I am 130k words into my fourth novel, The Magiq of Aenya, and should have a completed draft around August. But before then, I'll be heading to my wife's home country of Morocco, a real-world fantasy setting, to better realize the Arab-North African inspired City of Shemselinihar. This is a rough map of the area... Continue Reading →
Scott Lynch is a talented wordsmith. His writing is exceptionally vivid, which he uses to significant effect in his debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora. That being said, his characters lack depth, and the plot takes a while to get going, and when it does, it is relatively straightforward. The Lies of Lock Lamora... Continue Reading →
In a recent podcast, Nick Alimonos shares updates on his participation in the first Tarpon Springs Book Fair, where he successfully sold his books, particularly "Princess of Aenya." He addresses challenges authors face with algorithms that misrepresent his work by associating it with nudity, despite its broader fantasy themes. Alimonos emphasizes the importance of storytelling beyond monetary gain, reflecting on the market trends favoring emotional narratives that resonate more with female readers. He discusses his ongoing project, "The Magiq of Aenya," aimed at younger audiences, and how he is rethinking cover designs to better connect with readers.
I felt pressured into reading The Witcher after the series was turned into a Netflix original starring Henry Cavill, and a trilogy of video games for PC, PS4, and Xbox. Even my nephew, who abhors reading anything more than a JRPG dialogue box, told me he had read the first book, so I figured I... Continue Reading →
It's the end of the world as we know it ... and I feel fine. R.E.M I have a lot of experience writing about apocalyptic events. You could almost say it's my forte. In Ages of Aenya, when the sun expands from a yellow star to a red supergiant, 90% of all Aenya species perish. Millenniums... Continue Reading →
I try to steer clear of politics at Thanksgiving dinner, because I can get pretty passionate, and because my brother happens to be a Trump supporter. But when the subject turned to taxes, Bernie Sanders, and the evils of socialism, I had to chime in. What my brother fails to understand, as I think most... Continue Reading →
Whenever I write these reviews, I make certain to consider my mental state at the time. So much of what we think about art is a reflection of our current thoughts and feelings, and like Kant's Noumena, impossible to divorce from our perception of it, a perception further prone to change as we age, gain new... Continue Reading →
There is a poignant scene in the last episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, where a young girl asks, after escaping to Canada, "Is this where we can wear whatever we want?" As a naturist, this scene had a particularly powerful impact on me. What people are or are not allowed to wear cuts at the... Continue Reading →
I sometimes feel like Eldin, the time-traveling historian, hopping between ages. The world of Aenya has been brewing in my skull for almost twenty years now. I remember advertising that the The Dark Age of Enya would soon be released in 2000! Sadly, these vast time periods tend to alienate fans, because after nearly two decades, I've... Continue Reading →
Exciting news, everyone! My book came in the mail today! There's just something magical, transformative even, when you get to hold your story in your hands for the first time. You know this is it, after more than a decade of writing and rewriting, the novel in its final form. Ages of Aenya is here. So... Continue Reading →
The Art of Storytelling 
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