Category: Writing Page 8 of 16

A little while ago, I was interviewed for the High Fantasy Podcast. That interview is now live on YouTube!

Check it out and hear what we have to say about Peter Jackson’s biggest mistake, why Marshal (in the Heart of Fire series) couldn’t communicate, and the purpose of fantasy stories.

The last few days, I have been living in the past. And the future. And another world.

I’ve mentioned that I started the work of re-writing/editing my earlier novel, Viridia. I struggled with it for a while, wondering if it was even worth bothering over. But I knew that I needed to get more books out, beyond the Heart of Fire series. Working on this one would give me the chance to do that faster.

So I enlisted some help from my friends in the Apex Writers Group. All of the responses I got were very positive and encouraging. This story could work. They even helped me overcome one of the difficulties I had with the opening chapters.

I got excited. I started making serious progress. You can see from the bar on the right how far along I’ve come in recent days. I’ve been re-reading and re-writing this story I wrote several years ago. Sometimes, I have to ask, “Wow. Did I write this?” Other times, I have to ask, “Ugh. Did I write that?”

Tonight, I even pulled up the outline and opening pages I had written for the sequel. Wow, this is some crazy stuff. And it just might work. 

Dragons. Cybernetics. Swords. Trains. Magic? It all fits in here. And it’s all coming together.

What does this mean for the Heart of Fire series? Nothing, really. I’m still working on the opening chapters of book three. It is going a little slower than I’d like, because my creative energies are split. But I try to divide my time between the two books, so neither is neglected. If I am motivated enough, I can get this done.

Out of all the names of characters and places in my books, this is the one people ask me about the most. Ixchel is a great character to write, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her story continues. But how do you say her name?

The answer is… not as easy as it seems.

You can literally google “how do you pronounce ixchel” and you’ll get multiple answers.

This video, for example, pronounces it the way it’s spelled in English:

But this video pronounces it more like “ee-shell”:

Ixchel is a Mayan name. The culture of her land and people in my books is loosely based on the ancient Maya. So logically, the best guide to it would be an explanation of how the Mayans pronounced it, right?

Here’s one:

http://www.native-languages.org/maya_guide.htm

If you read that, you’ll find that “ee-shell” is close, but… it actually ends up something more like “eesh-chail” including the “ch” sound and pronouncing the “e” as a long “a.”

So which one is right?

It’s a fantasy novel, with names and cultures that I created. I’m sort of the final arbiter here. Except… it may come to a huge surprise to readers that I don’t always pronounce the names in my head while writing them. And since I was raised on American phonics, when I do pronounce names from other languages, I often do it completely wrong.

I like “ee-shell.” And “eesh-chail” is a bit too cumbersome for my tongue. But you know what? You can pronounce it however you choose. I won’t mind. 

But I’d better start getting it right myself. She scares me.

I apologize for not updating the blog in a while. Between everything going on in the world the last few weeks and my own slow sales, I haven’t felt motivated to do much writing.

One of my struggles has been the opening chapters of the next book. Yesterday, I finally got a solid outline for them and I believe I can move on now.

I’m also talking with some other writers about accountability and motivation with each other. We’ll see how that goes.

It’s so much more than just a dream now. My second novel, Until All Bonds Are Broken, releases today! If you enjoyed the first book, Until All Curses Are Lifted, you have to get this one! If you haven’t read the first book, what are you waiting for? Buy both!

Available in ebook from Amazon, paperback from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, or even better – support a local bookstore and have them order it for you!

Chapter three of Until All Bonds Are Broken is now available here.

Ever wonder what the villain’s thinking? Let’s check in on Volraag…

Mailing list subscribers will get chapter four in a couple of days. If you want to read that one, join the mailing list! It’s where all the best people are.

The book releases in only THREE DAYS. Jump on the hype train!

Chapter two of Until All Bonds Are Broken is now available here.

This is a pretty crucial scene that kicks off so much…

Chapter three will be released next week, but if you want to read it even earlier, join the mailing list! They get all the cool stuff first. You like cool stuff, don’t you?

Counting down the days to April 30…