When I was young, I think it was after puberty, I had a vision of a young naked girl in the woods. Every boy has some similar fantasy, I'd bet, but this was a powerful, profound experience, something greatly beyond sex, because this girl felt very real to me. It was like a dream bordering... Continue Reading →
Climb up to the roof! What's the worst that could happen? By this point, Dr. Van Richten was begging. "Please, please I don't want to; I'm scared of heights!" But Dr. Van Helsing was insisting, and he was holding the shotgun. Somehow, they needed to learn what was going on in the mansion, and Helsing was not... Continue Reading →
My first D&D book! Once upon a time . . . there lived an elf named Hektor and a half-orc named Lattice. Hektor and Lattice were strolling through the woods when they came upon a group of lizard men. Lightning streaked the sky, and shortly after it began to rain, but the elf and the... Continue Reading →
Long before Superman and Batman became household names, there was Tarzan. Originally published in 1914, Tarzan predates Superman by a good twenty-four years. In many ways, he is the first superhero. Children growing up in the '20s and '30s were as familiar with the ape-man as the most beloved DC/Marvel characters of today. He appeared... Continue Reading →
I knew the genre I would be writing in by age six, in 1981, after I'd just unboxed my first He-Man action figure. Masters of the Universe was my introduction to all things fantasy and Sci-Fi. With his furry loincloth and rippling muscles and interchangeable sword, ax, and shield, He-Man set my imagination ablaze. Even... Continue Reading →
Since Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, world building has become a mainstay of fantasy fiction, gaining a resurgence among budding novelists after the release of the film adaptations. Much of the love lavished on George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire has a great deal to do with world building. But this phenomenon is unique to the... Continue Reading →
I try not to do this. Honestly, as a fellow writer, I don't want to. But there's simply no way around it. The book I am reviewing today just isn't very good, not for me, at least. For many people, this is a classic. I know this because the cover states, "50th Anniversary Edition" and... Continue Reading →
My Norwegian friend, who is studying to become a philosophy professor, is currently taking a Science Fiction and Philosophy course, and I am intensely jealous. Where was that class when I attended USF? Despite the anti-philosophy taboo trending or perceived to be trending in fiction these days (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone had to be re-dubbed the Sorcerer's... Continue Reading →
The greatness of literature cannot be determined solely by literary standards--- T.S. Eliot Was it crazy to believe in this? Many said it was.In her post, Top 10 Ways to get rejected by your dream agent, Barbara Rogan talks about fellow agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, who was attacked on her way to her car by... Continue Reading →
Dear Editor, Age of Aenya is a trio of interconnected fantasy novellas at c. 170,000 words. City by the Sea: To save her family from starvation, Thelana leaves her homeland in search of civilization. But in Hedonia, she is forced to live as a vagabond, until she is caught stealing the pearl eyes from the idol of... Continue Reading →
The Art of Storytelling 
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