The Realms of a Fantastical Mind

Welcome to another Blog Ring of Power Friday!.  I would love to introduce you folks to Cary Caffrey. His interview with us was great, check it out! Don’t miss the rest of Cary’s interview at: Part 1 @  T.W.  – Friday, Oct. 25 Part 3 @  Sandra  – Monday, Oct. 29 Part 4 @  Dean  – Tuesday, Oct. 30 Part 5 @  Terri - Wednesday, Oct. 31 CARY CAFFREY: I grew up reading vintage science fiction from the 60’s and 70’s, loving the works of Harry Harrison and Joe Haldeman, Ursula Le Guin, Andre Norton and, of course, Douglas Adams. I still think  The Forever Wa r may very well be the best Science Fiction novel ever written. If Ridley Scott ever gets off his can and makes this movie, we’re sure to be in for a real treat (favourite directer, meet favourite writer. Favourite writer meet… Well, you get the idea. Wild). Let's hear a little about your Writing Life Cary BRoP:  What is your writing process? Do you follo...

Welcome to Zvi Zaks, author of A VIRTUAL AFFAIR, come on in and have a seat.  We'd love to hear a couple of Words of Wisdom. Part 1 @ Sandra – Monday, Oct. 15 Part 2 @ Dean – Tuesday, Oct. 16 Part 3 @ Terri – Wednesday, Oct. 17 Part 4 @ T.W. -- Thursday, Oct. 18  BRoP:    Tell us about your route to success –how did you land your agent/publisher? ZZ:  I haven't been able to get an agent (yet) but the website  www.querytracker.net  helped me write decent query letters, and websites like Ralan.com helped me find publishers for VIRTUAL AFFAIR and two other novels, IMPLAC and A TRUE SON OF ASMODEUS.  BRoP:   What tools are must-haves for writers? ZZ:  The noted writer John Irving uses nothing more than a pen and paper, so that must be the only essential, at least for someone with his skill set.  I can't imagine again having to write without a word processor and access to the internet for research. BRoP...

Welcome HEIDI GARRETT, this week’s Blog Ring of Power guest! She was born and raised in Texas, lived more than a decade in Southern California, and now she resides in Spokane, WA, with her husband and their two cats. So far, she loves the snow. Don’t miss the rest of Heidi’s interview at: Part 1 @  Sandra - Monday, Oct. 8 Part 2 @  Dean - Tuesday, Oct. 9 Part 3 @  Terri - Wednesday, Oct. 10 Part 4 @ T.W.- Thursday, Oct. 11 Part 5 @  Emily - Friday, Oct. 12 Let's chat about a few Words of Wisdom with Heidi  BRoP:     Tell us about your route to success – how/when did you decide to self-publish? Did you query an agent first? How did you handle the editing, proofreading, cover design, etc. HG:  I decided to self-publish in January of 2012. I queried two earlier drafts of the manuscript. Both were rejected. I had originally planned to query the published version, but in December 2011 I got an older version of the iPhone for a ...

Welcome to another Blog Ring of Power, today we have my friend from the great AQC . Thanks for joining us Cat, let's learn a bit about your Creative Process. Cat: I am in my mid-twenties and I graduated with a BA in Anthropology and a minor in Humanities. The name I go by is Cat and I love to write about the apocalypse, but not in the biblical sense of the word. Any sort of dystopian, end of the world stories seriously interest me. I guess it has a lot to do with being part of the rat race of life, trying to climb the great ladder of success. BRoP: Where do you get your story ideas? Cat: Driving to and from work. You wouldn't believe how much I can think when I have to commute two hours a day. BRoP:  Do you have a specific writing style? Cat:  I don't outline anything, except the timeline, and I write from the beginning to end. I don't jump around the story. BRoP:  How do you deal with writer’s block? Cat:  Write another b...

It's Friday! Wait for it... You know what Friday means.  Ok ok there's the whole "The weekend is here." but it also means that it's Blog Ring of Power time! Barbara Ann Wright writes fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories when not adding to her enormous book collection or ranting on her blog. Her short fiction has appeared twice in   Crossed Genres Magazine   and once made   Tangent Online's   recommended reading list. She is a member of Broad Universe and the Outer Alliance and helped create Writer's Ink in Houston. The Pyramid Waltz is her first novel. She is married, has an army of pets, and lives in Texas. Her writing career can be boiled down to two points: when her mother bought her a typewriter in the sixth grade and when she took second place in the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing in 2004. One gave her the means to write and the other gave her the confidence to ke...

Yes, we come to another Blog Ring of Power Friday, please welcome Cornelia.  Don't forget to check out the other parts of this interview Part 1 with Terri Part 2 with T.W . Part 3 guess who Part 4 with Sandra Part 5 with Dean Cornelia Amiri is the author of 16 romance books, including the Steampunk/romance she writes under the name Maeve Alpin. She lives in Houston, TX with her wonderful son and granddaughter.  Section #3: The Creative Process BRoP: Where do you get your story ideas? CA: The ideas come from everywhere, a historical event, a dream, or something someone said. Once I have my idea (my premise), I pick a plot to go with it. Then I work up character charts on the hero and heroine, which include information on their family history and their likes and dislikes. Then, with a fairly good idea about the beginning and ending in my head, I begin the rough draft. Once I have a strong image in my head of the characters the dialogue starts...

Add caption The forest seemed to darken with each step.  Voices sounded all around me, birds and something else.  I couldn't understand the words that floated just beyond the trees.  My heart fluttered and I wrung my hands together.  It wasn't a good idea to cross that bridge but the damage had been done.  I would have to see this through.  Cursing my curiosity I kept walking.  The canopy held back most of the sun's rays, leaving a constant twilight to press on my shoulders. I stepped into a pine grove.  The sun broke through the towering trees, bringing the daylight back.  I sighed and moved forward with quick steps.  A hush fell around me.  No birds, no voices, I would think my ears had been filled with cotton, if it weren't for the sound of my own foot steps.  I slowed, my heart pounding in my chest. The light of the sun grew brighter.  I closed my eyes against the blaze.  Black spots against my lids blinke...