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What inspired me to write Moxie’s Problem
I
first developed a version of the Moxie character more than ten years
ago. Originally, she was the protagonist in a short story. The story
never sold, nevertheless I loved her character and I was determined to
get her to star in a story.
I developed Moxie’s character for a novel that would include Moxie’s development from a spoiled brat to a formidable woman.
While
I was writing Moxie’s Problem, it occurred to me why I couldn’t sell
the short story. The problem with the short story was that Moxie was a
whiney, obnoxious, teenage brat. Not a good choice for a protagonist.
The difference between Moxie in a short story and Moxie in a novel is
this: in the novel there is room for Moxie to grow, to learn important
lessons and to change. These changes can’t be pulled off in a short
story, there simply isn’t room for such complicated issues. So, Moxie’s
Problem really is about Moxie growing up and facing a reality that is
quite different from life in her father’s castle. Part of Moxie’s
learning experiences occur when she is escorted by three apprentice
Knights of the Round Table. The knights don’t care about her nobel
birth, a shocking revelation to Moxie, and they ignore her commands.
This forces Moxie to reflect that people outside the castle think
differently that the nobles who attend her father’s court. Once she
starts to examine issues like this, there is no stopping her from
observing other facets of life outside the castle. This leads her to
realize she isn’t trained to do anything except exist and possible give
birth, but always under the supervision of an adult male, either her
father or a husband. Moxie finds this situation repugnant and she
develops a plan to become independent.
That last
sentence is a recap of the novel from Moxie’s perspective. Another main
theme is the development of Percivale, one of the apprentice knights.
And then there are the subplots that revolve around Camelot. The
struggle between King Artie and the Saxon warlord Hengist for domination
in British football is one such delightful subplot. Another is the
Knights of the Round Table (KRT Inc.) a for profit organization that
has money problems. Still another is Merlin delving into the Magic of
the Mind using ink blots on pieces of parchment.
With all these unique subplots going on, Moxie’s Problem really was a joy to write.
Do
you enjoy untypical coming-of-age stories? Well, you won’t find one
more untypical than Moxie’s Problem. Moxie is an obnoxious, teen-age
princess who has never been outsider her father’s castle. Until now. The
real world is quite different and she struggles to come to grips with
reality. The story takes place against a backdrop of Camelot. But it
isn’t the Camelot of legends. It’s Camelot in a parallel universe. So,
all bets are off!
Genre – Fantasy, Sci-fi
Rating – G
We
are sometimes inordinately affected by a statement we read by D.H.
Lawrence, Mark Twain, Aldous Huxley, J.R. Tolken et al, and a single
sentence or phrase can set us into ideas that may remain stamped in us
even if they never lead to a definitive work. Decades ago, I read a
single 12-word sentence by Friedrich Nietzsche in a printed work that
was so devastating, I never repeated to anyone and was gratified when I
Googled and didn’t find a digital version of it; I implore it to remain
obscure.
These
are among the parts that sum us up, and in some cases define our
direction. If we are an idealist, we may ask ourselves, was Mother
Teresa correct when she said we should see every person we meet as Jesus
Christ, or was Lord Shiva correct when he said that when we see someone
we should be so emphatic we become that person? Although they seem to
present two different concepts, could they both be correct? In other
words, can we see every person as Jesus Christ and also become that
Jesus Christ? Or does what Michael Stipe said, that “all these fantasies
come flailing around” apply to these Teresa and Shiva statements,
draining them of their real-world veridical legitimacy? Do we need to
resolve such questions to push forward into idealistic writing?
A
scrupulous use of quotes from famous writers can spice up our writing
because they seem more credible than the same statement from an unknown
person, but we have to be scrupulous and not just assume a source and
credibility. Recently while lunching with my honey she quoted Gandhi
about “blind and toothless” and I quoted Oscar Wilde about declaring his
genius at customs, but later I Googled both quotes and we may have both
been misinformed. The citing of “blind and toothless” was first uttered
as early as 1914 before Gandhi before he returned to India and became a
philosophical giant, and there’s no proof that Wilde said this at New
York customs as is reported.
None
of this does a writer any good who hasn’t read widely and found out
what these personalities have to offer, nor is it necessary to know
about them in all cases. William Faulkner was well versed in the great
writers of times past but ultimately produced his own signature prose
that was compelling without references to works by Monstesquieu, Whitman
or Plath or idealism of any sort. He chose instead of focus on
characters that he invented who were based on life around him in a
Southern state.
His celestial companion was waiting for him
Precariously
climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as
yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and
alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of
countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as
he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured
him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant
to see and discover this object of unimaginable power … the power to
change reality.
Time travel and more
This
young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality
Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories
about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will
face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA,
bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers
and scar-faced walking dead.
- Vol 1 The Reality Master
- Vol 2 Threat To The World
- Vol 3 Travel Beyond
- Vol 4 Missions Through Time
- Vol 5 The Return Home
Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult
Rating – G
pages 71 – 73 of The House by Sebastiana Randone
One
day, not long after Percy had discovered the truth of his birth, he
accidentally stumbled upon a journal that he had inherited
following Lady Elizabeth’s death. It had been lying in wait somewhere
forgotten, amongst many other objects. With its very existence having
faded from his memory, it took him aback that this diary should
suddenly appear, particularly during such a momentous period. So with
the guilty fascination of a voyeur, he opened the aged book. Most of
what was written offered Percy no significant insight, then with the
fading of the afternoon light, and just when he was about to close the
journal, he came upon the following passage:
Today having woken to another dark and foreboding morning. I found myself in a situation by day’s end that in all my too brief life never happened upon. We had a visitor. Uninvited, there she lay, fear stricken, wildly presented and most mysteriously, of a name that alarmed me, by its reference to darkness. By night’s entrance, I was inclined towards the belief that the devil himself had orchestrated provocation on a house already burdened by much dispiritedness.
Well there was the proof! All ambiguity had suddenly dissolved with this one passage.
Some
days later Sammy had made good his word, and arrangements were made for
a fortune teller to come to Alderry Place. The friends, who naturally,
had invited themselves along, were irresistibly compelled to be audience
to this most unprecedented happening.
Percy however, felt no such
keenness, due mainly to a delicate mental state which rendered the poor
man hesitant lest any further revelations should arise. To
the collective however, this imminent occasion lent a theatrical flavour
to their reality, the confounding and abstruse nature of Scura’s
manifestation had certainly brought renewed animation to all.
It
was on a moonless night when the fortune teller Luna Llena arrived,
bringing with her an air of inscrutability, in the form of a solemn and
shrouded figure clad in dark earthy shades. Of an indeterminable age,
her sombreness was intensified by dark and ancient eyes, and with a
bearing that exemplified the archetypal mystic, there was promise at the
very least, of an eventful soiree.
Sammy
had found her practicing her craft on the streets of London, and
rapidly made arrangements for her to visit Alderry Place, where now,
candles and incense added a mystical tone, while a table dressed in
indigo velvet, was primed for the impending spiritual consultation.
Earlier
that day, Scura had felt an extreme aversion to the thought of
partaking in this paranormal scrutiny. In fact, it anguished her
such that she remained in her room. Adeline now entered and upon seeing
the downcast girl, sat beside her and said in an upbeat tone:
“Darling
you are still here. Why don’t you join us? She has arrived.” She placed
her arm around Scura, in the hope of drawing her out
from introspection. Adeline who in contrast, was feeling loquacious
declared; “You won’t believe her name.”
Scura
looked up at her mirthful friend and shrugged her shoulders. “Luna
Llena! Can you believe that? It is wonderfully befitting. Full moon!
That’s what her name means.”
“Yes I know it is Spanish.” Scura replied nonchalantly.
“Oh
sweetie, do come and join us.” Adeline goaded Scura while she sat on
the bed, continuing to embrace her dispassionate friend.
“Why are you so concerned? I recall you telling me that you did not believe in spirituality.”
“Yes,
I’m aware of that. But then again how can I believe anything anymore!
With all that has happened, it is now highly illogical of me to hold on
to these tenets.” Scura glumly stared at the floor. “I have felt
more tranquil this month than I have for a long while, and I fear that
something outrageous will be disclosed and anxiety will reign once
more.”
It
is true to say that since that astonishing revelation, Scura
had managed to settle into a residence that was hospitable, beautiful
and populated with affable people. This was especially the case with
Adeline, with whom she had developed a warm and close amity, almost
bordering on sisterhood.
Unfortunately,
these amicable feelings were not felt towards Sammy however, an uncouth
and ribald character who repelled Scura. It seemed incomprehensible
that a refined and sophisticated individual such as Percy should be
enamoured with such a coarse and devious scamp. It was patently obvious
that Sammy was taking advantage of the poor man and was visibly detached
from his affections.
Having
noticed Sammy’s salacious attentions towards her, prompted Scura to
speak to Adeline about this unwanted attention, only to be informed that
he was here as an expedient only. That he had been witnessed flirting
with wealthy older women, and it was common knowledge that he desired a
more ‘conventional’ arrangement. Disinclined towards male partnering,
Sammy was only planning on being at Alderry Place until such a time that
he might entice a lonely and prosperous widow.
Not wishing heartbreak upon Percy, Scura felt extremely vexed by this knowledge.
“Why don’t you tell Percy of this?”
“He knows.” Adeline stated in a matter of fact tone.
“He knows? Then why doesn’t he send him away? It is obvious that Sammy does not share the same feelings.”
“It is a long story my dear girl, do you really wish to hear it?”
“I suppose I do, then again, perhaps not.”
“All in good time, sweetie, all in good time” She replied, while stroking Scura’s hair.
The
two women had formed an emotional liaison. Adeline, a committed
Sapphic, had by now fallen in love, while Scura, disinclined towards
such an association, was nevertheless still comforted by her friend’s
geniality and fondness.
The House is an adult fairy tale rich in mystery and intrigue.
Here
is a tale of a woman so absorbed with historical novels that her own
reality ceases to offer any hope of romance and beauty.
Until
one day this dreamy idealist finds herself in a mysterious forest. How
she arrived there is unknown. Soon she encounters a dilapidated house,
within whose ancient walls magical rooms that transport to parallel
worlds lie in wait. There she is transmigrated to 18th century England,
where our heroine interacts with an odd mix of characters whose
dysfunctional lives become immediately apparent.
Her
first tribulation involves a nefarious lord, an archetype of the
monstrous characters one encounters in fairy tales. The ramification
from this confrontation sets the tone for the narrative.
A
magic portal finally enables escape from the austere Georgian dwelling.
She is then spirited back to the enigmatic house, and a journey to
Regency London follows, where a large cast of eccentric identities
present themselves.
Late
one night, following a long stay in Florence, a young, heart-broken
poet arrives. His introduction to the beautiful time traveller offers
promise of restoration and love. But there are several more obstacles
ahead before her destiny in this curious adventure is made apparent.
In
the end an unexpected twist is revealed. But like all good fairy tales,
this surprising conclusion is pleasing, even though the means of
getting there are dark, and at times sinister.
Genre - Historical, Fantasy, Romance
Rating - PG-16
Vampires through the ages
When asked to name the first vampire novel, many people immediately cite Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897.) The first known vampire novel, however, was The Vampyre, written by John Polidori in 1819.
Early vampires were creatures straight out of nightmares—pale and gaunt with sharp fingernails and long incisors. They could adopt more human appearances when they chose, but their essence remained unchanged. They were monsters, remorseless predators of the humans they had once been.
Nobody wanted to be a vampire.
And then, Anne Rice came along.
Others before her may have painted vampires in more sympathetic terms, but Anne Rice created empathy for vampires where none had existed before. Lestat de Lioncourt wasn’t just gorgeous, his hair the color of the sunlight he was denied, but he was the sun—eternally dazzling and brilliant—in the lives of those around him. One could certainly make the point that he was as destructive as the sun as well.
His fledgling, dark-haired, green-eyed Louis de Pointe du Lac, was as beautiful and subtle as moonlight, and as soulful and melancholic as a Shakespeare tragedy. The love that drew Louis and Lestat together, and the hate that drove them apart, formed the core of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.
Anne Rice humanized vampires and endowed them with both strengths and foibles. More importantly, she romanticized them. Vampires still preyed on humans, but it was hard to feel sorry for the humans when death appeared to be more seduction than murder, and Louis wept over every kill.
A paradigm shift had taken place. It was suddenly okay to feel sorry for vampires. More importantly, it was okay to want to be one.
Vampires would evolve at least once more in fiction. After Anne Rice, vampires continued to morph ever closer to the humans who were once their prey. By the time Stephenie Meyer got to her version of vampires in the popular Twilight series, the vampires were no longer susceptible to sunlight and no longer drank human blood. In other words, vampires were no longer the bad guys. More importantly, it was a given that a vampire boyfriend was a far bigger catch (and ironically a better mate—eternal consequences notwithstanding) than a human boyfriend.
What’s the next evolution for vampires? Vampirism is already here. In my Double Helix series, the alpha empath, Danyael Sabre, was a victim of a live blood transfusion, wherein the circulatory systems of two people were joined. The brain activity in the young person decreased whereas the brain activity in the older person increased. It’s not entirely science fiction. The premise is based on a 2011 study conducted in Stanford University on mice.
I took a different tactic in my fantasy novel, Eternal Night. Yes, there are vampires, but the story isn’t really about vampires. It is instead about the icrathari, the vampires’ demonic overlord. In Eternal Night, humans are trapped in Aeternae Noctis, the domed city of eternal night, and preyed upon by the vampires and the icrathari.
But what if the situation isn’t what it appears to be? Jaden’s only goal is to protect his younger sister, Khiarra, from being taken by the vampires, but his chance encounter with Ashra, the icrathari queen, challenges him to step beyond his trained fear of vampires to uncover the truth behind the city of eternal night.
I hope you enjoy this new perspective of vampires and the night terrors in Eternal Night.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jade Kerrion developed a loyal reader base with her fan fiction series based on the MMORPG Guild Wars. She was accused of keeping her readers up at night, distracting them from work, housework, homework, and (far worse), from actually playing Guild Wars. And then she wondered why just screw up the time management skills of gamers? Why not aspire to screw everyone else up too?
So here she is, writing books that aspire to keep you from doing anything else useful with your time.
Her debut novel, Perfection Unleashed, spawned the Double Helix series which has won a total of seven science fiction awards, including first place in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2012 and the gold medal in Readers Favorites Awards 2013. She is also the author of Earth-Sim and When the Silence Ends, which placed first and second respectively in the 2013 Royal Palm Literary Awards, Young Adults category.
She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her wonderfully supportive husband and her two young sons, Saint and Angel, (no, those aren't their real names, but they are like saints and angels, except when they're not.)
Alone for a millennium, since a human murdered her beloved consort, Ashra, the immortal icrathari queen, rules over Aeternae Noctis, the domed city of eternal night. Her loneliness appears to be at an end when her consort's soul is reborn in a human, Jaden Hunter, but their reunion will not be easy.
Icrathari are born, not made. If Ashra infuses Jaden with her immortal blood, he will be a vampire, a lesser creature of the night, a blood-drinker rather than a soul-drinker.
Furthermore, Jaden is sworn to protect his half-sister, five-year-old Khiarra. She is the child of prophecy, destined to end the eternal night and the dominion of the Night Terrors—the icrathari and the vampires.
As Ashra struggles to sustain her crumbling kingdom in the face of enemies without and treachery within, Jaden fights to defend his sister and unravel a greater mystery: what is the city of eternal night, and how did it come to be?
Genre - Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating – PG-13
- 1. What gave you the idea for Dream Caster?
My idea for Dream Caster was spawned by a bad dream. Rather cliché, right? But it’s the truth.
A single funneled cloud swooped down upon the CN Tower. People stood and watched, confused. Was it a tornado? No one knew for sure. And then the funnel touched down. Thunder without sound rippled through the world, toppling buildings and upturning large plates of land. There was chaos everywhere. Screams of horror. Then utter blackness. That is all I will tell you of that dream.
A week later, I began working at the University of Toronto and was struck by a series of déjà-vu. With that, Dream Caster began to write itself.
- How long did it take you to write Dream Caster?
It all started with a challenge. A challenge that produced results that was so unthinkable that at the time, I did exactly that. I refused to think about it.
It’d taken me three months to plan out the four books and figure out all the necessary background work. Three months in which my fingers slaved for long hours, fueled by excitement for what I felt could someday become a series that would find its way into peoples’ hearts.
And then I ran into the inevitable. I hit a mental block.
A month went by and then two. Until one day, my cousin decided to drop by and pay me a visit at Robarts Library where I work. Somewhere between her unwrapping the wax paper from her sub and me draining my coffee, the conversation had found its way to the series I’d been working on, or should have been working on.
At that point, she challenged me. I’d been handed a deadline: July 3rd, 2012. I had four months to write, read, edit, reread, reedit and complete a 90,000 word novel.
Perhaps she knew my weakness, perhaps she didn’t. But the fact was she had presented to me a test that I simply could not back down from.
The challenge was accepted and that very same day I wrote my first chapter.
So how long did it take me to write the manuscript for Dream Caster?
Let’s just say that I don’t lose so easily ;)
- How and why did you begin writing?
I’ve always enjoyed telling stories and as far back as my memory goes, I’ve always wanted to write. However, if I was to choose one event, one book, one writer, or one awakening that set me on the right path, it would have to be during my first year of middle school.
I was eleven-years-old when I first came across a book called ‘Hatchet’. It was a survival story about a boy who gets lost in the wilderness following a plane wreck in northern Canada. I’ve always had a love for nature, for animals, and the wilderness itself. So as a result, the story drew me in at once and plunged me into a world which I thought could not possibly exist in something small enough to rest within the palms of my hands. Having ploughed through Hatchet, I began a year in which I consumed novel after novel until I’d read nearly a dozen of Gary Paulsen’s works. And then one summer day, I picked up a pen and a notepad, and began writing. I began writing about a boy and his dog that survive the Canadian wilderness through bitter cold, utter starvation, and overcome insurmountable odds. Alas, that story did not make it past its first few pages. It was an awful start, but a start nonetheless. Besides, what more could one expect from an eleven-year-old?
A year later, while browsing through a rack filled with books, my fingers stumbled upon a tattered old spine. Overcome with curiosity, I plucked it off the shelf and read the title: The Hobbit… and that's how it began.
- When did you begin writing?
My love for Middle Earth grew and grew until I was positively sure that I wouldn’t rest until I too had become an author. I was nineteen-years-old when I first put pen to paper—figuratively speaking, of course, and began writing an epic fantasy novel that took up nearly five years of my time. In the end, that book was buried away and hasn’t seen the light of day since. It was not until a couple of years after that I was struck with an idea that soon blossomed into, what is now, the Dream Cycle. And here we are now, with two of the four books completed, and the third one currently being written.
- Did you use any real life experiences (besides the dreams themselves) within the series?
I didn’t use any real life experiences, but at the same time, I used a ton of real life elements. What I mean by that is I wanted to keep my personal experiences out of the story. Mainly because I live in a world that’s entirely different to that of Weaver’s, so there is no way that I, or anyone else for that matter, will ever be able to truly relate to his experiences. However, I did use the city of Toronto, as well as the downtown University of Toronto campus, along with a few other choice locations that I’m fond of and am familiar with as the backdrop for the story. Perhaps, in a sense, I did use some of my experiences, but not to a great degree. I also touch upon our current world in certain places, mostly to open my readers’ eyes to the world about them.
- Is there a message in the book Dream Caster that you want readers to understand?
There was one underlying message I wanted my readers to grasp, and it’s that we’re taking our world for granted. We’re taking everything around us for granted.
- How would you describe your writing style?
Until reviews for Dream Caster began trickling in, I always believed that I didn’t have much of a style. Then people began to point out how much they enjoyed the vividness of my imagery and the unique writing style I brought to the genre. There, however, were a few who didn’t quite like my style of dialogue, seeing as I chose to have my characters speak in a slightly archaic, fantasy-esque style of English. Then again, there were those who absolutely loved the style as well. You can’t please everyone, right?
- Is there any advice you can give to debut authors trying to market their first book.
The hardest part about being a new author is gaining exposure. Whether you’re self published or published through a large publishing house, it can take anywhere from a few weeks, upwards of months (and sometimes, never) to do this. This is why, in order to be successful, one must a) practise patience, because success doesn’t always come overnight; b) be persistent. Set goals and stick to achieving them, and c) be prepared to relentlessly pursue their goal for as long as it takes.
Haunted by memories of his massacred settlement, sixteen-year-old Weaver seeks cover in a hidden refuge among the remains of a ruined city. In the midst of building a new life, Weaver discovers that he has the amazing power to cast his dreams into reality. Convinced it’s just an anomaly, Weaver ignores it. That is until he learns of a mysterious man who shares the ability, and uses his power to bring nightmares into existence and wage war on the world. The peaceful life Weaver hoped for begins to unravel as waves of chaos begin to break loose about him. In a race against time, Weaver must learn to accept his role as a dream caster and master his new power, before his new home is destroyed and humanity is pushed to the brink of extinction.
Genre – Fantasy
Rating – PG
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