tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49180204840454335342024-02-02T09:35:23.753-08:00Writing down daydreamsDarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-59284748141807402392017-10-20T21:44:00.000-07:002017-10-20T21:44:14.136-07:00My Blog is ShiftingNo, not shifting like a werewolf (but maybe like a where-wolf). I'm moving my blog's location to a page on my website. So you can now find my blog at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/?page_id=13">www.darian-smith.com</a><br />
Posts will be more frequent than they have been this last year (I've been a bit distracted by life and work on Starlight's Children) so be sure to check in regularly.<br />
You can also sign up for my <a href="http://darian-smith.com/">newsletter </a>which will include sneak peeks stories in the Kalanon world. <br />
See you there!<br />
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Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-6559385709630555572017-01-01T17:28:00.000-08:002017-01-01T17:53:44.022-08:00Things I Learned from My Kittens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our household has expanded in the last couple of days. We now have two adorable black kittens in our family, named Apollo and Athena. And much like the ancient gods they're named after, they have quickly adapted ways to boss their humans around.<br />
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Here are a few life lessons I've learned from my kittens:<br />
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<b>If something's worth doing, do it with passion</b><br />
Kittens don't do anything by halves. They don't just jump, they pounce. They don't just run, they rocket around the room like their tails are on fire. Eat, sleep, play, fight, cuddle - everything they do they put their whole selves into it. Whatever we do, if we give it all we've got, there's a much better chance of success. It might just be a toy mouse, but it should be attacked with ferocity until it's dead.<br />
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<b>Listen to your body</b><br />
Kittens do what their bodies tell them. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired, drink when thirsty. It's a smart way to be. <br />
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<b>Be ready for opportunity </b><br />
When a door opens, kittens don't hesitate to run through it. They see a chance for something they want and they'll take it. Fast. It means a lot of chasing from me in order to keep them out of mischief but it's a good reminder to seize the chances life offers us.<br />
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<b>Be you</b><br />
I've had a surprising number of people comment on the fact that we selected black cats because of the old superstition. Now I don't believe black cats are bad luck because, well, that's stupid. But apparently in this day and age there are still people who think it. Do the kittens care? Hell no. They're their own adorable selves because the right people will love them for it. It's the same for us. There will always be someone who, for their own daft reasons, won't like you and, in the end, that doesn't matter. Be you and the right people will love you.<br />
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<b>Take care of your own crap</b><br />
Sometimes we all make a mess. Even kittens. Especially kittens. Messes are part of life. But if you leave it laying around to cause trouble for others, they'll get annoyed with you pretty quickly. So deal with it appropriately and ideally cover it up so it doesn't smell.<br />
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<b>Let people know you like them</b><br />
Life is too short to waste time hiding your affection and making people guess. Kittens don't bother with those games. If they like you, you'll know it. They'll come see you, talk to you, and cuddle you. Makes sense to spend time with those you like.<br />
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<b>Explore new things</b><br />
Everything is new to kittens and they want to explore it ALL. New toys, new spaces, new experiences. They explore everything and embrace the adventure. <br />
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<b>Have fun!</b><br />
Most important for kittens is to have fun. What's the point of life if you're not enjoying it? They don't need big things to be happy - just an empty box or scrap of paper to play with is enough. It's a good reminder for all of us to enjoy all the little things in life.<br />
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<a href="http://www.darian-smith.com/">www.darian-smith.com</a></h3>
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-26082194882273997432016-12-10T20:00:00.002-08:002016-12-10T20:00:47.016-08:00Christmas Present Suggestions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What kind of gifts should you get friends and family for Christmas? Why BOOKS of course!<br />
Here's a Christmas shopping guide to the books I've been involved in. For each one, I've included a suggestion for who to buy it for, what it's about, and a random point of interest. <br />
They are available through your local bookstore, through Amazon, or by contacting me at <a href="mailto:darian-smith@vodafone.co.nz">darian-smith@vodafone.co.nz</a><br />
Enjoy! And have a wonderful Christmas holiday! <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2otD91yCiXARdrAr3pg738GalSYmfoe8-8pyKpiu6MWlAQ-A31WWhudTWPsqJ5K6NQTR9Ws3qnV_e7s8nc9CeloyomeUUD5PBqJukZCFKXxDixsth-9VnZ2c6IBLu-5ZOBzge1BM-p0/s200/978-0-473-36642-1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/"><b>Kalanon's Rising</b></a><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: Yourself! You deserve a gift too! Or anyone who enjoys fantasy and/or mystery.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: Brannon is a war hero trying to live a new life as a physician but when a member of the royal family is ritually murdered, he and a strange team of experts must figure out what schemes are afoot before the war restarts and a magical hell breaks loose on their world.<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: This is the first adventure for Brannon and his team. There will be more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gHxA8mh8y7YcDMlMSMJ238AB0OdwHISQ1ph3aOM8e6BDosDnRD1w3henTTXbSJ_8Pmo-mkrHatO_LHX_r7mobU3XIOzHAo-OZIrJPbZQayYDLJ8ZYP-SPOjgTxODFtLsngwMjKssDdw/s200/CurrentsOfChange.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I"><b>Currents of Change</b></a><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: Your mum, your sister, or anyone who likes a romantic story with a bit of mystery and paranormal suspense. <br />
<i>It's about</i>: When Sara takes refuge from an abusive relationship in her grandmother's childhood home, the last thing she expects is to find love with the single dad tradie next door or a ghost in the run-down house. But there's more to her family history than she could have believed and this small town has secrets.<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: This book was given the Koru Award by the NZ Romance Writers Association<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473334461" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473334461" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzNtgrYayFRBbT1kxaUc6gYKsDbE3b2s6GRMgDqhGM4RD8zRFxb2wXdD9r7XfhWNIlg4R8PjYNPXEFVeXI0iEWPYmMIjxIzzofZhtfdukhn7ZVz95S1pLIVCLfMbppYr-o0s1sJNrlxU/s200/workbook.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473334461">The Psychology Workbook for Writers</a></b><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: The writer in your circle of family and friends. The one that dabbles in storytelling but never lets anyone read it. The one that always says they have a book in them.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: Using psychology theories to help writers develop fully rounded and realistic characters in their fiction as well as add conflict to storylines. Each chapter covers a theory in easy to understand terms, cites examples from popular books and movies, and then contains worksheets to help use these theories your writing.<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: Understanding how people tick is a great way to create interesting and realistic characters in fiction.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473256886" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473256886" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYVb7mbxZPdxIkhSVn99PrQSlSZwJJlksbZFMennRlnXyE6VvwIHPcK_KEC4KkJR1T5Y7gzcbYZTAIucSSKPakMFCzLAfqeZ91iS4ufOF2zlSsoA0jBSUak1y2HAfz2KVUKGbE8kltlg/s200/baby+teeth.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473256886">Baby Teeth: Bite-sized Tales of Terror</a></b><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: The parents of that weird kid who you never really liked anyway. Anyone who enjoys a seriously creepy story that will make the hairs on their neck stand up.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: Inspired by the (hopefully!) unintentionally creepy things children say, this is a collection of short stories that take the creepy child idea and run with it. The things that go bump in the night aren't always under the bed!<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: All proceeds from sales of this book donated to literacy charity, Duffy Books in Homes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN752WuebXjZQyWWc-IiJMmRZ_vGEQpiI64zDfGKo0t6JUq1ZllIGo87sWbPm59VsKi9AnmxvSTM_V4PGqcX83U1rLFqzVen9Nign-sUYfyd0M1Ei3LMwTZUlAdIpfmJooF_F8UGJ3kKA/s200/shifting+worlds.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8">Shifting Worlds</a></b><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: The friend who likes to look at facebook posts in the bathroom and you think should try something a little less Trump-focused. Or anyone who likes a good story but doesn't have time for a full length novel.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: Sixteen short stories that span the human experience of dealing with change - from a couple facing disability to drag queens fighting zombies, there's something for everyone in this collection. <br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: Many of the stories in this collection have won prizes or been nominated for awards in their own right before being brought together for this book.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OWXKEAW" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OWXKEAW" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QhYU-C7pBtIio0MxrMlAZByNHEwY96ucVHh0Z0YNpppzKSuLaspEEmCW6xKcVyFOwOGXk7xxZaTkGjWCxh1rCK8ZyFZyxX-nTSjv7ziea_gSwYIN0QyySdwC0kVzeTAdxMk0RxTUIFw/s200/twisty+christmas.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OWXKEAW">The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales</a></b><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: A child aged 8 to 12. Or anyone who loves the joy of Christmas.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: Tales about Christmas with a wacky and/or New Zealand twist. In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas generally isn't white. And when it's a little bit twisty, it can be a whole lot of fun!<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: A portion of profits from this book are donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association to help with their work with those who have neuromuscular disease.<br />
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<a href="http://mda.org.nz/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://mda.org.nz/" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TWd0vdFvq4sIwgKCpuybhMQtEqidRxzUsDJf35RYxLHT1fUCBEx2l_NjZdC5l44eElqLroGoxrJFeF2FCVq9gLghvoYlQ1qOcAHCQKRGl3MUDNnFBCZcVqgpmLqmwaus4Nng99Nezo4/s200/Beyond+DNA%252C+Stories+of+Challenge+and+Triumph+Cover_65x93.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://mda.org.nz/">Beyond DNA: Stories of Challenge and Triumph</a></b><br />
<i>Give it to</i>: Anyone who likes inspiring true life stories.<br />
<i>It's about</i>: The real experiences of New Zealanders living with neuromuscular conditions such as muscular dystrophy, charcot marie tooth disease, and others. What are the most challenging things about living in a body that is differently abled? How are those challenges overcome to create lives that are both wonderful and ordinary?<br />
<i>Points of interest</i>: All proceeds from this book go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of NZ.<br />
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For more information on these books, check out my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Darian-Smith/e/B00U3N1CLK/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon Page</a> or <a href="http://www.darian-smith.com/">www.darian-smith.com </a> <br />
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-69479345649035332402016-12-05T19:54:00.001-08:002016-12-05T19:54:11.523-08:00Fun Festivals, Armageddon, & the Joy of Paper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span id="goog_1033745757"></span><span id="goog_1033745758"></span>So normally I tend to focus on the e-book versions of my books, with the theory that that's where most of the sales happen these days. Sure, some bookstores are stocking the paperbacks (please go to your local bookstore and ask them to get my books in!) and some libraries are too (please go to your local library and ask them to get my books in!) but mostly it's ebook sales on Amazon that I see in my sales reports. There's a logic to that - ebooks are cheaper, and you can access them instantly.<br />
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BUT...over the last couple of months I've gone to events where the focus was on actual paperbacks and actual people face to face - the Armageddon Expo and the NZ Book Festival. I'd almost forgotten how much joy there is in handling a proper paper book, feeling the cover, turning it over in your hands and reading the blurb on the back. It was great to see people doing this with my books. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrCSRMi5-V5-9KkGy19oDYtpjUagjNjl-cPXvpKRSoiotZKOYIqZ20nJxbdhrB_7AMG1VZOW6sP9kyrL5z0ePEPOL1mwt2VWF7Phz7Pmkrsg2tFLAvR0NKmORmw6t9PgNEzdByrvQzE4/s1600/armageddon+stall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrCSRMi5-V5-9KkGy19oDYtpjUagjNjl-cPXvpKRSoiotZKOYIqZ20nJxbdhrB_7AMG1VZOW6sP9kyrL5z0ePEPOL1mwt2VWF7Phz7Pmkrsg2tFLAvR0NKmORmw6t9PgNEzdByrvQzE4/s320/armageddon+stall.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Even better, seeing actual readers who enjoy my work and talking to them about what they love to read is SO MUCH FUN! There are some amazing people around and even my strange little introverted self really enjoyed meeting them and sharing the enthusiasm for books. <br />
<br />
Once I'm finished with Starlight's Children (the second Agents of Kalanon book) I think I'll start looking out for other events I can attend. In between writing the third one, of course.<br />
<br />
So if you see me around, by all means come and say hi! Get your book signed, and have a chat. And if you decide to cosplay one of my characters, like the brilliant fan below, you will absolutely make my day!<br />
<br />
<i>Top: My stall at the NZ Book Festival</i><br />
<i>Middle: The SpecFicNZ stall at Armageddon </i><br />
<i>Below: A cosplayer as the goddess Ahpra, from the Agents of Kalanon series (note the tears where the goddess cried over her husband and brother and thus created the River Tilal)</i><br />
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<br />
<br />Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-87283886424065797902016-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:002016-10-06T12:23:07.739-07:00Preview Kalanon's Rising<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7goWN7Bmjb_cczfUgLrgbc5HQzdw1_O3PjpDRxjNYdOhxU4cDholeQlbL759k12IFBMqXw5ibW1M0QVWJqO4yJdvk8UmurP4L5OMCHVVSniQySXhqUtYGMjS4BpSrGPuiM7nOhFLtfA/s320/Kalanon%2527s+Rising+v2+%25282%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
The first of the Agents of Kalanon mysteries is available for preorder. Each book in the series features an action packed murder mystery in the fantasy world of Kalanon for Brannon and his team to solve. Magic, murder, and mayhem, with a backdrop of a country recovering from war and a supernatural battle brewing.<br />
<br />
Check out the first couple of chapters below:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<h2>
<span lang="EN-GB">Prologue</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 57.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-text-raise: -4.5pt;">T</span></div>
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he gas lamps on the street corners
of Alapra cast deep shadows. Keldan Sandilar skulked in their darkness with a
woman of dubious repute. He felt a kind of thrill across his skin as he moved
through the back streets, that had little to do with the coolness of the night
air. The son of a duke, mere steps from the Kalan throne, rarely had occasion
to skulk. Here, in the capital, he had a lifestyle that could be publicly
enjoyed. His name was a skeleton key for the highest echelons of society and
there wasn’t a craftsman or trader who wouldn’t throw open their doors, day or
night, for his convenience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But tonight was for activities best kept in darkness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We really should have done this somewhere else,” he
muttered, as they neared their destination. “They know me at the Rose.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The floral fragrance from walled, scented gardens mixed with
that of horse manure and lantern smoke. The sound of laughter and music spilled
from up ahead and the full moon slipped from behind a cloud. Keldan’s footsteps
sounded very loud on the familiar cobblestones. He was grateful, at least, that
he had left the carriage some distance away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His companion shrugged. “It was your choice, Your Highness. And
a wise general fights on familiar ground, they say. Don’t worry, my employer is
very discreet.” Her voice lowered to a throaty purr as she added, “And so am
I.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan noticed the front of her cloak had parted and the cut
of her bodice offered an inviting glimpse of bosom. He chuckled. “Thus far I
have enjoyed our dealings very much. I’m sure that will continue.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Blue Rose came into sight ahead and Keldan’s steps
quickened. The sooner they were in a private room, the better. The Rose was an
elegant, stone and plaster, converted manor house built well before the war. A
mosaic path led up to the wide double doors, through an outdoor dining area
ringed by balustrades and climbing, steel-hued roses. The area was strung with
colored lanterns, giving it a joyful air. There were few patrons outside this
time of night, however. The main action was inside, where some of the best
singers and dancers the city had to offer were regularly seen on the ballroom’s
stage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had almost reached
the door when a tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped out into the light. Keldan
recognized the man’s easy movement well before the familiar scar came into
view. He gestured for his companion to move and tried to step aside before the King’s
Champion saw him but, exposed as he was in the center of the mosaic path, there
was nowhere to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Prince Keldan.” The man known as Bloodhawk nodded in
Keldan’s direction. “Good to see you. How’s your father?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan forced a smile and walked forward. Of all the timing!
“Very well, Sir Brannon. You know Father—he’s a prize stallion. I can pass on
your regards when I next see him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon nodded. “I’d appreciate it. I don’t get to see him
as often as I’d like these days. Nor you, in fact. Would you care to join me
for a drink?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan wondered, as he often did seeing Sir Brannon’s simple
clothes and military style haircut, how he managed to stay so well connected at
court. The reality and the legend were strange bedfellows in this man. “Another
time. I’m afraid I have business to attend to right now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The girl giggled at that, giving the perfect vapid
impression. She’d arranged her cowled cloak so that the comely shape of her
body was unmistakable beneath the fabric, but the details of her face were
lost.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon’s expression barely flickered. “Of course.” He
inclined his head slightly to them both. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That could’ve been a disaster,” Keldan murmured as he
guided the girl through the back corridors of the Blue Rose to the VIP area and
then into the private room he’d booked. “The last thing I need tonight is for a
war hero friend of my father to discover me making a deal with Nilarians.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She pushed back her hood and flashed him a pretty smile as
he closed the door behind them. “It’s just a meeting. To be honest, I think
you’ll have to be an even shrewder businessman than your father to get a deal
with my employer.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan felt his jaw tighten. He turned his focus to the
room, allowing the tension in his body to ease.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a room he’d used many times before, decorated in his
favorite sky-blue and deep mahogany. The fresco cherubs always made him smile
to think of all they’d witnessed in that spacious, four-post bed. Today, there
was a box on the scroll-worked writing desk in the corner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yours?” he said as the girl stripped off her cloak and laid
it across the bed. The gown underneath clung to her curves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My employer’s. I had it sent over earlier to make things
easier for us.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan smiled. “Easy is good.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her full lips twitched upward. “It has its advantages. Shall
I set up?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He nodded, moving to the liquor cabinet. A decanter of his
favorite wine had been set out and he poured himself a glass while the girl
opened the box and laid its contents on the desk. A selection of fabric
swatches, pots of pigment, a knife, and some brushes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan wondered if his father had ever seen the secrets of
Nilarian silk. He doubted it. The old man was too bound up in the old enmity to
have gotten so close. He was a shrewd businessman, all right, but Keldan’s own
skills were nothing to be sniffed at and this extra, personal touch of showing
interest in the details would secure the deal. He was certain of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He lifted the wine to his lips and savored the taste of
successfully out-dealing his father. Delicious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I should go and fetch my employer now,” the girl said,
turning away from the carefully arranged desk. She lowered her head a little
and looked up at him, slyly. “Perhaps I could come back after the business is
completed?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan chuckled softly. “You do that. I’ll be here all
night.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the door closed behind her, Keldan wondered which outcome
he was looking forward to more—the closing of the business deal or the return
of the girl. Already he could feel his body reacting to the excitement of both.
His stomach fluttered and his skin felt more sensitive, like a cool breeze was
brushing through the room. His lips, especially, tingled as though from a
phantom kiss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He took a breath and shook it off. He wasn’t some nervous
virgin at his first ball. He tugged at his sleeve, straightened his back, and
considered how he would greet the Nilarian.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tingling in his lips intensified.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan frowned. He took a few steps toward the bed before
the tingling began in his legs as well. His toe caught on the thick carpet and
he fell, sprawled, face down on the bed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sensation spread up his thighs, and crippled his hands
and forearms. His tongue felt like a handful of needles in his mouth. Then the
tingling was replaced by a terrible numbness, swallowing his body’s ability to
move, like a mouse down a cold, reptilian throat. He struggled against it and
almost managed to pull himself up before his muscles gave out completely and he
fell back on his face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world huddled close around him, pressing in with his
fear. A shout for help produced only a weak sound, muffled by bedding. After
that, it was an effort to draw in enough air just to stay conscious. Time was
lost. There was nothing in existence but his own fast-beating heart and loud,
rasping breaths.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A rivulet of sweat ran across the skin of his forehead,
grazed the side of his temple, and slipped into his wide open eye with the
sting of salt. The sensation penetrated his panicked mind: the numbness was wearing
off. Perhaps the paralysis would too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Relief almost deafened him to the sound of the opening door.
Footsteps approached the bed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah,” said a voice. “I believe you’re almost ready.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keldan tried to respond but the paralysis had now completely
taken his voice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The footsteps moved over to the desk. “Here we are.” The
scrape of the knife blade on the wood as the intruder picked it up was
unmistakable. “Now, let’s have some fun.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-GB">Chapter One</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-linespan: 3; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: dropcap-dropped; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
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<span style="font-size: 57.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-text-raise: -4.5pt;">B</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
rannon was trying to not kill a man.
It wasn’t easy. The hot sun pricked at his skin and he blinked salt from his
eyes. The air smelled of dust and sweat and the tang of blood. Not a lot. Not
like it once was. But there, nonetheless. This tiny battleground, circled with
stone and law, was enough to remind him of things he’d rather forget.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The court building was one of the older structures in
Alapra, grand with carved masonry and walls painted with historical murals. The
magistrate and witnesses needed a clear outcome and, technically, that meant
death. They huddled around the edges of the arena in their formal robes,
waiting for the moment they could go back into the courtroom and approve the
blood result in ink.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon watched his opponent approach again, nose bloody,
and pitched his voice so the magistrate wouldn’t hear it. “You can still back
out of this, you know, Darnec. Plead guilty.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The younger son of the Earl of Raldene had been caught
stealing to pay for gambling debts and had chosen trial by combat rather than
magistrate. He had the pride of his family name and the confidence of his youth
egging him on. He almost had the skill to back it up, but not the experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” young Raldene sneered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon sighed. “Yeah, I would. But, hey, it’s your trial.” Over
the younger man’s shoulder, Brannon could see Master Jordell and a small team
of physicians. And an undertaker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec swung his sword and Brannon quickly moved to block it
with his own. The clang echoed loudly in the arena. Brannon pushed his
opponent’s sword aside with his blade, then twisted it to strike at Darnec’s
shoulder. The young man was too quick, and slipped away before he could be cut.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’ve been taught well.” Another swing and block, followed
by a lunge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I may not have fought in your war, Bloodhawk, but I know my
way around a blade.” This time Darnec faked a move to the left, then swung for
the jugular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon dodged, and his own sword snaked across the younger
man’s thigh, sharp and fast. Red licked out from the blade’s bite. Brannon
stepped back. “Imagine if you applied that discipline to the rest of your
life.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec’s eyes stayed on Brannon. He shifted his weight,
testing his wounded leg. “It’s a bit late for that now,” he said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon shrugged. “Perhaps.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec took a slow breath and the point of his sword drifted
slightly downward. Then he took another. Brannon began to hope. The Earl of
Raldene would be embarrassed to have a son sent to the mines for thievery, but
when the sentence was done, he would still have his son.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Perhaps not.” With those words, Darnec launched himself as
if from a catapult, his sword aimed at Brannon’s heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon turned his body and rammed forward his arm, blade
vertical, pushing the thrust aside but it sliced his left arm, just below the
shoulder. Blood and Tears! The boy was quick.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or, he thought, I’ve gotten slow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fight was on in earnest now. Darnec was a demonic fury,
intent on Brannon’s death. His sword thrust and swung again and again. Each
time was intended a killing blow. Each time, it was blocked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Years of battle experience gave Brannon a kind of detached
calm when fighting. He could see where the blade was intended to go almost
before it began to move. His muscles remembered even when he would rather not. He
saw an opportunity in the younger man’s style and lashed out. His sword spiked
Darnec’s thigh and pulled back. The muscle was damaged, but he had stayed clear
of the artery.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec screamed, but kept fighting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The opportunity rose again. This time Brannon slashed across
his opponent’s stomach, tearing through leather and cloth. Flesh and muscle
parted, but not enough to expose entrails.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec clutched at the wound with his left hand, his voice
an animalistic sob as it came away covered in blood. He gripped the hilt of his
sword with both hands and swung hard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon double-handed his own sword, bringing it up to meet
head on. The arena rang with an awful crack and the younger man’s blade
shattered against the Bloodhawk’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darnec’s eyes widened. He stared at the stump of his sword
and then at Brannon, his mouth open and wordless.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nilarian steel,” Brannon said, hefting his own blade. “I
got this in that war you mentioned.” He turned to the magistrate. “I believe
that satisfies the requirements of defeat.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The robed figure shook his head. “Not yet, Champion.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sound of boots scuffing the dirt provided a warning. Brannon
turned in time to see Darnec lurch toward him, the remnant of his sword
outstretched.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh, for Blood’s sake!” Brannon grabbed the boy’s wrist with
his left hand and twisted his arm up and away, bringing his own sword up to
skewer Darnec’s shoulder. Darnec screamed and his knees buckled. Brannon let go
of his wrist and pulled his sword free, giving him a nudge so that he fell
forward onto the ground. “Now?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The magistrate nodded. “Now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon turned and strode from the arena. He brushed past
Master Jordell and into the medical annex. The old physician followed him in,
green robes billowing at the shoulders.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re angry.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon scowled. “I’m fine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Master Jordell chuckled, his face becoming even more
wrinkled than usual beneath his mop of white hair. “Then I’d hate to see you
irritated.” He gestured and a servant hurried forward. “Here, let this lad
clean up your sword and you sit down with me a while.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blood dripped down the blade and onto Brannon’s fingers. “How
can you expect me to mentor an apprentice physician when I can be called up to
do this at any time?” he asked, handing over the sword.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The medical annex of the courthouse was set up to deal with
the results of trial by combat. It was a requirement that both parties be
assessed here after the fight. The room was divided by a long bench covered in
bandages, needles and thread, scalpels and bone-saws. To either side of this
was a mirror image of bed and hot bath.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon walked across to one of the beds and sat down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The reason I expect it,” Master Jordell said, “is because
it is part of what you have dedicated your last six years to.” He hooked a
stool from the center bench and sat facing Brannon. “You’re a physician now, no
matter what else you are, and physicians at your level are required to take an
apprentice.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon snorted. “You don’t see the hypocrisy in my teaching
anyone healing?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Master Jordell’s eyes grew flinty. “No, I do not. Your role
as King’s Champion did not stop you seeking physician training. Nor did your
history as a war hero. I don’t see why they should become an impediment to you
now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But . . . ”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No buts. Part of your training is to mentor others as I
have mentored you. Just do your duty, Brannon, and stop behaving like a child!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon sat up sharply. “A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">child</i>?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordell’s face was impassive. “Clearly. You’ve only recently
come to your new career. Thus, this is your second childhood. Some wait for
senility, but you were always an overachiever.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon shook his head slowly, a chuckle low in his throat. “Now
I see why you had that boy take my sword. Don’t you have something better to do
than pester me? Seeing to the Pride of Raldene, perhaps?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s in good hands. Get out of that shirt and I’ll stitch
your arm.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As if summoned by their words, the other physicians entered
the room, Darnec Raldene carried on a stretcher between them. The young man was
pale and sweaty, but conscious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s losing a lot of blood,” Brannon muttered as they
placed Darnec on the other bed. Two of them pressed wadded bandages over the
leg and shoulder wounds while a young woman with a blond ponytail peered at the
abdominal slash.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Master Jordell pushed him back with surprisingly strong
hands when he tried to get up to take a closer look. “He’ll be fine.” The old
man picked up a pair of scissors and Brannon knew better than to resist as his
shirt was cut away from his still bleeding shoulder.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re sure?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordell pursed his lips and reached for a wet cloth and bowl
to wash the cut. Across the room the blond woman was doing the same with the
abdominal wound. “Yes, Sir Brannon, I’m sure. You were very precise. Nothing
vital was hit and you know it. You sterilized your sword beforehand?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon felt his face flush. “Yes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordell shrugged. “There you go then—not even much chance of
infection. You did all you could for the fool. Now, for goodness’ sake, lay
back and try not to be one yourself!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon did as he was told and held still as his mentor
pulled needle and thread through the cut on his shoulder, tugging the flesh
gently back into place. He separated himself from the pain and let the detached
part of his mind simply observe. He’d experienced Jordell’s stitching many
times in the war. On so light a wound, he probably wouldn’t even be left with a
scar.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike his opponent. The blond haired girl was about to work
on the stomach cut and, at her age, it was unlikely she was as deft as the
Master.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jordell, why don’t you stitch the Raldene boy? That girl
doesn’t look too experienced.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The old physician didn’t even look up. “Jessamine? She’s
perfectly adequate to the task. Better than most at her level.” He pulled the
thread tight on the last stitch and cut the thread. “Actually, she’s even been
requested by of some of the nobility—your friend, Duke Roydan, for example.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon sat up and flexed his arm a little, testing the
stitches. “Really? Roydan?” He looked across and watched as the girl continued
to work. She looked very young. “I’m surprised she’s high enough level for
that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordell shrugged. “She’s not. But she’s very talented and
he’s asked for her specifically.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah.” Brannon grinned. “He always did like a pretty face. She
should be careful there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well then, it’s lucky she’ll have you to guide her.” Master
Jordell beamed. “She’s your new apprentice.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon’s grin vanished. “What? No! It’s still a bad idea
for me to have an apprentice.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Second childhood!” Jordell teased. Then his voice grew
serious. “It’s not optional.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon sighed, the energy that had sustained him through
the fight draining away in a rush. He covered his face with his hands and
rubbed at his eyes. When he pulled them away, nothing had changed. “Fine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Master Jordell turned and called across the room. “Jessamine,
let one of the others finish up, would you? I want to introduce you to your
mentor.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, Master Jordell.” The girl waited until one of her
colleagues had taken the needle, then fairly bounced across the room. Up close,
she looked even younger than Brannon had thought. Blue eyes peered at him from
beneath a slightly too-long fringe of blond hair that had escaped the ponytail.
Her small nose was kept company by a scattering of freckles to either side. Her
pale lips were parted slightly in an open smile. “Sir Brannon,” she said,
bobbing into an almost curtsey. “I’m so pleased to meet you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon stifled another sigh. She was going to be difficult
to keep track of. Roydan wasn’t the only man in court to like a pretty face. “I’m
pleased to meet you too, Jessamine,” he said. “I’m told you’re ready to
apprentice. How old are you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m twenty-two, sir.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon turned to Jordell, an eyebrow raised. “Really? A
twenty-two-year-old? My raw recruit days are well behind me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’ll do you good,” Master Jordell said. “Anyway, the girl
can’t help her age. You went to war younger than that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“True. I’m not sure when it started looking so young
though.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordell snorted. “Wait until you’re my age!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No thanks.” He turned back to the girl, who had watched the
exchange with her head tilted to one side. “My apologies, Jessamine. I’m a
little out of sorts today. Apparently you’re very skilled already, so I’m sure
you’ll do fine. Even if I’m not sure what you’ll learn from me at court.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She straightened up with a smile. “No problem, sir. I hope
you don’t mind that I asked to be matched with you. When I heard the famous
Bloodhawk needed a physician’s apprentice—”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon held up a hand to stop her. “Do you want to be a
physician or a soldier?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A physician, of course.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then don’t talk to me about Bloodhawk. And stop calling me ‘sir.’
Brannon is fine.” He stood up and pulled what was left of his shirt around him.
The top of her head barely reached his chin. “Now, tell me about your patient.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, he’ll need some time to heal and we’ll have to work
his arm to get full movement back to his shoulder, but, for the losing side of
a trial by combat, he’s in remarkably good shape,” Jessamine said, leading the
way back to where Darnec Raldene lay, now sleeping thanks to an application of
fumes. “Although he must be very skilled because he managed to cut the King’s Champion
and people say that’s only happened once before.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon studied Darnec’s wounds. The thigh damage was
minimal. The skewered shoulder had two physicians working on it still. The
abdominal cut was stitched surprisingly well, a red belt across his middle with
black notches all the way across. “Good work. Put the stitches a little closer
together next time, but good.” He looked up at her and pointed to the scar on
his own cheek. “And if you really believe I got through the entire war with
only one scratch, you’re an idiot.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jessamine grinned. “No. But I have to admit, the legend of
it is appealing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brannon rolled his eyes. “Appealing to idiots. But there may
be hope for you yet.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She gave her little curtsey-bob again. “I hope so.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sir Brannon Kesh!” A voice sounded loudly from the doorway
where a messenger in full court livery waited for an answer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The king has sent for you. Something’s happened to his
cousin.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To continue reading, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWZOTWS/">click here</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-64808347963418150592016-09-10T17:18:00.001-07:002016-09-10T17:18:43.094-07:00Granted - Thank you SpecFicNZ!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw8dJbkYDaLDM7jXJGRalGU8eAgmlqpBhSupcrEZ1SfltnFEOAiAY30CJPYaSXSfNea2da_Q4Dcr7mKsxTD-kTNelp7i5qMuq1OCyLqwLP5d-aSU2jOc99cbGb9_-18LY1TTUf0vn75Q/s1600/SpecFicNZ+-+planet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw8dJbkYDaLDM7jXJGRalGU8eAgmlqpBhSupcrEZ1SfltnFEOAiAY30CJPYaSXSfNea2da_Q4Dcr7mKsxTD-kTNelp7i5qMuq1OCyLqwLP5d-aSU2jOc99cbGb9_-18LY1TTUf0vn75Q/s200/SpecFicNZ+-+planet1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
You may have asked yourself (if you've been following my career and are exceptionally astute), "What happened to that prize winning novel manuscript, Agents of Kalanon?"<br />
For those who aren't aware of it, Agents of Kalanon won first prize in an unpublished novel manuscript competition run by SpecFicNZ a few years back. It's a murder mystery in a fantasy world recovering from war and where things are not always as they seem.<br />
I'm thrilled to say that the book, now titled "Kalanon's Rising" will be released very soon thanks to a financial grant from <a href="http://specfic.nz/">SpecFicNZ</a> and will be the first in a series of adventures for these characters.<br />
<br />
Want to stay ahead of the Agents of Kalanon news? <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">Sign up to my newsletter. </a> The next issue will include a sneak peek at the cover and also a free preview sample. Don't miss out!Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-69236050877265732842016-09-01T02:19:00.003-07:002016-09-01T02:19:42.329-07:00Currents of Change Wins Two Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjiwp1G7G6ZG-5PeFdZcQWflPlyMvjNgFB6NiiAv2k5f6G1bkaiUj-K_M-3O82B1Zqi42jphbHbIRTC7TG8_kGb6_o767XyWRycV42-W_tNfbIk08oyqqNehwRMARDLkWJD-f6CKOCcc/s320/awards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm thrilled and grateful to say Currents of Change has won two Koru Awards! One for Best First Novel, and one for the Best Short and Sweet category. I'm on cloud 9 and don't plan on coming down any time soon. Look at the pretty trophies! <br />
The Korus are given out by RWNZ to recognize excellence in published books from the previous year. There was some hot competition and a lot of talented authors so I was pretty much just enjoying the awards dinner without any real expectations so to win both categories my book was eligible for just blew my mind.<br />
A huge thank you to RWNZ for running these awards.<br />
If you'd like to check out the other winners and fabulous finalists, you can see a list of <a href="http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/contest-results-2015-2016/">results here</a>.<br />
Or, of course, if you'd like to read Currents of Change, you can get a copy from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I">Amazon </a>or ask at your local bookstore.<br />
<br />
(As an aside, I know I haven't posted in this blog for a while but there is some exciting news coming. Sign up to my <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">mailing list</a> to make sure you don't miss out!)<br />
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<br />Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-59541495252912256962016-04-08T22:49:00.002-07:002016-04-08T22:57:19.207-07:00What makes a book magical realism? <div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
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<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Author Tahlia Newland talks about her latest book and answers the question, "what is magical realism?" </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://tahlianewland.com/">Tahlia
Newland</a> has written and published nine books, three of which have won a <a href="http://www.bragmedallion.com/">BRAG Medallion</a> and an <a href="http://awesomeindies.net/about/the-seal-of-excellence/">Awesome Indies
Seal of Excellence</a>. She writes inspirational magical realism and fantasy,
and also makes <a href="http://tahliasmasks.com/">masquerade masks and
steampunk hats and accessories</a>. Her wardrobe is full of steampunk clothing
which she wears every day because beautiful clothes deserve to be worn.</span></i></div>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">She works as an editor for <a href="http://aiapublishing.com/">AIA Editing and AIA Publishing</a>, a
selective, author-funded publishing company. She also co-ordinates <a href="http://awesomeindies.net/">Awesome Indies Books’</a> accreditation
service for independently published books. She lives in an Australian
rainforest with a lovely husband and two cheeky Burmese kittens.</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></i><span lang="EN-AU" style="clear: right; color: #444444; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPigk2Q4LiEqfPEQVCE0Lp9JQU-pupQFFfNsYC71cO-yaKWa5Wy6c5bF7Q0ILerg7dWibcr5FV49-sI-Brfo3ZCmxUiR7vgdSQgJ-vLIpCEdf0w6IaeocYN0Bxi-UX2LIjM6ZDeEkJtXE/s1600/Tahlia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPigk2Q4LiEqfPEQVCE0Lp9JQU-pupQFFfNsYC71cO-yaKWa5Wy6c5bF7Q0ILerg7dWibcr5FV49-sI-Brfo3ZCmxUiR7vgdSQgJ-vLIpCEdf0w6IaeocYN0Bxi-UX2LIjM6ZDeEkJtXE/s200/Tahlia.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> Hi, I’m Tahlia Newland and I’ve just published
my ninth book, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Locksmith’s Secret. </span>I
call it<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </span>magical realism, but I could
also call it a metaphysical romance or a cosy mystery or a steampunk murder
mystery, so why call it magical realism? And what makes a book magical realism?</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">The answer to the first question is partially
that if I choose any of the other options as the one term to describe the
book’s genre, none of them quite gives the full feel of the style of the book.
You could call it metaphysical because the book has a contemplative nature, and
the central character, Prunella, is a Buddhist who struggles to apply her
Buddhist principles to her life’s challenges. She also has ‘visions’ of past
lives—or perhaps it’s an overactive imagination, she isn’t too sure. You could
call it a romance because the mystery involves Prunella’s (Ella for short)
boyfriend and the future of their relationship is in jeopardy. You can’t call
the whole book steampunk, because the steampunk is only one narrative
thread—it’s the book Ella is writing while the contemporary story is taking
place.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Because of the mix of genres, I could call it
literary fiction, and that would suffice to a degree, but it doesn’t give as
good a feel for the book as the term magical realism does. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">So what is magical realism exactly? Here’s
what Wikapedia says about it.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">“Magical realism is an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics" title="Aesthetics"><span style="color: #8d4984; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">aesthetic style</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genre" title="Genre"><span style="color: #8d4984; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">genre</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction" title="Fiction"><span style="color: #8d4984; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">fiction</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_realism#cite_note-0"><sup><span style="color: #8d4984; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; text-decoration: none;">[1]</span></sup></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">in which<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical" title="Magical"><span style="color: #8d4984; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">magical</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> </span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">elements blend with the real world. The story explains these
magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner
that places the “real” and the “fantastic” in the same stream of thought. It is
a film, literary and visual art genre.”</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In magical realism the magical elements are
there to emphasize something, usually a characters perception or inner
experience. They illuminate reality, help us look at our reality in a different
way. The magical elements usually have their basis in metaphors which are
extended until they become a tangible part of the characters experience.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">For example, the main magical element in The
Locksmith’s Secret is an ethereal city. Here’s a description of it:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif";">“I’m in outer space, walking
down in the middle of a road in an unlit transparent city. The outlines of the
buildings glow white against the dark sky, like a line drawing, and I can see
through all the walls and floors. Skyscrapers tower over me on both sides of
the road, but the city is empty, not a soul in sight. No furniture fills the
rooms and no lights shine inside. Deep space surrounds this city which
stretches on and on around me, perhaps to infinity. Like an artist’s drawing with
perfect perspective, lines converge into vanishing points everywhere I look.”</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Ella’s experience of searching for the
locksmith who is the only living soul in this ephemeral city illuminates the
psychological aspects of her search in reality for the answer to the mystery of
what her locksmith boyfriend is hiding. This thread, incorporated as dreams,
gives a surreal feel to the overall book, something I want to hint at in my
description. That and the fact that the story also includes narrative threads
from memories and past lives that parallel and add a deeper dimension to the
present events is why I call it magical realism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="background: rgb(246 , 247 , 248) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; clear: right; color: #141823; float: right; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vEvh7oBki47lvdqhazHPrqkaOkC-G8WlvWiSTjIPuuRNI7iy38ITkJH_MnW_IgST3O3nNOzWJ0bggucccq9uDct9cPv4-VmvOENSGp6U4ROjEQ18gPzqYZcW31JN8YojiF_Hmpya8Qg/s1600/locksmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vEvh7oBki47lvdqhazHPrqkaOkC-G8WlvWiSTjIPuuRNI7iy38ITkJH_MnW_IgST3O3nNOzWJ0bggucccq9uDct9cPv4-VmvOENSGp6U4ROjEQ18gPzqYZcW31JN8YojiF_Hmpya8Qg/s320/locksmith.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="background: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Description of
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Locksmith’s Secret </span>by Tahlia
Newland.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="background: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ella’s locksmith boyfriend Jamie seems to be her perfect
match—at least until a death in the family calls him back to England. While
he’s gone, Ella discovers he’s hiding something so astounding that it
completely changes her perception of him and his place in her world.<br />
<br />
While Jamie struggles with family responsibilities, Ella’s steampunk murder
mystery is developing a life of its own, raising disturbing memories of her
time as a striptease artist and a past life as a sexually abused Italian nun.
She also dreams of an ephemeral city, where she seeks to unravel the
locksmith’s secret and find the key that opens a door to other realities.<br />
<br />
All these, together with a lost brother, a desperate mother, a demanding cat,
and a struggle to live up to Buddhist ideals, weave together in a rich tapestry
that creates an extraordinary work of magical realism.</span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Does this sound like the kind of book you
might be interested in?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">BUY NOW</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://geni.us/3yLF" target="_blank"><span style="background: #555555; border: solid #dddddd 1.0pt; color: white; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 7.0pt; text-decoration: none;">kindle store</span></a></span><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/617642" target="_blank"><span style="background: #555555; border: solid #dddddd 1.0pt; color: white; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 7.0pt; text-decoration: none;">smashwords </span></a> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-locksmith-s-secret-1" target="_blank"><span style="background: #555555; border: solid #dddddd 1.0pt; color: white; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 7.0pt; text-decoration: none;"> kobo</span></a></span><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-locksmiths-secret-tahlia-newland/1123461686?ean=2940152872941" target="_blank"><span style="background: #555555; border: solid #dddddd 1.0pt; color: white; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; font-weight: normal; padding: 7.0pt; text-decoration: none;">barnes & noble</span></a> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://geni.us/3sQU" target="_blank"><span style="background: #555555; border: solid #dddddd 1.0pt; color: white; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 7.0pt; text-decoration: none;">apple</span></a></span><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Amazon </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://geni.us/3yLF" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;">http://geni.us/3yLF</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Barnes and Noble</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-locksmiths-secret-tahlia-newland/1123461686?ean=2940152872941" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-locksmiths-secret-tahlia-newland/1123461686?ean=2940152872941</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">itunes </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://geni.us/3sQU" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">http://geni.us/3sQU</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Kobo:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-locksmith-s-secret-1" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-locksmith-s-secret-1</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Smashwords</span></b><span lang="EN-AU">: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/617642" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/617642</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"></span></i><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 21.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">You can find out
more about me and my other books—a fantasy series, a book of short stories, two
other magical realism books and a book of writing tips—on my website at </span></span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.tahlianewland.com"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">www.tahlianewland.com</span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"></span></span></span></i></div>
<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
</span></i><br />
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<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">
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</span></i>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-88735139204479715422016-03-29T03:33:00.002-07:002016-03-29T03:33:15.811-07:00Sir Julius Vogel Award Finalists<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.sffanz.org.nz/images/SFFANZLogoWebHeader.gif" width="150" /> </div>
<br />
The finalists for the 2016 Sir Julius Vogel Awards have been announced!<br />
I'm thrilled to have made the cut in three categories - Best Novel for "Currents of Change", Best Collected Work for "Shifting Worlds", and Best Short Story for "Drag Marks". I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to all those who nominated my work and to the organisers of the awards - as well as congratulations to the other authors who were nominated. This is a great opportunity to showcase New Zealand speculative fiction.<br />
Winners are decided in June and more information about the Sir Julius Vogel Awards can be found <a href="http://www.sffanz.org.nz/Welcome.shtml">here</a>. <br />
<br />
The finalists are:<br />
<h2 style="page-break-after: auto;">
Professional Award Nominees</h2>
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<td bgcolor="white" style="background: white; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Novel</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="white" style="background: white; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="Nominee">
Ardus - Jean Gilbert</div>
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<div class="Nominee">
Mariah's Dream - Grace Bridges</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Vestiges of Flames - Lyn McConchie</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Currents of Change - Darian Smith</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Shards of Ice - Catherine Mede </div>
<div class="Nominee">
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<div class="Nominee">
Sun Touched - J.C. Hart</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td bgcolor="#BFBFBF" style="background: #BFBFBF; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Youth Novel</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#BFBFBF" style="background: #BFBFBF; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="Nominee">
The Caretaker of Imagination - Z. R. Southcombe</div>
<br /><div class="Nominee">
Dragons Realm (You Say Which Way) - Eileen Mueller</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Brave's Journey - Jan Goldie </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Lucy's Story: The End of the World - Z. R. Southcombe </div>
<br /><div class="Nominee">
Deadline Delivery - Peter Friend</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Novella / Novelette</h3>
</td>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="Nominee">
Pocket Wife - I. K. Paterson-Harkness </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
</div>
<div class="Nominee">
The Way the Sky Curves - J. C. Hart</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
The Molenstraat Music Festival - Sean Monaghan</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
The Last - Grant Stone </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
The Ghost of Matter - Octavia Cade</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Burn (Maiden, Mother, Crone, bk 1) - J. C. Hart</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Bree's Dinosaur - A. C. Buchanan </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Short Story</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“The Thief's Tale” - </span>Lee Murray</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“Pride” - </span>Jean Gilbert</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“Floodgate” - </span>Dan Rabarts </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“The Shelver” - </span>Piper Mejia</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“The Harpsicord Elf” - </span>Sean Monoghan</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“Drag Marks” - </span>Darian Smith</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Collected Work</h3>
</td>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="Nominee">
Shifting Worlds: a collection of short stories - Darian Smith</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Shortcuts: Track 1 - Marie Hodgkinson (ed) </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
The Survivors: Heroic Edition - V. L. Dreyer</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
Write Off Line 2015: The Earth We Knew - Jean Gilbert </div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="Nominee">
SpecFicNZ Shorts - SpecFicNZ </div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Beyond the Veil: A collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Lauren Haddock/Jessica Harvey (eds)</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Professional Artwork</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Cover of The Earth We Knew: A Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Kodi Murray</div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Cover for Shortcuts – Track 1</div>
<div class="Nominee">
K.C. Bailey </div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Cover for Pisces of Fate</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Henry Christian-Sloane </div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Cover for Miss Lionheart and the Laboratory of Death</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Imojen Faith Hancock</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Professional Production/Publication</h3>
</td>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
<span style="font-style: normal;">“Ahead of her time and lost in time: on feminism, gender, and bisexuality”</span></div>
<div class="Nominee">
AJ Fitzwater </div>
<div class="Nominee">
In <em>Letters to Tiptree</em>, Twelfth Planet Press </div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
The Face of Oblivion</div>
<div class="Nominee">
A LARP written by Catherine Pegg </div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
White Cloud Worlds Anthology 3</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Paul Tobin (ed), published by Weta Workshop</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Fan Award Nominees<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></h2>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" height="78" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Fan Production/ Publication</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="background: #CCCCCC; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Phoenixine</div>
<div class="Nominee">
John & Lynelle Howell</div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Novazine</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Jacqui Smith</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="white" style="background: white; padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best Fan Writing</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="white" style="background: white; padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
John Toon</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Available in <em>Phoenixine</em></div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
June Young</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Available in <em>Phoenixine</em></div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Jacqui Smith</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Available in <em>Phoenixine</em></div>
<div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Terri Doyle</div>
<div class="Nominee">
Available in <em>Novazine</em></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top"><h3>
Best Fan Artist</h3>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#CCCCCC"><div class="NomineeHeadingEmph">
Keith Smith</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Special Award Nominees</h2>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Best New Talent</h3>
<div class="Nominee">
(Nominations are numbered to aid clarity — the number has no other significance).</div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
1. Jean Gilbert </div>
<br /><div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
2. Octavia Cade</div>
<br /><div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
3. Y. K. Willemse</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
<div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
4. Eileen Mueller</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top" width="35%"><h3>
Services To Science Fiction, Fantasy And Horror</h3>
<div class="Nominee">
(Nominations are numbered to aid clarity — the number has no other significance).</div>
<div class="Nominee">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" width="65%"><div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
1. Marie Hodgkinson</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 6pt;" valign="top"><h3>
Services To Fandom</h3>
<div class="Nominee">
(Nominations are numbered to aid clarity — the number has no other significance).</div>
</td>
<td class="Nominee" style="padding: 6pt;"><div class="SpecialAwardNominee">
1. Glenn Young</div>
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-43662481505850993952016-03-14T21:11:00.000-07:002016-03-15T02:32:29.833-07:00Even Space Invaders Need Love - Interviewing Mary Brock Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.marybrockjones.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.marybrockjones.com/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgS9Ngdvh4K9AbFSbeDnmwCY1sScIPL81FMFBAy7eXGRGMI6_f5gcFmOhYnPjTolYznAPNzeAwzkK9aeXXKPky6iS_0pssgUjMHvn_p8l55W4ZC5d6hk14Hce1VNDfW5C85C7cFRIqgeg/s1600/Mary-Brock-Jones1-284x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Award-winning author Mary Brock Jones is a shining example of a writer who manages to straddle who seemingly separate genres. She writes historical romance and futuristic science fiction and is a very active member of both Romance Writers of NZ and SpecFicNZ. She also straddles traditional and indie publishing as a hybrid author. I recently got a chance to talk to her about how she manages to balance these sides of herself and, in particular, how she was able to bring romance and sci-fi together in the exciting Hathe series which tells the story of a couple on opposite sides of an interplanetary conflict.<br />
<br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You write both romance and sci-fi. What draws you to each genre?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> I like stories
about people, about the things that matter to people, and romance definitely
ticks that box. As well as that, I enjoy the world <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">building side of writing - whether it’s science fiction or historical
romance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Archaeology was top of my
career list when I was a child, as I’d <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fallen
in love with ancient civilisations, particularly with their myths and legends.
So science fiction and fantasy aren’t too big a leap from there. I think I
first started reading science fiction in my teens, and academically I tended
towards the biological sciences so the two gelled nicely. I still love museums
and old stuff as well though. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking back, it was always the stories of the past and of the future
that fascinated me, as much as how they built roads or conquered the worlds.
How did people live in those different times, and how might people live in the
future. Which is probably why my science fiction novels have a strong romantic
theme to them, though the stories can be rather edgier and with darker endings.
But in all of them, it’s the people that matter.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you find your style changes between them?</span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It changes a bit
between historical and science fiction more than between romance and
non-romance stories. The historical are slightly more formal in style with fewer
contractions. It’s not a straight replication of how people talked in Victorian
times, but more has a feel of their style . I’ve read a lot of recollections
and social histories of the period of my books (the NZ gold rush) and so you
come to have a sense of their way of looking at their world and their use of
language. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> And do you find you blend the two?</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not really, unless
it’s called for by the culture of a particular SciFi group of characters. In “Torn”,
the book I’m writing at the moment, my heroine is from a cultural grouping
which places a high value on formal manners in language and speech, so I guess
the historical style has seeped in there. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X2X6C2C/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="www.amazon.com/dp/B00X2X6C2C/" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUoBkCSOOe_kRdSOIItPpe5iAloEvXMfZLcWxkH93NnEFJg9rdyN1wpRyMsytBP3kM66a9MH7PAaIbL4VyyzzgfDWFyLNoUUADcaK7IYeS4uvXrKnhpvAAmNMjKYUygw9z3w1qWuujkg/s320/ResistanceFinal-FJM_High_Res_1800x2700.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What can you tell us about the recently released Hathe series and what
inspired you to write it?</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hathe was my first
book, and began as a dream. Very occasionally, I’ll get dreams which are like
being in the middle of a film or TV programme. A complete story unfolding
before me. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">That one gave me
the setting (similar to the Desert Rd, cold temperate desert of the New
Zealand’s North Island) as well as the two main characters - a heroine who belonged to a
secret resistance organisation and the hero who had to break her and find what
she knew to save his own people. Mind you, the nature of the characters was
nothing like in the final Hathe. They were both much older for a start, and the
hero was softer, more easily hurt. I do love Hamon, my hero, but life has made
him one tough SOB.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XN1IEQK/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XN1IEQK/" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEy8uawQEYLb9mOfGVqu39awaBzamBxEkoVaQpwLTajb1U2dJuuTeDnYe7187qaf6zGNPu_hn2s4BFqOWGsBiEF6XKR_WcljlGk6JWsjUFyZtkk6ofg2_xE_TDlhnmCSj4wFmK03Ku9M/s320/PayThePiperFinal-FJM_High_Res_1800x2700.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hathe series is a colonialism story in space. Did you draw on
your history as a New Zealander to inform this?</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Definitely. At the
time, I was feeling very bolshy about being from the Southern Hemisphere. As
most of the world’s people live in the Northern Hemisphere, our seasons, our
stars and our physical world are often marked as ‘different’, while cultural
festivals <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such as Christmas are said to
be at “the wrong time”, which annoyed me immensely. So the Hathians may be
human, may have descended from colonisers from Earth, but they have their own
ways of doing things and very much belong to Hathe, not Earth. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What messages about colonialism would you like people to take away from
the Hathe books?</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you mean, the rights or wrongs of
colonialism, I can’t say I was thinking of that at the time, although as a
child of a colonial country you grow up aware of the issues, of the massive
rate of cultural change inflicted on indigenous peoples during colonisation. However,
I did have a strong sense of belonging to the New World, and of coming from a
place and part of the world that was different from the established world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Book Two, Marthe asks Hamon why Earth
didn’t ask for help to overcome its resources shortfall to provide for a
massive population.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“And no one ever
thought to look at the rest of the Alliance planets, to see if maybe we had
solved the problems you couldn’t?”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Why should we? Earth’s
population still exceeds that of all the newer Alliance planets combined. We
had minds enough of our own to come up with solutions that would work for
Earth.”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yes, but not minds
that had been challenged as they were on the other worlds. Don’t you know how
the original colonies were settled?” she demanded. “Set up on an <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ad hoc</span> basis. Earth’s only interest lay
in how many people they could be rid of and what could be milked from the new
worlds. But we didn’t sink as we should have. We swam, finding the answers to
questions you of Earth never even dreamed existed. And now you expect us to
understand you? To rescue you, even?”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Is that so
unreasonable?” Hamon threw back defensively. “Do you have no sense of duty, of
heritage? Earth is the home of humanity!”</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I have a nostalgic
sense of interest, yes, but this is my home. I was born on Hathe, as were my
parents, my grandparents, and generations before. This world—it’s who I am!
Against that, all you offer is the sop of your own ignorance?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The phrase “finding the answers to questions you of
Earth never even dreamed existed” sums up my approach to the changes in New
Zealand over the colonial period. The settlers here had to leave behind the
ways of their home countries because they just didn’t work here. It’s one point
where my historical and SciFi research has definitely come together. </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s interesting that it is the humans from Earth are the “baddies” in
Hathe in the sense that they’re oppressing the indigenous population and as
readers we find ourselves supporting the "alien" underdogs. What made you
decide to write it that way around?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s part of the
above. The Hathians were like me, a descendant of migrants, and the Terrans
those human who had never left their home planet. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As an author, you’d be considered a “hybrid” in the sense that you’ve
been traditionally published and indie published. Do you have a
preference or any advice about that for other authors?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My first books were
published by Escape Publishing, the digital branch of Harlequin Australia. I’m
very grateful for what I learnt with working with a traditional publisher, and
the staff of Harlequin are amazingly supportive of their authors. It’s also the
most successful book publishing company on the planet, so is a very good
introduction to the business of publishing. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Plus they paid for
the editing, cover design and initial promotional pushes such as Netgalley.
Indie publishing is </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">very<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> expensive, and don’t imagine
you’re going to make much money - if any! Harlequin also has established
pathways to announce your releases, so that helps in rising a bit higher in the
huge pool of new books coming out all the time. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">However, as an
author, you also lose much of the control of your book. What I love as an Indie
author is having total control of the final book. It says what I want it to
say, whether or not that is commercially viable. There is a scene in Hathe that
I knew would put off a publisher, as it has an element of sexual assault. I
thought hard about whether it needs to be there, but it definitely does. That
scene brings into stark reality the ugliness of what Hamon and Marthe are being
forced to do to each other. They must spy on each other, with little hope of
any kind of a future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To do otherwise
could cost the very survival of each of their peoples. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Speaking of hybrids, should we expect a hybrid baby in Hathe? I
hear there’s another book coming out soon.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I do have another
book ready soon, but it’s the first of a different series. I’m also about a quarter
way through writing the sequel to Hathe. It’s the story of Jacquel, Marthe’s oldest
friend, and covers what happens on Hathe afterwards. At the moment, that one’s
going to be Indie published. It’s very definitely a sequel, so I can’t see a
publisher taking it on as a stand alone book. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What other projects are you working on?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve finished the
first book in my new environmental/political suspense scifi series set on the
planet Arcadia and it’s with an editor at the moment. It also has a strong
romantic element, with a couple of very different main characters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still deciding whether to try taking that
down the traditional route, or indie publish it, but I do have a cover for it,
which I love. It has horses and a spaceship, shades of “Firefly’!</span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coming Soon:</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Torn</span></i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Fee and Caleb
must change their world to save it, even if it means their families reject them,
the lands they love will never be the same and despite neither quite trusting
the other.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>For more from Mary Brock Jones, check out her website at <a href="http://www.marybrockjones.com/">www.marybrockjones.com</a> or her Amazon profile <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Brock-Jones/e/B00BV3WKS0/">here</a>.</b></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i></div>
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Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-56091544561046600362016-02-16T13:55:00.000-08:002016-02-16T13:55:07.460-08:00Paranormal Love Blog HopI've never been in a Blog Hop before so here's my chance. Time to find some great new paranormal stories to read. Information on my book, Currents of Change, is below, followed by a link to <a href="http://paranormallovewednesdays.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/paranormal-love-wednesday-blog-hop-feb_12.html?zx=c120eddc0a041864">Paranormal Love Wednesdays</a>, where you can hop to other blogs and find more books! Have fun.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYbNt6YRZ43S66t5OoHotogv4HgajlKICy1gv7ZciPSI0cJG-kAWrBU4ZhyQfh1wCvcm-ikPpclQzoprmZLG3JD1Vty4Cf2lRgpbLic5Ab7NmNM-Qcin9Hc2UT2Zb4cW9Yjgaqswh78k/s320/Currents+of+Change+3D.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I"><b>Currents of Change</b></a><br />
A suspenseful novel about magic, secrets, a haunted house, and a touch of romance.<br />Haunted house. Haunted heart.<br />When
Sara O'Neill goes on the run, she believes the tiny New Zealand town of
Kowhiowhio is just the sanctuary she needs. Her family's old colonial
house needs repair, but it's safe from the abusive husband she left
behind. However, a hostile local holds a grudge and a dangerous
presence haunting her new home threatens Sara's chance at peace. How
can she create a new life while dealing with ghosts from the old?<br />For
local electrician, Nate Adams, parenting his young daughter alone has
not been easy - particularly in a town where he is still seen as an
outsider. When he meets his new neighbour, he sees a chance at a new
start for them both. Even with his help, can the house - or Sara's
heart - be repaired?<br />Someone doesn't want an O'Neill in Kowhiowhio. Sara's return is awakening secrets hidden for generations.<br />Why has the house never had electricity? What was the fate of Sara's ancestors?<br />Can she discover the ghost's story before it's too late?<br />The truth will set...something...free.<br />
<br />
Get your copy from Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I">here</a>. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I">http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I</a><br />
<br />
And check out what else is available at <a href="http://paranormallovewednesdays.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/paranormal-love-wednesday-blog-hop-feb_12.html?zx=c120eddc0a041864">Paranormal Love Wednesdays Blog Hop</a>.<br />
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-49983997226938904822016-02-13T03:01:00.000-08:002016-02-13T03:01:47.079-08:00SJV Award Nomination Season<div class="_6a _6b">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaRIIIrPcY6NvXQvKEZxamuZ9pppV8lxyHSzXMKXLR-Pqz1Q-U8CxBbbCGpl0RmOIqjkLFqUPuInW2iFpa70xUBoNJGU80XSxvHIZBH49FIwSZVer-K5NSOiyWtstmsYbe9MAVKjam4o/s1600/Sir-Julius-web-620x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaRIIIrPcY6NvXQvKEZxamuZ9pppV8lxyHSzXMKXLR-Pqz1Q-U8CxBbbCGpl0RmOIqjkLFqUPuInW2iFpa70xUBoNJGU80XSxvHIZBH49FIwSZVer-K5NSOiyWtstmsYbe9MAVKjam4o/s320/Sir-Julius-web-620x350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It's that
time of year again - the nominating period for this year's <a href="http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAwardsNominationGuidelines.shtml" target="_blank">Sir Julius Vogel awards</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span>Don't forget to put in your nominations before the February 28 deadline!</div>
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These awards recognise New Zealand Speculative
Fiction and the more nominations a work receives, the better its chances
of making it to the final ballot.<br /> If you liked a work released in 2015, please support it with nominations. </div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Each nomination needs to be in a separate email to: <a href="mailto:sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz">sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz</a> which should state that you'd like to nominate the work, what category it is eligible for, name, author, etc and your contact details as well.</span><br /> </div>
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If one of the works you liked is mine, EVEN BETTER!</div>
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<br /> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I">Currents of Change</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Worlds-collection-short-stories-ebook/dp/B0121OUVS8">Shifting Worlds</a></b> are both eligible, as are several of the short stories wit<span class="text_exposed_show">hin the Shifting Worlds collection, such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suitor-short-Shifting-Worlds-collection-ebook/dp/B018M65ZW6">A Suitor</a>, The Girl in the Window, & <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drag-Marks-Shifting-Worlds-collection-ebook/dp/B018XJXZII">Drag Marks</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> </span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show"> If you're nominating my work, the info you need to include is...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow">For Currents of Change:</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1. Name / Title of work - Currents of Change</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2. Name of Producer / Author / Creator -
Darian Smith</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3. What the work is - Novel</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">4. Year of First Release - 2015</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">5. What category you think the nomination
belongs to i.e. Fan awards, Professional awards - professional awards, Best
Novel</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">6. GENRE - science fiction, fantasy or horror
- Fantasy</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">7. Contact details of the person making the
nomination e.g. email or/and phone number - YOUR DETAILS GO HERE</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">For Shifting Worlds:</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1. Name / Title of work - Shifting Worlds</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2. Name of Producer / Author / Creator -
Darian Smith</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3. What the work is - Collected work</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">4. Year of First Release - 2015</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">5. What category you think the nomination
belongs to i.e. Fan awards, Professional awards - professional awards, Best
Collected Work</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">6. GENRE - science fiction, fantasy or horror
- Fantasy & Science Fiction</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">7. Contact details of the person making the
nomination e.g. email or/and phone number - YOUR DETAILS GO HERE</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">For one of the short stories
(adjust the details to match the story):</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1. Name / Title of work – (WHICHEVER STORY IT
IS THAT YOU’RE NOMINATING)</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2. Name of Producer / Author / Creator -
Darian Smith</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3. What the work is – Short story</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">4. Year of First Release - 2015</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">5. What category you think the nomination
belongs to i.e. Fan awards, Professional awards - professional awards, Best
Short Story</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">6. GENRE - science fiction, fantasy or horror
– Fantasy or Science Fiction</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">7. Contact details of the person making the
nomination e.g. email or/and phone number - YOUR DETAILS GO HERE</span><br />
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Thanks heaps for your support of me and other kiwi writers!! <br /> It is greatly appreciated.</div>
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-27248959338415355572016-02-12T20:40:00.000-08:002016-02-12T20:40:51.359-08:00Language Matters for LoveWith Valentine's Day looming, it's interesting to note the impact that grammar, spelling, and all around good use of language can have on a person's luck in love.<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8b0652e0-ba4c-0b36-44d3-6fab53627145" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="https://www.grammarly.com/spell-check" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.grammarly.com/spell-check</span></a> has done some research based on response stats for online dating and the results might surprise some of us...but not others. Knowing the rules of language makes you attractive. Good grammar is sexy! So double check your apostrophes, make sure you know whether it's their, they're, or there, and have yourself a great time this Valentine's Day!<br />
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<br />
<img alt="Valentine's Day Grammar 2016 Infographic" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21237" src="http://contenthub-static.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Valentines2016-final-copy.jpg" height="" width="600" />Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-40593225538036934892016-02-06T20:26:00.002-08:002016-02-06T20:26:29.209-08:00Catch a glimpse of a Taniwha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0994101554" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="www.amazon.com/dp/0994101554" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_u1SmVnYX2LD10HSAQaJKTYSHzad1hn2Uo2IoNd3EmbhChtZ5vsdNoCmzQgJDt8JIw7yn2qLcAG00DTc70d4N-4KNlbLZ9bSrGi38Fi59pGU-ciAZAO5KGidRD5mCTuo6jCKWYUStH98/s320/taniwha.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
Towards the end of last year, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the launch of a new book for children.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0994101554">Taniwha</a> is a delightful story, written by Mike Johnson and illustrated by Jennifer Rackham, about New Zealand's most intriguing mythical monster. Intended to be read aloud to youngsters or used as an early reader, it asks the pressing question: Just what does a Taniwha look like anyway?<br />
The launch was part of the Writer's festival on Waiheke Island, where Mike lives, and featured a reading by the author, Q&A with both of them, and a treasure hunt through the library. Heaps of fun!<br />
Despite being a big kid myself, I restrained myself from entering the search for clues - perhaps pointing the occasional child in the direction of one they might have missed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhPMg_ZUyAnT9AnEw7EU-7Vq3nutsYKK2s3LFUOqq8eLTalL4WJtRcKMuUQv463i-oP9ZUf2OC8-N6jTB9ZoEiGIUy6dEwotJZKPcWgF5MojcV04JH5B8v6B_IcxQkGISt1o8EyINk8E/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhPMg_ZUyAnT9AnEw7EU-7Vq3nutsYKK2s3LFUOqq8eLTalL4WJtRcKMuUQv463i-oP9ZUf2OC8-N6jTB9ZoEiGIUy6dEwotJZKPcWgF5MojcV04JH5B8v6B_IcxQkGISt1o8EyINk8E/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Afterward, I joined Mike and Jennifer at Mike's house on Waiheke Island for a delicious platter of food, excellent conversation, and one of the most beautiful bush views I've seen in a long time. Mike has truly embraced the back to nature atmosphere of Waiheke and it creates an inspirational space for him to write. He's had many books published both traditionally and now self published.<br />
Jennifer works in Auckland city and takes art commissions, creating beautiful images with a keen understanding of what's needed to tell the story. She's also writer herself.<br />
<br />
So if you're looking for a fun little book for the kids, with a bit of New Zealand heritage as well, check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0994101554">Taniwha</a>. I'm sure your kids will enjoy it as much as I did!<br />
You can get a sneak preview of the book <a href="http://www.lasavia.co.nz/taniwha-a-childrens-book/">here </a>or buy it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0994101554">Amazon</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcpJSJ-2VFrab34Io8gFoyuMIU3lrxWQyJyyNfNUoodXpOoUMk1aWPzTnYRAEp9cC6MnP-QyNiSkB4wm7k9hMaIvEUFVjr9y8gr3Tyrx4ZWYsVKTS5XlgRDjXrd-LNzNJECRw7kKAI3E/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcpJSJ-2VFrab34Io8gFoyuMIU3lrxWQyJyyNfNUoodXpOoUMk1aWPzTnYRAEp9cC6MnP-QyNiSkB4wm7k9hMaIvEUFVjr9y8gr3Tyrx4ZWYsVKTS5XlgRDjXrd-LNzNJECRw7kKAI3E/s320/011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-10837797166268336042016-01-01T20:54:00.000-08:002016-01-01T20:54:15.712-08:00Speak like Yoda you canWith the launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (loved it!) people are letting their fandom run free and it's great!<br />
One of the fun aspects of the Star Wars universe is that it is populated with fun, quirky characters. None more so than Yoda. Check out the Grammarly.com guide to speaking like a Jedi master, using Yoda as your guide. It's kinda hilarious.<br />
Thanks to <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><a href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GrammarlyInc./0cdc506263/075acb2432/e67ad59ce7">https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check</a></span> for providing this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/star-wars/" target="_blank"><img alt="Yodify your Grammar Infographic" src="http://contenthub-static.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Yoda-Inf..jpg" width="800" /></a>
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-43316534899086385572015-12-05T02:46:00.001-08:002015-12-05T02:46:25.691-08:00Launching Short Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9nibqRtFI8o_jWQFnRxHsuA04cPRKH3oJSmGHHU6Pf2D-jxB8qfwfbCnNZB6IweU1j5RmYTXulvEEvpqzWy76IPLK5iy_l3Es6hJBOCikH7q_sx0rgChQ6Ms1rPsxkQ3GEE-ic_pSnk/s320/Shifting+Worlds+full+cover+v2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As the year comes near the close and I'm busy working on my next novel, it occurred to me that it might be fun to release a few of my short stories from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8">Shifting Worlds</a> collection as single short reads available on their own for $0.99.<br />
Those of you who have seen the Shifting Worlds cover may have realised that the objects in each of the bubbles relate to particular stories within the collection. The stories being released on their own will use the related bubble as their own cover, showing how they connect to the cover from the collection itself.<br />
The first two stories are available now. Others will be released throughout the next couple of months.<br />
Don't forget, you can get the entire collection of 16 stories for just <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8">$2.99</a> on Amazon.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018M65ZW6" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018M65ZW6" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoENiI-uPX1BlBQvukwY7AAZPivZR0jPST8m9DT-lnOcOMKQL_dcp7tZ47l_tFGMh0BTQMs37c8jMnx0KgDe_OvNlEP8D0Zj-GS9aWRSbEhNjrUPV2n5KmACeek6XXZY9_bFWbQheeTM/s200/A+Suitor.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018M65ZW6"><b>A Suitor</b></a><br />
In a world where magic can be gained or lost through physical intimacy
or with blood, falling in love means sharing your power and trust is
hard to find. When Marcus Delanio sets his sights on the most magical -
and nearly immortal - woman in the city, she must decide what she is
willing to risk for a final chance at love.
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018XJXZII" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018XJXZII" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSKoqEzbot2mkLdt7ZHNJqiCl5g3k5cTM9XqMtrWeO9irEbS36zqv_wG6kVYIQho0ZfaiHV0H-nCWPCuNDXYviGWqcfWaB9emyo17hAUHLfBj5kwnyEw4icy4waNDtk6Fd7LcdgtbF2E/s200/Drag+Marks2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018XJXZII"><b>Drag Marks</b> </a><br />
Drag queens may not be the expected heroes of a zombie apocalypse, but these two make survival look good. They're joining up with a disabled neighbor to fight off reanimated corpses. Who says the end of the world can't be faaaabulous?
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-86803079678824107792015-11-10T16:45:00.001-08:002015-11-11T11:25:21.583-08:005 Writing Mistakes to Avoid Whether you're constructing the next great literary novel, writing a short story for the magazine or anthology market, or hammering the keys as you power your way through NaNoWriMo, these are good things to keep in mind.<br />
Thanks to <span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check">https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check</a></span> for this graphic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/five-mistakes-to-avoid-in-your-nanowrimo-novel/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.grammarly.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NaNoWriMo.jpg" alt="Five Mistakes To Avoid in Your NaNoWriMo Novel Infographic" width="600"/></a>
Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-50669263580724872842015-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:002015-10-30T14:31:13.410-07:00What literary monster are you?<script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.playbuzz.com/widget/feed.js"></script><div class="pb_feed" data-embed-by="9661cd1e-019d-4243-ae75-a84f05aa29ab" data-game="/Grammarly/which-literary-monster-are-you" data-recommend="false" data-comments="false"></div>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-41619972135090498972015-10-25T13:57:00.002-07:002015-10-25T13:57:33.240-07:00Halloween Book SaleTrick or Treat!<br />
It's time for some treats. I've put my books on sale in the lead up to Halloween. What could be better than reading a discounted book while eating candy? But act fast - the sooner you buy, the better the deal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHiFFu1DP30kPjOnRBiF1vNhjXyyJDi_XeaNALZAA8aA9N2tPgBY3MHZrvznY9C_fifVRJtPz7ScIDAp8eLaPDADR84i0tjedYQdTXAjxKkDnuSwO1Hm6LFjR_6QMc8qecqcSUFgLCNk/s1600/Currents+of+Change+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHiFFu1DP30kPjOnRBiF1vNhjXyyJDi_XeaNALZAA8aA9N2tPgBY3MHZrvznY9C_fifVRJtPz7ScIDAp8eLaPDADR84i0tjedYQdTXAjxKkDnuSwO1Hm6LFjR_6QMc8qecqcSUFgLCNk/s200/Currents+of+Change+front.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>Currents of Change</b><br />
Sara's sanctuary is a haunted house. Can she find love and safety with the ghosts and secrets of the past?<br />
US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U8Q968I</a><br />
UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U8Q968I">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U8Q968I</a><br />
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<b>Shifting Worlds</b><br />
16 diverse stories of changing realities. <br />
US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8</a><br />
UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0121OUVS8">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0121OUVS8</a><br />
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<b>The Psychology Workbook for Writers</b><br />
Easy to understand tools for creating realistic characters and conflict in fiction using psychology and counselling theory.<br />
US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0143K2MNU">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0143K2MNU</a><br />
UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0143K2MNU">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0143K2MNU</a>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-11607787279710668212015-10-17T12:55:00.003-07:002015-10-17T12:55:56.508-07:00Favourite Literature Ghosts - A Halloween SpecialGhosts have been a popular part of storytelling for as long as there have been humans. There's something fascinating about the idea of a person coming back from the afterlife to interact with the living.<br />
When I was writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I">Currents of Change</a>, I wanted to make the ghost of Great Aunt Bridget a living (excuse the pun) part of the house. The book is as much about her story as it is Sara's.<br />
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Halloween is the time of year that we honour the ghosts in our world and I thought it was a good time to list some famous and favourite spooks from books, TV, and movies. There are potential spoilers ahead if you haven't read/seen these but hopefully you have. If you haven't, I suggest you do!<br />
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So, in no particular order, here are some of my favourite ghosts:<br />
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<b style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="irc_mi" height="196" src="http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/0/80/2073436150-bobby_singer_as_fate_would_have_it_by_thenewfiredancer-d5r9dgi.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /> </b><br />
<b>Bobby Singer (Supernatural - TV Series)</b><br />
As father figures go for a demon hunting pair of orphans, Bobby is about as good as it gets. Better, one could argue quite convincingly, than the Winchesters' actual father. The brothers usually rely on Bobby only when the going gets tough, but he is always there with a bit of extra information and support and some words of wisdom. When the life of a hunter finally catches up with him, Bobby doesn't let a little thing like death stand in the way of helping the boys out of some tough spots. <br />
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<b>Samuel (The Bible)</b><br />
Now the Bible isn't big on communicating with ghosts. In fact, it has a couple of verses that are pretty clear that it's a bad idea to try. But nevertheless, in 1 Samuel 28, we see Saul using the witch of Endor to summon the dead prophet Samuel back to give him some advice. Now there's some question among Biblical scholars as to whether this was actually Samuel or a demon masquerading, but either way the message was clear: Saul was going to lose. And he did.<br />
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<b>The Ghost of Christmas Future (A Christmas Carol - by Charles Dickens)</b><br />
Dickens brings out a total of four ghosts in this Christmas classic, each of them to take a crack at Ebenezer Scrooge and try to make him change his ways and become a nicer person. But it's the ghost of christmas future that seems the most badass of all and really gets the job done. Rather than messing around with anything else, he takes Scrooge straight to his own grave to really drive home the point of where his nasty ways will lead. And what do you know? Ways get changed!<br />
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<b style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="irc_mi" height="179" src="http://wormholeriders.net/wh13/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Warehouse-13-S4X10-Leena-leads-Pete2.jpg" style="margin-top: 27px;" width="320" /> </b><br />
<b>Leena (Warehouse 13 - TV series)</b><br />
Leena may have only been a part-time Warehouse agent, but she took her job seriously. Even after death, she clocked in to lead Pete to a crucial piece of evidence and consequently saved the day. <br />
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<b>Sam Wheat (Ghost - movie)</b><br />
Patrick Swayze's character came back from the dead to reconnect with his love, save her life, and solve his own murder. In doing so he created some of the most iconic and romantic ghost scenes in history. And a huge boost to the market for couples pottery classes, I'd wager.<br />
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<b>Banquo (Macbeth - by William Shakespeare)</b><br />
Another ghost
who returns to sort out his murderer, Banquo starts out as Macbeth's
friend, but runs foul of Macbeth's ambition and the witches' prophecy.
His ghost returns in the middle of a public feast to make sure his old
friend feels the guilt for having him killed. Take that, Macbeth. Hope you choke on it.<br />
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<b>Headless Horseman (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - by Washington Irving) / </b><br />
<b>Nearly Headless Nick (Harry Potter Series - by J. K. Rowling)</b><br />
Folklore and literature is rife with headless horsemen ghosts but these two are probably the best known. The Sleepy Hollow story has been retold many times, each with a slightly different take on the horseman and his quest to find a head. One thing is clear, however, when the horseman rides, you'd best keep out of his way! J K Rowling took the horseman stories and put her own twist on them to create a very likable ghost character, Nearly Headless Nick, who serves as the Gryffindor house ghost and now and then helps Harry with his adventures. Nick's culinary skills have something to be desired for the living, however, so if you're invited to his banquet, consider it a BYO.<br />
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<b style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="irc_mi" height="179" src="http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2014-09/24/23/enhanced/webdr05/anigif_enhanced-5305-1411616788-1.gif" style="margin-top: 66px;" width="320" /> </b><br />
<b>Spike (Angel - TV Series)</b><br />
The back-up vampire with a soul died saving the world in <i>Buffy The Vampire Slayer</i> finale but returned as a sort-of ghost in the spin off, <i>Angel</i>. Between the bad attitude and the vat of peroxide he must soak his head in every night to keep that hair colour, he managed to to become corporeal again and joined the team. Spike was always a fun character to have around and, given the number of Angel's compatriots who were killed off during the show, doing the reverse trip from death to life made a nice change!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS86_-cKU9DHi27JeAocAPghXk5060peXappIdWqSAemZ5o80UGEEcGGFL5IrnG3LRyJCEnhIaDzJvsU7PEmqNQA0tS4zab8jbycuN1V_QQmg30crikIYPm4AmdvgjzC7LLGGjl-shT6c/s200/Currents+of+Change+3D.jpg" width="196" /></a><br />
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If you'd like to check out the ghost of Great Aunt Bridget, have a look at my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Currents-Change-Darian-Smith-ebook/dp/B00U8Q968I">Currents of Change</a>. I'd love to hear what you think.<br />
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<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">www.darian-smith.com</a> </b></span><br />
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<br />Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-46749622334553439852015-10-09T23:45:00.000-07:002015-10-09T23:45:03.524-07:00Author eventsIt's been a busy couple of months but lots of FUN. <br />
Being an introvert at heart, I've tended to take time out to recharge so my blog has been a bit quiet of late and I think it's about time I shared some of what I've been up to.<br />
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<b>Love Thrills RWNZ Conference</b><br />
First up, the RWNZ conference at the end of August. I was honoured to have been asked to be the MC for this, despite my work being more speculative fiction than romance per se. Of anyone, romance writers realise that romance actually permeates EVERY genre of writing because it is part of the human experience. I was also fortunate enough to be one of the line up of speakers at the conference that included Nalini Singh, Candace Havens, and many more. <a href="http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/2015-conference/">http://www.romancewriters.co.nz/2015-conference/</a><br />
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<b>My Birthday</b><br />
I was incredibly moved and thrilled by the thoughtful gifts my friends and family gave me this year. In particular, given my efforts in the writing field in 2015, one friend went out of his way to get me a cake in the shape of one of my books. Very cool! And delicious!<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>NZ Independent Book Festival</b><br />
This year's Independent Book Festival played host to a range of talented writers and other publishing industry professionals, as well as many readers keen to find new books and authors.<br />
I was on the SpecFicNZ stall with books by members and a few fun props. I got to hang out with some amazing authors and meet some fans of my work. There's nothing quite like the feeling when a reader brings her friends to meet me and insists they should buy my book!<br />
<a href="http://nzbookfestival.co.nz/">http://nzbookfestival.co.nz/</a><br />
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<b> </b><br />
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<b>Still to come: NZ Book Week!</b><br />
That's right - there's still more book related stuff to come. <br />
NZ Book Week is coming. <br />
Check it out here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NZ-Book-Week-1016315245069049/timeline/">https://www.facebook.com/NZ-Book-Week-1016315245069049/timeline/</a>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-51402609723056186532015-08-16T00:27:00.001-07:002015-08-16T00:27:35.973-07:00A Matter of PerspectiveToday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Auckland SpecFicNZ members monthly gathering. I always love getting together with other writers and talking about our latest books, covers, promotions, etc. It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of passion in the room for what we do.<br />
<br />
Today's main discussion topic was on choosing a perspective to write from - in particular, the value of first person versus third person.<br />
For those who are unsure what this means:<br />
<br />
First person is when you write as if you are the character. E.g. <i>I ran down the street, my heart a staccato rhythm of fear in my chest. It was too late. The gunshot seemed like an explosion in my ears. Pain filled my thigh and I fell.</i><br />
<br />
Third person is when you write from an outside view about the character (although often with an insight into their thoughts and feelings that an outsider normally wouldn't have). E.g. <i>Abigail ran down the street, her heart a staccato rhythm of fear in her chest. It was too late. The gunshot seemed like an explosion in her ears. Pain filled her thigh and she fell.</i><br />
<br />
In this example, you get a little more information about the character in third person - you get her name and her gender because you are looking at her from outside. In first person you are looking through her eyes and she, of course, isn't looking at herself.<br />
<br />
Often, first person gives you more of an up close internal look at the character - it's easier to portray emotion and get the reader immersed in the character's perspective. The down side is that you can't show anything the character doesn't see. There's also the distinct possibility that the character, who in first person is also the narrator, has a skewed view of things. This can be used to great effect. The narrator in Vladimir Nabokov's <i>Lolita</i> is an example of this - he does not believe himself to be the predator the astute reader will see him to be and is telling his story to justify himself.<br />
<br />
Personally, I use both first person and third person in my writing. I know some writers have a definite preference for one or the other, but to me, they are both useful tools. A writer needs to think about what they are trying to achieve in the story before deciding which perspective to use.<br />
<br />
Third person:<br />
<ul>
<li>More traditional</li>
<li>More flexible in jumping from character to character</li>
<li>More options to reveal information to the reader that the character may not know or see</li>
<li>Creates distance between the reader and the character experience </li>
<li>Allows for life and death stakes as the character could die during the course of the story</li>
</ul>
First person:<br />
<ul>
<li>More personal and intimate</li>
<li>More emotionally impactful</li>
<li> Easier to give the reader insight and understanding into the character</li>
<li>Limits the reader to only what the character knows and can see</li>
<li>Requires that the character still be alive at the end to be telling the story so needs different stakes to ensure the reader feels the character is in jeopardy</li>
</ul>
If you're a writer who usually writes in one of these perspectives, think about writing the other and see how it changes your story. You may find it suits better.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">www.darian-smith.com</a> </b></span>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-89081643106427884532015-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:002015-07-23T12:00:01.059-07:00Preview the "Shifting Worlds" Foreword from Jennifer Fallon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3sfPAHDWL_5id-jBibSdaauU8rNoESioMZG7WvH69uVPCev4lJGqVTtbF7xFm3SNyNcYXI4JEA3Z_lr3WBncfVOy06jDiE_ZzbzqpXvA1t3o8j_3dEFmcC2kIQxmWNK8DB3YpaXJ04lw/s320/Shifting+Worlds+front+v2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Fallon/e/B001HCUPE6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1437382383&sr=1-2-ent">Jennifer Fallon</a>, Author of </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Demon
Child Trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, The Tide Lord Quadrilogy, The Second
Sons Trilogy, The Rift Runners Trilogy and The War of the Gods Trilogy, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wrote the foreword for my short story collection,</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Shifting Worlds. </i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Here's an advance peek at what she said:</span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc425017351"><span lang="EN-GB">Shifting Worlds Foreword</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any experienced writer asked to judge a short story
competition would probably confess they approach the task with a mixture of
caution and trepidation. For every gem one reads, there are ten less shiny
baubles that need polishing, cutting or simply throwing back into the grinder
for some serious reworking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine my delight, if you can, in stumbling across the gem
I was hoping for in a pile of rather ordinary entries into a writing
competition I had been asked to judge. This was my first taste of Darian Smith.
His intriguing mix of superpowers and Pasifika simplicity made his story stand
out, head and shoulders above his competition. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had no idea who Darian Smith was at the time. The entries
were unmarked, so I couldn’t tell anything about the author, other than he made
me sit up and take notice. It is a delight to recognise one is reading the work
of an author with true talent, rather than someone who simply wanted to write.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Darian continues to intrigue and delight me. “Shifting
Worlds” features stories from the realms of fantasy, sci-fi, and literary
fiction. All of them challenge their protagonists by fundamentally altering
their reality in some way. Whether the poignant personal touches of stories
like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atrophy</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spring</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seahorses</i>, the
thought-provoking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl in the Window,
</i>the mischievous, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cut and Colour</i>,
the delightful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Drag Marks</i>, or the
intriguing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Banshee</i>, Darian never
fails to entertain and surprise the reader with his skill and his insight into
to the human condition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a bonus, Darian offers a peek into his private world with
a short explanation of his inspiration, motivation and sometimes raw, personal
connection to each story, making you want to go back and read them again with
the knowledge of what inspired it breathing new life into each story, doubling
the reader’s enjoyment with the benefit of this additional insight. </div>
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And then there is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Suitor</i>, which begins<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: It is my
wedding night and I’m holding a knife stained with blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>By far the best first line I have read in
a long, long time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">This collection has it
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honesty, insight, mischievousness.
And fearlessness. It is also a great read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope you will enjoy reading it as much I did, and maybe,
if you’re lucky, as much as Darian obviously did writing it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Jennifer Fallon</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8"><b> Get your copy of <i>Shifting Worlds</i> here.</b></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">www.darian-smith.com</a> </b></span>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-45156919325701469972015-07-20T01:23:00.002-07:002015-07-20T02:00:12.268-07:00Cover Art for "Shifting Worlds"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8" border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ig_1dtvd7ahqnV-QpPmGnrP9Yt_-lA32Cyh6PNGoc-nczVOqtXayrfaD-80AlvHxIZ5ct2k1Wo-raVBOfCNuZArtmkNJchr5s5u_tWoy4j24cNZJr5VqzBsZivLMtLdBcNBuLwCneo0/s400/Shifting+Worlds+full+cover+v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0121OUVS8">Pre-orders are available now.</a><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">www.darian-smith.com</a> </b></span>Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4918020484045433534.post-75205160227351073702015-07-16T19:29:00.001-07:002015-07-16T19:29:41.731-07:00Making a Splash - Jan Goldie talks about "A Mer-Tale"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mer-Tale-Jan-M-Goldie-ebook/dp/B00QZH6ARO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437098851&sr=8-2&keywords=a+mer+tale" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Mer-Tale-Jan-M-Goldie-ebook/dp/B00QZH6ARO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437098851&sr=8-2&keywords=a+mer+tale" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhHaVGzfPTCwnfk_BZaxr3htdqzeh0RvW3NfPyIP1_BBme3rlIqRqz5cj-JsEC0vLQYmBxurpdSNG0Q3MHg9z-EhyphenhyphenFTAoTlGZyORJMfQX79O6PsQfFviB9GtSdPsW3Nfg5IQSTjgR8u8/s320/a+mer+tale+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Jan Goldie is the New Zealand based author of the Young Adult book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mer-Tale-Jan-M-Goldie-ebook/dp/B00QZH6ARO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437098851&sr=8-2&keywords=a+mer+tale"><b>A Mer-Tale</b></a>. She has also had short stories published alongside mine in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Twisty-Christmas-Tales-J-Ponder-ebook/dp/B00OWXKEAW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8"><b>The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales</b></a> and the award winning anthology, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Teeth-Bite-sized-Tales-Terror-ebook/dp/B00GQZ66QA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8"><b>Baby Teeth: Bite-Sized Tales of Terror</b></a>.</i><br />
<i>I've met Jan at various fan conventions and recently got to interview her about her novel's modern take on the mermaid myth.</i><br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What made you think of bringing the alien invasion angle to the world of
merfolk?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">It came about
because of a ‘when in Rome’ situation. A Mer-Tale was created to be a part of a
wonderful science fiction and fantasy collection called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conclave-Collection-Science-Fiction-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B00JJIQ8EQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437099814&sr=1-2&keywords=conclave">Conclave</a>. Lee Murray,
Piper Mejia, Celine Murray and I wrote the stories that went into Conclave
while on a writing retreat at Pukehina Beach in the Bay of Plenty. Imagine if
you will four writers eating copious amounts of chocolate biscuits, drinking
too much tea and coffee and writing non stop (until lunch or dinner came along
of course!). It’s amazing how motivating the tap, tap, tap on a laptop can be
when you know someone else is further along in their story than you. Plus, if
you wanted to yell out a question you could. One of mine was “What would be a
good swear word if you lived under the ocean?” or “What would be an effective
and painful torture used by an underwater alien race?”. Anyway, my story
originally had no science fiction in it at all. But after hearing the outline
of what the others were doing - mostly science fiction - I thought, why not
combine fantasy with science fiction by having an alien race as well as a
earth-based mer-people. The cross over all came together from that decision.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What kind of research did you do into the myths and legends about merfolk
in order to write the book?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">I read a lot of
random internet articles about mermaids in many countries. It’s amazing how
many cultures have this myth. Originally I’d hoped to make my main character a
fresh water ‘mermaid’ like the Scottish Ceasg as I was interested in the
properties of mineral springs, particularly those in NZ. But in the end it made
for a more exciting story if it was ocean based. I kept the idea of a
rejuvenating mineral spring though, as that is what Thala uses to renew her
transformation powers on a regular basis. Other than that, I joined a lot of
Mermaid groups on Facebook!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
It seems like there’s a bit of an undercurrent of potential love triangle in
the book. Did you ever consider bringing that out more?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">Do you mean between
Thala and the brothers Bastion and Prastion? In truth, I always intended Thala
to gravitate towards Bastion, even though she was intended to pair with Prastion.
It occurred to me in hindsight, but originally I hadn’t wanted the romance side
of the novel to dominate as I’d intended it for younger teen readers. If I
write a sequel, I’d like to angle it more into the paranormal romance genre so
that would open up possibilities with a new character introduced challenging
the relationship between Thala and Bastion that we (spoiler) learn a bit about
at the end of this novel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
There’s a lot of interesting backstory to the world with the war, the dynamics
between the families etc. Do you think you’ll write a sequel or prequels
to the book? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">I have a sequel in
mind. I’d like to explore how Thala and her family might go about marshalling
the troupes, overcoming natural suspicion between the various pods, uniting
what is a completely decimated culture in the face of an approaching evil that
would effect their world but also the human world. I’d also like to introduce a
human element, to look at how communication and collaboration might come about
when Mer-people and humans face a common enemy. That of course, would mean
getting the Sprats above the water! On a more detailed note, I’d love to see
Thala develop her relationship with her complicated Uncle, yet show her facing
the same challenges any teen has to deal with in growing up, finding
independence, wanting acceptance and so on...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
It seems like one of your strengths is world building – how did you go about
creating the background for this book? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">Thank you. I have a
very rich inner life! I like to work out a basic back story for each main
character and so, by necessity in this book, the cultures they represent. In
order for the Sprats to survive underwater on Earth, I needed to be sure of
where they came from and why they left and what their goals were for life on
Earth, even to the point of how those goals had been subverted. For Thala to be
real to me, I needed to know how her kind had survived without detection among
humans, how they’d interacted with their enemy and in order to understand why
her Uncle is so tortured by his past, I needed to know his back story. The back
story, for me, always starts with the character. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://jangoldie.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://jangoldie.com/" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1CU7glrU8M5LdksOgJ1LH_McLR-MlUt-IJx4rBeKO1AgSzV1_0Mh_NcXb38DxXeRBXt6Li-Ar_5Iya71KsKE1aQ320VJksXy-9E7Bsw7s9C6tJ3TnlLJJWLmrBYSam_DdDInq0Fxcbo/s200/photo-jan-transparent.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What inspires you as a writer?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">I’m inspired by the
things my children talk about, movies, writing courses, other writers, writer’s
blogs, other books, TV programmes, snippets of conversation overheard, song
lyrics… basically everything. Although the original idea for a story literally
pops into my head, from then on I’m on the look out for ideas to feed into
that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What drew you to having a young adult protagonist? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">I love reading
young adult novels and while a younger protagonist’s point of view might offer
a wider field of imagination, a young adult character introduces all those
areas of angst so prevalent in a teen mind - appearances, independence, family,
secrets, love, attraction… there’s so much to write about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
And do you consider yourself a YA writer?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">I consider myself a
writer for children. My next novel is Brave’s Journey, a fantasy adventure in a
strange alternative land. I tried to write this as a children’s novel but it
gravitated towards YA. I’d say it’s on the edge of YA - year 7-9 at school. I’m
currently trying to write a novel for the 8-12 years age group, and that seems
to be tipping over into an older age group too. I guess I often want to
introduce content that is a little more serious, so that what might be a
magical book ends up having an undercurrent of uncertainty or a dark side. I’d
like to think I’m a children’s book writer in general. Saying that I’ve written
a few stories for adults too!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What are you most proud of as a writer?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">Finishing Brave’s
Journey. This is my first novel length creation and it took a long time to
write! Looks like the book launch will be 17 September this year, all welcome!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
What would be your advice for other writers?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">Take writing
courses and initially at least, find a critique group. There’s a lot of talk
about whether writing courses work. I think they do. Although there’s much to
be said for ‘finding your voice’, I think you need the advice and experience of
those who have come before you to ground you in some good habits and point out
when you’re way off course. Also, join New Zealand Society of Authors and apply
for their wonderful mentorship programme. The mentorship I had with Barbara
Murison was invaluable. Also, take your writing seriously. It’s not until you
commit to writing as a part of your life and who you are, that things start to
happen. “Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw
back…”(William Hutchinson Murray)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">·
How do you deal with the need to promote your writing?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"> I’m still
learning but I’d say the key is that it’s not so much about promotion as about
connection and relationships. I’ve come to realise that when it comes to social
media, you need to send out the love to a ‘crowd’ of those people who simply
want to support you. You can’t expect to jump on social media and have random
people care, let alone purchase a book. You need to communicate and be
interested in them, so that they have a reason to care back. It’s amazing how
helpful people on twitter and Facebook can be if you just start chatting to
them. It’s the same IRL (in real life), work on reaching out into the writing community,
to the keen readers, offer help in your areas of expertise (at
schools,libraries, writing groups) and you’ll be amazed at how often those
people will be open to supporting you at a later date. It’s hard for us
sometimes introverted writers to reach out and self promote but maybe it’s a
good thing to think of it as giving people an opportunity to give. If you read
Amanda Palmer’s incredible book “The art of Asking: How I learned to stop
worrying and let people help”, she sums it up nicely. One of her quotes is:
“Given the opportunity, some small consistent portion of the population will
happily pay for art.” I hope I’m one of that portion and that I might connect
with others that are too.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>For more information about Jan and her work, check out <a href="http://www.jangoldie.com/">www.jangoldie.com</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;"><b>Don't forget - you can join my Readers' Group for special deals and release dates sent direct to you at <a href="http://darian-smith.com/Contact.cfm">www.darian-smith.com</a> </b></span></div>
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Darianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205532858558685966noreply@blogger.com0