Today we have the lovely Gillian Bronte Adams with us! Gillian is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, coffee-loving speculative fiction author from the great state of Texas and the dreamer behind the Songkeeper Chronicles. During the day, she manages the equestrian program at a youth camp. But at night, she kicks off her boots and spurs, pulls out her trusty laptop, and transforms into a novelist. Join me in welcoming Gillian! 1) What is your favorite part of speculative fiction? How true it can be. It seems like the more fantastic a story is, the less readers should be able to relate or actually …
Seven Questions with Ronie Kendig
Today we are excited to have Ronie Kendig with us. You may know her for her rapid-fire fiction and military novels, but she also writes fantasy! Not just that, but the final book in her epic fantasy series, Fierian, came out this week (wahoo!). An Army brat, Ronie Kendig grew up in the classic military family, with her father often TDY and her mother holding down the proverbial fort. Their family moved often, which left Ronie attending six schools by the time she’d entered fourth grade. Her only respite and “friends” during this time were the characters she created. It was no …
The Dark Side of Fiction
I write fiction, and I love it. Fantasy, sci-fi, and my latest book is a dark fantasy paranormal, so it kisses the border of horror. If I’m being honest, it’s not a book I thought I’d write. It includes things like ghosts and divination and temptation. Did you catch that “D” word? Divination is one of those really bad, frowned-upon sins. I wondered how Christian readers would react to something like this in a novel written by another Christian. I mean, my father-in-law is a pastor for crying out loud. It begs the question: should Christians be putting evil things …
Interview with Desiree Williams
Hi everyone! Today we have fantasy author Desiree Williams with us! Desiree would describer herself as a dreamer by day and chocoholic by night. She lives in the beautiful state of Kentucky with her husband and daughter, where she juggles life as a wannabe supermom. She is a lover of food and avoider of dirty dishes. She delights in making people laugh and strives to bring hope and love with her wherever she goes. Please join me in welcoming Desiree. 1) When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? I’ve always been an avid daydreamer. There were times growing …
Imaginary Friends or Fictional Characters?
I grew up with Sherwood Forest in my backyard—not the supposedly real Sherwood Forest that folks claim is in the UK, but the actual “real” one known only to a few and located in the middle-of-nowhere, Texas. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it. You see, I was blessed to have a big sis with an enormous imagination and an insatiable appetite for reading. We spent hours in the backyard running through Sherwood Forest at the heels of Robin Hood, escaping on horseback from the evil Duke’s soldiers, sailing with pirates in search of buried treasure, and digging our way …
Jill and John at Salt Lake Comic Con
By Jill Williamson John W. Otte and I had never attended a comic con in our lives—let alone gone as panelists! But we managed to get ourselves on the panelists list for the second Salt Lake Comic Con, which in just two years, quickly became the third biggest con in the nation. I’ve attended a lot of conventions, mostly homeschool or librarian ones, but this felt pretty much the same, booth-wise. We checked in, then lugged our stuff to the booth and set it up. We did this the day the event opened, so it wasn’t long after we …
Enclave Publishing in Publishers Weekly
Steve Laube and Enclave Publishing are both featured in an article published this week by Publishers Weekly. To read more, click here: Steve Laube: Agent+Publisher
Spec-Fic Subgenres: Steampunk & Cyberpunk
I read my first steampunk book just a couple months ago. (Armored Hearts, by Pauline Creeden and Melissa Turner Lee if you really want to know.) Since then, the steampunk radar in my head goes off every time I pass a book cover with gears or cool goggles on it. Today we’re digging into steampunk and cyberpunk. While they both have the word punk in them, you’ll find they’re quite different. Steampunk Steampunk has not yet figured out exactly which genre it falls under — science fiction or fantasy. I’ve seen many people placing it under both, and it really comes …
Spec-Fic Subgenres: The Fantasies
Fantasy is where I feel most at home. I used to consider myself a fantasy fan, but as I dug into the genres I realized how ignorant I am. High fantasy? Low fantasy? Dark fantasy? What? High Fantasy (sometimes called Epic Fantasy) You may have been a high fantasy fan all your life and never known it. “One ring to rule them all…” If you know what that’s from (*hint* Lord of the Rings) then you’ve read or watched high fantasy (and hopefully liked it!) As with most subgenres, high fantasy is a little tough to fully break down. The definition either gets …