Much thanks to Patricia Stoltey for letting me share my reason for not taking the indie route with my books. I think the discussion will be going on for a long time. For at least as long as traditional publishers are around but that's a discussion for another day.
On Monday, I'm going to introduce my Dragon Soldiers who will be helping me during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. I'll have a post on the A to Z site and something here also. You can also volunteer to be one of those lucky soldiers. Let me know in the comments and I'll get back to you quicker than even Smaug can fly.
"The most-called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear." Maya Angelou
A whole lot of my writing time has been high-jacked by responsibilities connected to my position as secretary of Pennwriters. Members of the board have been working hard to get a new, website up and running and get the registration for the conference coming up in May up and running. We're having a teleconference tomorrow morning. My point wasn't to whine about the time, because my part has been so small. It takes a lot of patience and understanding for a group of people to put together such a massive undertaking. There are many complex wheels turning behind the scenes of a big conference like ours and it's easy to allow frustration to surface. Hopefully, we'll have a successful conference and everyone will still be talking to each other when it's over. I hope we're all still friends.
I want to also thank LV Barat for hosting me earlier this week. She's another of Musa's authors who must know decide where she's going from here. I talked about the lack of clean water in medieval times where lots of fantasy novels are set.
More on bad news February next week. I don't want to talk about it today and jinx something else bad into happening. And this is an entire post without complaining about the weather.
Enjoy your weekend and share your plans. I'm planning on doing major catch up on writing and some blog posts. Has February been good to you? You can complain about the weather if you want. Ever done a teleconference? Agree with Maya Angelou?
Showing posts with label LV Barat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LV Barat. Show all posts
Friday, February 27, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Shaking Off the Blahs
I hope you'll join me today at LV Barat's blog where I'll be talking about drinking in the medieval world where so many high fantasy novels take place. You'll also find a link to one of my favorite reference books when you get there.
Didn't think it possible for twenty degrees to feel like a heat wave but that's where we're at this February. But March is only days away and soon we'll see those spring bulbs pushing their way toward the sun. Cold weather and get a person down, depressing the creative urges and even the urge to exercise and eat right. Just in time to get us thinking about our health, new dietary guidelines have been published. Here's an article from the New York Times where they share some opinions and facts.
It seems that despite all those terrible facts about cholesterol and eggs, they really aren't bad for you and are an excellent source or protein. Coffee, can be good for you. I saw an article in the paper suggesting that 3-5 cups of coffee per day might be okay for a lot of people.
Things everyone should watch out for, added sugars like in soft drinks and many fruit drinks and juices. Just eat the real fruit and don't buy juice at all. Sodium is a big item to avoid also. Processed meats and cheeses are very high in sodium content and should be avoided as much as possible. Red meat, not so good, and anything high in saturated fats.
Eat as natural as you can, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and get your protein from poultry, fish and nuts. Drink water.
Exercise, exercise, exercise. I'll be so glad to get back outside working in the yard. I have a lot of ground to take care of so it gives me a second bout of activity after my morning runs or walks. Even weeds sound lovely after all this cold and snow.
I'm past the mid-point in my next science fiction romance. I haven't settled on a title yet but my publisher is good at suggesting possibilities so we'll come up with something together. My next series is already taking shape so I need to get this one done.
"Never go to a doctor whose plants have died." Erma Bombeck
What do you think of the new dietary guidelines? Any surprises? Ever think about how lucky we are to have clean water supplies?
Do stop in at the A to Z blog today for some more inspiration and leave me a note if you'd like to be a Dragon Soldier and help me out during the challenge. I could really use one or two more helpers. And a new post at IWSG will get you on track for another week of inspired writing.
Didn't think it possible for twenty degrees to feel like a heat wave but that's where we're at this February. But March is only days away and soon we'll see those spring bulbs pushing their way toward the sun. Cold weather and get a person down, depressing the creative urges and even the urge to exercise and eat right. Just in time to get us thinking about our health, new dietary guidelines have been published. Here's an article from the New York Times where they share some opinions and facts.
It seems that despite all those terrible facts about cholesterol and eggs, they really aren't bad for you and are an excellent source or protein. Coffee, can be good for you. I saw an article in the paper suggesting that 3-5 cups of coffee per day might be okay for a lot of people.
Things everyone should watch out for, added sugars like in soft drinks and many fruit drinks and juices. Just eat the real fruit and don't buy juice at all. Sodium is a big item to avoid also. Processed meats and cheeses are very high in sodium content and should be avoided as much as possible. Red meat, not so good, and anything high in saturated fats.
Eat as natural as you can, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and get your protein from poultry, fish and nuts. Drink water.
Exercise, exercise, exercise. I'll be so glad to get back outside working in the yard. I have a lot of ground to take care of so it gives me a second bout of activity after my morning runs or walks. Even weeds sound lovely after all this cold and snow.
I'm past the mid-point in my next science fiction romance. I haven't settled on a title yet but my publisher is good at suggesting possibilities so we'll come up with something together. My next series is already taking shape so I need to get this one done.
"Never go to a doctor whose plants have died." Erma Bombeck
What do you think of the new dietary guidelines? Any surprises? Ever think about how lucky we are to have clean water supplies?
Do stop in at the A to Z blog today for some more inspiration and leave me a note if you'd like to be a Dragon Soldier and help me out during the challenge. I could really use one or two more helpers. And a new post at IWSG will get you on track for another week of inspired writing.
Friday, January 23, 2015
LV Barat: Tears of Gods and Dragons
I'm excited to have LV Barat here as my guest today. Her topic is so intriguing as she discusses the way myths have influenced not just her writing but also, you'll see how it worked its way into the work of many fantasy authors. I can imagine sitting in an hours long workshop and hearing more about this subject from this expert. You can learn more about her and her book at LV's Blog.
Influence of Mythology
and Ancient Spiritual Practices in the Trilogy: “Tears of Gods and Dragons”
Creative
Technique
For many years, I have
practiced Kundalini Yoga and Celtic shamanism.
In addition, I studied the rich mythological histories of India and
Europe. In shamanic journeying,
one is taught trance techniques to open the door “between the worlds”. In the beginning of the journey, much is
one’s own imagination but then things begin to happen that are not initiated by
the practitioner’s own mind. A person may meet with nature spirits, elementals,
an animal and/or spirit guide.
When I write, I go into a
semi-trance and try to access that other world to let the impressions through. The
first draft is written this way. For the second draft, I restructure the story
and impose consistency in the storytelling and character development. Then I
sit on the manuscript for a week or two, before returning to edit it once more.
In my first novel, “Eyeof the Hawk”, I incorporated European and Vedic myths. Hawk, the main
character, is a shapeshifter.
Shapeshifting runs
through myths of every culture. One method is where the shapeshifter controls
the mind of an animal and guides it. The second method involves the transformation
of the physical form. However, this is a misinterpretation. What the ancients
actually transformed was their astral body also called the linga sarira in Tibet and India. That is the origin of the legends
of witches flying on their broomsticks. The story of the werewolf is one of
shapeshifting, in this case during the full Moon.
The Sacred Dragons
Dragons are also prevalent
in myths around the world. In Europe,
dragons are usually guarding an object of immense power and taming the dragon
is much preferable to slaying it. Snakes and dragons are interchangeable in
some myths. Snakes feature prominently in Egypt and India. In Egyptian
hieroglyphs, pharaohs and priests are depicted with a cobra emerging from the
forehead, or the third eye center, denoting the risen serpent. In Europe, the druids
were “naddreds” which means “snake priests”. In India, the naga sadhus worship Lord Shiva, he with the cobra around his neck.
What does the
dragon/snake represent? It is not an outer dragon but an inner dragon. In
India, the snake is called Kundalini. The serpent power lies dormant in the
base chakra of the astral body. Yogis perform yoga and breathe exercises to
awaken the serpent and raise it through the spinal column. Supposedly, when the
serpent is awakened, there are various psychic experiences and mastery over the
subtle elements: earth, water, fire and air.
In “Eye of the Hawk”, Hawk
is a healer and tries to heal Lananell in the beginning of the story but he
encounters a block. What Hawk feels is her serpent power locked down below her navel.
Riddles as Spiritual Instructors
Hawk is sent on a mission given to him in riddles by his mentor, Akrae. Riddles and rhymes were often used to teach matters of spirituality. In Zen Buddhism, they teach with Koans, a type of riddle or parable. In druidic Ireland, a bard would teach with rhymes and song. The riddle places a conundrum before the mind and the person is forced to think out of the box, each individual forming their impression of the meaning based on their own unique perspective. Learning through riddles activates the subconscious, so the lesson learned through the riddle will not be forgotten. Mysteries stimulate the mind and imagination, facts diminish it. Soothsayers often prophesize in riddles because that which is explained completely, ceases to exist.
LV Barat has been writing fiction and non-fiction for twenty years. Epic fantasy is her genre of choice whilst some suspenseful mystery has managed to worm its way into her opus corpus.
LV Barat lives in the Rocky Mountains, the spine of North America. An enchanted place of glistening pine needles, massive boulders, jutting gray crags, stealthy red foxes and antlered elk.
Didn't the riddle part remind you of The Hobbit? Did you know that snakes and dragons were so often considered the same creature in some cultures? Do you use yoga to waken your inner dragon?
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