participating. Become a part of the Athena’s Daughter’s journey by visiting https://tinyurl.com/athenasD

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by | December 12, 2013 · 10:33 am

Athena’s Daughter – Maggie Allen excerpt

maggieallenI always wanted to be an astronaut. That didn’t end up happening for a variety of reasons, but I do work at NASA now. I landed in a niche that lets me write (and communicate) about the science that we do at NASA, particularly in astrophysics.

Getting to blend science and writing is fulfilling to me – and even more so when I can tie those things to a story.

My story for Silence in the Library Publishing’s latest project, an anthology called “Athena’s Daughters” is about a thirteen-year-old, African-American girl named Bee who spends her summer vacation at camp on the moon. Her passion is botany and anything to do with growing plants – so you can imagine her excitement at spending a summer learning about moon rocks. Lunar Camp ends up being way more than she bargains for in many ways.

Writing this story was so much fun, because it gave me the chance to live vicariously through my character. I personally would loved to have gone to camp on the moon, even if Bee wasn’t thrilled about it.

When I was in 10th grade, I went to Space Camp, so I was able to draw partially on my experiences there for my story, as well as my own interest in all things science and space when I was young.

As a teen I also loved reading space adventure stories – and I loved the Heinlein juveniles in particular. It wasn’t til I was older that I realized that many of these stories were written for boys, and that girls didn’t really get to have adventures. It was a pleasure for me to write a story about a girl who gets to do just that.

I am also incredibly thrilled that Pam Melroy agreed to do the foreword for our anthology. She is a retired astronaut and one of only two female space shuttle commanders. I got to meet her once and what a thrill it was to talk to a woman who actually got to have real adventures in space.

Here is a short exerpt from “Lunar Camp.” You’ll find the rest of it in Athena’s Daughters: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/103879051/athenas-daughters-women-in-science-fiction-and-fan

You can read an excerpt from my Athena’s Daughters short story here: https://www.wattpad.com/32032406-athena%27s-daughters-lunar-camp-exerpt

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Maggie Allen recently started writing short fiction, but for her day job at NASA she has years of experience writing and podcasting about various non-fiction topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Maggie is a guitarist and singer in the rock band “Naked Singularity,” which released its first album of original music in 2013. She has also been a long-time member of the costuming community, and has run her popular costume research and resource sites (padawansguide.com and costumersguide.com) for the past 14 years. Her writer website may be found here: https://writermaggie.blogspot.com

##

Athena’s Daughters is a collection of short fiction from some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors in the industry, published by Silence in the Library Publishing. This anthology features stories written by women about women. I’m also incredibly excited to have an introduction to the anthology by retired astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Pam Melroy. A portion of every book sold will go to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Athena’s Daughters is a Kickstarter-funded project, which means readers like you bring it to life. Your contribution not only helps to create the book, but you can receive awesome rewards for participating. Become a part of the Athena’s Daughter’s journey by visiting https://tinyurl.com/athenasD

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by | December 10, 2013 · 4:06 pm

Strong Women, Exciting Stories–Athena’s Daughters Anthology Kickstarter is Live!

kickstarter, anthology, women, science fiction, fantasy,

Help fund the Kickstarter campaign to bring the Athena’s Daughters campaign to life!

I’ve partnered with Silence in the Library Publishing, Kickstarter, and a host of renowned authors including names like Mary Robinette Kowal, Jean Rabe, Sherwood Smith, and many others in a new Kickstarter project titled Athena’s Daughters.

My story, “Retribution”, is set in my Deadly Curiosities universe, in modern-day Charleston, SC. It’s the same characters and setting as my “Buttons” adventure, and as the upcoming urban fantasy novel, “Deadly Curiosities” (Solaris Books, 2014)

Athena’s Daughters is a collection of short fiction from some of the best female science fiction and fantasy authors in the industry. This anthology features stories written by women about women. I’m also incredibly excited to have an introduction to the anthology by retired astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Pam Melroy.

The publisher, Silence in the Library, believes strongly in the concept of bringing the artistry back to publishing. To that end, every anthology they produce features illustrations for each and every story. Additionally, my fellow authors and I, and the staff at Silence in the Library Publishing believe that any good project should contribute something to improving the human community. In keeping with that goal, a portion of every book sold will go to RAINN. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

By funding Athena’s Daughters at any level, you help bring this project to life. And for supports who fund starting at the $5 level, you get awesome thank-you gifts from the authors. Help us reach our stretch goals, and you could win free books, ebooks, audiobooks, art, and more. You might even win the chance to be written into one of the stories!

Watch the cool video Janine Spendlove made to tell you all about it:    Athena’s Daughters–You can make this live!

This is only a small portion of what is waiting for you when you visit the Athena’s Daughters Kickstarter project page. Please join us and become a part of the Athena’s Daughter’s journey by visiting https://tinyurl.com/athenasD and contributing today!

Read an excerpt from my Athena’s Daughters story, “Retribution” here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/10512852-retribution

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by | December 1, 2013 · 9:00 am

The Broad Universe Year in Review Blog Ring of Power starts 12/1 – 12/31

BRoP Year in Review 2013Seventeen women speculative fiction writers (including me!) talk about 2013 milestones and what’s coming up in 2014 on the Broad Universe Blog Ring of Power!

Authors include Hichelle Hauck, Heidi Vlach, Anne E. Johnson, Bonnie Milani, A.W. Exley, Gail Z. Martin, Tracy Lane, T.J. Loveless, E.B. Black, Ellen Larson, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Lori Sjoberg, Beth Barany, Lauren Jankowski, Jennifer Allis Provost, Terri Bruce, T.W. Fendley, Emily LaBonte, Sandra Ulbrich Almazan and Vicki Lempe Weavile.

Includes drawings for awesome prizes!

Prizes include:
ebook copies of Render (A story of Aligaire) by Heidi Vlach (3 copies)
ebook copy of Home World by Bonnie Milani and ebook copy of Trades by Bonnie Milani
ebook copy of Nefertiti’s Heart by A. W. Exley
$25 Amazon Gift Card from T. J. Loveless
paperback copy of Going Thru Hell by T. J. Loveless
ebook copy of Medusa’s Desire by E. B. Black
signed hardcover first edition of In Retrospect by Ellen Larson
ebook copies of Bad Apple by Kristi Petersen Schoonover (2)
ebook copy of Grave Intentions by Lori Sjoberg
copy of Henrietta the Dragon Slayer by Beth Barany (print for U.S. or ebook for Int. winner)
$10 Amazon gift card from Terri Bruce
ebook copy of Twinned Universes by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
signed copy of Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin

Details here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find all the blog goodness here:

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by | November 21, 2013 · 9:53 am

Surviving the Publishing Apocalypse

By Gail Z. Martin

You’ve seen the headlines.  “Print is dead!” “Books are History!” “It’s the End of Reading As We Know It!”

Not.

Rumors of the death of publishing, to borrow from Mark Twain, have been exaggerated.  It’s certainly shifting and changing, breaking new ground and taking new forms, but it’s not dead yet.

I would argue that publishing is where camera makers and record producers were several years ago.  You remember records, right?  Round, spinney things that played songs?  They gave way to CDs, which were rendered useless by … Napster.  Record companies never saw downloadable music coming, and because their entire business model was built on charging for entire albums rather than song by song, they felt very threatened.  It took a while for legal downloads to win their trust, and even so, many major artists were hold-outs for many years.

Then there were cameras—the film kind.  You know, where you take photos that are saved on film and you have to pay for the film to be developed, and wait a while, and then get to see your pictures?  Kodak owned that market, but it didn’t see the threat digital cameras posed to their kingdom until it was too late.  Good luck trying to get your film developed at your neighborhood drug store these days.  Everything’s gone digital. Kodak’s gone bankrupt.

Or how about watching movies at home?  Not too long ago, people went to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and rented movies. Then Netflix created a way for you to get your movies without leaving home, and Redbox gave you top hits for just a buck.  Bye-bye Blockbuster.

Have people stopped listening to music? Taking pictures? Watching movies at home?  No.  They just changed how they consume them.

That’s a lesson publisher are slowly learning.  Their profit models are built around how things used to be, and the new reality is uncertain and scary.  They’re tippy-toeing into the brave new world of ebooks, wary of technology that might cut out the traditional publishing middle-men.

Meanwhile, authors and small presses are experimenting.  You’ll see long-published authors bringing out their out-of-print titles on ebook as self-published ebooks.  You might see small presses offering the first book of a series for free to hook new readers into paying for future installments.  Authors and small presses are doing Kickstarter projects to underwrite the cost of putting out a new book, and readers are proving that they’ll pay for content they really like.

We’re seeing the return of serialized novels, something that hasn’t been popular since Charles Dickens. Podcasts offer audio novels created by the authors themselves, while social media allows authors to interact with readers in real-time, all the time.

The world of publishing has changed, and it’s changed fast.  Tomorrow’s successful authors will be marketing pros as well as good writers, because staying in touch with readers through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and other sites is part of doing business.  Readers expect to have an ongoing conversation with authors, and writers ignore that at their peril.  Publishing houses still haven’t grasped that their real value lies in their ability to promote, because many of them still view marketing as a secondary function.  In reality, they’re sitting on a gold mine and haven’t quite realized it yet.

So is the publishing apocalypse upon us?  I don’t think so.  We do live in “interesting times” as the Chinese curse says, but it’s not cause for despair.  Publishing, and books, will be with us for a long time to come.

 

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 | November 18, 2013 · 9:51 am

Mythology and Fantasy—Where’s the Line?

By Gail Z. Martin

If you’re a fan of world mythology, you may have noticed that famous (and rather obscure) creatures from folklore and legend have made their way to the pages of recent bestsellers.  Epic and urban fantasy, paranormal romance and blockbuster movies all seem to have raided the pages of Bullfinch’s Mythology for their cast of characters.

What’s behind our fascination with the characters—and plotlines—of ancient myths?  Do these modern versions qualify as “retellings” of the myths, or just the literary equivalent of discount knock-offs?

The myths have hung around for thousands of years because they speak to something deeply human, and to shared dreams, fears and fantasies.  The myths also give us an archetypal framework in which to discuss good vs. evil, hubris and humility, and the values that make it possible to create a successful civilization, like honesty, hard work, truthfulness, loyalty, friendship, self-sacrifice, etc.  The characters may be fabrications, but they are very human on a bigger-than-life scale.

Telling the old stories WAS popular entertainment for much of human history.  These are the stories that ancient peoples memorized by heart and handed down from generation to generation.  Many of the ancient cultures borrowed their myths from even more ancient peoples, adapting them to fit the times and the conventions of their civilizations.  They would be told, retold and embellished at night around the campfire, on long winter evenings, and during celebrations and special ceremonies.  Oral traditions became murals, tapestries, plays, and ballads.  Plays became books, movies, ballads became operas. Watch closely, and you’ll even see the old themes play out in music videos.

So what’s with using mythology in modern fantasy?  In my opinion, it’s just another generation’s retelling of the old, old stories, spruced up for today’s readers.  The setting and superficial details change, but the essence of the stories and characters remain the same.  Does that mean there’s no such thing as a “new” story?  Perhaps in one way, because according to some experts, there are only two real plots in all of literature: 1) a person takes a trip and 2) a stranger comes to town. (Someone else pointed out that it’s really just one story told from different perspectives.)

But in another way, there are an infinite number of stories, because each storyteller brings a unique personal interpretation to the myth, the journey and the characters.  Re-told myths become more relevant when they are framed in contemporary images, broadening their appeal.  Those of us who tell stories for a living are just the latest in a long line of bards, spinning tales around a campfire.

 

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 | November 14, 2013 · 9:46 am

Why we can’t get enough of medieval magic

By Gail Z. Martin

What is it about the Middle Ages that makes us think of magic?

Maybe it’s because those times seem so far removed from our own that it’s difficult to believe they were actually real, and not just an elaborate backstory created by Hollywood.  Especially here in the United States, where our oldest buildings are only from the 1500s, anything older seems hard to imagine.

Of course, magic was considered to be “real” during the Middle Ages.  Throughout Europe, witch hunts brought many innocents to a bad end.  Educated people lived in fear of witches and curses, werewolves and vampires. Given the lack of scientific knowledge, illness, natural disasters and even crop failures were blamed on magic, which seemed the most likely explanation.

I spend a lot of time researching background elements for my epic fantasy series, and it’s no surprise that I’m frequently drawing on medieval sources, legends, and real-life occurrences involving magic.  I’m fascinated with a world where magic was believed to be real, a world whose inhabitants saw mystery—and horror—at every turn. What did it feel like to live in a world where so little was explainable?  How vulnerable would you feel if there were no scientific explanations for the weather, disease, mental illness, blights and pestilence, if those and other hardships seemed to arise from curses and evil spells?

Medieval Europe was a place of dark forests and wild seas.  The world was still not well explored, so the discovery of previously unknown peoples, places, animals and objects seemed magical in the literal sense of the word.  The Old Religions acknowledged magic as real, venerating it in their legends and rituals.  Catholicism disdained magic, but replaced it with an unending series of miracles and miracle-working saints whose legends often ventured into what can only be termed “magic.”

All of which explains why medieval settings seem tailor-made for fantasy adventures.  Limited technology and scientific knowledge, vast distances and slow communication, daunting natural disasters and uncharted waters all set the perfect stage for telling stories laced with magic.  Looking back through the darkened mirror of time, even historically documented events seem to have the feel of forgotten magic about them.  That world seems so different from our own that it barely feels real.

And yet, people really don’t change.  Examine today’s urban myths, and you’ll find more than a hint of magical thinking as people try to explain big, complicated events with simple causes.  Logic need not apply, and many urban myths and conspiracy theories won’t hold up for a moment to scientific evidence, but there is something soothing at a primal level about simple, organic explanations in our nano-tech world.

I guess that’s why I love writing epic fantasy with magic.  I enjoy the idea of a world that isn’t completely explainable, filled with wonder and mystery, where magic can and does happen and things aren’t always as they seem.  In our world full of satellite images, Google Glass, and cellular biology, sometimes it’s fun to imagine not knowing everything.  I enjoy the mystery.

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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