The Arrival

I am so happy  to welcome Nicole McDonald to the Flight Deck, to let us into some of her secrets regarding that essential element for fantasy and SF writers - World building.  Over to you, Nicole.

Writing a novel is a daunting task at the best of times. Writing a novel on a made-up planet—well that’s just adding a whole other factor of ‘oh crap’ to your work. It isn’t easy (not if you want to do it well) but personally, it is fun, fascinating, challenging, and frequently infuriating. Worth it? Hell yeah!

 So, having spent nearly four years partially on another planet of my own creation (Gar’nyse – gahh niece) here are the points I feel will help to ground your creation and make it believable.

* Get graph paper and nut out a to-scale map. All you need to know for this is how long it takes characters from here to there-via whatever transport (mine was griffon.). You’ll need a basic knowledge of maths and/or google, to help you figure the hourly speed and then you should be good. Create loads of land masses/islands, to give you lots of room to play.

*Remember that if your characters are human then your planet is going to be similar to Earth. Our form/biologic build is directly due to how our planet works gravity-wise/evolution-wise.

*Watch documentaries on Earth – LOTS of them!! Will give you heaps of ideas!

* If you can, sketch your creations; otherwise keep a note book with thorough descriptions so you don’t have to keep skipping back and forth through your manuscript (note to self— must do this…)

*Don’t give your new creatures’ capital letters!! By this I mean, you don’t say ‘I saw a Lion today.’ Instead you say ‘I saw a lion today’. Frequently people get this wrong (even editors have done it at times). So stick to your guns! It’s either a creature, or a creature’s name i.e. in the BirthRight trilogy there is a griffon named Loushka.

Otherwise, have patience, be prepared for writers’ block of another kind entirely, and I recommend this fantasy name generator http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/ to help create names for your creations. Good luck and happy exploring!

Thanks so much, Nicole, that was really interesting - and I've already used the link you kindly provided to generate a name for my current WIP. :)

The Arrival
by Nicole MacDonald

BLURB:

Four friends in the midst of a man drought cast a love spell on a whim, unexpectedly landing them on another planet.

Oops.

On a foreign and often hostile world, love teeters on the horizon while the threat of civil war looms thanks to the girls' surprising gifts. Will the girls master these gifts in time to survive a war in which not only are they the ultimate weapons, but also the ultimate prize?

Excerpt 

A rude awakening

“The branches we used to make the shelter stunk. I wasn’t sure yet if it was a good smell or a bad smell, just distractingly pungent. The shelter was a pretty basic design but it kept the wind out and might keep us dry.

It was just that smell.

Maybe it isn’t just the branches, I thought, it might be my pillow.

Sighing, I sat up to try and fix it again. Scrunching the leaves into a better shape, I re-fixed the hood of my cloak over them and lay down.

Sleep came quickly and it must have been around midnight when Audi’s soft growl woke me.

What? What was she growling about? Blinking, I peered around. The moon was full, making it surprisingly light in the shelter. I whispered her name and Audi crept to my side then gave another low growl. Placing a hand on her back I was shocked to feel the fur erect, like when we’d been chased by the elgrids.

Oh God, what now?

It couldn’t be anything little, considering Audi hadn’t raced out of the shelter to scare it off. Audrey wasn't a chicken, but she was sensible. With trembling hands, I knelt and strapped on the sword and daggers. The shuffling outside had gotten closer. My stomach seemed to sink to my feet and a wave of dizziness hit as fear swept through me.

Not again, I thought, the village is half a day’s walk away. There was no way we would be able to make it back.

I crawled over to Kassie and shook her, placing a hand over her mouth. She mumbled, then her eyes flashed open in shock.

'Shhh, something’s outside and Audi thinks it’s bad. Strap your sword on and get ready.'

She reached for her sword and I turned to repeat the process with Loi and Sian. “

AUTHOR Bio 

Nicole MacDonald is the Independent author of The Arrival, and, Awakening, the first two books in the BirthRight Trilogy. Writing had never been a lifelong dream for her until she began The Arrival, but it now is an all-consuming passion.

A proud Kiwi (New Zealander) Nicole dreams that one day Peter Jackson will be in touch to option the film rights for the BirthRight Trilogy. When she's not daydreaming about that she's working on book three in the trilogy - Feel the Burn, available December 2012 - and planning future works.

Blog:www.damselinadirtydress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheBirthRightTrilogy

Twitter: @DmslinaDrtyDrss

Amazon US - free: http://www.amazon.com/The-Arrival-BirthRight-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004HD5WAE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347750674&sr=8-3&keywords=the+arrival

Itunes US - free: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-arrival/id431517784?mt=11

Itunes UK - free: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-arrival/id431517784?mt=11

Kobo - free: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Arrival/book-fW1uiT1a2U27zweXd_D9jw/page1.html?s=m6zvEHUwuU6GCa6fCqs70A&r=1

Sony ereader store - free: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/nicole-macdonald/the-arrival/_/R-400000000000000340919

Smashwords (any format) - free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34874

BN/Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arrival-nicole-macdonald/1100093005?ean=2940011169434http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arrival-nicole-macdonald/1100093005?ean=2940011169434

'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH

                  Also available on Kindle

Destiny's Fall Blog Tour, and Giveaway with Marie Blodeau

It's my pleasure to welcome Marie Bilodeau to my Blog today, as part of her virtual Blog Tour for her novel, 'Destiny's Fall'. (Details of her contest are at the end of this post, but read what she has to say first, it's fascinating.)

I asked Marie how she goes about her research and world building.Here's what she has to say:

I tend to get obsessed with one topic and research it madly for fun. With Destiny’s Blood, the first book in the Destiny series, nebulae played an important role, or at least to my mind they did. A nebula even surrounded the homeworld of my heroine, Layela Delamores.  She was about to dive into it (while aboard her ship), and I was curious as to what nebulae were, what they were composed of, how they were created… I found the questions fascinating, and read many, many books on astronomy. I raided my library and local bookstores.  I went to online forums and Googled lots of images.  I became a walking encyclopedia of nebulae!

And then I found out that the story didn’t actually need a world-eating nebula (who knew?)  The story benefitted from a nebula-like shield structure, but suddenly my entire research seemed a little exuberant, at best.  And now I’ve probably forgotten most of the little factoids I’d hoarded so lovingly for months.

By front loading my research, meaning by doing my research before I finish my book (usually while I write it), I run the risk of changing directions during the course of the novel and not being able to even use my discovered tidbits of coolness. I don’t mind at all.  To force the story into a certain direction to justify the research instead of to amplify the story is downright criminal. 

The research is never wasted. It expands my immediately accessibly brain database of cool stuff, and it provides unsuspecting facts for future stories.  For example, during my nebulae foray, I also read a lot about how stars are born, and how they die. That incidental research gave me founding ideas for the worlds and plotlines of the second and third books of the series.

Research can be inspirational, and you can discover your world through it.

Thanks Marie - and I certainly agree with what you say about research being inspirational!

Destiny’s Fall

by Marie Bilodeau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

A broken tradition. A hunted child. A rebellion that threatens to topple the very fabric of the universe. 

When Layela Delamores gives birth to her first child, the ether immediately rejects what should be its only heir. A wave of destruction sweeps the ether races and sparks Solaria’s ire and rebellion on Mirial. A new heir rises to take the throne of Mirial, one who wields tainted ether.

Unable to access the flow of ether, Layela is left with little choice but to flee Mirial, seeking answers that may no longer exist, prepared to sacrifice everything to free herself and her daughter from the clutches of the First Star.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt 

Elsa sent soothing waves to the earth. The saplings, still so small and tiny, responded in turn. Be still, she comforted them. They grew still and quiet, and she hoped they would avoid detection.

She reached out to the plants surrounding the gardens—the elm tree to the right, the great oak to the left. The bluebells lining the ground, mixed in with buttercups. The Lacile flowers which glowed gently, hiding now from the sun. The grass all around them, the wildflowers peeking through between the blades, the roses and their thorns, the poofy orange plants whose names she could never recall, and the bushes that held tiny leaves and pink flowers when spring was fresh and new.

She called out to all of them in the sunlight, to take care of the gardens, to protect the sproutlings of the Berganda in these uncertain times, while their mothers fought for peace on Mirial. Wave after wave of hope and need left her and filled the plants. With her all-too-human eyes, she imagined the plants standing a bit taller, but she knew it was only her imagination; they gently swayed in the wind around her.

Her own mother had been able to communicate with the plants and bend their will to hers. Or seal them to her with friendship, she wasn’t certain. Her own mother would have stood by Layela and fought, even giving up her life for her and the Berganda. Elsa hid her forming plans deep in her heart.

She had never known her mother, but she intended to live up to her legacy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO

Marie Bilodeau is an Ottawa-based science-fiction and fantasy author. Her space fantasy novel, Destiny’s Blood, was a finalist in the Aurora Awards and won the Bronze Medal for Science-Fiction in the Foreword Book Awards. She is also the author of the Heirs of a Broken Land, a fantasy trilogy described as “fresh and exciting” by Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo award-winning author of WAKE. Her short stories have appeared in several magazines and anthologies, including the recent When the Hero Comes Home, edited by Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy.  

Marie is also a professional storyteller who’s told adaptations of fairy tales and myths, as well as original stories, in venues across Canada. More at http://www.mariebilodeau.com/.
 

*** CONTEST***

Marie will give away a signed eBook copy of Destiny's Blood (the first book in the series) to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and an autographed set of Destiny's Blood and Destiny's Fall in print (US and Canada only) or eBook (International) to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. She'll also give an autographed set of books to the host with the most comments (excluding hers and the host's).


Follow Marie's Tour HERE and leave a comment on each to improve your chances!


 

Guest Post: World Building and Inspiration By Ian Alexander

I'm delighted to welcome Ian Alexander as my guest today as part of his Guest Tour for his  novel  'Once We Were Kings'. Over to you Ian:

For any fan of fantasy—or writer, for that matter—the subject of world building is paramount.  You see, the thing fantasy fans are looking for is a setting that transports them to a different time, a different place, where things don’t work as they ordinarily do in our own.  And yet, they don’t want something so far removed that they cannot identify with it.  Therein lies the elusive balance between imaginative transportation to another realm and resonance with the human experience.  How does a writer bring the two into a convincing balance?

As for world-building, I turn to things I know, and then pull from those that are not commonly regarded as “normal.”  In Once We Were Kings, I structured the two warring kingdoms as vastly different as can be.  I modeled the Eastern Kingdom of Tian Kuo after ancient Chinese civilization, drawing on their mythology, as well as socio-political constructs.  Many of the cultural behaviours and values may seem exotic to those with roots in western civilization, but to those in touch with Chinese traditions, it will seem pleasantly familiar.

For the Western Kingdom of Valdshire Tor, I modeled it somewhat after European medieval culture, blending English, German, and other such lore, and yet, I inserted many Judeo-Christian allusions from The Bible (whose historic roots are from Middle Eastern Civilization.)  All in all, I tried to blend the familiar with the unfamiliar and put a new twist on it.  And yet, because it was written for young readers and those new to the genre of Epic Fantasy, I incorporated well-known elements (dragons, spirit-guides, demons, magic, clash or deities, etc.)  While these are well-trodden tropes, books of which fantasy enthusiasts who have grown long in the tooth may have read too many, those new to the genre have found it a pleasant introduction and as a result have begun reading more.

Many of my followers know that I wrote ONCE WE WERE KINGS at the request of my son, who loves C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.  I must admit that I too love those books and have drawn much of my inspiration from them.  That my book has been compared to them is not only an honor, but a validation of my attempts to bring inspiration and deeper thought in an entertaining package.

If you aren’t a fan of Epic Fantasy, or Young Adult Fantasy, I would like to propose that you might be missing out on some very enjoyable reading.  I wouldn’t recommend delving headfirst into the more challenging 800 page tomes at first.  Try something more accessible.  Young Adult fiction these days is a wonderful way to start because most of the books written in this genre don’t condescend, as if they were merely writing for children, despite the fact that the protagonists are in fact young people.  The writing is not as esoteric as some adult epic fantasy and will therefore be a smoother transition into the genre for new readers.

Might I also suggest you try ONCE WE WERE KINGS, and if you like prequels, please check out FROM THE ASHES, a short novella with some rich backstory to ONCE WE WERE KINGS.


Thank you so much Ian, that was a fascinating insight into your world building.  As a lover of fantasy myself, I can't wait to read your books.

About Ian Alexander:
Winner of the 2011 International Book Awards, Joshua Graham writing as Ian Alexander, wrote this book at the request of his then 6-year old son who is a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind.  The request yielded not only the first book ONCE WE WERE KINGS, but a series, the sequels of which will soon be released.

ONCE WE WERE KINGS is a Young Adult Fantasy novel, but has been enjoyed by thousands of readers worldwide from young adult to senior.  It has been a #1 bestseller on two Religious Science Fiction & Fantasy lists on Amazon and is available in Kindle Edition and Hardcover Edition as well.


Visit the official Ian Alexander Website at: www.ianalex.com  
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IanAlex70
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@IanAlex77

RETURN OF THE LEGACY - Guest post and Giveawaywith K H LeMOYNE

 

I'm delighted to welcome K H LeMoyne to my blog today!

Good day to everyone and thank you to Romance That’s ‘Out Of This World’ for having me.

I’m here to share a bit about my world building process for Return of the Legacy and the Portals of Destiny series. A brief background on the story should help kick off the process.

Centuries ago, magical beings on Earth opened portals in time and space to flee persecution. One magical bloodline sealed the portals to protect the new worlds and shield Earth from magic returning. That bloodline, now almost extinguished, consists of the portal sentinel descendents, the Makir. Targeted for assignation by an evil mage in the world of Tir Thar, the current Makir are unaware of the gift they carry. Two magical families are key to ensuring the mage won’t break through the portals, claim all powers as his own, and enslave those who survive.

The concept for one of the families came from a pack of tarot cards that I own. The images on the cards don’t directly relate to magic but four cards struck my interest and wouldn’t let go. Those four cards created an image in my mind for the main character, Briallen, her three brothers, and the beginning of their existence in one of the magical worlds, Tir Thar.

 Having the series premise and an image of Briallen, I considered her skills, her personality, and how she views herself. Then I developed a counterpart who would be strong enough to partner with her but not overpower her as she grew beyond her preconceived views. Enter, Logan Mackenzie, a man now the head of his small family and driven to find a murder who is targeting his lineage on present day Earth.

While this is only book one, but I spent a great deal of time working out details for the series: the magical beings, their social structure, the magical rules that govern both Logan and his three cousins as well as Briallen’s family, a list of the kingdoms in Tir Thar as well as those in the world of Loci. Lists and charts file my Portals file. I also outlined a brief history of what happened after the world of Tir Thar was established, and more details on Brennagmore, the kingdom from which Briallen’s family originated. Then I expanded the scenario for why the mage pursues them. What evolved was a grimoire of sorts detailing lineage, kingdoms, powers, and people. Even small vignettes evolved for bits of the backstory to highlight the de-evolution of magic in Brennagmore.

And because magical beings fled Earth to create new worlds, I drew maps so I could keep track of how I wanted to represent the different kingdoms. My original maps didn’t make it into Return of the Legacy. However two maps will appear in a spin-off tale of the portals due out in April, Dragon Rider’s Gift. The dragon riders make a brief appearance in Return of the Legacy and they have their own battle against Brennagmore’s mage. I plan a map for the second book in the portals series, as it will continue in the same world of Loci as book one.

Because magic fled from Earth, the new worlds bear a loose similarity to the geography and history left behind. In some worlds this is radically different. In others, the twists of time parallel Earth’s history at points. Names and titles may or may not conform to real life. The Scottish Isle of Mull in Return of the Legacy exists, though not quite as depicted in the story. The Laird MacKinnon as well as Margaret, the Maid of Norway, are also part of Scottish history with some liberties taken for their existence in the dimension of Loci. Duart Castle, Glengorm Castle (unlike Glengoram in the story), Staffa and Fingal’s Cave, and the Balliscate standing stones are available for view at their own sites on the Internet or on my website. They inspire a magic all their own.

This sounds like a lot of work and it was but, for me, it was worthwhile. Once completed, these scenarios, the people, their lives, and the worlds all have substance and texture to add to the stories. Then the real work began. If only all those lists and documents could just fold themselves into a story. In spite of all that work, only small segments were woven into Return of the Legacy. Granted, the details make the world very clear in my mind and since the series arc is already fixed in a five book series, many of the details and research will be added in later books. So very little is wasted.

At this point in my career, I write only fantasy and paranormal stories. For me, the key is to make scenes and actions vivid. To make magic stand apart from the reader’s expectation it needs sensory details of sight, smell, touch, and emotional response that are unique and diverge from the magic rules readers might expect. Those factors are added to world building files as well.

For each book I write I create a Details Sheet. This is basically a one-page list of all the characters by name, significant items like age, hair and eye color, powers, setting names and key items. This is a subset of the large research file I have on the worlds behind the portals. Drafting the story typically adds even more details as the flow of text stimulates additional creativity. The Details Sheet allows me to keep track of everything. I also have this cheat sheet to pull out when I start subsequent books.

The thing that is missing here is the building of the romance, which I handle in a different process of scene mapping for the book. The Portals of Destiny series adventure has a beginning and conclusion, but Briallen and Logan were chosen specifically for Return of the Legacy because of their unique composition of personality, history, and potential. No other in this cast of the series would do for book one. Fortunately, for all the planning in the world, there is one factor neither the evil mage of Brennagmore nor I can control…and that is the power of love. A different form of magic!
 ~Kate KH LeMoyne

Thank you so much Kate, that was fascinating. and what a great observation about the power of love being a different form of magic! Now let's find out a bit more about your book.
 

Return of the Legacy

by KH LeMoyne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Three magical dimensions…Two mystical bloodlines…One undeniable destiny.

Born a magical empath, Logan MacKenzie has spent his life protecting his family from discovery. Evil has found them anyway. What begins as Logan’s search for answers on Earth becomes a race for survival in the magical dimension of Loci.

The battle to save those he cares about will reveal his true lineage—the bloodline of the Makir, one half of a pair of sentinels chosen to guard the mystical portals between dimensions. The price of his acceptance: a love he never imagined possible and a heartbreaking choice.

Her family attacked, her home destroyed, and now stranded on Loci, Briallen of Tir Thar, descendant of a magical race, has only to summon the power within her to return to her own dimension—or so she had hoped. Unfortunately, her powers aren’t cooperating, and the sorcerer bent on her family’s destruction will stop at nothing to possess her.

Raised without knowledge of the portals, the Makir guardians, or her own destiny, Bri takes a leap of faith in an alliance with Logan. Embracing an uncertain power and accepting his goals as hers offers her the only way home. If they fail, the consequences of allowing the portals to fall to evil are unthinkable—the destruction of every magical dimension throughout space.

Warning: This is a fantasy romance, containing magic, love, and courage. The omission of vampires and shapeshifters is intentional.

EXCERPT:

“Something’s coming.” Logan’s arm halted Bri. One hand gripped her wrist as he reached over his shoulder for the pommel of his sword. “Ever felt the drop in air pressure right before the lash of a huge storm?”

The stillness extended beyond the deadness of the air. The birds were silent. No rustling issued from the underbrush.

She glanced forward and back.

“In front.” His sword slid free without a sound. The blade reflected the moonlight’s silver.

For a second, she thought the edge of his weapon wavered, a blue rim of light from tip to guard. He shifted and it disappeared.

A loud thunderclap reverberated around them. She expected a burnt tree or roiling clouds. Instead, three figures, cloaked head to toe in black, erupted from a fiery hole of red—a heinous fissure in the night air.

The minions spread out and circled them, pinning them to a small stretch of the clearing.

“We can’t outrun them.” Bri twisted and removed her knife, eying the minion at their back. “Stay clear of their hands. Their bones and claws are infectious.”

“The weapons look deadly.”

“They are.”

The minion before her withdrew a moon-shaped sickle. The one she could see from the corner of her eye brandished a thin glowing rapier. The rapier moved closer to Logan. A brief slash stirred chills of cold past her face.

Back to back with Logan she turned, gauging which minion would strike the first blow.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A former technology specialist, KH LeMoyne now writes romance fulltime with series in urban fantasy, high fantasy, and scifi/futuristic. She lives in Maryland with her wonderful husband and corgi. Much to her dismay, she rarely encounters supernatural beings other than on paper. Visit her website: http://www.khlemoyne.com/  or blog: http://fantasypoweredbylove.com/

Links:

Website – www.khlemoyne.com

Purchase locations - Available in ebook & paperback from: Black Opals Books, Amazon, B&N, All Romance/OmniLit, Smashwords

facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kh.lemoyne

twitter –  https://twitter.com/#!/khlemoyne  or  @khlemoyne

GIVEAWAY

The author will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the most comments (excluding the author's and the host's). Additionally, she'll choose two randomly drawn winners of the Dragon Rider’s Gift eBook (A Portal Tale), due for release May 1, 2012.

Click Banner for other stops on this tour.

 'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH

                  Also available on Kindle