Eolyn's Amazing Audio Book Tour and Giveaway

Welcome to our month-long celebration of the release of the audio edition of Eolyn!

We have a lot of exciting activities planned over the next four weeks, including author interviews, posts about magic, and previews of Darla Middlebrook's wonderful interpretation of this epic tale.

Best of all, as part of the tour you have the opportunity to win a FREE copy of the audio book! Just sign up for the Rafflecopter Giveaway below, or at any of the stops on the tour. Five copies are being raffled. There are lots of opportunities for entries. The winners will be announced at the end of the tour on August 11. 

Many thanks to The Magic Appreciation Tour for helping me put together this awesome list of blog stops. Join us for a virtual adventure through the Kingdom of Mosiehén. All are welcome. Enjoy!

July 14-Aug 11 Eolyn's Amazing Audio Book Tour and Giveaway  

Scroll down to enter for your chance to win one of five FREE copies 

of the audible edition of Eolyn. Winners will be announced on August 11th. 

July 14  The Places that Inspired Eolyn's World: Talamanca. Eolyn's source of magical power can be found in the South Woods, a dense wilderness inspired by the highlands of Costa Rica. Learn about these forests and why I love them so at DelSheree Gladden's The Edible Bookshelf.

July 16 Author Interview at The Story Teller's Inn. Join me and fellow author Susan Stuckey for a virtual cup of coffee and a chat about all things magical. 

July 18  Magic in Eolyn's World.  A full overview of the history and structure of magic in the Kingdom of Moisehén. Join us for a discussion of this and other systems of magic at Daniel Marvello's The Vaetra Files. 

July 21 Dragon. Author Lori Fitzgerald's recent release The Dragon's Message provides a perfect opportunity to talk about the role of Dragon in Eolyn's world. Stop by and share your favorite dragon stories, too!

July 23 The Origins of Magic.  Every young mage and maga learns this story. Now, thanks to a special request by author Matthew Reuter, you will learn it, too!

July 25 Author Interview with Heidi Lynne Burke.  My second author interview on the tour.  Questions about what inspired Eolyn, why an audiobook, and what to expect next from Eolyn's world.

July 28 Aen-lasati: The Magic of Love and Desire.  One of my favorite posts about one of the most intriguing yet controversial aspects of Eolyn's world. Check it out at author Tracy Falbe's blog, Her Ladyship's Quest.

July 30 The Romantic Leads of Eolyn.  A visit to Marsha Moore's blog Illusions of Intimacy inspires the romantic in me. Learn about the men who compete for Eolyn's heart -- and the readers' hearts, as well!

August 1 Born of Fire: the Ancient Forests of East Selen.  The forests of the Pacific Northwest reflect the wild beauty of the home of the Clan of East Selen, an ancient and powerful line of mages and magas. Explore these forests with me on Linda Ulleseit's blog Books Books Books.

Aug 4 Chat at the Independent Bookworm.  Author Will Hahn and I kick back for a friendly chat about the ups, downs, ins, and outs of producing an audio book. Bring your questions, and help yourself to the virtual brownies at the back of the room.

Aug 8 Author Interview with Eliabeth Hawthorne.  My last stop on the tour is a visit with the co-authors of the YA fantasy series Blind Sight.  If you've got any lingering questions about Eolyn and it's audio edition, here is your chance to ask them!

On August 11, Winners of Amazing Audio Book Tour Giveaway will be announced on this site! Good luck to all our participants. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EOLYN in Audiobook

At last!  The audio edition of Eolyn is now available through Audible and iTunes.

If you've already read Eolyn, this is a wonderful way to rediscover the power of the Magas.

If you haven't yet read Eolyn, now is your chance to join the adventure.

The audio edition of Eolyn is read by the incomparable Darla Middlebrook. Darla's tag line, bringing out the soul of the book, is realized in every moment of the story.  As I've said elsewhere, I couldn't be more thrilled with her interpretation of the characters and events of Eolyn. And I'm especially thrilled now that I get to share this with all of you!

As today's special treat, here's a preview of the audio book: Darla's reading from Chapter 3, 'The House of Sweetbread'.  In this scene young Eolyn, starved and exhausted after days of wandering lost in the forest, meets her mentor Ghemena for the first time.

Rediscovering EOLYN

I have had the greatest pleasure these past few weeks of listening to the new audio edition of EOLYN.

Read by the incomparable Darla Middlebrook, this interpretation made me laugh, and then cry, in all the right moments. It filled me with joy and fear, love and heartbreak, warmth, humor, friendship and loss in ways that surprised me, given how intimately I already knew the story.

To hear Eolyn's world revealed by a professional reader was just such an extraordinary experience. I felt as if I were discovering my own story all over again, as if I hadn't heard of these characters and their world before, even though I'd written it all myself.

Among my favorite voices: Tzeremond, Drostan, Rishona, and Tahmir. I can't say that in every case Darla used the voice that I would have chosen, but in the end, the whole was so much greater than the sum of its parts. I couldn't be more thrilled with the final product, and I cannot wait to share it with the world.

Terri-Lynne DeFino, acting editor-in-chief of Hadley Rille Books, has given her go ahead on acx to move forward with the release. We are waiting on Darla's final approval, which I imagine will be forthcoming.

Once everyone has given the thumbs up, I'm not really sure how long it will take for the system to put the audiobook on the market. After all, I've never done anything like this before. But I can't imagine it will be long; I expect EOLYN will be available for your listening enjoyment by the end of this month.

Of course, as soon as it's released, I will post the purchase links here as well as on Facebook and Twitter, so please check back through the usual channels for more news in coming days and weeks.  If you haven't read the novel, this will be a great way to immerse yourself in Eolyn's world. If you have read the novel, I suspect that you, like me, will find immense pleasure in listening to this new interpretation. Any way you cut it, the release of Eolyn in audio is going to be a great summer treat for everyone.

Many, many thanks to Darla Middlebrook for the long hours she spent in putting together this fantastic recording. With any luck, we'll be able to snag her for an audio edition of High Maga as well. . .

Meet My Character Blog Hop

Historical fiction author Louise Turner has invited me to participate in the Meet My Character Blog Hop. I met Louise through Hadley Rille Books. Her debut novel, Fire and Sword, is set in 15th century Scotland. I read the novel last fall, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Louise's blog hop post focuses on the character of Hugh Montgomerie, the wonderfully ruthless antihero of her story. To find out more about the world of Fire and Sword, visit Louise Turner's website. You can also read my Goodreads review of her work.

In my countdown posts for the release of High Maga, I never really did a character sketch of Eolyn, so I thought I'd devote some time to her today. Here are the blog hop questions, with my answers:

1. What is the name of my main character? Is he/she fictional or historical?

Eolyn is a fictional character, but many historical figures inspired her creation.

2. When and where is the story set?

The story is set in a medieval pagan kingdom called Moisehén, a place with a rich tradition of magic that dates back centuries. Eolyn was born in the aftermath of a great civil war that put an end to this tradition. During the war, the Magas, female practitioners of magic, rose up against the Mage King Kedehen. After crushing the rebellion, Kedehen forbade women to practice magic and set out to destroy the magas. Eolyn's mother Kaie was in hiding when she gave birth to her daughter, but eventually the purges consumed her life as well. 

3. What should we know about her?

Eolyn is the sole heiress to the tradition of the magas. She is a gifted and powerful maga, but cautious in her actions -- as well she should be, because any misstep could cost her life. Eolyn abhors violence but will do what she must to see her dreams realized.

4. What is the personal goal of the character?

She wishes to practice magic freely and openly, and to restore the tradition of women's magic to the people of Moisehén.

5. What is the main source of conflict; what messes up her life?

As a young girl, Eolyn befriends a boy, Akmael, who also studies magic. They develop a great affection for each other, though they are parted before that affection matures into love. When Eolyn again finds Akmael, she discovers he is Kedehen's only son and heir, a formidable and dangerous mage in his own right, destined to continue his father's legacy of oppressing women's magic. If Eolyn is to see her own dream realized, she must, against the desires of her own heart, take up arms against Akmael.

6. Is there a working title of this story and can we read more about it?

I am describing the main character of my first novel, Eolyn, which covers her childhood and the early years of her journey in magic. Eolyn has multiple reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Its companion novel, High Maga, was just released this month. In High Maga, Eolyn is older, with greater responsibilities and even more complex challenges ahead of her. You don't necessarily need to read Eolyn before High Maga, but you will likely have a richer reading experience if you do.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

Both Eolyn and High Maga are currently available from Hadley Rille Books. The third and final novel of the series, Daughter of Aithne, is in progress and will be available in late 2015.

~*~

Next week's bloggers for the Meet My Character Blog Hop will be Linda Ulleseit and DelSheree Gladden.

Linda Ulleseit is the author of several YA fantasy novels, including the Flying Horse series, and the historical fiction novel Under the Almond Trees. 

DelSheree Gladden writes YA fantasy that tends toward the dark side and incorporates mythologies of the American Southwest. 

Both of them are great story tellers, so I hope you will stop by their blogs to check out their work.  Look for their Meet My Character posts on or around May 5th!

Preview of HIGH MAGA: Eolyn and Akmael meet again

In last week's post, I talked a little about the deeper history of Eolyn's world, and how the relationship between Eolyn and Akmael is the embodiment of the struggle to return to a balance between men's and women's magic in Moisehen.

The novel Eolyn focuses on this struggle, and while a full resolution of the conflict is not achieved by the end of the first book, a sort of uneasy truce is established between Eolyn and the Mage King. 

In this scene, taken from Chapter 1 of High Maga, Akmael and Eolyn meet after some three years of having gone their separate ways.  Akmael has now consolidated his power as king, and Eolyn has established her own Aekelahr, with students and followers of the tradition of Aithne, in the highlands of Moehn. 

There is, needless to say, a lot of water under the bridge here. Old passions, desires, and resentments are bound to flare.  But beneath it all, the thread of mutual respect runs strong, and the pain of disappointed love lingers.  Without further ado, here is everyone's favorite maga, and the Mage King whose heart she might still command:

~*~

 

High Maga, excerpt from Chapter 1

 

There was a knock at the door, followed by Sir Drostan’s muffled baritone. Akmael bade the knight to enter, and kept his gaze steady upon Eolyn as Drostan crossed the room and laid a long package wrapped in well-oiled leather on the table. The knight paused and cleared his throat, looking from High Maga to Mage King as if to say something, but then he merely bowed and took his leave.

Akmael removed the leather wrapping, unsheathed the sword therein and set it before Eolyn. The hilt was inlaid with ivory, the blade shone silver-white. Her throat went dry when she recognized it.

“This? Where did you get this?” she asked.

“I have had it since the Battle of Aerunden.”

Eolyn sat down, so great was her shock. “Kel’Barú. My brother’s sword. All this time you have had it?”

“I wanted to keep it,” he confessed. “It is a fine weapon, and you seemed to have little use for tools of war. But the Galian wizards gave this sword a will of its own, and it has done nothing these past years but weep for you.”

She stood and lifted the sword, one hand sustaining the ivory hilt, the flat of the blade resting on her long fingers.

Eolyn, it sang in the quiet hum of metals. Eolyn, Eolyn, Eolyn.

“I want you to learn how to use it,” Akmael said.

At once she set it down. “No.”

“I will not argue this with you.”

“Stop it!” Every fiber of her body ignited with anger. “Stop it, Akmael. Why are you doing this?”

A moment passed before she realized her transgression. She lowered her eyes. “Forgive me, my Lord King. I didn’t intend—”

“Do not apologize. It pleases me, to hear you say my name. I would have you say it more often.”

There was such unexpected kindness to his tone that the rage slipped through her fingers. She managed a hesitant smile. “Thank you. I mean no insult by questioning your gift, but you know my feelings on this matter. We have no use for knights and walls and swords. This is an Aekelahr, not a military outpost.”

“This is a fragile community of magas cultivating seeds of great power. You are not to go unprotected.”

“Moehn is a peaceful province. That is why I chose it. We are well received here. No one wishes us harm.”

“It is not Moehn I worry about.”

“Who, then? There won’t be any armies emerging from the South Woods, and no one can get through the Pass of Aerunden without crossing the kingdom and defeating you first.”

Akmael let go a slow breath. The turmoil that stirred behind his dark eyes disturbed her; as if there were something of importance he could not bring himself to reveal. He picked up Kel’Baru and proffered it to her.

Eolyn shook her head, hands clenched stubbornly at her sides. “We tried this, a long time ago. You know I have no gift for weaponry.”

 “You are not the frightened girl you were then. You have strength, balance and speed. And you have a sword that loves you. Borten can teach you how to use it.”

“I’ve seen how your men fight. I could never hope to—”

“No, you could not!” He struck his fist against the table and gestured angrily toward the courtyard where his guards waited. “One of those men—trained from the time they were children—one of them could kill you in a heartbeat. But with this blade in your hand, it might take them two heartbeats. Or three. Or fifteen. And that might be enough for someone to come to your aid before it is too late.”

“I am not without defenses. I have my magic and my staff. I can invoke almost every manner of flame known to our people. I have even cast the curse of Ahmad-kupt, though I hope never to use it again.”

“Your magic will not be enough.”

“For what?”

He glanced away, set his jaw. “I want you to have every tool at your disposal, for whatever may come.”

 

~*~

 

Come back next week to meet the antagonists of HIGH MAGA:

Rishona, Mechnes, and the Naether Demons

 

 





HIGH MAGA: Cover Reveal

At long last, here is the full cover reveal for High Maga!

My apologies for keeping Eolyn's friends and followers waiting on this.  I had hoped to do the cover reveal before the end of 2013, but what can I say?  The devil was in the details. 

Thomas Vandenberg worked very hard on this image to get everything just right.  The scene depicts a confrontation between Eolyn and a Naether Demon, one of many released from the Underworld by dark magic.  Up in the tree, you'll see one of Eolyn's students, Mariel.  Lying on the ground is a knight who did not fare very well in his fight against the monster. 

Naether Demons have an interesting history; as the author, I have quite a bit of sympathy for their situation, even if they are bloodthirsty beasts.  I'll give more backstory on the Naether Demons in a later post, as part of our countdown to the release of High Maga on April 4th. For now I will confess that I was a little wary of putting a Naether Demon on the cover of this novel.  They are amorphous beasts, more ghostly spirit than solid flesh. Tom's rendition is somewhat different from what I see in my own head, and I suspect that every reader will develop a unique idea of what a Naether Demon looks like.  Maybe down the line, a few months after the novel is released, I can host a "draw me a Naether Demon" contest to showcase the diversity of images these monsters inspire.

Our official countdown to the release of High Maga begins with today's cover reveal.  Every post from now to April 4th will touch upon a topic relevant to the novel.  You will meet many of the primary characters, some returning from Eolyn, others newly introduced for this novel.  We'll also have previews of scenes from the novel, maybe a reading or two, information on launch events, giveaways, and more. 

For next week's post, you'll get to read a scene from the chapter that inspired this cover art. Looking forward to seeing you then!

On Characters Corrupted by Power

Isabella has secured her throne. Is it all downhill from here?

We are about half way through the second season of ISABEL, TVE's incomparable series based on the life of Isabella of Castille. 

I raved about this series in a previous post, and my admiration for the production has not faded in the least.  Season two, however, is a different ballgame from season one. 

In season one, we were allowed to support Isabella unconditionally in her thwarted efforts to achieve a peaceful co-existence with her half-brother, King Henry IV. We admired her without reservation as she defended her claim to the throne of Castile. The final episode, in which Isabella crowns herself without waiting for the presence of her husband or the support of the Cortes, is an unforgettable moment of triumph.  By then, we have come to care deeply about the fate of this remarkable and courageous woman, who along with Ferdinand of Aragon, promises to guide Spain into a new era of peace and prosperity.

Of course, any series based on history must be faithful to that history, and TVE makes no attempt to gloss over the horrors committed under Isabella and Ferdinand's reign. In season two, Isabella and Ferdinand become ever more entrenched in the self-made myth of monarchs appointed by a rigidly Catholic God.  They initiate the Spanish Inquisition against so-called Jewish heretics, and launch a brutal war to oust the Moors from southern Spain. 

It's not easy to like Isabella as she begins the marginalization and expulsion of a people whose only "crime" is the profession of a different faith. It's not easy to like Isabella as she allows her own lady-in-waiting, an innocent converso of 15 years, to be arrested and tortured under false charges. It's not easy to like Isabella as she, in defense of her crown, commits the same wrongs against her subordinates as were committed against her.

The series has given me much food for thought as I continue crafting Daughter of Aithne.  Eolyn and other characters who have suffered oppression in the past reach the pinnacle of their power in this third and final book of the saga.  How will the mantel of political power change my characters?  How will they respond in situations where the stakes are higher than ever, yet the future remains just as uncertain?  Will they be benevolent leaders, or will the game change make them just as pragmatic, paranoid, and brutal as their predecessors? 

All of these questions are running through my mind as I approach the 70K word mark in the novel.  70K is an important check point for me.  This is where I take a break from drafting new chapters and go back to re-read everything that has come to pass so far.  I will be filling in holes, making sure certain events are properly set up, and all and all getting a feel for whether I'm on the right track toward an appropriate denouement.

As I start that process, I have a couple questions for you:

Does it make you uncomfortable, as a reader, when a character with a demonstrated history of integrity begins making decisions you don't like, especially decisions that cause the suffering of others?

What stories have you read, where a character is transformed in negative ways under the influence of their own power?  Did it turn you off to the character, or did it make the character more intriguing for you?

Your answers may or may not have an effect on the particular story I'm telling; after all, the power is in my hands! But I look forward to hearing your thoughts, nonetheless.



This past weekend, ISABEL celebrated 40,000 followers on Facebook. 
And yes, I'm one of the 40,000!

The Making of a Cover

On the philosophy that I'll try most anything once, I've put EOLYN up against 16 other titles in the December COVER WARS, hosted by the Masquerade Crew.  Visit the site, peruse all the great covers, and VOTE for your favorite every day.  Most importantly, participate in the scavenger hunt so you can enter the giveaway for a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.

Submitting Eolyn for Cover Wars has made me a little nostalgic; I've been thinking a lot about the excitement that went into putting together this cover for my first novel. I still remember when my editor, Eric T. Reynolds, suggested we ask Jess to do the cover.  I loved the work Jesse did for the cover of Finder by Terri-Lynne DeFino, and I had been secretly hoping Eric would give him Eolyn as well. 

I don't think I quite realized at that time just how important the cover of a book was from a marketing stand point.  We always say, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but the truth is, most of us do.

If I had thought about the cover as a publicist, I might have taken a different approach than I did.  But I wasn't a publicist yet, I was still 110% an author.  More than a cover that would catch people's attention, I was thinking in terms of a cover that embodied essential elements of the novel.  I wanted the beauty of Eolyn's childhood home in the South Woods; and of course, I wanted Eolyn.  In addition to the haven of the forest, I wanted a glimpse of the larger world to which Eolyn returns; of a moment where she looks upon her destiny. 

Of course, it was a long road from the seed idea to the final product.  After our first conversations, Jesse sketched several preliminary versions. Here are a few:

In the end, we combined elements of all these sketches.  I wanted Eolyn standing, as sitting seemed too passive; and I wanted as much foliage on the trees as possible, to communicate the wildness and impenetrability of the South Woods.

Early in the process, we had considered doing a wrap-around cover that would include a scene of the South Woods on back. This is still one of my favorites of all the sketches Jesse sent. It depicts the river where Eolyn and Akmael first meet, and way in the background, you can just make out Ghemena's cottage.

For the sake of time constraints, we had to let this idea go, and instead focus on the front cover.  As Jesse filled in details and color, each sketch generated lengthy conversations about further edits and possibilities.  Here are some of the early versions of the full-color front cover:

 

 

 

I fussed over everything from the shape of the tree to the color of Eolyn's dress to the length of her hair.  Jesse was very patient with all of my feedback.  It wasn't until the very end that, at my behest, he included Eolyn's staff.  Now I can't imagine the image being complete without it. Eolyn's staff defines who she is, a High Maga whose power transcends the simplicity of her aspect and origin. 

 

From the last image in the above sequence, it was of course just a short hop to the cover art we've come to know and love.  Interestingly enough, the scene that Jesse and I created for the cover never actually occurs in the novel.  But again, my goal was to capture an idea or feeling, as opposed to a moment in the story.

As happy as I am with the final product, it would be dishonest for me to claim we accomplished everything I would have liked to with this cover. 

 

One thing I didn't realize until we were nearly done is that we hadn't really captured the deep conflicts that run through the novel. Akmael and the war brought on by his shared history with Eolyn are nowhere to be seen. 

 

And while I love the lush landscape painted by Jesse, the overall brightness probably gives the impression of Eolyn as a much lighter story than it truly is. Everyone seems to like the cover of Eolyn, but once in a while people look at the book and ask if the novel is YA or (what really makes me cringe) written for children. 

 

The answer to both questions is no. Eolyn, in terms of the level and complexity of its conflicts, is an adult epic fantasy.  Because the violence and the sex are not explicit, it is appropriate for younger readers; many YA readers have picked it up and greatly enjoyed it.  The companion novel High Maga, however, will not be as accessible for a young market. The events of High Maga are decidedly darker, the world brutally and passionately adult. Using what I learned from putting together the cover for my first novel, I've been working with artist Thomas Vandenberg to make sure this is communicated on the cover for High Maga.

 

But that is a story for another day. . .

 

~*~

 

Please stop by the Masquerade Crew's COVER WARS and vote for Eolyn. You can vote every day. Best of all, participating in the scavenger hunt (also posted below) will earn you entries in the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift certificate. 

 

Thanks so much for your support, and good luck with the drawing!

 

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Halloween!

The Gaelic festival of Samhain was the inspiration for Samhaen in Eolyn's world. 

Though Samhaen is somewhat different in the details from the corresponding holiday in the real world, the basic idea remains constant.  As a girl, Eolyn celebrated Samhaen with singular devotion, as it was one of the few nights of the year when her dead family could reach across the void to visit her. She never failed to leave out food for them, including her brother's favorite snack, honey-sweetened bread.

Halloween snuck up on me this year.  I haven't done that much at all in terms of decorating, but I have the candy ready and am looking forward to seeing all the neighborhood kids in costume tonight.  I'm also very happy for the children in Kansas City that the big rain storm forecast for this week happened yesterday, instead of today.

I've been invited to participate in an exciting project with DGS Games.  They are sponsoring an anthology based on the richly imagined world of Faelon.  The project is being undertaken in coordination with the Dead Horse Society, the speculative fiction writers group where I got my start as an author.  They are an amazingly talented group of writers, and this is going to be a great anthology.

As honored as I was by the invitation, I was a little hesitant to accept.  I've been keeping a good pace on Daughter of Aithne, and I'm reluctant to pick up obligations that will cut into writing time meant for finishing the novel. More importantly, short stories are not my gift.  I have two stories out there that I am very proud of ('Turning Point' and 'Creatures of Light'), the hard-won products of countless failed attempts at writing a story inside of 5,000 words.  But practice makes perfect, and in the end I decided I'll never get good at writing short stories if I keep shying away from doing them.  Also, the opportunity to work with such a fine group of writers was really too much to resist. 

After mulling over different ideas for about a month, this week I started on writing my story for the anthology. The short will be set in the Kaliphate of Koronna, a prosperous region of cosmopolitan cities, with a rich culture that is more-or-less balanced in terms of gender relations.  The protagonist of the story is an elderly woman, known only as 'Nana'.  This is a first for me, to have a protagonist well into her later years, and it makes for some very exciting possibilities.  Nana is a refugee, having fled to Koronna at a very young age for reasons she has never shared with her family, though they will be gradually revealed as the story progresses.  We will also meet Nana's intriguing grand daughter, Mirella, and learn about her mysterious heritage and unique destiny. 

It's all in the very early stages now, but if things pan out as I hope they will, this is going to be an awesome story. DGS' Faelon anthology is scheduled to be released in the latter half of 2014. 

In other news, we are just days away from launching the new web site for Hadley Rille Books. And, sometime in the month of November I will, at last, do a full cover reveal for High Maga.  The release date is closer than it seems; even though we will not see the book in print until April 4, 2014, the e-galleys are well underway and must be sent out for editorial review in the coming days. 

Editorial reviews -- aaagh!  The very thought stresses me out.  Please wish me luck, keep a candle lit, say a few prayers or cast a few positive spells, whatever it is you do to send positive energy, now is the time to do it, so that High Maga will be well-received by the critics who will soon find her on their desk.

That's all I have for this week.  Happy Halloween, and enjoy the weekend to come!

Fall Festivities

I spent a wonderful three days with my husband on the Katy Trail near Hermann, MO. The autumn weather was perfect for long bicycle rides.  We passed through golden fields and painted forests, and enjoyed spectacular views of the sparkling Missouri River.  In the evenings, we slipped into Hermann to sample the local Tin Mill brews.  Wildlife was not super-abundant, but we did see some cool animals like turkeys and a coyote.  I wish we could have stayed longer, but classes resumed at Avila today.  It will probably be spring before I can indulge in the luxury of a multi-day bicycle adventure again.

There are so many exciting things afoot right now, I don't know where to begin. 

Tomorrow, October 22, as part of DelSheree Gladden's month-long Meet the Character Blog Fest, you will get to see the most detailed preview yet of the cover for High Maga.  I have a post that compares images of Eolyn, past and present, and I talk about how the cover art for my novels reflects Eolyn's development as a character. 

I also invite you to visit last week's Meet the Character post on Adiana of Selkynsen, a musician and close friend of Eolyn's.  Adiana is a minor character in both Eolyn and High Maga. While she does not command magic like Eolyn, her music confers a special power of its own.  Adiana has been one of my favorite characters since she appeared in my first novel, and I look forward to sharing more of her story in the second one.

If you visit DelSheree's blog, don't forget to register to win the grand prize of over forty free books.  There are lots of opportunities to enter, including free entry for fans of Eolyn on Facebook and followers of Eolyn on Twitter.

We are working hard on a new web site for Hadley Rille Books.  I love the new format; it gives a much better idea of the dynamic strength of this small but very busy press.  It's also designed to make it easier for visitors to browse HRB titles and meet HRB authors.  The new site may be up as early as next week, but (hopefully) no later than the first week of November.

I'll close with another vagancia.  For some reason, lately I've taken to making videos about my courses at Avila.  I shared the first video, about Ecology through the Writers Lens, a couple weeks back.  Now here's a video about my introductory course on Environmental Science.  Enjoy, and stay tuned because there is much more news to come. . .

An author interview, marketing sanity, and Eolyn's best colors

Hello!

I've been very busy this week finishing up the application for my sabbatical, among other things, so instead of writing a full post, I'm going to direct you elsewhere for your reading pleasure.

I have a new author interview up on Top Shelf Books.  This is one of my favorite interviews ever.  It ties together thoughts on all three of the companion novels in the Eolyn series, and gives you an idea of what to expect from HIGH MAGA next spring and DAUGHTER OF AITHNE in 2015.

Also, on Heroines of Fantasy this week, I have a post on how to keep sane while marketing your novel.  It was fun to write; I hope it's helpful to read.

Thomas Vandenberg is working on Eolyn's wardrobe for the cover of HIGH MAGA.  If you have a color preference for her dress, now is the time to let us know. 

I'll be back with a full post next week.  In the meantime, enjoy the magic!
 

On Serendipity and the Dance

Flamenco dancer Manuela Carrasco.
The single most important skill of the
craft is attitude.

Dance has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember.  I started my classical training at the age of eight.  Like many little girls, I dreamed of being a ballerina, though I never quite had the body for it.  The decision to set dance aside as a career option and pursue a more academic line of work happened early in high school.  Even though I did not go on to be a professional, I have never stopped dancing, or stopped studying dance.

In a way, not pursuing a professional career in dance set me free.  From that moment on, the pressure to reach a competitive level of excellence was off, and I could just dance for fun. When I went to college, I joined the dance theater at my university, where I was introduced to modern dance. For the next twenty years, modern dance would be my favorite art form. I studied it with various instructors in Houston, Austin, and most recently in San Jose, Costa Rica.

It wasn't until I moved back to Kansas City, ironically enough, that I plunged into flamenco.  At the time, I was most interested in continuing to study modern, but my sister, a long-time member of the Kansas City dance community, recommended that I check out flamenco classes with Tamara Carson of OLE Dance and Music of Spain.

This was not the first time I'd encountered flamenco.  I had a brief introduction to it in high school, and took a few classes again as a grad student at the University of Texas in Austin.  Though flamenco had long fascinated me, I don't think I was quite ready for it until I stepped into Tamara's class and hit the dance floor with my first golpe.  After that, I was hooked forever.

Why flamenco? 

Well, first and foremost, flamenco is attitude. This was probably the number one reason why I decided it was time to learn it. The steps, the rhythms, the postures and facial expressions all communicate the same fundamental message:  Don't mess with me.  At the time I started taking flamenco, I felt the need to internalize a little more of that kind of grit.

Flamenco is also passion and sensuality. Passion in every sense of the word:  anger, desire, love, loss.  Whatever the emotion of the moment may be, flamenco challenges us to live it to the fullest. 


Me and some of my KC flamenco buddies.  Guitarrist Jarrod
Stephenson on the left; Tamara Carson third from the left.

Most of all, flamenco is support.  I've rarely encountered such a community-oriented, supportive form of dance.  This is an art form that a person can do whether they are eight years old or eighty.  No matter what your age or skill level, your compañeros, both dancers and musicians, unite to support you, to ignite the fire inside and help you show attitude, passion, and sensuality without holding back.

Long before I started flamenco classes, I had decided to incorporate dance as a form of Primitive Magic in Eolyn's world.  Still, flamenco gave me a new window on how that magic might manifest itself.  The dance shared by Corey and Eolyn on Midwinter's Eve, for example, has always had a flamenco style in my imagination.  Not with any taconea (footwork), but with the very elegant movement of the arms, the intensity of the focus, and the studied steps that dominate slower moments in the music.

One curious aspect of my journey with flamenco (and yes, I'm finally getting to the serendipity part) is that it has closely paralleled my journey as a writer, as well as Eolyn's journey as a character. 

When I first started classes with Tamara, I was finishing up the final draft of Eolyn.  So incorporating that flamenco attitude was also about building confidence in myself as a writer and artist as I contemplated sharing Eolyn with the larger world.

One of dances I learned during this period was Sevillanas. A classic introduction to flamenco, this dance is not simple, but the footwork is relatively straightforward, so you can really focus on finding and expressing your own personality as a flamenco dancer as you learn the steps.  It is also a dance performed with a partner, so you are never alone.  Partners cue off each other in the same supportive and playful fashion that makes all of flamenco so wonderful. 

Here's an example of Sevillanas  (and no, it is NOT being danced by me; the artists are Fanny Ara, Marina Elana Scannell, Jason Macguire, and Felix de Lola):




Of course, I found my partners in publishing during this same period, at Hadley Rille Books.  And we've been dancing ever since!

When I started working on my second novel, High Maga, Tamara began teaching us Tangos de Malaga.  This is a very difficult dance that I still struggle with.  It is serious in tone and aspect, and the lyrics are focused on themes of death, poverty and overall misery. The dance fit almost too well with the war-time context of my second novel, and I found I was able to capture the essence of more than one of my characters through learning it. 

Here is Tangos de Malaga; this video features Kansas City's very own Alma Flamenca, with Jarrod Stephenson on the guitar and Margaret Gordon dancing:




After Tangos de Malaga, Tamara gave us a short break with Alegrias, an all around happier dance that lets you smile once in a while. At the same time, I gave myself a short break from the darker side of Eolyn's world.  When I returned to writing to start Daughter of Aithne, Tamara began introducing her flamenco class to Tientos.

According to the story I heard, Tientos was originally crafted to be danced by men. So it has a very masculine feel about it, and often women who perform it will wear slacks and vests.  Tamara couldn't have picked a better dance to get me in the mood for Daughter of Aithne, because in Eolyn's third and final book, it will be the women who, in many cases, must wear the pants.  Figuratively speaking, of course. 

Here's a sample of Tientos, featuring Marina Elana Scannell once again:



Needless to say, I'm, uhm, still working on that footwork. . . 

That's today's post.  I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of the dance and music of Spain, and especially my musings on how one creative art can feed into another.

As a finale, I offer this brief medley of OLE's wonderful repertoire. Enjoy!

A time to live, a time to die

The Death of Arthur, by John Mulcaster Carrick 1862

"I may not be able to save her, but I can bear witness to her fate as a friend, and I can stand nearby when she meets her darkest hour."
~Mage Corey, from High Maga


A couple years back I had a very interesting experience while doing a beta read for my good friend and fellow author Terri-Lynne DeFino. 

In the original version of the manuscript she sent me, one of the major characters faded into the background during the last third of the book. This situation didn't sit right with me. 

On the one hand, the story was very well constructed up to the last page; lots of tension, uncertainty, and conflict all around. Terri had tight character arcs for everyone -- except this particular individual. He had played a crucial role in the first part of the book, but by the end it was like reading about a ghost, a person unseen and without any power over the events at hand.

Then it hit me:  I felt like I was reading about a ghost because this character was a ghost. Terri had passed through a crucial moment in the story when he should have died, but did not. 

When I brought this to Terri's attention, she knew immediately that I was right. In fact, she confessed that for several reasons she had conscientiously resisted the instinct to 'kill' him in precisely the same place that I identified as his moment to die. 

Terri went on to 'fix' this part of the manuscript before the book went to press, making the character's story much more fulfilling, moving, and heroic.  More worthy of the extraordinary person he is. (In case you're curious, her wonderful novel is now available as A Time Never Lived, another great title from Hadley Rille Books.)

When Terri and I first had this discussion, I was not new to killing characters.  I had sent a fair share to their deaths in Eolyn. As for High Maga, it is a veritable blood bath by comparison to my first novel, as many of you will soon find out.

Letting my characters die time and again hasn't been easy for me, but I've done it, for the most part because I've recognized how important those deaths are for plot, tension, and story building.

Sure, we all wish Romeo and Juliet had lived, but would their
story be nearly as compelling if it were written any other way?

But in reading Terri's manuscript, I gained a new perspective on this age old aspect of the craft. I learned that in order to truly respect a character, we must allow him or her to meet their destiny, especially when that destiny is death. 

If we force a character to live past their moment, we condemn them to being a ghost in our fictitious worlds, to becoming personalities without form or reason; the types of characters our readers tend to get annoyed by and may even come to hate.

If we allow them to die in their moment, we give greater meaning to their life.  Everything they desired, fought for, did or failed to do stands out in sharp relief against the impact of their absence.  The reader comes to appreciate the character more, to remember them better, and to say long after they finish reading the book, "If only he  (or she) hadn't died. . ."

All of this has come back to me in recent days, because in the writing of Daughter of Aithne, I've had to let another character die. Who, how, or why  is irrelevant at the moment (after all, this particular death may be edited out again by the time the novel hits press).  What matters is the impulse it gave me to share these thoughts with you.

Like Mage Corey in the war-torn world of High Maga, we as authors cannot always save our characters.  But that's okay, because sometimes what's more important is to bear witness to their fates; to stand close by when they meet their darkest hour.

~*~

 

 

I have a fun post up this week on Heroines of Fantasy about The White Queen, and how the incomparable Philippa Gregory has inspired me as an author.  Stop by to read and share your thoughts when you have a chance.

 

Also, my Orangeberry Book Tour will continue next week on August 19th with a guest post on the Quality Reads UK Book Club.  Please stop by to say hi, and by all means, share the link with your friends!

I hope you are in for a great weekend.

 

 





Bel-Aethne

In truth, it's a little hard to get into the mood to write about Bel-Aethne, what with Kansas City in the grip of yet another arctic front.  Rain mixes with sleet outside; my winter sweaters have yet to be packed away.  Bel-Aethne is a festival of early summer, of warm winds and bright flowers, of seeds sprouting in a pale green carpet over sun-warmed fields. For whatever reason, Kansas City just ain't there yet.

The real-world counterpart of Bel-Aethne is the pagan celebration of Beltane, coming up on May 5th.

In the tradition of Moisehén, Bel-Aethne has its roots in the epic love of Aithne and Caradoc, the woman and man who first discovered magic. As a young girl, Eolyn learns their story, which forms the foundation of magical belief and thought in Moisehén:

. . .Aithne and Caradoc consecrated their love under a full spring moon, and the heat of their hearts sparked a fire in the center of the village.  The villagers gathered in awe to observe the blaze. With branches of pine they divided the flame so that each family took a piece back to their own home.  This is how fire came to our people. . .

Bel-Aethne, then, is a celebration of fire as well as of love and desire, all very powerful forms of Primitive Magic. 

Dance and music play a central role in the high festival, which lasts for three days and culminates in the sacred rites of Aen-lasati, the awakening of the fire within. For one night the portals of magic are thrown open to all the people of Moisehén -- whether they are practitioners or not -- making all women Aithne and all men Caradoc, free to partake fully in the pleasure of the Gods and to experience the seeds of magic that transformed the history of their people. 

The legend of Aithne and Caradoc is a transcendent myth in Eolyn's world.  Pieces of it turn up throughout all three novels, in countless moments and countless ways.  Even the mages of Tzeremond and Kedehen, who nearly destroyed the magas, could do little to diminish Aithne's importance in the imagination of their subjects.  One of the climactic sequences of Eolyn takes place during an elaborate festival of Bel-Aethne, staged to celebrate the coronation of the new Mage King. 

Here's a brief excerpt:

As the music gathered force, each mage sent an arc of bright flame from the palm of his hand into the center of the circle.  They integrated their powers into a single swirling core of viscous light. The whirlpool spread swift upon the ground before contracting into a glowing pillar that billowed high over the square, evoking cries of wonder from the people. In the gathering twilight the mages crafted an awe-inspiring choreography, splitting the brilliant light into multicolored images that portrayed the many legends of Aithne and Caradoc. The mythical lovers danced through the flames, unveiling the mysteries of magic, fleeing from Thunder, responding to the call of Dragon, forging their passion and knowledge into a thousand fire-bearing branches. . .

Even though Aithne and Caradoc were devoted lovers for the greater part of their lives, in Moisehén the liaisons created during the high festival of Bel-Aethne are considered ephemeral. According to an old saying of the Clan of East Selen, what is woven at Bel-Aethne becomes unraveled before the dawn.

This is not always true, of course, as Primitive Magic tends to break free of any rule we try to impose upon it.  In fact, as part of the unrevealed backstory of Eolyn, one of the most enduring and troubled romances in the history of Moisehén -- that of Akmael's father Kedehen and his mother Briana of East Selen -- began with a kiss at Bel-Aethne.

Mage Corey's Surprise

Those of you who aren't too thrilled by my hardcore marketing side will be pleased to know that March Madness -- and all the promotions that came with it -- has now ended. 

I want to extend a very special thanks to the folks at The Magic Appreciation Tour and the Genre Underground, especially Daniel Marvello and Christopher Kellen, for organizing these events.  I also want to thank all of you who participated in the giveaways and/or purchased a copy of Eolyn. Welcome to the magic of Moisehén!  You are in for a wonderful reading adventure. 

In other exciting news, it is now possible to follow Eolyn on Twitter.  Be the first to receive important for updates on giveaways and promotions as we start the countdown to the release of High Maga. If you don't have a Twitter account, maybe now is a good time to check it out.  It's easy to sign up, and free.

I am so thrilled with the opening chapters of my latest project, Daughter of Aithne.  Last week, I devoted my sacred Thursday afternoon writing time to a wonderful scene with Mage Corey. 

There's something about Corey -- no matter how well I've come to know him, he still manages to surprise me.

This scene was no exception.  It was a meeting of the Council of King Akmael, as told from Corey's point of view.  Fans of Eolyn, on the day they read this, will recognize certain parallels between this chapter and another in book one, in which the wizard Tzeremond relates a meeting of the Council of Akmael's father, Kedehen. 

And so the sons take the place of their fathers -- figuratively speaking, of course, as Corey is not Tzeremond's son in the biological sense, though one could call him Tzeremond's son in magic. And he is now the most powerful wizard of Moisehén, clearly making him Tzeremond's heir. (Something Tzeremond would probably not be too happy about.)

Of course, the resemblance ends there.  Corey and Akmael have different temperaments and ambitions when compared to their predecessors; and many members of the Council have changed since book one.  (About 14 years pass between the end of book 1 and the beginning of book 3, including the 10-year interval between High Maga and Daughter of Aithne.  This has allowed me to put a lot of water under the bridge, let a few of the older characters go to their peaceful deaths, and bring in some new characters and younger blood along the way.)

But I digress.  Back to Corey's surprise:

I knew when I started writing that although the entire meeting would be told from Corey's point of view, he himself would intervene only once.  I also knew his intervention would be pointed and brilliant, a classic Corey moment in which an all-too-subtle kindness would be veiled by apparently cruel and honest words.

What I did not know -- until I was right on top of the moment -- was exactly when he would intervene, and what he would say. 



From Virgil C. Robinson's FB Fan Page. 
I promise you, the snake is there!

These moments of surprise are hidden treasures in the writing process.  For me, it's like coming across a snake on a forest trail.  Walking through a forest, you know the snakes are there, but you never see one until you are almost right on top of it.  Then the serpent seems to melt out of the leaf litter, as vivid as death itself at your feet.  Awe, wonder, and a good dose of adrenalin rush through your veins while Snake looks up at you and you, quite speechless and just a little afraid, look down at it. 

Ah, there you are, you think.  I knew you'd be around.  Sorry I almost stepped on you.  I'll try to be more careful next time. 

Snake says nothing, just turns its unblinking eyes away and slithers back into hiding, smug in the knowledge that it will always have the upper hand.

Mage Corey and Snake are different from one another in at least one important respect:  Corey is not fool enough to sink into the illusion that he always has the upper hand.  But he is an expert in making certain everyone around him believes he does. 

Everyone including me, the unwitting author who has taken on the ever unpredictable task of writing his story. 

Old Pope, New Pope

Pope Francis won the hearts of the people in St. Peter's
Square almost instantly with his humble demeanor.

Yesterday, a series of random events came together in such a way as to allow me to witness the announcement of the new Pope live, as it unfolded in Rome.

Not that I was in Rome, mind you.  I was in my parents' kitchen. But still, this is the fourth Pope I have seen elected in my lifetime, and the first where I happened to tune in just as the white smoke was billowing out of that skinny tin chimney.

Mom and I had planned to go shopping after lunch at my parents'.  But the arrival of a repair man to attend to their dysfunctional phone changed those plans. While the landline was being fixed, I opened up my iPhone app for the Kansas City Star, and we saw the breaking news:  white smoke from the Vatican, posted only six minutes before.  Mom turned on the TV, and another moment in history unfolded before our eyes.

It's been interesting to watch the on-line dialogue following the announcement of the election of Jorge Bergoglio as the next leader of one of the world's largest churches.  Ever the optimist myself, I am rather happy the Vatican has at least stepped outside of Europe and picked their next man from the great continent of South America.  I like his demonstrated commitment to the cause of the poor, and the humility he has expressed in both his lifestyle and his opening address as the newly elected Pope.

Legend or history?  Conspiracy theorists say that after a woman
was unwittingly elected Pope in the 9th century, rituals
were established to ensure all new electees had
the proper (and presumably more holy) set of genitals.

Everyone is speculating over his choice of name:  Francis, presumably reflecting a dedication to the mission and life of St. Francis of Assis, a man reknowned for his devotion to the cause of the poor, and to all the living creatures of the natural world.

Of course, this handful of promising notes is not enough for many people. There is much anger being expressed because Bergoglio is conservative on precisely the issues one would expect a Catholic Pope to be conservative.  He objects to abortion, for example, and does not approve of gay marriage. 

Nonetheless, he also represents a step forward in ways few people seemed to expect from the Church at this time.  For my part, although I am bound to disagree with many aspects of his doctrine, I have to admit I was impressed with the unassuming way in which Pope Francis shared this moment of transition with his adoring crowd on St. Peter's Square.  I also hope he renews the focus on social justice, which I think has been one of the Church's strongest points of leadership since Vatican II.

Most of all, I'm curious to see how this new papacy unfolds. 

Because all life is, in one way or another, related to my novels, I couldn't help but remember the wizard Tzeremond as Cardinal Bergoglio accepted this grave and noble responsibility for the spiritual lives of millions of people worldwide. 

Another image that reminds me of the
wizard Tzeremond.  The road to perdition
is paved with good intentions.

Tzeremond, like Bergoglio, is humble, dedicated, and keen of mind. Although he is Eolyn's greatest antagonist, he is an honest and even good man, from a certain perspective.  In writing Tzeremond's character, I knew he never once doubted the truth of his convictions, even as those convictions led him to preside over one of the most terrible injustices in the history of Moisehén: the annihilation of the Magas.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the influence of my Catholic childhood on the story of Eolyn also came up today while in conference call with editor Eric T. Reynolds and Thomas Vandenberg, who will do the cover art for High Maga. 

One of the earliest memories of growing up as a girl in the Catholic Church was the moment in which it hit home that I could never be a priest.  This seemed a terribly unfair situation, especially since I was certain I could be a much better priest than any of the priests I knew. Although I eventually came to the conclusion I was not called to a religious life of any sort, I have no doubt this early moment was one of the seeds that eventually gave rise to Eolyn and her struggle to practice magic in a world where magic is forbidden to all women, and controlled by men.

Once in a great while, I've questioned the relevance of Eolyn's story to the modern world.  I like to believe the women's movement of the 1960s and 70s has brought us a long way from the reality of Medieval Europe (which, by the way, was not all that different from the reality of the US in the 1950s, or the reality of the conservative elements of the Republican Party in 2013).  I like to imagine that younger readers, especially, won't "get" the idea that a particular right or path to power might be forbidden to women just because they are women. 

Unfortunately, reality has a way of preventing me from sinking into this myth, with a constant stream of events little and big; in the news, and in the lives of my friends, students, and family. So much is left to be done, and defending what precious ground we have won in the last few decades is an unending battle. 

I may not live to see a Catholic woman priest,
but a Lutheran woman priest presided over
the funeral of my maternal grandmother.
She gave one of the best and most heart-felt
funeral sermons I have ever heard. 

Yesterday was one of those days, despite (or perhaps because of) the emotion and excitement of the announcement of a new and hopefully different kind of Pope.

It has been about 1700 years since women were banished from the leadership of the Church.  Since then, women have gotten around this prohibition by finding countless creative ways to serve the Church's most noble missions, and to contribute positively to its spiritual ministry.  Yet women are still second-rate citizens in the eyes of the Vatican, subordinate to all men and incapable of coming as close to God as the red-robed bishops and their white-robed leader standing on the balconies of St. Peter's. 

The pomp and celebration was exciting, the new Pope inspiring in his origins and humility. Still the news was sad somehow, and incomplete. We were reminded, in bold relief, that a Church led by only half of its community can never be anything more than half a Church.

This is also one of the core themes of Eolyn.  We need men's leadership, but we need women's leadership as well, equally and fully, in all walks of life, in all our human endeavors. 

When I was a little girl, I dreamed that in my lifetime I would see women priests in the Catholic Church.  I have let go of that dream in the years gone by, having come to terms with the fact that it is far too unrealistic, that the Church needs another 500 years, perhaps another 1000, to catch up with the 21st century. 

Of course, I may be happily proven wrong someday.  After all, it was once said -- not so long ago -- that a Latin American Jesuit could never be elected Pope. 

Seventeen hundred years later, something is still wrong with
this picture. . .