Tag: fantasy

Interview with Jessica Cage

Quan

I had the pleasure of being introduced to bestselling author Jessica Cage via a Facebook support group for African-American fans of Sci-fi and Fantasy. This immensely talented author is a prime example of what a write can achieve with enough drive, discipline, and the proper resources. You can view her Amazon author page here for more information about her.

What inspires your writing?

Randomness. There isn’t one thing. I find inspiration in life, dreams, nature, colors, sounds, energy. I like to keep myself open to any form of inspiration. I was recently talking to another creator who said his idea for an entire world came from looking at the moon and seeing it as an eye. This sparked something great for him. That’s how it works for me. I once saw a broken lamp on a train platform and that inspired the story for Last Stop. I had a dream about a mermaid and that inspired Siren’s Call. I loved the willow tree since I was a young girl and that inspired The High Arc Vampires. There is inspiration in every part of life. You just have to stay open to receiving it.

What is your process of developing characters?

I typically let my characters come to me in the raw. I will observe the idea of them inside my head for a while before I start to flesh out anything about them. Its weird when I’m asked this question because I don’t necessarily feel like I develop them. I watch them develop as the story unfolds. It feels more natural that way. But this is typically just my main characters. Supporting characters tend to take a little more work and often times I have to write full profiles on each before I can really implement them into the story or they will go off the rails.

Did you start with a story outline or did you make it up as you went along?

I typically do not start with an outline. If it is the first book of a series especially. I will write the first few chapters before beginning any structural work. I feel it helps me get into the world of the characters a lot better if I don’t have any preset limitations.

Did you draw on personal experience?

Not intentionally but I believe that as a creator, bits and pieces of myself tend to land in the pages. I’ve seen an evolution of my stories as I evolve as a person so its hard not to see myself in the stories.

How did you publish?

I self-publish all of my works.

Why did you do it that way?

I like having control over my message right now. My brand is Characters of Color in Fantasy. The few times I attempted to work with another company for my books, they attempted to change that brand. I won’t allow that to happen.

How long did it take to land representation?

I currently represent myself. I haven’t looked into any as of yet but soon.

Who did your cover and marketing?

I have an awesome list of designers that I work with. For The Sphinx, I worked with Christian Bentulan. Currently, I handle my marketing.

Did you use beta readers? How did you secure them?

I did use Betas for this book. I have had a list of readers that I’ve worked with over the years. I find that it is a lot more rewarding to have Betas who have already been invested in my work. I cultivate that list from those readers, the ones who come to me with a pure interest in my work and I offer them the opportunity to join the team.

How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?

Countless. The initial book took a bit longer than average to write because of the research and developmental side of it, but I stop and revise along the way maybe three or four times typically. Then after the book is complete there are multiple revisions before beta and then editing. After it comes back from the editor I do another read through.

How much research into Greek Mythology did you put into writing your Scorned By the Gods Series?

There was a lot. I spent about a week just trying to get the timeline correct for Asa’s (the main character’s) back story. Because I was essentially blending two characters into one, I had to make sure I didn’t mess up anything about the timeline. I also had to be sure that the character didn’t do anything that would create a negative impact on another character’s storyline outside of this book.  Also, the characters that I created had to intertwine easily into the story and feel as though they were always there.

What were your research methods?

I did the typical online research, I also checked out a few books on certain characters, but the best part of this was the human interaction. I spoke to several people who are well versed in Greek mythology and have studied the works. My idea was that if they accepted my concepts, then everything I did was solid. It wasn’t until I got those thumbs up that I moved forward with writing the book.

What are you writing now?

Currently, I am working on the seventh installment of my Djinn Rebellion Series. After this is complete, I will begin work on the third book for the Scorned by the Gods series. Getting my 2020 releases ready for the readers!

What is your advice to other writers?

There are so many amazing resources out in the world. Use them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That was something it took me far too long to realize for myself. Your work will not suffer for it. 

Check out Jessica’s book “Daughter of Medusa” Here!

Interview with Malcolm Harris

Quan

Another accomplished and talented guy in my network is Malcolm Harris. He has created everything from Comic Books and Graphic Novels, to tabletop Role Playing Games, to High fantasy novels. He is very meticulous and dedicated when crafting his worlds and characters, and you will see the results of that when you read or play his work.

What inspires your writing?

I’ believe if you are a writer you must write. Life and living, in that case, become the inspiration and vice versa. As a wise man once said (Okay I’m actually quoting myself, so maybe not wises but.. you get it.) I’ don’t swing the hammer, the hammer swings me.

What is your process of developing characters?

I write short stories with them, I run scenarios in my mind and I build stories and lists of likes and dislikes. If you want to make a great character you should have info on them the reader will never know. Like every gift on every birthday.

Did you start with a story outline or did you make it up as you went along?

I’m one of those crazy people believe if you place the characters in a situation and let them run free in your imagination they will tell the story. It’s my job to write down and organize that story.

How much research did you need for your story?

My novel Adventures born: Taking the high road took a lot as I really wanted to give it a sense of history. The Nyumbani people in my world language is based on Swahili and lots of African cultures mixed with a lot of old African American culture. Also Aerix, the world of my novel is 19th century America if colonization and the history of the world was different… hint magic is the ultimate equalizer. So I looked at history and thought what would change if magic or actual miracle-based religion was in the mix. So yeah lots of research.

What researching methods did you use?

I read a lot, the internet and I have a host of friends and family who are historians who I can ask questions to.

Did you draw on personal experience?

Yes of course. Experience is a great teacher. With my graphic novels, I looked at people who I knew and interactions. With my novel, it was more personal. One of the main family in the novel is my family only in a fantasy setting. It’s the African American experience only with magic, lol

How did you publish?

Self Publish.

Why did you do it that way?

I control my content and I have a higher profit margin. Any mistakes are mine but so are the rewards.

How long did it take to land representation?

I’ve been represented for over a decade. It came right after my first graphic novel witch girls was optioned as a movie (never made) and I wrote the first draft of the script.

Who did your cover and marketing?

I did the cover on my Novel, my other books by various artist. I love working with artist and a big shout out to Ewelina Avionetca Mroczkowska and Abby Soto, to of the best artist around for a lot of Princess Lucinda and Witch Girls covers. As for marketing, That’s my agent and me. I love marketing, I spreading the word and doing signings and cons. A hint to would be writers, shyness is bad for success.

How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?

Seven is my number. Although it depends on the book. The princess Lucinda Graphic Novels took three, but that’s because I wrote it first as a spec movie script. Then I did a revision as one graphic novel then as three.

How did your background in Role Playing Games help with creating your fantasy story?

Rules, as a game designer, I built the rules of my world, how everything works. My characters are stated on paper and in my head so their limits are defined as are the rules of the world. For instance, I know how much damage an injury does and how much a healer can heal or how a spell is cast and how its resisted… and so on. That kind of thing gives an order o a fantastic world. I also LARP with a group called Amtgard. Unlike most LARPs which are very “light” on combat, Amtgard is down and dirt and heavy on it. I swing my battle ax and you feel it, and you might land on your bottom. In fantasy novels, people have to guess how magic changes a battle or how it works. I don’t: I’ve “seen” it. That gives a unique visceral feel for the combat in what I write.

What are the differences between writing for comic books and writing regular prose?

Comics are is a visual medium so you work with the artist to use that for a better story. It’s also faster. With prose, I can take my time and build characters. Also the comic is a script while Prose isn’t.

What are you writing now?

The sequel to my novel, two tabletop RPGs and lots of short stories.

What is your advice to other writers?

Write, yeah that sounds obvious, but a lot of people are so afraid of failure or think they don’t have time. But simply put, if you do not write, you are not a writer, so write! Perfection is a lie and believing in it is a chain that will hold you down. Just do it, make mistakes, get better, do your best and “don’t be afraid be relentless “. (that’s me quoting myself again)

Be sure to check out Malcolm’s latest Novel, Adventurers Born: Taking the High Road!

Magic: The Gathering and the Art of World Building

Quan

If you’ve never played the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, then this blog entry might sound like gibberish to you. Magic: The Gathering is a quasi-role playing card game where you and your opponent play as dueling wizards, with the cards representing the spells you fling at one another. But that’s just the broad explanation of the game.

The story behind it is that each player is a powerful mage with the ability to travel to different worlds, each with its own culture and identity, and the spells are things the player has learned or picked up from observing life on that world. There have been alien worlds made entirely of metal, Scandanavian/Norse themed worlds encased in ice and snow, Japanese-themed worlds full of Spirits, samurai and ninjas, Greek mythology-themed worlds, classic horror-themed worlds, and even a Mongolian-styled world where everyone is at war all of the time. Fascinating stuff.

Of course, now the question is “what the heck does all of this have to do with writing a story?”

The answer? “Everything.”

The thing that sets MTG apart from every other board/card game is the extensive amount of worldbuilding that goes into every set of cards. Through the cards, as well as the tie in e-books, website articles and videogames, you get immersed in a given world that has its own ecosystem, its own bestiary, its own heroes and legends, and its own struggle. And if you’re a story buff, it’s easy to get drawn in and really feel like you are a part of this world.

That is the feeling every writer of fiction should strive for in his or her stories. You want your settings to be living, breathing extensions of your story because it adds more weight and believability to your characters. In fact, some of the greatest stories in fantasy and science fiction were just about the central character exploring his or her world, with hijinks ensuing. (Pratchett’s The Color of Magic and Asimov’s Prelude To Foundation come to mind).  This is where the whole “City is a character” motif comes from, and BTW my buddy Anne Mallory does an excellent job of it in her steamy historical romances.

I thought I’d take a novel approach to said worldbuilding utilizing my passion for MTG. As an excersize for a competition to get a design internship at Wizards of the Coast (makers of Dungeons and Dragons, Duel Masters, and you guessed it, Magic The Gathering), I was given the task of creating an entire set of Magic The Gathering cards, along with the world those cards were set in. there were specific problems I had to solve to flesh out my world, which really stretched my creative muscles. So for this exercise, I decided to use a world I had been planning on telling a high fantasy epic on: a world so ravaged by constant wars, cataclysms and tragedy that it had collectively given up its will to live. (This is actually the world my book “Return of the Tyrant” Is based in). The themes were failure, despair and extinction, with a ragtag band of heroes and former villains fighting to give their world a reason to live, against a mammoth monstrosity poised to destroy them all…and the people actually welcoming the annihilation.

Through this exercise I was able to really flesh out my world and give it its identity, to add layers of myth and lore and create backstories I could explore endlessly if I so chose. I created unique creatures and events specific to my world, and new mysteries, like why the Goblins, Elves, and Merfolk that are fantasy staples are only found via ancient ruins in my world.

I didn’t win the contest (made it to the second round though). But I enjoyed the exercise so much I continued developing my set of Magic cards long after the contest ended, adding new wrinkles and twists. I used as a guide some of the articles written by MTG head of R&D Mark Rosewater which cover the process of designing a set of cards (fascinating stuff. You can read the articles here). As a result, I have a nice toybox to play in for follow-up books and spinoffs to “Return of the Tyrant”.

I also plan on using this technique for an old story idea I was working on in college with a few buddies of mine. We were looking at doing an epic high fantasy adventure set in a world similar to feudal China, and loosely based on the legends of Shaolin and Wu-Tang (and yes, inspired by the rap group). But if I’m going to effectively tell this story, I need to create a believable world.

See where I’m going with this?

Whether I actually start writing the story or not, I think it would be an interesting exercise to see if I can build this world the same way I build the other one. I wouldn’t involve any big creatures, but it would be nice to know if there are any in this world. Also, I’d have to do some more research into feudal China and Shaolin mythology to make sure stuff was reasonably accurate – it doesn’t have to be an exact match to the stuff you see in kung-fu movies, but it has to be close enough for you to recognize the source material. Also there’s the little issue of writing believable kung-fu action when kung-fu works best as a visual. I think that’s the biggest hurdle. But hey, I was able to effectively write video game action, so I think it’s a challenge worth undertaking.

In any case, if you are having any struggles with worldbuilding, I strongly recommend giving this a try. And while you’re at it, give the game itself a try. MTG has been my hobby for over 20 years, and I think you’ll like it too.