In my last post I talked about the importance of reading for writers. It is advice I follow, as seen in my ‘For the Love of Books’ blogs. On my reading journey, every so often I discover an author that stands out for all kinds of reasons, and upon discovering one of their titles, I look for more. Examples include Nnedi Okorafor, Eugen Bacon, Rivers Solomon and Patricia McKillip. To be clear, some of these authors have been around for some time, I just hadn’t been lucky enough to discover them sooner. The most recent example is Sarah Ash, after reading her fantasy novel, Songspinners. Look out for my review on a ‘For the Love of Books’ blog coming soon… I am grateful to have been able to forge a connection with this author, whose titles are many and I look forward to reading more. And I was thrilled to appear as her first guest of 2023 on her website. Click here.
It’s always interesting to uncover the story behind the story, the seed that develops into a whole new portal bound in pages. Small beginnings evolve, and it was wonderful to remember the encounters that developed into the genesis of my fantasy series Blood Gift Chronicles. What earthly sway inspires dragons? What layers do we seek to create to establish culture embodied within our characters. For me, art is one thing: representations and significance of art in the worlds; and narrative that seeks to bring visual scenes to the reader. It’s a train of thought I plan to revisit in the future. I’m in the business of culture, societies, landscapes, seascapes, worlds. My current work in progress is Book 3, an origin story giving closure to the big mysteries, while introducing new characters, a new landscape and a timeslip plot. We are interconnected, the past informs the present, the future is ours for the taking. I think fondly of my characters that I have lived with for so long, as I think of them tackling these life lessons.
Until next time…
Have a great week!
