I thought it might be amusing, if a little self-indulgent, to post on how/why I came to write my modern fantasy, The Lords of the Summer Season (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2Q0TPQ4 ). Below is part 1 with other installments to follow.
Literate entertainment is my goal. The Lords of the Summer Season blends fantasy, action, historical fiction, and a dash of romance. There are themes and motifs aplenty, but I’ve tried to use the plot to propel the story along at a fast pace. To this end, I’ve imported Robert E. Howard’s headlong momentum into the action scenes, and Hunter S. Thompson influenced the motorcycle chases.
We’ve seen Bradan, The Lords of the Summer Season’s hero, before in The Lords of Oblivion and The Lords of Powder. Each of the three books can be read on its own or together as a series. All of them use extensive flashback and flashforward, but, if there is a chronological order to the novels, it would be: The Lords of the Summer Season, which takes place mostly in 1967, followed by The Lords of Powder occurring mostly in 1978, followed by The Lords of Oblivion set primarily in the present. Oddly, I’ve written them in reverse order to that sequence.
In The Lords of the Summer Season, Bradan remains as sarcastic and disenchanted as he was in the previous two novels, unsurprised by humanity’s self-serving actions, but willing to be persuaded of their better nature. He’s near immortal, so he’s seen a lot including his own less-than-stellar behavior and he therefore reserves some mockery for himself. His redeeming qualities include an interest in helping unfortunates. He also has cultivated a sense of aesthetics and a robust creative spirit, both of which are showcased in this novel where he’s a guitarist in a psychedelic-era, acid rock band in San Francisco and Los Angeles and a painter in Florence, as well as a lute-playing bard in Arthur and Merlin’s sixth-century Britain.
I write modern fantasy novels that are hopefully both exciting and literate. These novels include an on-going series about a near-immortal magician who grew up in Camelot and grew famous in San Francisco's 'Summer of Love'. He's still having adventures to this day described in The Lords of the Summer Season, The Lords of Powder, and The Lords of Oblivion. The books can be read in any order.
As author S Alessandro Martinez has stated about the series:
"Lords of Oblivion
A 1500-year-old wizard. A pair of savage druids raised from the dead. Modern day San Francisco. A wolf that takes no gruff. Blaisdell creates a fascinating world in this magical realism novel with smart writing, complex characters, and clever use of history and mythology. I was sucked in from the very beginning. I look forward to more of Bradan and Tintagel's mystical adventures.
Lords of Powder
Merlin's former apprentice, Bradan, is back! The 1500-year-old wizard, who is sometimes too smart for his own good, returns for another exciting adventure, this time in 70s Miami as he takes on the criminal world of drug trafficking. Blaisdell's smart, fast-paced writing and use of fascinating history and mythology keeps you on the edge of your seat as Bradan uses his wits, charm, and illusions to navigate the modern era and get himself into plenty of trouble.
Lords of the Summer Season
Being Merlin's former apprentice and living for 1500 years is bound to make you a few enemies. Travel back to the 60s with Bradan the wizard and his otherworldly wolf Tintagel. As Bradan juggles careers as a professor and musician, he must defend himself from his greatest threat yet: a literal god. Blaisdell continues with his clever, skillful, and imaginative writing that will keep readers eagerly turning the next page. My favorite of the Bradan books, Blaisdell dives deeper into the Arthur mythology, and brings the reader even more elements of magic and folklore, all the while weaving an entertaining tale of gods, wizards, ghosts, and 60s acid rock. Thoroughly enjoyable!"
Besides the literary side of my life, my background includes membership on a scientific advisory board for a non-profit professional organization promoting the biomedical and digital health business community in the greater Los Angeles area.
I’ve authored both basic research publications and business management articles focusing on the bio/pharma industry. My Ph.D. is in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota where I also conducted post-doctoral research in microbiology. And my BS is from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) with a double major in chemistry and cell biology.
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Blaisdell Literary Enterprises 