Creating the ultimate fantasy villain

This is part 4 of my series on How to write a fantasy novel.

Who is your ultimate fantasy villain? Is it Voldemort? The White Witch of Narnia?

What did J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis do to make you love to hate them?

Continue reading “Creating the ultimate fantasy villain” →

The Merman and the Moon Forgotten

On July 6th, Kevin McGill will give away 1000 print signed copies of Nikolas and Company: The Merman and The Moon Forgotten , shipping included, for anyone between 10 and 17.

Do you know a pre/teen who loves to read a good fantasy adventure like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson? This series may be just the one they’re looking for to fill the void.

But why give away 1,000 books? Kevin says: “One of the reasons I’m giving away 1000 copies is because books, especially the crazy adventure ones, were important to me as a teen.” He doesn’t want kids to be bored. If the reviews are any indication, boredom is not an option with Nikolas & Company – The Merman and the Moon Forgotten.

“I have to admit, before I could read this fantastical book, my son beat me to it. He read it in a single day and raved.” – Elizabeth Mueller

To read more about the giveaway and about Kevin’s new book, please go to his website and check it out. I, personally, have added the book to my Kindle list and I also signed up a teen for the give away, so hurry before all signed copies are gone!

Author Kevin McGill Launches his Novel into Space; Shows Young Readers that a Book Can Take Them Anywhere (greenreview.blogspot.de)

M is for Magic

This is a continuation of the A-Z blog challenge. Click here to see the list of all 1935 participants!

I love magic. I wish it was real…well, at least the good types. I wouldn’t want black magic, like that derived from necromancy, but in books, all sorts of magic are way cool. I mean, think about it. How awesome would it be to cast a charm to make an object do something it normally wouldn’t (like Chip, the singing tea cup in Beauty and the Beast)? Maybe conjure something out of thin air? Or, transfigure an object into something else?

I read and write lots of fantasy so I started collecting ‘facts’ about magic a long time ago. The most common sorts you’ll find (think Merlin, Harry Potter) are the following:

Charms: these are enchantments that cause an object to react in a way abnormal for its normal behavior. Memory charms are a prime example. Think “obliterate’ in Harry Potter.

Protection spells: as implied, these spells protect the target from outside forces, primarily Dark Magic. These also include your invisibility spells. They are used to protect, shield or perform a barrier.

Conjuration: This is in the transfiguration branch of magic as it creates objects out of thin air. I love this! Do you know how many times I wished I could just summon a perfectly cooked dinner to the table! Conjuring is an advanced and complex magic and should not be attempted by novice magicians.

Transfiguration: this type of magic changes the form and appearance of something. It also includes conjuration and vanishing of objects, along with spells that change the inherent nature of the object. Imagine wanting to have a cup of hot coffee but all you have is a thimble. How cool would that be to change that thimble into a mug so you could have your coffee…that you would conjure out of thin air! Love, love it.

Of course, you can’t have positive, good magic (White) without the bad, negative magic (Black). Black magic causes harm, death or destruction either by draining power, transferring power, or simply attacking the object. Black magic isn’t always evil and good magicians can use black magic in defense. Black magic includes jinxes, hexes, and curses.

Jinx: this is a spell used for the amusement of the caster with minimum discomfort to the victim. They have negative effects and are used as defensive magic. Most jinxes can be removed with a counter-jinx and can be prevented with an anti-jinx.

Hex: These spells are more powerful than a Jinx, but not as powerful as a curse. They usually cause pain. They are classified as minor Dark Magic though they can be used as protection.

Curses: These are very, very strong magical spells used with the intention of causing great harm, control, terror, or even death over the target. Curses are stronger than Jinxes and Hexes, and are by magical beings in duels.

Divination: this is the ability to be able to predict things while under divine influence and intervention. I also use this in my fantasy novels.

Voodooism: use of voodoo dolls, witchcraft and animistic deities for inflicting effects on selected targets.

Tantra: this type of magic involves using mantras and mudras(spells) from Vedas (sacred texts) recited for getting things done magically.

Alchemy: this type of magic is more like a science. Alchemists have the ability to turn ordinary metals into gold. They also have a unique understanding of chemicals and the creation of potions.

Necromancy: a type of very bad, bad Black magic. It involves conjuring the dead for prophesying. You’ll usually find necromancy performed along with the use of evil spirits to produce supernatural effects in the world.

If you could do magic, what type would you like to do?

G is for Gandalf versus Dumbledore

This is a continuation of the A-Z blog challenge. Click here to see the list of all 1935 participants!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series as well as watched all the movies, and each time I’m drawn to the parallels between the two. As a writer, it has been drilled into me how important it is to make my characters and my story unique, to not let them be like something that has already been done. Yet here I am, looking at these two stories, both unique in their settings and story, and I can’t help but compare two of the prominent characters: Gandalf and Dumbledore.

Similarities:

– They both have long white hair and beards
– They are both the greatest, wisest and kindest wizards of their time.
– They rally around the underdogs and help them to defeat the “Dark Lord”
– They care about those less fortunate than them
– They are both guides, counselors
– They are both very well respected
– They both like to interfere
– They are both courageous
– They both fight fearsome enemies
– They are both unmarried

Differences:

– Gandalf’s and Dumbledore’s magic are not the same, nor are the reasons they use it.
– Gandalf has one wizard to face: Sauron. Dumbledore has many running around who want to see him dead.
– Dumbledore is more passive than Gandalf. He’s more of a ‘let me teach you the skills, but you’re going to have to do the rest’ kind of guy. Gandalf doesn’t have time nor the inclination to teach magic. His focus is defeating the bad guy and he’ll get in the middle of the action and put his life on the line to do it.
– Gandalf rides horses and wields a wicked sword. Dumbledore can vaporize you with a thought? Why does he need a sword?
– Gandalf comes back from the dead. Dumbledore…yeah, not so much.
– Gandalf and Dumbledore are both fatherly types, but Gandalf is more stern. He’s more of the sort who’ll bop you over the head for doing something foolish. Dumbledore will talk to you, make you see the errors of your ways.
– Dumbledore’s knowledge is limited. Gandalf’s is vast.
– Dumbledore had a brother. Gandalf didn’t
– Dumbledore was mortal. He could rid himself of this world. Mortality, however, was not a gift Gandalf had. He HAD to make sure the underdog succeeded. If he failed in his task, Sauron would have taken over Middle Earth, and without the Valar’s intervening, life would have been much worse. The whole world was a risk. If Sauron lived, Gandalf would have to live with his own failure forevermore. Gandalf had much more at stake should he lose the battle for Middle Earth. Dumbledore got off easy because he could die.

There is a whole other list of character similarities between Harrry Potter and Lord of the Rings:

Harry = Frodo
Ron = Sam
Voldemort = Sauron = Dark Lords (please)
Dementors = Ringwraiths
Horcruxes = The Ring
Fred and George = Merry and Pippin
Sirius = Aragorn/Faramir
Hagrid = Gimli
Regulus = Boromir

But I won’t go into that today. What I do want to say is that it’s okay to recycle characters when you write, so long as you make the characters and stories ‘yours’. Make them unique to you, to your world. Give the reader something they don’t expect. Study the past characters. What can you do to make yours different from what’s been done? Give your characters vulnerabilities. Strip away the clichés and define your characters, your story. If you’re lucky, someday someone may compare your best-seller novel to a classic. I could think of worse things to happen.

And now for your entertainment needs: