Obviously, I love the fantasy genre, both reading and writing it. If you’ve been in this site for more than a few seconds that should be painfully clear to all of you. I’ve written four fantasy novels, working on a fifth one now. And I’ve read, well, countless fantasy novels. I have to assume that if you’re here, you also love fantasy books.

There are countless reasons why the fantasy genre is great. Mythical creatures are awesome, especially dragons. Fantasy settings are great, and so are stories about swords and knights.

By far, though, my favorite thing about the fantasy genre is the magic.

Magic is just so cool! When done right, that is. Because there are sure as hell a lot of bad magical structures. But what makes a magical structure great? I have some opinions, of course.

A good fantasy structure is rooted in reality. I know, that sounds counterproductive, but let me explain. Reality is based on some rules that we all agree in. We all understand, even if we don’t know the specifics, that thread is made my spinning fiber into long strands. Magic that’s not structured in a similar way tends to flutter off the rails without any real bounds. This is a sort of lazy writing. What tension can there be if magic has no bounds and a mage can just snap her fingers and fix everything?

It’s also based in science, sort of. As I learn more and more about science, I understand how these two genres are blended together. Science can seem like magic or at least a step away.

Of course, a magic structure needs to be big enough to save the world. Especially if it’s in the hands of your main character. It needs to be big and bold enough to defeat the bad girl, save the prince, create the happy ending that we need.

But magic is also great when it’s capable of improving everyday lives. When reading a fantasy book, I want to be charmed by the mage who cooks with their magic. Who catches the pickpocket, uses a potion in a mason jar to keep rats out of his kitchen, who has a talisman to keep out prowlers.

Finally, the best thing to do with magic is to base it in steadfast rules, that are broken at the right time. Think of Avatar, the last Airbender, when Katara starts blood bending. Or when Toph starts metal bending. These were understandable barriers that made sense to break.

So what do you think about magical structures? What’s your favorite example? Let us know in the comments below.

Hey guys. I just wanted to jump in here fast to tell you that Sylvermoon Chronicles, an anthology from me and some other amazing authors, came out today. It’s all the things I love, fantasy, science fiction and horror. I just picked up my copy, and I can’t wait to dig into it.

Of course I know you’re going to love my horror piece, The Trouble Door. But all the other stories are awesome too.

Here’s a link.

And happy Valentines Day.

This was a brainstorming project I did a while ago, and it was a lot of fun. So, I decided to share the results with you today.

I don’t really worry much about major themes when I’m writing a book. At least not for the first few drafts. Those come later, and they’re never anything I plan. Once I see them, usually in the third draft, I do my best to bring them out. But the best themes come organically.

For Missing Stitches, several strong themes came out. Sacrifice was a major one, as were relationships between brothers. The biggest theme, at least the biggest one I saw, was refusing to bend or break. Through the whole story, Lenore is told over and over that she can’t break. I didn’t even realize the number of characters who were telling her not to break until I went through and re-read it.

To help myself get into the mood to really bring these themes to life, I made a playlist of songs that inspired those feelings within me. And it turned into a pretty fun playlist. So I wanted to share it with all of you today.

God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Jonny Cash

Ready Aim Fire by Imagine Dragons

Shut the world away by Breaking Benjamin

When we die, bowling for soup

Landslide, by Stevie Knicks

‘Till I Collapse, Eminem

Hero, Skillet

Ten Thousand Fists, Disturbed

If you want, you can actually listen to the whole playlist right now on Youtube.

If you’re a writer, have you ever made a playlist for one of your books? Is there a song that makes you think of a specific book? Please share with us in the comments below.

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability. Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.

Instead, Lenore finds herself battling against her uncle, Joseph, over her right to the throne. As he stirs the city into civil war, an ancient enemy reveals itself. Brother Brennan, who claims to speak for The Creator, is killing Septa citizens in the streets.

Then, Lenore’s daughters are kidnapped. While Victor and Devon hunt the city in search of the princesses, Lenore and Sultiana must lead her city in a war against her uncle, and a twisted holy man. The canals run red as Lenore fights for her city, her family, and the safety of the world, in the conclusion of Woven.

Get it now on Amazon

I did part one and part two of this little series last month. Like most things I write these days, it grew. It was supposed to just be one blog post, and it grew into two. Then, I made the mistake of telling my husband what I was writing.

His response; how could you write an entire two blog posts like that and not include this other list of characters?

So, I felt obliged to share some more fantasy creatures with you all. If you missed part one or part two, you can check them out here.

Now, onto part three.

The Tardis from Doctor Who

She’s more than just a ship, and she’s probably the best relationship that The Doctor has ever had. She’s got a serious attitude and decides whether someone is trustworthy or not in a moment. And she’s never wrong.

Of course, there was the one episode that she took on human form. And she was crazy, charming, and everything you’d expect a constant companion of a crazy Timelord.

Boo from Baldur’s Gate

Full disclosure, I don’t like hamsters. But I do like Boo because he’s not a normal hamster. He’s a miniature giant space hamster. Through the game, he squeaks when you try to pick him up, and he goes for the eyes in battle. He’s a constant loving companion to his master, Minsc.

Hoppy Wheel of Time

Hoppy is one of many wolves befriended by the character Perrin as his abilities with wolves increases. He’s a happy, laughing animal that continues to be a bright spot through the whole series.

What struck me the most about this character was that he didn’t exhibit the sort of loyalty you’d expect from a dog. That’s the blind, unshakable devotion of an animal that thinks you are the world. A wolf, much like a cat, does not see you as their master. They are equal, at best. And there is a mutual respect there.

That’s the relationship between Hoppy and Perrin. This is not a pet, this is an ally on four paws. And a great one.

The loyal bowtruckle from Fantastic Beasts

This creature made me cry. It loves Newt so freaking much that I had to include it even though I already included a Harry Potter creature. This bowtruckle loved Newt and wanted to hang out with him all the time. And because of that, for such a good cause but such a terrible price, Newt almost trades him away. But this little scrapper gets right back to him, and no hard feelings. He just loves him, unconditionally. And Newt loves him, right back.

But now I want to hear from you. Did I still miss some fantastic fantasy creatures? Let us know in the comments below.

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability. Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.

Get it here now

Unpopular opinion, I hate Game of Thrones. Yeah, I said it, fight me on it. I read all the books up until Dances With Dragons, of which I read half before I just couldn’t take it anymore. Spoiler: nothing good happens. Everyone you love dies or gets maimed including the animal companions. Everyone sacrifices their principles at the slightest reason, everyone gets raped and rapes other people. And George RR Martin is way too fond of telling us when someone pisses themselves. Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan never need to tell us when someone pisses themselves.

Even so, I’m really glad that lots of people do like Game of Thrones. I love that people watch it and that it makes a ton of money. Because of that, some fantasy books that I really loved got picked up as shows. If you haven’t watched Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, go do it right now. I’ll wait. And when you’re done, go watch American Gods. Damn, that was good.

Other shows are in production right now that I’m really excited about. Good Omens is getting a tv show, and so is Lord Of The Rings. And my husband won’t stop talking about the Wheel of Time show that’s on its way. It’s slow, painfully slow, way.

But, as a fantasy fan, I want more. We always want more, don’t we? Even the constant stream of comic hero movies hasn’t been enough to satisfy me, because they haven’t gotten to the stories that I really want to see.

So, here’s a list of the top eight fantasy series and comic book storylines that I want to see on the big or small screen.

Beka Cooper, TV show

Okay, this series is basically a cop drama, but with magic and a main character who talks to ghosts on pigeons. Oh, and she has a talking cat and a pet dog. A pet scent dog, who is police trained. Who the hell wouldn’t watch this?

Wolverine and The X-Men, TV show

Yes, I know that there is a show called Wolverine and The X-men, but they got it all wrong. The comic series is about Logan and Kitty Pride running the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Pride has a dragon friend named Lockheed, there are little blue demons called Bamfs running all over the place, and there’s a frighteningly powerful telepath named Quentin Quire, mutant name Kid Omega, who has a snarky father-son relationship with Logan. I don’t know about you, but I feel ripped off that this wasn’t the comic we got.

Neverwhere, movie

Yes, this was a tv show, and Benedict Cumberbatch was even in it. But this isn’t the kind of thing that’s a good tv show. There just wasn’t enough of the source material to stretch to a show. This would be an epic movie, though. With London Below and London Above done in different color schemes, of course. This would be an incredible movie, and I want to know why no one’s bought the rights.

The Killing Joke, Batman, Movie

I don’t know how this hasn’t been made into a movie already. (I also don’t know how the only Batgirl I’ve seen in any of the movies was Alicia Silverstone in Batman and Robin, but that’s another thing altogether.)

The Killing Joke is maybe my favorite Batman storyline ever. It’s Joker trying to prove that it would only take one bad day to make anyone like him, even Commissioner Gordon. And so he kidnaps him and makes him look at pictures of his daughter, Barbara (Batgirl), bleeding out after the Joker shot her through her stomach. If you ever wondered how she became Oracle, that’s how.

Really, how did we get that terrible Batman-Superman movie instead of this?

Mistborn, tv show

I really think this could easily be a six-season show, at least. The first book is basically a heist novel disguised as a fantasy novel. (Those are the words of the author, Brandon Sanderson, by the way.) That by itself is fascinating. The characters are all endearing, the world is magnificent. And the way the magic is handled in this world is probably one of my favorites. Also, I would love to see Matt Damon as Kelsier. Just saying.

X-Men and Avengers Phoenix Five, movie

So, the X-Men cartoon from when I was a kid did deal with the original Phoenix Saga. So I don’t think it’s beyond the bounds of the imagination for them to deal with the Phoenix Five.

Picture this; the Phoenix power comes back to Earth, but instead of imbuing one person with its crazy world-destroying powers, it gets five people. Emma Frost, Cyclops, Magik, Colossus and Namor. We all know that most of those characters are fan favorites. Oh, and it causes a huge rift between the Avengers and the X-Men that leads to the Avengers Vs. X-Men storyline. Actually, that’s another one I’d like to see.

Phantom Tollbooth, movie

But not the crappy version they already tried to make. Because man, that was bad. And I’m sorry, but if they can make a movie out of Wrinkle in Time, they should be able to make a movie out of Phantom Tollbooth. (Here’s another unpopular opinion, I hate Wrinkle in Time.) Imagine seeing the word market on the big screen. Or the creepy ass Terrible Trivium. That would be amazing.

Dragonriders of Pern, movie

I’m going to just keep right on talking about Pern until everyone in the world loves it as much as I do. How have we not had a single movie about this book series?

I mean, first off we all love dragons. And this world is dark but in a really magical way. There’s space travel, and time magic, and a badass female lead character. This could easily be a Summer blockbuster. Just don’t let Michael Bay direct it. He’s ruined enough of my childhood loves.

So, what fantasy story or comic book would you love to see on the big or small screen? Because we’re never satisfied as fantasy fans, and that’s just how it should be.

Magic, dragons and two countries battling for dominance. And that’s just the start. Devon, Sultiana, Victor and Lenore live in a world where magic is as common as turning a pot or knitting a shawl. Men’s magic comes from metal, women from thread.

Devon and Lenore are Mestonies, the ruling family of Septa. The family rose to power generations ago by defeating a dark church that had enslaved the people. King Octavian the first believed that the Monks of the Silent Path were defeated.

He was wrong.

This enemy has returned, to destroy the Mestonie family and take control of Septa back. And they’ve begun by kidnapping Lenore’s daughters.

Devon must find the girls with their father, Victor, while Lenore and Devon’s wife, Sultiana, lead their armies in a war on the very boardwalks of Septa. But can Lenore fight for her city without losing her unborn son? Can Devon save the princesses from the Monks? Or will the city finally fall in the conclusion of Woven?

Get it now.

I love characters. I tend to read and write character-driven stories because I love hearing about people. As real of people as I can get.

That being said, if all I cared about was people, I wouldn’t read as much fantasy as I do. Because while the fantasy genre is big on characters, there’s one thing it does better than any other genre.

World building.

I would argue that fantasy is the best genre for world building. Mind you, I write both fantasy and science fiction. I far and away prefer world building in fantasy. Though, it’s really close. It’s my love of midlevel weapons that’s the real tiebreaker for me.

Fantasy worlds make you want to sink right into them and live there. I want to eat their food, see their creatures. These words just invite exploration.

Here, then, are my top five favorite fantasy worlds. These are the worlds I would live in if I could.

The alternate world of Spiderwick Chronicles

The only difference between the world of Spiderwick and our own world is that all the fey creatures that are nothing but myth are real. And I really, really want to live there. Even with the very real threat of accidentally eating food given to me by a fairy. I mean, it would be a concern for me, I have little self-control with food. But I could handle having a Brownie in my house. I would buy shiny things for it and leave out milk all the time.

 

 

London Below in Neverwhere

While London Below is not the friendliest place, and certainly not the safest-sounding place, I’m still in love. I love the theory that nothing’s nailed down, everything floats about at random. I love that someone has to be in the know to do any trading. I love the rats and the rat talkers. I love that you can basically trip over magic, cuss it out, and keep going. And I love that the people of London Below can wander about London above and not be seen.

Most of all, I love how it all makes a good amount of sense, even if it doesn’t seem to at first.

The land beyond the tollbooth in Phantom Tollbooth.

Who didn’t read this book and want immediately to go beyond the land of expectations? I mean, the whole damn thing is just one metaphor after another for life, and how most people just frankly live it wrong. How many of us never move beyond the land of expectations? How many get stymied by the man with no face? I know he gets me all the time. I could, and probably will do a whole blog post on the lessons I learned from this book.

Mostly, though, I love the idea of being able to eat words. The idea that letters would have different tastes, like watermelons or steak. That one could buy words, or individual letters for the do it yourself sort.

Oh, and to be able to buy sounds, and listen to different sorts of quiet on the radio. To have a watchdog keeping after me, to stop me wasting time.

The lands beyond the Lone Islands in The Dawn Treader

Everything about Chronicles of Narnia is amazing, the Dawn Treader is my favorite of the series by far.

From the water that turns anything to gold, to the retired star, everything about the lands is magical. I’m reminded strongly of Homer’s Odyssey every time I read it. I love the little Dufflepuds, Eustace turning into a dragon, and just the overall details about life on the magical Dawn Treader. And, thanks to this book, I will always know which is port and which is starboard.

Pern

This one’s actually science fiction, not fantasy. But it’s world building is more fantasy, so I’m going to use it. And the reason why I love Pern best comes down to just one thing.

The dragons.

Dragons are handled differently in this book than any others. The bond between human and beast is something that I aspire to, but also something that I think I understand. Anyone who’s ever slow blinked at a cat and had him slow blink back gets it a little. How can you not feel a connection between you and your dog, who has evolved to be members of our families? When you pay attention to animals and listen when they try to tell you something, more often than not you’ll find that you can understand them perfectly well.

Alright, now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite fantasy world? Let us know in the comments below.

The final chapter of Woven is nearly here. Are you ready?

The city of Septa has barely had a moment of peace since the death of their king, Michael. Lenore, the princess, and heir, hopes that she and her husband, Victor, can bring some stability.
Meanwhile, her brother Devon and his wife, Queen Sultiana, come to visit and meet Lenore and Victor’s twin daughters. Sultiana comes with a heavy heart, having just miscarried her own child, and lost her father.
Instead, Lenore finds herself battling against her uncle, Joseph, over her right to the throne. As he stirs the city into civil war, an ancient enemy reveals itself. Brother Brennan, who claims to speak for The Creator, is killing Septa citizens in the streets.
Then, Lenore’s daughters are kidnapped. While Victor and Devon hunt the city in search of the princesses, Lenore and Sultiana must lead her city in a war against her uncle, and a twisted holy man. The canals run red as Lenore fights for her city, her family, and the safety of the world, in the conclusion of Woven.