I cut my writing teeth on short stories before turning my attention to novels. I still like to work with the shorter form on occasion. In fact my entire published output this year will, it seems, be a couple of short stories. (I’ve been laboring steadily this year on a three-book series, attempting to get… Continue reading Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 9
Category: Business of Writing
Finding ERB’s The Land of Hidden Men
Tarzan and John Carter are deservedly famous. But I have extracted a perhaps unexpected amount of enjoyment from several of Edgar Rice Burrough’s less well known books, such as The Mucker, I Am A Barbarian, The Outlaw of Torn, and The Mad King. Now add to that The Land of Hidden Men. The Land of… Continue reading Finding ERB’s The Land of Hidden Men
Jaunt to San Antonio
The summer break draws to a close. The HA returns to school tomorrow. I took her and MBW to San Antonio for a short trip. We’d been to Six Flags before (though the HA does not remember any of it.) This time we spent several hot, footsore hours at Sea World. Getting soaked has never… Continue reading Jaunt to San Antonio
Convention Weekend and the Thief of Time.
I am in Lebanon, Tennessee this weekend, about twenty minutes outside of Nashville, for a small convention. This is my second appearance here. I had to back out last year, but was happy to make it back to Mike Williamson’s annual gabfest and booze-a-thon. Sarah Hoyt served as Guest of Honor. It was nice to… Continue reading Convention Weekend and the Thief of Time.
Ursula Bruin
A couple of years ago I wrote a tale for the Heir Apparent. She was seven at the time and ardently fond of a number of things girls her age tend to be. So I attempted to incorporate several of her obsessions into the narrative. I believe I succeeded, as she was highly pleased with… Continue reading Ursula Bruin
The Web Log is Traveling. Plus Savage Journal Entry 34.
Time for writing a post is limited today. MBW, the HA, and I are en route to Mexico. My ambitious goal is to sit in the sand, watching the waves, and endeavoring to absorb UV rays right up to, but not over the border of, sunburn. I assume cerveza and tequila will also factor in.… Continue reading The Web Log is Traveling. Plus Savage Journal Entry 34.
Vettius and His Friends. Plus Savage Journal Entry 33.
I’ve encountered a few of David Drake’s Vettius and Dama stories in anthologies. But I’d not read them all. Happily, I picked up a copy of Vettius and His Friends and filled those gaps. I’m a fan of the tales. I like the dutiful, competent soldier Vettius and the learned, loyal, clever merchant Dama. They… Continue reading Vettius and His Friends. Plus Savage Journal Entry 33.
Announcing Semi-Autos and Sorcery 4: Silver and Bone. Plus Savage Journal Entry 32.
is time once again to shovel coal into the boiler and get the Publicity Express chugging out of the depot. Karl Thorson’s next adventure arrives March 7. With a sprinkling of Pirates of the Carribean and a dash of Die Hard on an oil rig there is plenty of action to keep you turning the… Continue reading Announcing Semi-Autos and Sorcery 4: Silver and Bone. Plus Savage Journal Entry 32.
Setting and Sword-and-Sorcery. Plus Savage Journal Entry 31.
Location, location, location. Setting is a vital component of Sword-and-Sorcery fiction. The action needs to occur in some pre-industrial locale, a secondary world, a fictionalized fantasy Earth, another planet, or some similar backdrop. Somewhere, that is, where the sword is a viable weapon, rather than an antiquated prop. The sword is that evocative. A steel,… Continue reading Setting and Sword-and-Sorcery. Plus Savage Journal Entry 31.