Auf Wiedersehen

Which I hope will be very soon. As Carolan mentioned, the Fantasy & Enchantment blog will soon merge with Beyond the Veil, where some really good fantasies lurk.

It's been a pleasure writing for you these past months, and I want to assure you the posts and links you've found useful won't disappear. A number of us will be posting our contributions on various journals. My blogs will soon find a home on MySpace page.

Meanwhile, I'm wracking my brain for ways to cause trouble in my new home. Just because we're changing venues doesn't mean we're changing all that much. ;-)

Cheers and and thanks for everything,

Jean Marie

Changes Are Afoot!

Starting Feb. 1, this blog and the Samhain paranormal authors will be joining forces into one fabulous paranormal- and fantasy-oriented blog. So if you come here to visit after Feb. 1 and are wondering where everyone is, we're Beyond The Veil. :)

Writing: Skill or Art?

Recently, I read a comment by the wife of a very prominent SF/F writer who has now become a writer in her own right. She said something to the effect that she decided to write when she realized that "writing was more of a learned skill than an art."

I say: WHAT???

While writing requires a great deal of learning and skill, I still tend to believe it is much more an art form than a skill. I admit, I was a little insulted by this woman's viewpoint. For her, it might work to learn the "skill" of writing because with her last name, the book contracts are thick on the ground, but for an unknown, there has to be something to differentiate our writing from the thousands of other manuscripts. There has to be some spark of creativity that catches an editor's eye.

Am I wrong?

Was Shakespeare merely a technician and not a bona fide artist? Tolkein? Tolstoy? I tell you, her comment REALLY hit me the wrong way.

Eager to hear what others think...

Bianca D'Arc

Come over to The D'Arc Side... www.biancadarc.com

PS - I'll be starting to post "The Craft" entries on my blog starting in a few weeks, so look for the writing kittens! I just borrowed the graphic for today, since it fit so nicely. ;-)

My first release! :)

Boomerang Love isn't a fantasy but it is my very own first release! I'm so thrilled!



Boomerang Love- a short story -is an contemporary romance with a Red Hot/erotic heat level set in Australia.

http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/melissa-lopez

Until later~
Mel

New Release: Beaudry's Ghost

My paranormal romance Beaudry's Ghost is now available FOR SALE! (Oh, sorry, did I just scream that out loud?)

You may ask, "Why is she so excited about this book?" I'll tell you. (Yes, I'm channeling Tevye.)

Beaudry is the book of my heart. "The One" for which I became a writer. It combines everything I love - romance, history, legends, ghost stories, North Carolina, and the sea. Did I mention romance? Writing it was like an out-of-body experience. I remember staying up until the wee hours writing, then re-reading my work the next day and wondering "My god, who wrote that?" (In a good way!)

Back in its original incarnation as a Dreams Unlimited then an LTDBooks release, the book won some pretty nice awards and garnered a 4-star review and Reviewers Choice nomination from Romantic Times. Still, when Samhain picked it up, I leaped at the chance to revisit the story, revise and expand it, make it an even better book based on the skills I've gained over the years.

For me, words are fluid things that can almost always be improved upon. I'm an editor in real life, but that doesn't mean I don't depend on my Samhain editor Lindsey McGurk when it comes to my stories! I freely acknowledge I'm my own worst editor. LOL

I'm normally pretty calm when a book comes out, but Lindsey can attest I was a near basket case at one point during the editing process. Like I said, this is the book of my heart, and I felt acutely that this is my last chance to get it right and do these amazing characters justice.

Their voices in my head aren't keeping me up at night any more, so I hope that means I accomplished my goal! :)

Beaudry's Ghost was born of my deep North Carolina heritage. I mean, who couldn't grow up hearing stories on your grandmother's darkened front porch, immersed in the history, legends and lore of of a place, and not have something come out of it later in life? It either messes with your head, or you become a writer. LOL

I'm off to get pre-surgery bloodwork. Nothing big, just fixing up my left foot a bit. Great timing, eh? Release a book, have surgery! But I figured if I didn't do it now, I won't be in any kind of shape for RT Pittsburgh in April. I saw my friend Rosemary Laurey once navigate an RT on crutches, and it wasn't fun! On the other hand, I could just set up camp in the bar and let everyone come to ME for a change!

Popping the champagne,
Carolan
www.carolanivey.com

The Spark of Fantasy Within a Child...

When I was a child, it was all about glitter. Loved the glitter. Glitter, glitter everywhere. Henceforth, I LOVED movies such as Labyrinth and Legend, chock full of the glittery goodness. And - what a shock - these movies were fantasy. Perhaps this is where my love for fantasy lit within me. Could it be this childhood whimsical love of glitter is what hooked me on magic, castles, and dragons?

Other movies solidified my new-found love. The Last Unicorn. The Neverending Story. The Princess Bride (while not magical in plot, it still counts as a "fairy tale", and by proxy, a "fantasy").

After watching these movies, I knew I wanted to read fantasy books. I cut my teeth on Terry Brooks' "Shannara" series. I no longer follow those books, but I read the first three, The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, & The Wishsong of Shannara. I then picked up David Eddings' "Belgariad" series from my school library in Jr. High.

I didn't actually try out C.S. Lewis until later on in childhood, after a friend of mine recommended them. After I read them, we both searched high and low for Narnia. We never found it. :( But these books and movies all served a purpose. They created a fantasy author.

Sure, I write many other genres, but fantasy was my first love, truth be told. I've always wanted to write romantic stories, and I felt the fantasy genre was light on the LUV. :P Sure, characters got together and had a mention of a courtship, but we never got to *see* the good stuff. That's when I decided to write my own.

One of the reasons for this post is that I truly believe we need to keep fantasy alive in the hearts of our children. Who knows who the next great fantasy author will be? With fantasy movies such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Stardust being made, I can only hope the spark that once lit within me will also light within my children and young ones around the globe.

We all deserve a little magic now and then, a little hope of good defeating evil - despite the odds, and a fantastic world to lose ourselves in.

If you haven't read a fantasy novel in awhile, pick one up. If you haven't watched a fantasy movie in a while, watch one. If you're like me, you'll be enveloped in the nostalgia of a time when anything was possible, when magic was mysterious and glitter made everything all the more wonderous.

~~Becka
http://www.rebeccagoings.com/

(Interesting fact: David Eddings' Belgariad probably influenced me the most when writing my own fantasy series, The Legends of Mynos. I fell in love with his world, how he portrayed magic, and the entire mythos he'd created. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned Mr. Eddings lives in Carson City, NV, the very city I grew up in and read all his books. I could have passed the man in the grocery store and never have known. Could that be a sign I was destined to write my own fantasies one day? Perhaps it was merely coincedence. Or perhaps... it was meant to be...)

Happy New Year!

Wow. How did I get so lucky as to have the first post of 2008? Lots happened last year and I know this next year will be even better! So here's a little graphical wish...

Bianca

www.biancadarc.com