"Swords of the Six" Goes to Committee!

"Swords of the Six" passed with the editor, Dan Penwell's, approval.

I received notification this morning that he is going to bring it to committee within the next few days. This could be very good, at the least it is farther than the vast majority of novels make it in the process. And I have little doubt I have God and Bryan Davis to thank for bringing it this far.

Novel, Title Help

The second Sword of the Dragon novel is under way now. I put 3,300-words in on Monday night into early this morning.

My current title idea is "Rise of the Offspring" instead of the original "Offspring"

But I'd like to steer away from the rise of, I've seen it used on a couple other fantasy novels and I don't think it's as catching as my first book's title, "Swords of the Six."

If you have ideas please post them here. I'd love everyone's imput.

"STARDUST" A Review

I'd heard of the movie, Stardust, when it came into theatres. But for some reason, though I see many films before their DVD release, I put this one off.

Recently I bought the film and, excepting a few lines and gestures, it is a good movie. I prefer to look at the positive side of a thing, when possible. And the love story is one of the most romantic I have ever seen. The actors did a superb job (the witches were disgusting, but, I think, effectively so). I would not recommend this for young teens and younger, but this is a good movie for, say, seventeen and up. There seems to be hints of homosexuality with the captain, and at one point the witch, seeking to regain her youthful appearance, ruins her figure. So there are unnecessary parts, but I think the message of true love far outshone the negative elements.

After seeing the movie and watching the special features, wherein the author, Neil Gaiman, spoke of his writing the novel, I decided to check out the book. I purchased my paperback copy at Borders the other day, started reading last night, and finished its 250 pages this afternoon.

It was a fascinating literary work, full of lyrical prose. A fresh look into Faerie, somewhat akin to Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. There is little continuity with the book, as far as the movie was concerned, so reading the book proved more interesting because one cannot be certain of the tale's outcome.

But, be warned, this was targeted for adult readers. There is a curse word, and two sex scenes. The hero was honorable in the story, chivalrous. And the end was written with such elegance that I felt I could see the star standing in that lonesome tower, gazing into the heavens she once occupied.

"The Reminder" Spotlights my Writing

Besides mixing up a few details about my writing career (the article states that the novel I've just finished is the conclusion of my series, rather than the preclusion, and the article makes it sound as if AMG Publishers has contracted me, which they have not) the article was good.

I was pleased to see the quotes were, for the most part, accurate and didn't pass over my convictions but rather held them out, openly.

So, any of you visiting this blog as a result of the Reminder's article, please note: the first novel is a prelude to the series, you will not have to wait for the subsequent books to discover the novel's back story!

Overall I found the article well written, and surprisingly long!

At the Canterbury Public Library

That library event was a lot of fun and much easier than I'd expected. People were in and out for over two hours, asking questions and taking my advice. I made a small pamphlet to hand out, I think I had nine copies, and I ran out. I'm estimating there were between a dozen and fifteen different people throughout the evening and there is a possibillity that I will be doing the same thing at another library in the near future.

A reporter from the Reminder came later in the evening, interviewed me and took a picture. That felt strange but thrilling as well because I will need the media's support when my book is ready to hit shelves and if I create enough pre-publication buzz it will increase sales.

Overall, I had a wonderful time and was pleasantly surprised to meet several Christians excited about my convictions.

Interview to Appear in MindFlights

I interviewed Bryan Davis for MindFlights Magazine and received a contract for the work, today. When it is published I will post here so that you can check it out.

Novel, Finished and Sent

It took a few nights staying up until 4 o'clock in morning to do it, but the novel Sword of the Dragon: Swords of the Six was completed yesterday just after midnight. It's longer than I expected (over 75,000-words) but I'm happy with how it turned out.

I sent the manuscript to Dan Penwell as an email attachment early this afternoon. Now I must again wait for AMG's response.

In the mean time, I've started reading prospective stories for the anthology of fantasy and science-fiction stories that I am editing for Double Edged Publishing. I'm really excited about this project. It will be fun to see my name on a printed book for the first time and I enjoy reading the stories and picking my favorites.

I've also submitted a couple stories to magazines, one sci-fi and the other fantasy. So I'm waiting on a response to those.

Writing is an unending learning process, always room for improvment. But I wouldn't trade this ambition for anything!

Library Appearance

My first public appearance (as a writer) is coming up fast. January 17th I will be at the Canterbury Public Library to inform people of my writing and to encourage aspiring writers.

I'm honestly feeling a bit nervous because I've never been strong in front of a lot of people. My thoughts tend to fly out the windows! But I'll have to get used to it and the librarian is advertising it in the Norwich Bulletin so I will have to be prepared for a decent sized group.

I do hope it's only a few... it would be a much easier break in to public speaking!

In the Wake of the Holiday Wave

I had a wonderful Christmas. Relaxing, mostly, not hectic. I'm always sorry to see the Christmas tree go. The lights are fun to watch and very condusive to writing because they put my mind in "the mood" to compose.

Dad and Mom bought me a Crossley combo player (I think that's what you call it). It plays cassettes, CDs, and records. It's something I mentioned last year to them and completely forgot that I had. The sound quality is very nice and I enjoy the fact that I can listen to some music that otherwise I'd have to forego.

Whenever I look at the Christmas tree I think of the fact of where it stands out the most clearly: in darkness. When all the lights around it are put out the beauty of it stands out from the darkened room.

So it is with Christ, born into this dark world, He stood out amidst the sin, a reminder that there is and always has been hope for humankind. It is up to us to honor Christ, our hope, and not dim the light of his glory. We must share it by living it out in our lives. Let people know that He is truth by showing the truth in you.