Friday, January 30, 2015

From the Archives: The Power of Healing

Posted by: Shawna Reppert
Veronica sez: Our scheduled blogger for today is under the weather so I searched the Archives and found this great post from Shawna Reppert, on the topic of healing. Seemed appropriate!

(And I loved the vrious healing scenes Aragorn did in LOTR.)


Healing is a common theme in fantasy and its precursor myths and legends.  In The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is hailed as king by an old woman in the House of Healing because the hands of the king are healing hands.  Earlier, Aragorn finally wins the trust of the wary hobbits on the way to Rivendell by healing Frodo after a wraith attack, although it takes greater power of Elrond to make him whole. Another old favorite of mine, The Silver Sun by Nancy Springer, also features a king-to-be as a healer.  In the Arthurian tales, the Fisher King’s entire land falls barren until his wound is healed.  In the Mabinogion, Bran the Blessed gives a cauldron of healing to his sister and the king of Ireland on their wedding day.  

Why this focus on healing?  The reasons are many.  First, and most obvious, is the inherent power of a healer and the drama surrounding circumstances in which we need one.  The healer, or doctor in modern times, is the most powerful person in our lives at the time when we are most vulnerable.  She literally holds the power of life and death in her hands.  We see the darker side of this power in the early tales of the Robin Hood legend, where a wounded Robin is either bled to death or poisoned (there are conflicting version) by a nun of a healing order in whom he has placed his trust. My folklore professor back in college said that tales that stand the test of centuries are those that reflect universal hopes and fears.  Anyone who has ever been wheeled into an operating room as the anesthetic takes hold knows that terrible helplessness.  Who among us hasn’t hoped for a wise and sympathetic doctor to make it better?  

Healers, by their very nature, hold special knowledge and special powers, which makes them perfect for the archetypical role of Wise Old Man/Wise Old Woman, there to provide aid and guidance.  (For more on this and other archetypes in writing, see Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers.)  The healer king is practically its own archetype, a reminder that with power and privilege comes responsibility, a hope that those who rule act in our interests.  After all, what is more benevolent than a healer? 

Healing, and the need for it, can be a useful plot device.  The quest for healing or some healing talisman or potion can drive an entire story arc, or can force a character on a side trip where they will make an important discovery.  In my award-winning debut novel The Stolen Luck, trust between Loren and James only builds when Loren is injured and must rely on James for his healing.  

Healing can be a potent symbol supporting a book’s overall theme.  Fiction, with rare exception, is about change— the protagonist is not the same at the end of the book as he was in the beginning: wiser, braver, nobler, or in darker tales more jaded, more hopeless, more committed to evil.  Often, a character needs to be healed in a symbolic sense, and physical healing can echo or support that theme.  In my urban fantasy Ravensblood, Corwyn Ravenscroft, or Raven, is a dark mage who discovers he still has a conscience and is trying to find his way back to the light.  His soul is torn and in need of healing.  

Raven turns to Cassandra, his former apprentice and lover whom he misled and betrayed. Cass, now a Guardian,  magical law enforcement serving the elected council of the Three Communities.  She is doing everything she can to live down her past, and then her past turns up on her doorstep, begging for help.
Though Cass is still attracted to Raven, the anger and the sense of betrayal are stronger. Above all, she doesn’t trust him, and she fears that all her hard-won progress toward winning the respect and trust of her colleagues will be destroyed if she’s seen with him. Cass tells Raven that she isn’t about to be the same kind of fool twice, and sends him on his way.  

Raven, without other viable option and desperate to escape all that he is and was born to be, attempts to take his own life. But a mistimed suicide message brings Cass to his side while he still lives. She can’t deny his sincerity while she is kneeling in his blood, trying to stop the flow from his wrists.   Cass uses her own healing talent in attempt to save him, and when that isn’t enough, she enlists the aid of her aunt.  Ana is a healer and member of the Joint Council and had been one of Raven’s teachers in his youth.
Ana saves his life and offers him a chance at redemption by working for the Council as a spy against his master, the darkest and most powerful mage of their time.  Cass doubts whether they should trust him so far.


 Cass closed her eyes. “Okay, maybe at the moment he wants to leave William. But I know Raven. He loves nothing more than himself and his own power. How long will it be before that comes to the fore once again?”

Ana shook her head. “Remember what I taught you of healing? Knowledge and technique will get you so far, but ultimately you have to close your eyes and trust your instincts.”

The wind gusted, rippling the lake. Cass shivered. “We’re not talking about healing now, though.”

Ana smiled. “Aren’t we?”

Cass considered the question. Like many of her aunt’s teaching questions, it had many layers and more than one answer.

“Corwyn has been hurt, too,” Ana said. “He’s as confused and scared as you are.”

Cass snorted. “I don’t think he is capable of any of the above.”

Ana shook her head. “That’s your anger speaking. He has emotions, even if he refuses to admit them to himself or anyone else. You know that, or you would have never taken him as a lover.”

“I was young and stupid.”

Ana stood and put a hand on Cass’s shoulder. “You may have been young, yes. To my eyes, you still are. But you were never stupid. We lost Corwyn once to the dark. We have a chance to win him back. I, for one, am not willing to throw that away.”


So next time you encounter a healer or a healing scene in a book or movie, pay attention.  It comes from a long, rich tradition, and there may be more going on than you see on the surface.

P. S. from Veronica: Shawna has the sequel out now: Raven's Wing!



Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Beating Writer's Block... oh, look - a game!

Posted by: Sheryl Nantus
Every once in a while the words won't come and no matter how much tea or coffee or whiskey or chocolate you eat the magic just won't happen.

My best way out of the maze?

Playing games!

I've been blogging for quite some time about various board games that I've enjoyed and recommend to not only writers looking to take a creative break from their works but also for people looking for something a bit different to spend an afternoon with friends and family.

One of my recent finds - Splendor by Space Cowboy Games! Take on the role of a gem trader and cultivate as many mines to gain the favor of powerful nobles! This fun and fast game is a great way to get your mind off wrestling with plots... and might have you thinking up some new ones while you look over your emeralds and rubies!

Want something a bit darker? Check out Elder Sign from Fantasy Flight!  Fight the Great Old Ones and banish them... or die a horrible death in the process! If you're a Lovecraft fan or just want to fight some demons this is the game for you - and dice!

Want a fast and simple game? I give you Qwirkle by MindWare - yes, you've seen this game at your local Barnes & Noble. If you've got some wee ones in the house or just want something to clear your mind this is a great way to spend some time. Wooden blocks never felt so good...

Computer games more your type? I picked up the original Shadowrun Returns and the sequel, Shadowrun: Dragonfall over the holidays and can't stop replaying it. This game has a high replay value and a deep, DEEP history that'll suck you right in. This RPG has been around for a long, LONG time and if you're looking for something to shake up your gaming group the newest version is available along with scads of official fiction to keep your 'lil mind spinning.

Dealing with writer's block doesn't mean closeting yourself away with a blank piece of paper, forcing the words to come - sometimes a fun few hours playing games with friends can break that mental block and send you racing back to the keyboard with newfound enthusiasm!

And as Wil Wheaton says...

Play More Games!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Here Be News

Posted by: Unknown

News

Here Be Magic Authors Need Your Words!

FOR:
March Melange Flash Fiction Week

READERS:
Provide us with five to six of your favorite words and be entered into a random drawing for one of two Amazon $20.00 Gift Cards (USA Only – sorry).

In March each participating HBM author will be assigned 5 Reader-provided words and will write a 300-600 word flash fiction scene inspired by, and utilizing the assigned words.

Check back March 24 through 28 to see what our creative members did with the words you suggested!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases


R.L. Naquin, author of the Monster Haven series, shares an assortment of stories from places just outside the world we know. These pages are filled with friendly monsters, dueling witches, floating ice fish, chupacabra taxidermy, and escalators leading to Heaven and Hell. 

This collection includes two brand-new Monster Haven tales. Find out how Riley got his job in “Reaper’s Tale,” and join Kam the djinn as she chases down a ghost with unfinished salon business in “Shampoo Girl.” Plus, as a bonus, this collection includes three previously released Monster Haven stories – just in case you missed them.

Also, take a peek into the new world of the Mount Olympus Employment Agency (series coming in 2015) with “Unmatched Cupid” and “Undercover Gorgon.” 

Transmonstrified offers quick reads for when the boss leaves the room to get coffee and longer ones for when that chatty lady on the plane won’t be quiet. Eighteen stories filled with magic and oddities await.

Because everybody needs a little magic.  Get it HERE!


***
The most dangerous thing they could do is fall in love…

Callie Noble fled to Ottawa to escape danger. But she is far from safe. Overwhelmed by a strange new power she can’t control, Callie is terrified and painfully incapacitated. Her only hope is to seek the help of the one man who broke her heart…

Derrick Llewellyn is one of the Sentinels charged with the protection of the city’s mysterious secret. Seeing Callie again is a shock enough, but the electricity between them is stronger than ever. Still, loving another marked individual is forbidden, and Callie needs his help—not romantic complications.


But there are forces at work in the city, and Callie finds herself inexorably drawn into a world filled with danger and untold magics. A world where loving Derrick isn’t just forbidden…it’s the surest way to drive them both mad.

Buy it now! 
***

Coming Soon

Two months should be long enough for a girl to learn to cope when she finds out she’s half-Sidhe, or so Kendis Thompson has convinced herself. She wants nothing more than as normal a life as possible, playing her violin and pursuing her growing relationship with Christopher, Warder Second of Seattle. But when the Unseelie bard Elessir falls through a portal out of Faerie, bringing with him a ghostly peril that puts her best friend Jude’s life and sanity in danger, Kendis must test the strength of her new magic. And when the bone walker Melorite threatens all of the Emerald City, Kendis must fight to save everyone she loves—even if it means succumbing to the dominion of the Unseelie Court.

Angela Korra'ti is proud to announce that Bone Walker, Book 2 of the Free Court of Seattle series, is now available for preorder at the special introductory price of $2.99! Kindle readers can preorder the book here on Amazon, and the book is also available for preorder on iTunes, Kobo, Google Play, and Smashwords! Nook readers will be able to buy the book on its release date of February 3rd. All official places to buy the book can be found on its official page!

And if you'd like to get caught up on Book 1 of the series, Faerie Blood remains on sale for 99 cents to celebrate Bone Walker's release! You can get Faerie Blood from Amazon here, and all the rest of the places you can buy it are available on its official page.

As a special bonus, Bone Walker also has an accompanying soundtrack by Crime and the Forces of Evil! The album features excerpts from both Faerie Blood and Bone Walker read by the author, as well as several traditional tunes sets, trad songs, and original compositions by Crime and the Forces of Evil, performed along with several featured guest artists. Find out more about the soundtrack on its Bandcamp page, where you can stream it or order a digital copy, or preorder the CD! If you prefer your digital music from Amazon, you can get it here!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Magicking in the Lines

Posted by: Jenn Burke
This is my first post on Here Be Magic. Thanks for having me! Earlier this year, Marie Harte wrote about 2015 being the Year of the Sheep. For me, it’s the year of the book. Tomorrow, my debut novel will be released by Entangled Publishing (a paranormal romance called HER SEXY SENTINEL—more on that in a little bit) and three books of my five-book male/male science-fiction romance series (co-written with Kelly Jensen) will be published by Carina Press before the end of 2015, starting with CHAOS STATION in March. I’m tired just thinking about it! (But also beyond thrilled.)

One of the things I like best about writing speculative fiction is the world-building. I can let my imagination run wild, coming up with fantastical creatures, landscapes, history, culture, magic. But in order to make sure readers can immerse themselves in the story, everything in a world needs a reason for existing and rules that govern it.

Rules are so important in speculative fiction. They keep the magic (or science) in a world consistent and, if they’re done well, present limits. Whether those limits are hard or soft is up to the writer, but they’re needed to prevent magic from becoming the easy answer to every conflict. If a character can get rid of a problem with a simple wave of a wand—without repercussion or limits—then you’ve got a problem. The story will lose all tension because there’s no longer any question if the characters will be able to get out of the predicaments they find themselves in.

When I created the magic system for HER SEXY SENTINEL, I made sure to keep this in mind. In that world (which is mostly like the real world except for, you know, demons and portals and magic), there are three tiers of magic-users. The first are psychics, who unconsciously tap into the energy they generate to enhance their senses. The second tier is magic-users, psychics who manage to access energy beyond what they generate themselves, either in a moment of crisis or through intensive study. On the third tier are the marked magic-users, the people who have the potential to be much more powerful than anyone else. From that tier come the Sentinels, two special magic-users who protect Ottawa. One of the Sentinels, the Magus, is the living nexus of all the magic in the city. Because portals. And demons.

At each level, there are limits. It takes a lot of adrenaline or effort for a psychic to break through to the next tier and become a magic-user, so it doesn’t happen often. A magic-user can’t wield too much magic at a time, or they risk burning themselves out. Even at the top of the magical foodchain, the Magus risks losing her mind if she releases too much magic from the nexus.

Because I had these rules in place, the conflict through the book isn’t easily addressed. Magic doesn’t become a deus ex machina but a tool with limits and repercussions for its use. Which leads to…

Well, you’ll just have to read it.

HER SEXY SENTINEL is available January 26!

***

The most dangerous thing they could do is fall in love…

Callie Noble fled to Ottawa to escape danger. But she is far from safe. Overwhelmed by a strange new power she can’t control, Callie is terrified and painfully incapacitated. Her only hope is to seek the help of the one man who broke her heart…

Derrick Llewellyn is one of the Sentinels charged with the protection of the city’s mysterious secret. Seeing Callie again is a shock enough, but the electricity between them is stronger than ever. Still, loving another marked individual is forbidden, and Callie needs his help—not romantic complications.

But there are forces at work in the city, and Callie finds herself inexorably drawn into a world filled with danger and untold magics. A world where loving Derrick isn’t just forbidden…it’s the surest way to drive them both mad.


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Coming Full Circle

Posted by: Loribelle Hunt
In August 2013 I blogged here about Turning Points. I thought at the time the changes in my life would be centered on writing. Little did I know. My mother died suddenly in October 2013 and my dad moved in with us a couple months later. The beginning of 2014 was not an improvement. My dad, who'd been in remission, spent several weeks in the hospital and my oldest daughter began what has been a series of illness and recover that so far is still unexplained/diagnosed. So it likely will come as no surprise my deadlines got a little flexible. (Thank God for understanding editors and publishers!) But finally that book I sold back in August 2013 is finished and edited and has a firm release date.

I started the first draft of The Southern Belle's Guide to Witchcraft in 2006 for my mother. She was a big fan of paranormal YA and Southern comedies and a fun gothic series (Dark Shadows anyone?). I'm not really sure what I intended the book to be other than something that would entertain my mother lol. There's a great deal of her influence in it. To say I'm nervous about its release is the understatement of my life.

And that's quite enough anxious introduction, isn't it? So here it is.  

The Southern Belle's Guide to Witchcraft

Southern Magic Book One

Coming February 27, 2015

There’s a new evil in town, and it’s gunning for Scarlet...

Scarlet Burke isn’t an ordinary witch. She comes from a long line of Burke witches, whose job it is to protect the good folks of Purgatory, Alabama from things that go bump in the night—and things that might slip through the portal in Fool’s Wood. Normally, it’s an easy gig that doesn’t take much time from her day job. Until her ex-husband turns up dead in a ritualistic killing no one recognizes. William, a mundane, had high-tailed it out of town years ago after getting Scarlet’s baby sister pregnant. So why had he come back? Better yet, who (besides Scarlet) had wanted him dead badly enough to lure him to the forest, stake him, skin him, and drain his blood? It wasn’t a vampire kill, but she was damned if she could determine what it was.

Werewolf Jake Mills, the bossy and possessive chief of police, can’t believe anyone in his town could commit such a brutal crime. And Scarlet can’t believe she’s still trying to avoid his advances. Jake has been chasing her for years, and if he wasn’t so charming—and so drop dead sexy—she might try harder to outrun him. Or at least summon a bit of self-control. But the man just refuses to stay in the “Just Friends” box she’s placed him in.

But when the killer targets Scarlet’s family, ghouls, demons, and dark fae all come under suspicion. And when her daughters become the targets of an ancient dark ritual, Scarlet and Jake are forced to make an impossible choice. Fight evil with evil, or watch Scarlet’s daughters die...

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Shake My Magic Dinosaur

Posted by: R.L. Naquin
Science. Magic. Whatever. Why do we need labels? Isn’t magic just science we haven’t figured out yet? Of course, I’m writing this on a blog full of authors who write both science fiction and fantasy.

I’m sure the SF folks are giving me the stink-eye right about now.

But I’m giving it right back. I will not be swayed in my opinion. You know why? My husband gave me magic disguised as science for Christmas, and it’s the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.

Behold, the Dino Pet. You will never in your life see anything half this cool.

What I unwrapped was a box with an empty plastic dinosaur in it. It looked like a place to put loose change. Nothing fancy about it. But it also included instructions and a code to enter on the BioPop website to register my kit and tell them where to send my magical dinodudes.

Yes, that’s what I sometimes call them. Dinodudes. Little guys. Tiny buddies. They respond equally to whatever I call them. Much like Sea-Monkeys probably would.

Anyway. The company sent me what looked like a Capri Sun pouch with a nozzle, and it was all wrapped up in thermal material so my dinobabies wouldn’t freeze in the mailbox. I poured them into the plastic dinosaur, followed that up with some of the food the company sent me in a separate Capri Sun pouch, and screwed the plastic dinosaur’s bellybutton back in.

And then I waited.

What they sent me was a pouch of tiny, floaty bioluminescent dinoflagellates. They only glow at night, and the trip from California to my mailbox screwed up their circadian rhythm, so it took a few days for them to readjust.

You have to shake them to get them to glow, just like the movement of the ocean’s waves makes them glow in nature. The first night, I got a few of them to light up for a brief second. I was ecstatic! Coolest thing ever!

Each night after that, the glow got stronger. It’s been about two weeks now and they stay lit for about twenty seconds after I set them down. They fade to black, then a few late bloomers light up like tiny sparks in the darkness, one at a time, like fireflies signaling for mates.

I no longer mind getting up in the middle of the night to pee. I have friends waiting for me before I go back to bed. I am a contented, if slightly unstable woman, standing in the dark at three in the morning, smiling and shaking a plastic dinosaur filled with stars.

You can call it science if you want. But in the middle of the night, it’s a lot more like magic.

Rachel writes stories that drop average people into magical situations filled with heart and quirky humor.

She believes in pixie dust, the power of love, good cheese, lucky socks and putting things off until the last minute. Her home is Disneyland, despite her current location in Kansas. Rachel has one husband, two grown kids and a crazy-catlady starter kit.



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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Why is Fantasy Romance so hard to find?

Posted by: Unknown
I can never decide if the fantasy romance I want to read is incredibly rare or just really difficult to find. What I’m looking for is a secondary world fantasy + steamy adult romance. And because I stumble across some really great ones every once in awhile, I’m inclined to believe that it’s more a problem of finding them than that they just don’t exist at all.

Why are they so hard to find?

One problem is that fantasy romance is marketed in the same category as paranormal romance at places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. When you plug in fantasy romance into a booksellers search engine, you pull hundreds of pages of PNR. A cursory look at favorite fantasy romance lists on goodreads shows mostly PNR as well. I did find an Epic Fantasy Romance list (One!) that’s specifically non-pnr here. http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/36509.Epic_Fantasy_Romance
But that’s just one list. Fantasy Romance is such a small fish and when you put it in the same tank as a monster like PNR you’re just asking for it to be swallowed.

Since the search engines don't work, that leaves word of mouth which can also be problematic. There are a lot of fantasy blogs (who won’t touch romance), some PNR-friendly blogs (who will occasionally feature SFFR). There are several SFR blogs too. But I’m not aware of any sites that specifically review Fantasy Romance. If you've seen any, please let me know!

So what do I do?

I feel bad for saying this, but I often find the most satisfying fantasy romances by searching through the fantasy section. Fantasy has a long tradition of strong romantic subplots and you can find plenty of satisfying romances within the fantasy genre. It’s actually a lot easier to search for fantasy and then scan the lists for fantasy romance than it is to search specifically for fantasy romance and find it. It's not the best process, I know. I miss out on all the romance categorized books which are actually a lot closer to what I’m really looking for. They’re just such a bitch to find.

Do you read Fantasy Romance? If so, how do you find it?

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Crossing the Streams or Hey! You Got Paranormal in My Erotica

Posted by: Jeffe Kennedy
Many of you know that I’m currently publishing in a couple of genres.

Along with the TWELVE KINGDOMS fantasy romances, I also have a contemporary erotic romance series with Carina, the FALLING UNDER books. The newest in that trilogy, UNDER HIS TOUCH, released yesterday - yay!

I usually alternate books, writing a fantasy, then writing an erotic romance and this works great to keep me fresh and create distance between books.

However, as you might imagine, particularly with going back and forth on edits, I’m often working on both a fantasy and a contemporary erotic romance at the same time. And, yes, I get a bit of bleed.
What surprised me with UNDER HIS TOUCH was the form the bleed took. It turned out (I discover these things as I write) than my young heroine, Amber, is a fan of the Neil Gaiman Sandman graphic novels. And the hero, Alexander Knight, reminds her of Dream. He’s also known as the King of Dreams or the Dream King. (Tori Amos even references him in her song, Tear in Your Hand.) It ends up being a metaphor for the whole story in kind of a cool, profound way.

Alec Knight is older than Amber and it’s one of the obstacles they face. At 44 and a Brit with a classical education, he struggles with his infatuation with the 22 year-old Amber, who also works for him. He likens his obsession to the struggle with damnation in Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. As the story progresses, Amber tries to get him to take on a different metaphor – that of the Dream King.

This works on a couple of levels. Both Faustus and Sandman deal with issues of damnation, guilt and innocence on paranormal levels. Both deal with supernatural, if not godlike, beings. The metaphors brought a layer of emotional richness to the story and also provide a way for Amber and Alec to connect across their generation gap.

In the end—without spoilering—Alec recognizes the ways in which Dream’s story is like his own, and how he needs to change to find a better ending.

All of this is by way of saying that, as writers of all kinds of paranormal and speculative fiction, we can employ these themes and metaphors in other genres, too. I didn’t necessarily plan this out, but once the thread emerged, I went back and layered it in throughout. I loved how it worked out, too.

Has anyone else tried something like this or have ideas now of what they could do?

***

Amber Dolors knows better than to get involved with her boss. Devastatingly handsome in his sharp suits and sexy beyond belief, he possesses an air of command that fuels her darkest fantasies. But she’s worked too hard to get this job, and keeping it will lead to a brilliant future. She won’t cross that line-even if his way of giving orders and demanding her best performance gives her delicious warm shivers. 
Alexander Knight prides himself on his integrity and self-discipline. After all, he hasn’t risen to the position he enjoys by indulging his whims over ambition. He also isn’t blind. He’s certainly noticed his sharp, young assistant is hot as hell. His self-imposed sexual hermitage doesn’t stop him from watching her. And endlessly fantasizing.
The day Alec’s cool reserve cracks and Amber catches a glimpse of something simmering beneath his apparent indifference is the day everything between them changes. Alec gives her what she’s been looking for sexually-as masterful in the bedroom as he is in the boardroom. He finds himself in the grip of an affair that tests even his boundaries, while Amber’s new role as willing student pushes them both past any consideration other than mutual longing. 

“Kennedy’s novel has all the addictive tension and high-stakes passion that fans crave. Her main couple’s interactions are intense from the start, and she doesn’t shy away from either realistic details or dreamy fantasies. Best of all, she moves beyond their overwhelming physical passion to the emotions that drive them both, including the achingly real fears that threaten their happiness. As a result, this book is as touching as it is torrid. “
-RT Magazine, 4 1/2 stars!

Available January 19, 2015

 
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