Month: February 2019

My Favorite Magic Systems

So far during Fantasy Month, we discussed favorite fantasy books, fantasy creatures, and genres and subgenres. I even revealed the cover for my upcoming portal fantasy, This Cursed Flame! So what can we possibly talk about today?

More fantasy?

You got it!

Today I want to talk about some of my favorite magic systems. But first, let me define how I view magic systems. To me, they are the foundation of how magic works in a story and the way that magic influences the characters and plot. If done poorly, they can be unbelievable and cliche. But when done well, they can be incredibly exciting and prompt great daydreams!

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

I mentioned this one in my favorite fantasy books, and there’s a good reason for that. The biggest reason I love the book (I’ve only gotten through book one so far), besides the incredible worldbuilding, is the magic system!

In this series, magic is based on the “stormlight” from High Storms. It’s still a little vague to me what High Storms actually are, but the magic is light-based and storm-based. Without spoilers, they use stormlight to charge spheres, which they use as money (uncharged, dun spheres are almost worthless), and they have legends of Shardbearers who can use the stormlight to fight and power armor and weapons, as well as unique abilities only those with stormlight can wield.

Elemental Magic

I love elemental magic, which is apparently not that big in publishing. But I love the idea of elements (old, new, anything) being used as magic, to give characters abilities and strength… and perhaps also weaknesses. The Avatar and Legend of Korra series were my first big forays into this magic system, and to this day they are some of my truest fandom loves.

Baking Magic

Okay, I have trouble finding this one, so I don’t have many examples. But I LOVE magic systems based around baking and baked goods. The only book I can really think of at the moment is “The Cupcake Witch,” by Poppy Lawless, which involved a baker who finds magic recipes and begins baking spells for the town. And as much as I loved the premise, it was too short (novella) and I hungered for more. *ba-dum-chh*

I also have a writer friend currently writing a middle grade cupcake witch story *ahem* which I need in my hands ASAP! *ahem*

PS, if you know any good books or series involving baking magic, please tell me! I need them!

Music Magic

Orpheum by D.S. Murphy and This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab sort of have this? Alexandra Bracken’s Passenger duology has a violinist as a protagonist, but the magic there isn’t based around the music, which is what I really mean in this category.

But I love a magic system based around music. A magic that uses music to cast spells or do great things. As a long-time musician (pianist for… 23 years now?), I have a soft spot for stories that involve music in some way, even better if they are fantasy.

Again, I need more of these, so please share!

Art-based Magic

I’m thinking specifically Shadowshaper here, by Daniel Jose Older. Imagine being able to draw things to life! Let’s get some more of these, as well. 🙂

Concluding Thoughts

There are so many more magic systems out there: color-based magic like in The Color Alchemist books by Nina Walker, classic werewolf or vampire magic, ghost stories, mermaid stories, fae and faeries… but I had to focus in on a few I LOVE today, even though I love many others as well. In particular, I wanted to highlight the one super unique system from Brandon Sanderson and a couple I rarely see but want to see more, the baking and music magic.

Now, I want to know your favorite types of magic and magic systems! Tell me some of yours below, and if you know any good baking or music magic books, tell me those, too! Let’s talk!

All About Fantasy Genres

Fantasy is my favorite genre.

Okay, let me get a little more specific. Urban and contemporary fantasy are my favorite genres to read. For writing, I love writing contemporary and high fantasy.

Wait, is it really high fantasy? What about epic or heroic? What am I writing? What am I reading???

If you’re anything like me, you love fantasy, but you are a little fuzzy on some of the differences between the subgenres. So today I want to take a little time to examine a few of the lesser known genres and clarify the differences between some of the confusing ones.

Let’s start with something general.

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction in which the plot and the worldbuilding revolve around magical or supernatural elements that are not seen in the real world. All fantasy can be divided further and classified according to various elements and characteristics, such as the grimdark versus noblebright classification (which I won’t go into today). You may not agree with the subgenres I call fantasy, but that’s okay! We don’t always have to agree. 😉

Low Fantasies

Low fantasy is fantasy set in the real world (low refers to the prominence of the fantasy elements in the story) and is also known as intrusion fantasy. Within low fantasy, there may be historical fantasies, alternate timelines, post-apocalyptic fiction (which could also be science fiction, depending on the story), or contemporary fantasies.

Contemporary fantasy is the wider term for what some people call urban fantasy. It is a fantasy story that takes place during the present day in the present world, or during the time in which the author lived and wrote. It often incorporates elements of real places and people to ground it in reality. The Lost Voices trilogy by Sarah Porter is an example, as it is a mermaid story set in the Pacific Northwest (but also the ocean) during modern times.

Urban fantasy, on the other hand, is a subgenre of contemporary fantasy. It still takes place in modern times in the real world, but it is specifically set in cities (hence urban). Popular examples include Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson books and Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files.

There is also paranormal, but the jury seems to still be out on exactly what this is and how it is defined. Some people suggest that paranormal is like urban fantasy, but instead of following a fantasy story, it has other genre elements to it, like thriller or romance. Either way, there appears to be a lot of overlap between paranormal and urban.

High Fantasies

High fantasy, often referred to as Tolkienesque or Lord of the Rings-type fantasy, is a fantasy set in a secondary world with its own set of rules and laws. Magic or the supernatural is highly prevalent in the world and the plot, and these stories are often associated with large, sweeping stories with grand stakes.

One confusing distinction in high fantasy is epic versus heroic fantasy. Epic fantasy are stories which often have large casts of characters, dramatic fights between good and evil, and plots on a worldwide scale.

Heroic fantasy, on the other hand, focuses more on the characters than the world. It often follows a hero or set of heroes on a specific quest, often with a good versus evil plot, on a smaller scale than epic fantasy. Some people refer to heroic fantasy as sword and sorcery.

Portal Fantasies

Kind of in between high and low fantasy are portal fantasies. These stories often start in a low fantasy setting (our world), but the characters are transported to a new secondary world for much of the story (hence portal). My upcoming release This Cursed Flame is a portal fantasy. So are the Kacy Chronicles by A. L. Knorr and Martha Carr.

Magic Realism

Here is another, similar beast. Magic realism is a bit of fantasy and a bit of literary fiction smashed together. In these stories, magic elements intrude on real life, but it is so smoothly integrated that it is often unclear if the magic is real or some sort of delusion. Many magic realism authors are associated with Latin America, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I would argue that other authors such as Neil Gaiman can fit this genre (I’m specifically thinking of The Ocean at the End of the Lane).

Science Fantasy

The last genre I will discuss today, even though there are many other possible subgenres, is science fantasy. Science fantasy is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy in which both technology and the supernatural or magic elements play a role.

Sometimes steampunk is classified here, though I would say that gaslamp fiction is more accurate (think of gaslamp fiction like steampunk with more magic).

I would also argue that many LitRPG books could fit under science fantasy as well. LitRPG is a somewhat new genre in which much of the story takes place inside a video game world, like in Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It’s somewhere between science fantasy, portal fantasy, magic realism, and sometimes science fiction, in my opinion.

Concluding Thoughts

If I spent the time to discuss every potential subgenre of fantasy out there, we’d be on this page for hours. Just look at this site’s list! (Though I disagree with some of the lines they draw) But the subgenres I discussed above are some of the more well-known or easily confused ones, and those are what I wanted to highlight today.

So now I want to know what I missed; tell me some of your favorite fantasy subgenres! What other subgenres would you like to discuss? Do you disagree with anything above? Let’s talk in the comments!

Continuing Fantasy Month

This post is part of the Fantasy Month blog tour! But did you know there’s a whole list of posts like this here? You can see the previous post here, too. So jump in to the other blogs, hop onto Twitter for the hashtag game, and let’s have some fun!

Other Participating Blogs

There are a ton of bloggers participating in February is Fantasy Month. Here is a list (and hopefully I didn’t miss anyone!):

My Favorite Fantasy Creatures

Okay, so I know I posted already this week (yay, cover reveal!), but I don’t want to skip Friday’s post! So in the spirit of Fantasy Month, I decided I would discuss some of my favorite fantasy creatures and maybe find out some of yours!

Werewolves

Yes. Werewolves. And all other types of were-creatures. I know they’re one of the cliche fantasy creatures, but they fascinate me, the way there’s the instinct of a beast at war with the logic of a human. And then the mythology that authors build into those worlds is awesome!

Shapeshifters

Kind of like werewolves, but what I like about shifters is that they’re a little less common… and they can have all kinds of origins. Like Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson, who is a coyote shifter based on her heritage. And then there are all kinds of fae who can change shape. And these kinds of shapeshifters, unlike were-creatures, don’t show up in much fiction.

Mermaids

A few years ago, I would never have said anything special about mermaids. But for some reason, they have attracted me greatly in the past few years. I’ve read several books and series, and I just love the idea of creatures who live in the ocean, who can blend in with humans (in some cases), and the unique trials that accompany many of the mythologies. Perhaps I have the TV show H2O to blame, because that was my first foray into mermaid fiction… and I still re-watch it regularly. In fact, it may be about time for another round…

Genies and Djinn

Okay, did you really expect me not to have this on the list? I mean, I am releasing a book all about genies and djinn in April…

I love the mythology about djinn and genies, and after the research I had done for the book, I learned so much about how it influenced mythology of creatures like ghouls (ghul) and how it has changed over time and place. The elemental aspect to different kinds of djinn is fascinating to me as well (I probably have Avatar: The Last Airbender to thank for that).

And then there’s the fact that there really aren’t that many djinn/genie books out there. To me, it still feels refreshing and new, something not overdone.

Concluding Thoughts

I want to mention that while I love most kinds of fantasy creatures, there are also those I don’t like… particularly vampires. There’s just something about them I can’t stand. And while I personally believe in angels and demons, I do not appreciate them in fiction and would rather not read about them. So I suppose those are my two fantasy creature dealbreakers.

But I’m curious what other creatures I may not have thought about. I have considered zombies, unicorns, kelpies, and other types of fae, but I know there are way more things out there.

So what are your favorite fantasy creatures? What creatures are your fiction dealbreakers? Tell me below, I want to hear about all the creatures!

This Cursed Flame Cover Reveal!

It’s time… to announce the cover!

Guys. I have the most exciting thing I’ve had to share in a while.

This Cursed Flame has a cover! It is beautiful and amazing and gorgeous, designed by the ever-so-talented Savannah Jezowski (also a super talented author!) over at Dragonpen Designs. You may remember my old cover from Wattpad (or my homepage), which I LOVED, but I can’t use it as my actual cover for numerous reasons. And this new cover! I am absolutely blown away! ❤ *allthehearteyes* (Also many thanks to Author Cheryllynn Dyess for the blurred cover I used in the promo image!)

But first, if I can draw out the suspense a little. How about an updated blurb to better reflect all the changes that came about during editing?

This Cursed Flame

Six years ago, Janan was transformed into a genie by an evil djinn, ripping her away from her home, her life, and her humanity. She has been on the run from him ever since. Worlds away, high school honors student Laurelin just wants to get into the chemistry program of her dreams.

When Laurelin discovers a crystal bottle that sucks her into the djinn realm, the girls find themselves working together to escape Janan’s creator and get Laurelin back home. But war is brewing in the djinn realm—a rebellion led by the same evil djinn they’ve been trying to escape. And he is determined to rule both the djinn and the human realms. As his creation, Janan is the one person standing in his way.

But to stop him, Janan must learn to overcome the fears he instilled in her and embrace her own dark magic while Laurelin must accept that some things are more important than an A+. Now, they will have to trust each other, and themselves, to stop the encroaching evil. Otherwise, both the human and djinn realms will fall to the tide of death and dark magic this war will unleash.

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for… I present to you the cover for This Cursed Flame!

Janan, in all her beautiful fire genie glory!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

This project has been close to my heart since 2011, and I am both thrilled and terrified to finally be sending it out into the world. It has been added to Goodreads, and I will let you all know when the pre-order link is live! Publication is scheduled for April 27, 2019, so mark your calendar!

If you want to see more updates and be the first to know about all the upcoming launch day activities (including the launch day announcement!), be sure to subscribe to the newsletter. You’re always free to unsubscribe later if you like, but you will also get a free short fantasy story from me just for signing up!

Until next time, happy reading, and happy writing! ❤

My Fantasy Favorites

Welcome to February is Fantasy Month!

Hi there friends! Happy February! This is going to be a huge month packed with all sorts of goodness, including the cover reveal for This Cursed Flame next week!!! This month is also Fantasy Month, so to celebrate we are going to dive into fantasy books in wonderful ways.

And what better way to kick off Fantasy Month than to share some of my all-time, current favorite fantasy reads??? I’ll break this down into a few categories, but these are some of the fantasy books I have read and loved over the years. (And yes, Harry Potter is on the list, but today I want to highlight other books!)

High Fantasy

I’m really picky about this! I don’t really love the LoTR-type fantasy (that whole Medieval Europe sword and sorcery thing). But here are a few others I enjoyed!

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1), by Brandon Sanderson

This book is the first I read of Sanderson’s… but it made me see why everyone considers him the master fantasy writer! It’s full of unique setting and world details and has an intriguing and unique storyline that never gets old! It’s a brick of a book, but I loved every second of it. And that magic system! *swoon*

Golden Daughter (Tales of Goldstone Wood #7), by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

THIS is how you do “inspired by” fiction! Stengl created an amazing world inspired by Asian culture, and it made for an incredible story and setting. And even though it’s #7 in the series, each can be read alone and out of order.

The Killing Moon (Dreamblood #1), by N.K. Jemisin

This is another example of unique worldbuilding and magic systems. The magic is based in dreams, and the culture has a very Egyptian feel to it. I loved getting to see such a unique world and meet characters with all kinds of struggles! One day I will read book #2…

Spice Bringer, by H.L. Burke

This is another awesome world with a very fun cast of characters. I loved the journey, and I loved the way the book made me think about life and faith and the things that really matter.

Urban Fantasy (Adult)

Okay, I LOVE urban fantasy! So here are some of my favorites. (Caution on some of these… they are written for an older audience, so if you are sensitive about content, look it up before reading!)

The Others series, by Anne Bishop

Oh. My. Word. This is such a twist on classic supernatural creatures, and the characters are so lovable, and the world is so intense… This may be my all-time favorite UF series!

Mercy Thompson series, by Patricia Briggs (also see Alpha and Omega series, which is a spinoff)

This is one of the best and most fun UF series out there. There are plenty of werewolves, vampires, shifters, and ghosts to go around! And Mercy is a blast of a main character to read. She’s fun and strong and intense!

October Daye series, by Seanan McGuire

Okay, McGuire has written some fantastic books, including ones under a pen name, and this series does not disappoint. Half-fae detective? Um, yes!

Split Feather, by Deborah A. Wolf

I. Loved. This. Book. And there need to be more of them ASAP. Let me just say BEAR SHIFTER WHO CAN GO INTO THE UNDERWORLD.

Weather Warden series, by Rachel Caine

While she may be better known for some of her vampire fiction, this series is about djinn and their relationship with gifted humans who can control elements such as earth, fire, and weather. It’s an amazing world that just gets better with every page.

YA (Young Adult) Fantasy

As a writer of YA fantasy, I love reading in this genre. And it is full of gems!

Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi

That magic system, the mythology, the story… just wow!

The Elementals, by A.L. Knorr

Everything Knorr writes is amazing, and I especially love her elemental girls. Definitely a series not to miss!

Lost Voices series, by Sarah Porter

This is a mermaid trilogy, and it is definitely at the top of my mermaid fiction list. The mythology is great, the world is fantastic, and it is just dark enough and exciting enough to hold your attention until the last page. And each book just gets better!

Monsters of Verity series, by Victoria Schwab

This is such a great duology. It’s one of those stories that has a neat mythology and also makes you question real life. And her writing is some of the best out there!

Shadowshaper, by Daniel Jose Older

You want to talk magic systems? This is the one. Things the main character draws or paints can come to life… and follow her commands!

MG (Middle Grade) Fantasy

Oracles of Fire series, by Bryan Davis (companion series to the Dragons in our Midst series)

This is a Christian fantasy series I grew up with and loved. It makes you think, and it draws you into the characters and their world so completely.

Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer

You want a fun, lighthearted romp with tons of mythology? This is the series. I have loved these books since middle school, and I’m not putting them down any time soon!

Continue the Adventure!

You can check out the full schedule for February is Fantasy month here, and the next posts will be up according to the schedule. So jump in to the other blogs, hop onto Twitter for the hashtag game, and let’s have some fun!

Other Participating Blogs

There are a ton of bloggers participating in February is Fantasy Month. Here is a list (and hopefully I didn’t miss anyone!):