The Faeries Go To War

In my contemporary dark fantasy Thorn Jack, the Fatas (the faeries) need mortals to accomplish certain things in the true world, even to wage war among themselves. They are, as Shakespeare said, but shadows.

The Faery folk have always needed mortals to engage in sports or battles. The Sidhe, the Tuatha de Danaan, the Seelie court, might have been a darkly divine race, but they also needed to manipulate human beings in order to accomplish certain goals, especially warfare: *"And there arose also the satyrs, and sprites, and the maniacs of the valleys, and the witches and goblins, and owls, and destroying demons of the air and firmament, and the demoniac phantom host; and they were inviting and sustaining valour and battle with them." And: *"Mortals found near dead bodies at such a time were in great danger of being taken by those spirit hosts of the Tuatha de Danaan." And these are the good faeries! A Celtic hero, meeting three red-haired, red-clad warriors on the road, hears these unsettling words from them: *"Though we are alive, we are dead. Great are the signs: Destruction of life: Sating of ravens: Feeding of crows: Strife of slaughter: Wetting of sword edge." Faery warfare is a nasty business.

There are Irish folk stories of people stumbling upon the Others playing a game of hurley and being forced to participate. Then there are the infamous faery dances, which lure the unwilling into a night that might become one hundred mortal years. And it isn't only faery warfare and games in which mortals must be involved like lucky talismans. There are tales of women being stolen to be faery midwives. Human witnesses to faery funerals and faery feasts. Mortal musicians are always in danger of being taken. Human children are snatched away and replaced with sickly changelings.

As for warfare, whatever side the faery folk favor when mortals battle, that side wins. *"When the fairy tribes under the various kings and queens have a battle,one side manages to have a living man among them, and he by knocking the faeries about turns the battle." It's as if to establish any sort of act of life or death among the faery folk, flesh and blood is needed.











 But these human talismans must beware, for a taste of faery food or a faery kiss will trap them forever in the world of spirits, a world which even the spirits seem to long to escape.

                                                                                 ***
*The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans-Wentz

NETTLE KING GIVEAWAY! Signed copy

For the next few weeks, I'll be running simple contests in which entrants can win a signed copy of Nettle King, the conclusion to the Nothing and Night series. These are ADVANCED READER COPIES that haven't had the final proofread.

This contest will be open to International entrants as well as U.S. One signed copy will be given away each week!

All you do is Tweet, Visit my Facebook Author Page, or Leave a Comment on this blog post.





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Pinkie's Pick: The Adventures of Abdi by Madonna

This is a fairy tale about a boy who learns the power of certainty. No matter what happens to him on his journey to deliver a necklace made by the man he's apprenticed to--robbers, dungeons, and snakes--he adheres to the belief that it is all for the best and things will eventually turn out well. It's a story about optimism, which is sometimes a magic in itself.

But it's the weirdly beautiful and surreal illustrations by Olga and Andrej Dugina that made the book for me. They could have been taken straight from a picture book version of one of the tales from One Thousand and One Nights.





Cobra men, giant pumpkins, lion birds, miniature camels, and a person with a globe of the earth for a face...these add to the book's appeal.

If you're looking for a tale about adventure and optimism, this one is certainly a treat for kids. And grown-ups as well.

YA Book Giveaway!

Win 6 PAPERBACK Novels

What I've Learned About Story: The First Sentence

 "I bestow upon thee thy first sentence, writer."









That perfect first sentence is a myth. It will not be given to you by your muse.

That perfect first sentence, if you're lucky, will appear like a hybrid unicorn/dragon and ignite an entire story. It will delight those who read it. Other authors will envy you. If you're not lucky--and most of us aren't--you won't discover that first sentence until your story or book is complete.

There's no formula for creating that first sentence.

It's more important to know where to begin. Do you want to begin from the main character's POV, leading into action? Do you want to create a particular atmosphere (a character is experiencing), leading into action? Do you want to introduce your story with a weird and mysterious statement, leading into action?

Because the first chapters need to draw the reader in, introducing the main character as soon as possible is a must. The antagonist or complication, and the atmosphere, should also be established. If there are other major characters, their subplots should be introduced.

That first sentence shouldn't be an obsession. It'll eventually arrive, like that hybrid unicorn/dragon. It might not reveal itself until the very end. Unless you're lucky enough to have it as your first thought leading into the story, forget about it and just START WRITING. No matter how boring or bad you think your beginning is, it will lead you deeper into the story, into what your character desires, and how they're going to get what they desire. You can punch up the beginning later and make it awesome.







SOME OF MY FAVORITE FIRST SENTENCES:

"Marianne had sharp, cold eyes and she was spiteful but her father loved her." (Heroes and Villains by Angela Carter

"Miles past a town named Vidalia, town named after an onion, onion named after a town, but Dead Girl has no idea how many miles, the vast, unremarkable Georgia night like a seamless quilt of stars and kudzu vines, and all those roads look the same to her." (Les Fleurs Empoisonnees by Caitlin R. Kiernan)

"I met them in Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion." (Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand)

"Sara Kendall once read somewhere that the tale of the world is like a tree. (Moonheart by Charles de Lint)

"Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she'd been told that she would kill her true love." (The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Final Giveaway! The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Enter to win a copy of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys, a dark fantasy about a girl named Blue who's been told the boy she first kisses will die, and the four boys she meets--Gansey, the rich boy on an obsessive quest; Ronan, the bad boy with a secret; Adam, the poor boy fighting for what he has; and Noah, an elusive boy who also has a secret. Beautifully written, with strong and original characters, this is the beginning of a fantasy series you won't be able to quit.

My last giveaway of the year, this is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only!

One copy will be awarded to one winner. The contest begins Dec. 27 and ends Jan. 3.

All you have to do to enter is Twitter, Follow, or Visit my Facebook Fan Page!







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FANTASY & SF BOOKS TO GIVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Looking for that great book gift? These Fantasy & SF Harper Voyager authors have some fantastic suggestions!

CHRISTI J. WHITNEY, author of Grey, Book 1 of the Romany Outcasts. http://christijwhitney.com/?page_id=52

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

WITHER by Lauren DeStefano
I've been devouring some amazing books by some talented HV authors as well!









EDWARD ASHTON, author of Three Days in April. http://edward-ashton.squarespace.com/

THE DOG STARS by Peter Heller

STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
These are essentially disaster novels, telling the story of what happens after a sudden plague sweeps away nearly all of humanity, but both are written in a lyrical, literary style that inspires equal parts admiration and jealousy.







JASON LAPIER, author of Unexpected Rain, Book 1 of the Dome Trilogy. http://jasonwlapier.com/

I'm a long-time Neal Stephenson fan, but his latest this year, SEVENEVES, may be his best yet.








BISHOP O'CONNELL, author of The Stolen, the Forgotten, and Three Promises. http://aquietpint.com/

My favorite books this year are a tie between ANCILLARY JUSTICE, because of the way Ann Leckie weaves the AI story, making it almost god-like.

The other is THE ART OF ASKING by Amanda Palmer, because it's just a powerful and personal story.









TIM LEES, author of The God Hunter and Devil in the Wires. https://timlees.wordpress.com/

Books that really impressed me this year (and I'm cheating a bit, because it takes me so long to get around to reading stuff these days): Jeff Vandermeer's "Southern Reach" Trilogy, ANNIHILATION, AUTHORITY, and ACCEPTANCE. This is what a real alien invasion would be like, practically unfathomable to humanity. Somehow Vandermeer conveys this while providing a hugely entertaining read.

Another book I really liked was a very old one--Frederick Busch's GIRLS, a thriller which is also a compelling study of character, landscape, and community and, like the Vandermeer, is constantly pushing the boundaries of the genre while still delivering a satisfying narrative.





INGRID SEYMOUR, author of Ignite the Shadows. http://ingridseymour.com/blog/

My favorite books this year were THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern for it's amazing imagery and otherworldly feel.

And THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater for its wonderfully drawn characters.









TERRY NEWMAN, author of Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf. http://nicelystrongoak.com/

My favorite book of the year was LAMENTATION (The Shardlake series) by C.J. Sansom, as he made history (almost) as good as fantasy to me.








KELLEY GRANT, author of Desert Rising and The Obsidian Temple. There have been so many wonderful releases this year, but I'll settle on two. http://www.kelleygrantbooks.com/blog

Naomi Noviks UPROOTED has a lyrical voice and is a beautifully woven tale.

Katherine Addison mingles politics and a compelling personal journey in THE GOBLIN EMPEROR.








GRAEME K. TALBOYS, author of Stealing into Winter and Exile and Pilgrim (Books 1 & 2 of Shadow in the Storm). http://grumsworld.blogspot.com/

My three favorite books this year were THE WHISPERING SWARM by Michael Moorcock

THE WATERBORNE EXILE by Susan Murray

THE SHEPHERD'S CROWN by Terry Pratchett









STEPHEN MOORE, author of the fantasy Graynelore. https://stephenmoorefantasyauthor.wordpress.com/

My favorite book of the year is a historical non-fiction. THE KING IN THE NORTH by Max Adams. Set in the dark ages, it's a brilliant telling of the life story of King Oswald of Northumbria and the subsequent cult of St. Oswald that developed in the centuries following his death. This is history brought to life and beautifully told. 






And don't forget to take a look at the wonderful selection of books these authors have written, all available from Harper Voyager.