Annually for the last 7 years, the noted fantasy author, Mark Lawrence, organizes a competition to identify the best new, self-published fantasy novel. This is SPFBO ('Self Published Fantasy Blog Off'). It's gotten bigger every year and this May 300 authors submitted in less than 24 hours (the contest is limited to 300 books). The … Continue reading THE LORDS OF THE SUMMER SEASON in SPFBO 7
Category: Contemporary Fantasy
The Wolf – Creating a Monstrous Friend
In all three of my modern fantasy novels, the protagonist, Bradan, faces horrific threats, but he also has one constant and fearsome friend: the wolf Tintagel. Bradan named him after King Arthur's supposed birthplace. As I write my on-going series, I want a wolf that embodies nature's mysterious, atavistic, and implacable qualities. I don't want … Continue reading The Wolf – Creating a Monstrous Friend
When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 4)
One only has to stand overlooking Tintagel Castle’s coastline in late November, when the tourists are gone and the aged stone fortifications and dwellings are your only company during frigid, dark gray weather just before nights hits, to feel close to whoever occupied the place 1,500 years ago. I stood as near to the drop … Continue reading When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 4)
When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 3)
This is part 3 of an ongoing series of posts about writing The Lords of Powder, my noir fantasy set mostly in 1978 Miami during the cocaine wars (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3sHNmY0 ). Through a series of misadventures, our hero, Bradan, has become a smuggler in south Florida and the Caribbean earning the ire of both … Continue reading When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 3)
When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 2)
This is part 2 of a series of posts describing how I wrote my noir fantasy, The Lords of Powder (check the book out at Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3aCj8PZ ). The story takes place mostly in 1978 Miami where the main character, the magician Bradan, has become a smuggler using his magical talents to evade the authorities … Continue reading When is it Criminal to be a Magician? The Making of a Noir Fantasy: THE LORDS OF POWDER (part 2)
