100 Days of Fantasy, Day 67

This is an ongoing series looking at books that influenced me as a author.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight
by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Okay, I admit it. Back in junior high school, I was a gaming nerd. But before that, I had been a fan of fantasy literature. So, when the Dragonlance novels came along, it was like manna from heaven, this brand new mixture of Dungeons & Dragons and the fantasy novel.

One of the things my young self enjoyed much about Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the first of the Dragonlance novels and one of (if not the) first of the novels based upon a role-playing game, was that explanations for the game rules actual found their way into the story and fit quite naturally.

The story itself was also decent, and the characters were iconic and interesting. Actually, I felt the characters were one of the big strengths of these original Dragonlance books.

But no, this was not great literature. Not even great fantasy literature. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. I have read worse over the years, but I've read a lot better, too.

Readers who enjoy media-tie-in novels, especially those based upon roleplaying games, can thank this book for really kicking off the whole trend. Unfortunately for writers, over the years there has grown a stigma about stories based upon role-playing games; it seems a lot of editors are not interested in such stories, especially if those stories are based upon the writers' own gaming experiences. That's fine with me, because I usually don't write directly from my gaming experiences and besides, there are some editors who do enjoy such tales and are willing to buy them.

Up next: The Ruins

Revolver Rhino in .357 magnum

Just look at the image below. All I have to say is ... I want one ...

Made by Italian manufacturer Chiappa Firearms. The barrel aligns with the bottom of the cylinder, which should cut down on recoil. And it's in my favorite cartridge, .357 magnum. If interested, find out more here.

Or ...

If anyone really wants to get me something for Christmas, there's always one of these ...

100 Days of Fantasy: Day 66

This is an ongoing series looking at books that have influenced me as an author.

Wizardry and Wild Romance
by Michael Moorcock

I had heard about and read about this book, so it was with some joy that I stumbled upon it in a book store a few years ago. I was familiar with a good bit of author Moorcock's early Sword and Sorcery writings, and I was intrigued at what he had to say about the sub-genre in particular and fantasy literature over all.

What this book is is Moorcock's personal analysis of the fantasy genre, with his opinions about a handful of the better-known authors in the genre.

I found surprises here, some that might even be considered shocking to many fans of the genre. For instance, Moorcock seems to have a hate-on for Tolkien. And for C.S. Lewis, as well. Moorcock spends more than a few words in print about the banality of these two, how he finds them boring, boring, boring. And Moorcock goes on the heap plenty of scorn on the heads of those who would follow directly in the footsteps of the likes of Tolkien and Lewis.

But that shouldn't stop any fantasy fans from reading this book. Why? Because those fans will learn quite a bit. They might even have their eyes and their minds opened to other fantasy literature, books and stories that aren't so well known but still contain much literary merit.

Also, Moorcock provides quite the extensive overview of the history of the fantasy genre, mentioning ancient works, gothic literature of the 19th Century, early 20th Century writers and so forth. There is knowledge in spades to be found in this book, and much of it will be new to most fans of fantasy.

To learn of hidden gems of the fantasy genre, to gain a basic understanding from where the genre has come, this book is indispensable.

Up next: Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Coming soon: Kindle Singles

For those who might not have heard about this yet, Amazon will soon have a new program for writers called Kindle Singles. What this special program will do is allow writers to sell shorter works, such as short stories and novellas, for the Kindle, most likely at prices less than the 99 cents Amazon current limits as the bottom price for online publishing.

For the official press release, go here.

Depending on what kind of pricing will be available, I see lots of potential here.

Most obvious is the fact you'll be able to sell short stories. Okay, you write a story, edit it, then publish it online for the Kindle. Of course a lot will depend upon Amazon's pricing schedule, but let's just say you can sell a story for 25 cents and make a dime or nickel per story. That's not a lot of money, but it might add up over a year or so. And honestly, most writers nowadays aren't looking to make big money off their short stories. Still, if you wrote a story or two per week, this could add up over time.

Also, I see potential here for serial tales. If Amazon allows such, a writer could publish a new section to a story every so often, maybe each week or month or something. Then in the end, the writer could bundle all the stories and sell them as a novel. This could very well mean the return of true pulp fiction, penny dreadfuls and the like.

It's too soon to know the facts, as Amazon hasn't released much yet. But I've e-mailed Amazon asking for more information, and they've already e-mailed me back saying it would be on the way. As soon as I know something concrete, you'll know.

100 Days of Fantasy: Day 65

This is an ongoing series looking at novels that influenced me as a fantasy author.

Dragonflight
by Anne McCaffrey

As a young teen in the early 1980s, I was trying to expand my reading experiences into fantasy and science fiction, so I joined the Science Fiction Book Club in order to do so. One of the books I picked out as a member of the club was this one, Dragonflight.

Why did I pick it? Well, because it had a dragon on the cover and actually had the word "dragon" in the title. I knew next to nothing about the other than she seemed fairly popular, and the book was about dragons. What could go wrong?

It was an interesting tale, enough to cause me to read another half dozen books from this author, mixing fantasy and, later in the story, a little science fiction. The plot revolves around a background of humans living on a planet where every so often a deadly rain of giant silver string-like objects called Thread come from the skies and kill everything they touch. The only defense against the Thread are the dragons of Pern, the planet. Dragonriders ride the dragons and destroy the Thread.

It was a different take on the dragon myths than anything I'd ever read, and I enjoyed the take McCaffrey took with her story.

Eventually, I tired of McCaffrey. It wasn't that she was a bad writer, but I got to a point where I felt she'd said all she had to say that would be of interest to me. I guess there are only so many dragons of Pern stories I can read. I've not been back to this author in nearly 25 years, but perhaps I will someday.

If I learned anything from Dragonflight, and the other Pern novels I read, it was the idea of rethinking, reshaping our preconceptions about iconic figures, such as dragons, and the stories they inhabit. It was another way of thinking, a new way of thinking to the young writer I was back in the day.

Up next: Wizardry and Wild Romance

100 Days of Fantasy: Day 64

This is an ongoing series looking at books that have influenced me as a fantasy author.

Sometimes the Magic Works
by Terry Brooks

I came across this book quite by accident a few years ago. I was walking around a Barnes & Noble, not really looking for anything particular, when the name "Terry Brooks" crossed my site. I did a double take and looked back. This book, Sometimes the Magic Works, is what I found.

Having read a half dozen or so of Brooks's novels back in the early-to-mid 1980s, I was familiar with his early work. I didn't completely dislike what I had read, but I always sort of felt, "Once I've read one Terry Brooks fantasy novel, I've read them all." To be fair, that was about 25 years ago, and the man has written much more since then, so maybe he's stretched out his plotting a little more. I don't know, because I've never gone back to the author for my fiction reading. Maybe I will some day.

But when I came across Sometimes the Magic Works, I was curious. From time to time, I like to read non-fiction books about the writing craft from actual known authors, instead of the tons of books about writing that seem to be by nobodies.

Since I was familiar with Brooks, I gave this book a try. I'm glad I did.

It reminded me a bit of the famous On Writing by Stephen King in that it's not simply a book about the craft of writing, but also gets into the personal journey of the author. Most of the personal material here is not too in depth, which is fine because I'm not interested in breaking anyone's privacy, and it mostly deals with Brooks as an older, experienced author. Still, I felt a sense of camaraderie because Brooks's thought process on writing seems quite similar to my own.

The first chapter is titled "I Am Not Here." Brooks explains how he gets so mentally caught up in his fictional worlds that he is often accused by his family of something called "fuzzy mind" in which Brooks sort of blanks out everything that's going on around him and seems withdrawn. Brooks jokes about it mostly. That could be me. In fact, that sounds a lot like me.

I won't go into further detail because I'd like people to experience this fine book on their own. Even if you aren't the biggest Brooks fan, and I suppose I'm in that boat, this book on writing is still worth your while, even if you're not a fantasy writer.

Up next: Dragonflight

100 Days of Fantasy: Day 63

This is an ongoing series looking at books that influenced me as a fantasy author.

The First Book of Swords
by Fred Saberhagen

The year was 1983. I was 13 years old. I was perusing the fantasy shelves of my favorite book store in my hometown, looking for something different. I stumbled up Fred Saberhagen's The First Book of Swords.

Why did I buy this novel? Could it have been the interesting cover with flashy sword and the painted artwork inlaid inside the blade's handle? Could it have been the interesting plot, 12 magic swords created by the gods and tossed down to the mortals to see what mischief would occur?

I don't remember. But I believe it was probably all of the above.

Saberhagen's writing style wasn't flashy, nor was it complicated or overly literary. It was fairly straight-forward, down-to-earth, almost blue-collar writing. I could appreciate that at 13 and I still appreciate it now at 41. The story was key here, with the characters running a close second. That was fine with me. I do like my mammoth literary novel reading from time to time, but I also enjoy stories that are just stories.

And I think, as a writer, that's much of what I took away from this novel and the many others that followed in the series -- that sometimes a story is just a story, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Up next: Sometimes the Magic Works