Monday August 30, 2021
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
PG Forte writes magickal tales of love from yesterday, today, tomorrow. A little steampunk, a little supernatural, a little sci-fi...and a whole lotta heat!So, today is National Dog Day...although, since it's apparently celebrated around the world, I would think it should be International Dog Day. Either way, I'm commemorating the event by sharing pictures of my dogs.
I'm an animal person, in general. The famous quote by Chief Seattle, "If all the beasts were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit," is one that speaks to me very deeply. In my entire life I have only spent two years without any animal companions, and it wasn't pretty. I overcompensated pretty badly afterwards, acquiring six cats, five chickens, four lizards, three turtles, two tree frogs, a tarantula, a couple of mice (who very quickly turned into nine mice) several fish (can't remember how many) and a dog. Yes, all at once. I think of it as my petting zoo phase.
In general, I tend to think of myself as a cat person, yet here I am with only dogs in my life. Go figure.
I love including animals in my books, but writing vampires kind of ruined that for me. Not to mention spoiling my enjoyment in writing food scenes. But I'm sure it's only temporary.
Anyway, here are my babies. Tatanka (Tank, for short) is the large fawn-colored dog, Luna is the smaller black dog and the white dog who appears in one blurry photo is Dulce, who actually belonged to a neighbor, but her photo showed up in my Facebook memories earlier this week, so I had to include her.
PG Forte writes magickal tales of love from yesterday, today, tomorrow. A little steampunk, a little supernatural, a little sci-fi...and a whole lotta heat!
The time has come when Michael tells Sonia they can no longer be law enforcement partners. Dogs don’t have long lifespans, which means they’re going to have to come up with some sort of solution.
Fortunately, the answer is a lot closer than she expects.
Monday August 23, 2021
Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:
Thursday August, 19, 2021: Maureen Bonatch offers ten reasons why you might like a cozy mystery.
New! Lhora is
part of the guard for Esstika Kai, leader of the Beinights, and
she has her own secrets to hide, like her torgart powers she’d
inherited from her father, and the fact she’s due to take over
as Esstika when her mother is no longer able.
She never
foresaw being captured and used as a bargaining chip, much less
have an unexpected ally come to her rescue. Lhora soon learns
that maybe the Coltrosstians have more in common with her kind
than just being enemies, but can the rest of their people be
convinced of that? One thing is certain—this new enemy must be
stopped now.
It’s time
for the Tra’Mell to face the music. And when joining forces,
Lhora discovers that love can conquer all.
PG Forte writes magickal tales of love from yesterday, today, tomorrow. A little steampunk, a little supernatural, a little sci-fi...and a whole lotta heat! New! Lhora is
part of the guard for Esstika Kai, leader of the Beinights, and
she has her own secrets to hide, like her torgart powers she’d
inherited from her father, and the fact she’s due to take over
as Esstika when her mother is no longer able.
She never
foresaw being captured and used as a bargaining chip, much less
have an unexpected ally come to her rescue. Lhora soon learns
that maybe the Coltrosstians have more in common with her kind
than just being enemies, but can the rest of their people be
convinced of that? One thing is certain—this new enemy must be
stopped now.
It’s time
for the Tra’Mell to face the music. And when joining forces,
Lhora discovers that love can conquer all.
By Maureen Bonatch
Once I was talking to one of my cousins about books I liked to read. When science fiction came up she said she didn't like it because it wasn't "real life." Similarly, when I'd been in an in-person writing class (way back in pre-Covid days) everyone named their favorite genres and made a point to mention science fiction as their least favorite. As it turned out only one other person liked it, so at least I had an ally.
I'd always read a lot of comic books (or are they called "graphic
novels" now?). And I still have a lot of them saved in a large box in the
garage. I still collect them, though now I read the online versions on my
tablet.
The thing is, I'm convinced that most of the writers in my class probably
had never read a science fiction story. They probably had an idea of what they
thought it was or judged the genre by a story they hadn't liked. I've always
been drawn to shows like, Star Trek and The Twilight Zone,
and that's probably why I started reading and writing the genre. I was
intrigued by the technology, the space aliens and the adventure.
Later when I was in college I took a science fiction literature class and
was hooked. Reading it was a totally different thing than watching TV shows or
movies. For the most part, science fiction and fantasy themes reflect what's
happening in our current world. Like all stories, sci fi stories are about the
human condition, only they use science fictional settings to tell the tale.
Storytelling is how we share information with each other.
When I came up with the idea for the Hathor Legacy series, I wanted to show
what could happen if a corporation took the place of a government. How
different would things be for the citizens? I also wanted to talk about
hierarchies in society, and how humans will (in my opinion) always find a way
to separate "us" from "them."
But instead of being preachy or trying to make sweeping statements, I wrote
a story about human beings in a future world. They struggle with the same
questions and doubts we do here on Earth. Of course, they might have more
technology and are scattered across different solar systems, but they are
asking the same questions. Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?
Of course other genres like Fantasy or Paranormal can do the same, but I
think often science fiction gets overlooked. It gets characterized as something
for children, or defined by shows or movies that focus on special effects over
storytelling.
Writing in this genre allows authors to go beyond the contemporary beliefs
and mindsets in order to invent new worlds, customs and cultures. I just hope
that while readers are being entertained, they can also think a little bit
about the world we live in. Perhaps they can see a different point of view or
learn something new about themselves.
Science fiction provides the ability to speculate on, "what if?"
Yet the stories are rooted in our shared experiences as humans here on Earth.
If you're interested in checking out the Hathor Legacy series, it's available as a three-book box set.
On The Planet, Hathor – A Powerful Corporation, A Psychic Security Force & A Conspiracy https://books2read.com/u/b6QQBx
Writer, podcaster and author of fiction & non-fiction books.
DBaileyCoach.com/Brightbooks
