Quills: Inspiring Codes

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This month: some of the codes, beliefs and philosophies that inspire our writing.

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

This is a loaded question—and not one fully answered in a few short paragraphs—but I can share some general thoughts . . .

At the outset, I would say that this topic makes me think of posing the following question to a judge: can you render a decision without letting your ideology play any part?

(Read More on Patricia's blog!)

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

In all honesty, I don’t think the limited space of this format is up to the task of dealing with the subject. The best we can do is skim the surface of the tender, personal area that is our beliefs, codes, or faith. Do I have faith?

(Read More on Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

The Way of the Warrior

Japan, her people, and her language has fascinated me since grade school The beauty and mystery of such an ancient place takes me to a land I've never seen, but long to visit. From this far off isle comes a philosophy that strikes a chord in my soul and meshes with the beliefs that inspire and underscore every aspect of who I am as a writer. 

I believe we are all made in the image of God and the very notion of Bushido's essence, Life in Every Breath -- as spoken, I admit, by a character in a movie I adore -- expresses the fullness of heaven on earth in individuals. The "Way" is a term used to describe the path of the Warrior, but it is also how some early Christians talked about the path of following Christ. The dual reflection captures my soul. It gives rise to the imagination of lands where people value the stamp of the Creator's very image upon them. Such an understanding demands respect of one another in a way that merely being human does not. The breath of that Creative force animates us and connects us as nothing else can and to me, this notion of life in every breath then becomes the Breath of Life in every person.

We each have a destiny with which we will someday reckon -- that of death and of meeting God face to face. That meeting and how we are predestined to handle it is shaped in some small, mysterious part, I believe, by how we take that Breath within us and transform it. We can mutilate it, and breathe it out as poison upon our brothers and sisters, or we can submit to it and breathe it out from every pore as the perfume of the very Life it came from, that of the Creator.

I have a job given to me by divine mandate: to love those around me as God has loved me and given himself for me so that I may be one and whole with him. Not because the doing of this makes me good or righteous, but because he has given me righteousness by his sacrifice and thereby I reflect his goodness in my actions. In my expression of the gifts he has given me, my desire to write and weave worlds where love is the center of the tale is the ultimate desire to reflect that job of loving one another. There is no manner in which it is not reflected in me when I put words into a story.

May you know that Life in every Breath you take.

Quills: Dreams As Plot Devices

This week, we welcome Gregory S. Close as a guest in our Quills panel discussion of Dreams as Plot Devices. You can read more about his works at Light, Dark and Shadow. Regarding our topic, Mr. Close has this to say:

A dream sequence can create an ethereal mood of otherworldliness, reveal hidden truths, foreshadow victory or doom, or even represent a second, hidden realm that parallels the waking world.  That can all be very cool.  It can also go very wrong, very easily.

(Read more of Mr. Close's article over on Robin's blog!)

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

Dreams can be such marvelous, intricate, eye-opening, exhilarating, or terrifying occurrences. They can inspire us to do things, be things—or write things. Do they belong in fiction? Are they useful as plot devices? Well… it depends!

(Read Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause...

-- Shakespeare, Hamlet

My own personal jar of dreams!

Are dreams as plot devices good or bad? I think I can give a resounding "Yes!" for they are both. Dreams can be an overused rhetorical device in storytelling. A TV show called Dallas became infamous when viewers discovered that character Bobby Ewing dreamed an entire season. The subsequent reaction, while largely negative, still inspired water-cooler talk for decades.

And yet... some of the best stories have dreams that start them, end them or play a significant part in their impact. I remember my astonishment the first time I realized that when Caractacus Potts sings Hushabye Mountain to his children in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the rest of the story might possibly have been a dream the inventor had when he went to sleep that night.

There are countless other examples. We are not in control of our dreams and that can terrify us. Better, as Hamlet thought, to deal with the known terrors of life, even the dreams we cannot bear yet wake from, than the dreams that might come in death. Dreams are a little death and in literature, dreams open up a variety of doors.

All dreams of the soul

End in a beautiful man’s or woman’s body. 

--W.B. Yeats, The Phases of the Moon, 1919.

Dreams can have a point and thus become visions. Visions are thought by some to be God's memories. In a way, as a creator of characters in a tale, dreams are a writer's visions to their creations.

We dream, we nightmare, if I can use that as a verb. We interpret dreams, signs and omens and some of the best stories come from the misunderstandings that result. We wonder if our dreams hold sway in our waking lives and so must our characters, if they are to reflect us and make an impact with others. As with adverbs and alcohol, moderation is the key.

Dream on!

Since he weighs nothing

Even the stoutest dreamer

Can fly without wings. 

--W.H. Auden, from Thanksgiving for a Habitat, 1966.

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PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

Very much in demand, Patricia is away on business this First Friday!

(Read Patricia's blog!)

Thanks for reading and we'll see you in our next Quills in June. In the meantime, what's the strangest dream you've had? What do you think of dreams in books, television or movies? I'd love to hear from you!

Quills: Books We Love

This week, we're sharing our favorite stories with you and a little bit about their authors.
Enjoy!

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First up, Patricia talks about one of my favorite reads.

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

While I love to read fantasy, I have not selected a fantasy story to share. Rather, I am going back in time to a great and timeless classic.  Specifically, my choice is Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.

I’ve heard people over the years say they gave up on Les Miserables, as a difficult read.  I suppose there is something to that.  Yet I consider it the most incredibly beautiful tale ever written—the story, sure—but even more so, the manner in which it is told.  It is like poetry—no ... music.

(Read Patricia's blog!)

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Prithee, Robin! Regale us!

ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

My grandmother used to call me “Robin the Hood” when I was very little. I was understandably confused—and then I learned about the legendary Robin Hood. The nickname became something of a badge of honor, though I have no idea why should would compare me to a thief. I was innocent! Naturally, I read and watched several versions of the tale, but when I read Lady of the Forest, by Jennifer Roberson, I fell in love.

(Read Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

In 1995 an author team wrote "Relic" a murder mystery/suspense novel about the "New York Museum of Natural History" in which paying customers to the museum wind up brutally murdered in the dark corridors and closed off rooms. Graduate student Margo Green believes the murderer might not be human. The director of the museum wants a gala exhibition to go on as scheduled, but Margo, the police Lieutenant in charge of the case and an FBI agent with a history of investigating similar murders in New Orleans want to get to the truth of the matter. From third world jungles to the mean streets of New York and the labrythine tunnels beneath, "Relic" keeps a reader riveted to it's last startling pages.

In 1997 a host of production companies got together to make the movie version of the novel. They called it "The Relic." I saw the movie and while I thought it reminded me a great deal of "Jaws", it also piqued my curiosity for a genre I'd never been interested in. What does any good book lover do? I read the book. I LOVED the book. It read better than an action movie! One character never seen in the movie, FBI Special Agent A. X. L.  Pendergast became my favorite. His buttery southern accent, near albino good looks and uncanny intelligence were a triple threat not to be ignored. I borrowed every Preston & Child book the library had and devoured them until, like all the other fans, I had to wait for new ones to be published.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are a tremendous writing team in the mystery/suspense genre. They work seamlessly together so that, even though they've both written many books solo, both with their own unique style, I can never tell one from the other in their collaborations. Different as night and day when it comes to public appearances, they nevertheless have in common a deep connection to their readers. They had a website and message boards that Linc had a strong presence on when it wasn't fashionable (or advisable!) for authors to do so. They reached out and as a result have an extremely loyal fan base.

If there is a formula to their work, it is that they grant tiny insights into their characters, hints and glimpses that make readers want to know more and make their protagonists realistic. They draw the reader in into caring and then up the ante by creating worry. They are not above taking their main characters to death's door ... or sometimes beyond. They have no qualms about killing off beloved supporting characters (some of whom have novels of their own!) and their villains are spectacularly smart bad guys. They inspired me to read through the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and allowed me to fall in love with yet another great literary detective, Sherlock Holmes.

The more I read of Holmes, the more I enjoy Pendergast. Even after my disappointment in their newest main character, Gideon Crew, I still trust Doug and Linc to bring me new, intense tales of my favorite FBI agent. I pray they will do so for many years to come.
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Visit the Preston & Child website for more on Agent Pendergast!

And tell me, what books do YOU love? I want to hear from you about your favorites. Thanks for reading! See you in April.

Quills: Snark Hunt!

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A Scavenger Hunt is fine for parties and kids in college. What we have here is a Scavenger Hunt involving books, and therefore, I deem it a Snark Hunt! Since I am often easily charmed with smiles and soap, let us search for these ten things on our bookish Snark Hunt: 

• the letter “J”
• a fantasy classic
• a dragon on the cover
• oldest book on your shelf
• a shield on the cover
• an animal in it
• a cover with only words
• a cover with gold lettering
• a book written by an author with a common last name
• a red colored book 

Patricia is up first. 

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

The old year is behind us (and I cannot say I am sorry about that) and 2015 begins. What better way to move forward than to join my fellow Quills in a treasure hunt.  Our search will take us through our book shelves.  So, here goes!

A book with the letter “J” - This one is fairly easy—Jekyll and Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Oh yes, I know, the full name is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but most refer to it by its shortened name. This is a great read, showing . . .

(Read Patricia's blog!)

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And now, Robin!

ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

Rummaging through my bookshelves (both physical and digital) makes me feel like a dragon admiring its treasure. I have silver and gold, precious jewels, priceless collections of beautiful words at my very fingertips! The hardest part of this task? Getting sidetracked. I want to read this! no, this one! And that one, too! Oh, it’s been a long time since I’ve read <fill in the blank, there are lots of options>! I got so sidetracked, in fact, that it took me three attempts to collect the actual goodies.

(Read Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

My turn to meet the ten requirements for our Snark Hunt. Naturally, I endeavored to find ONE book with all ten. When that didn't work, I settled on six that did the trick!  First up... 

Tarzan Lord of the Jungle by Edgar Rice Burroughs has a "J", only words on it's red cover and many animals in it. Mostly great apes. Four in one! I chose this first because my mother adored the Tarzan books and it was her excitement over them and this one especially that intrigued me, beginning my journey along this fabulous road.

While Tarzan looks like it might be the oldest book in my collection, it was published in 1928. Whereas, a book that meets the "red cover", "gold lettering" and the "animal in it" requirement may also be THE oldest book on my shelf. Tied at four! The only date inside this book is 1862, but that is the Penning of the Preface date. According to most internet sources, the date of publication of this Thompson and Thomas edition of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is 1895. Though, no one seems quite sure...


My copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is a contender for the gold lettering and it is as close as I could come to a "shield" on the cover. I may be squeaking by with that one.

Uncertain if Twain's book counted as a fantasy classic with all the science going on in the Yankee's tale, I chose The Hobbit as my classic. Prompted again by Twain and Camelot, I chose The Once and Future King by T.H. White for my "book written by an author with a common name." We've cousins who are Whites and friends who are Whites. For "common" I'd say it fits.


As for "a dragon on the cover" (and I have many), this edition of Anne McCaffery's Moreta: Dragon Lady of Pern is my choice. Gorgeous art by Michael Whelan.

I hope this Snark Hunt through our shelves has left you beamish! For me, it has been utterly frabjous. See you in February!. 

A Drift of Quills: Picture This!

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Welcome to our First Friday Feature. This time, we're letting you see what we see. Read on!

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PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

AS I SEE IT

This month, we Quills decided to select a picture or pictures that represent some person, place or thing in our work. I decided I would go with pictures for a couple of my characters.

A reader recently asked me, if Oathtaker was a movie, who did I see playing the characters? For me, the real difficulty in this question is knowing that whatever celebrity names and faces I choose, someone will not like them. It is amazing what strong feelings we have about celebrities, either because of their past work, or possibly as a result of the bits and pieces we hear about their private lives . . .

But I will give this a shot, nonetheless.

I thought I would start with my main character, Mara...(Keep Reading!)

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

The character Crow, from my novel As the Crow Flies, is the obvious choice for this endeavor, so I'm going with him. When I wrote the book, I didn't have a picture sitting by my computer to prompt or inspire me, but I had a very strong sense of him. In fact, I didn't have a picture to represent Crow until after I started a Pinterest board for the novel. Crazy, right?

I found one fine-looking fellow, then another, then... my daughter came to me one day and said, "MOM! I know the perfect guy to play Crow!” (Keep Reading!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING
Author of the short story Sanguis Dei and the poetry collection: Light and Dark  

I have always loved deep forests and mountains. It seems natural, then, that when I

Wales

began to write stories I would set them in such green and mystical old places of the world. Some of the most inspiring images in my head are things I have seen in this world: the ancient woods of Wales, the deep canyons and caves in Pennsylvania and Arizona. There are wonders to behold in our very backyards that strike me as otherworldly.

I chose a place this month's Quill: Seqir, as the humans in Sons of the Dead call it. Yni'se Qir, or God's Land as the Seqirens themselves name it.

More specifically, I chose Yn Teyen, The Slash. The Slash is swampland where my main character Mikkayl Arrayn and his twin brother Ricoh grow up far too soon. It is both deadly and beautiful, dark and ruinous yet full of magical light. It is a land of contrasts that in it's very essence reflects the twins themselves.

I've come to love Seqir and The Slash more than I ever imagined I would. I've discovered that amazing creatures live there. The Kel Dahys'en: the Forest Dancers, a breed of horse as maneuverable in dense woods as the hart, but sturdy and with tremendous stamina. In the darkest parts of Yn Teyen lurk the kathraul'en, nightmare servants made from the depths of a mage's broken mind. In this land dwells spectacular magic, and resilient people. It is my hope with the brief glimpse these images provide that you will be intrigued and desire to explore the land of Seqir even as I and the Arrayn brothers are still exploring it. I dearly hope that you will come to love it too.

Thanks for reading.

The Hero's Call

Today is our Independence Day. As you enjoy the barbeque and the fireworks, be safe and remember those who fought hard for your freedom. Thank a soldier today and hug your children.

This is also my father's birthday. He was an amazing man. I have written about him before. The Fourth is like that for me, a day of remembering. I am thinking of him today.

This month: Freedom.

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To begin our Quills topic, we have a guest author!

RAYMOND BOLTON
Author of  Awakening, the Ydron Saga
Ray's Website

Here is a taste of what Ray has to say:

Freedom is a difficult concept to wrap one’s mind around. It doesn't refer to things one is permitted to do. The possibility that permission can be revoked implies constraint, and constraint implies license. One who is licensed is on a tether and tethers can be yanked, or tied to something. On the other hand, lack of all constraints whatsoever leaves open the possibility of trampling on the rights or freedom of others, and such acts lead to consequences. Consequences, of course, are tethers. So are laws. And since we live within a society, and society is governed by laws, it begs the question how can anyone be truly free?

Read more on Robin Lythgoe's Blog.

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ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

Freedom...  As tough to grab onto as a cloud, but weighty as the earth itself. As Raymond pointed out, it's a difficult concept to pin down.

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." --Nelson Mandela

Right away we see that freedom does not, cannot, exist by itself ... (read more!)

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PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

As today is July 4, it is appropriate to give thought to the concept of freedom. What is it? What does it mean to me? How does it play into my fantasy novel, Oathtaker?

Dictionary.com defines freedom in several ways ... (read more!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING
Author of the short story Sanguis Dei and the poetry collection: Light and Dark  

I love the 4th of July. Not just because of the BBQs or the fireworks. In fact, my dog hates the fireworks, and runs to me for comfort. Her fear is a reasonable thing and though she doesn't understand, she points to one of the reasons we send those rockets skyward. The colorful explosions inspire us and are a visceral reminder of the noise and smoke of battle. We oooh and ahhh, but the cannon-loud "duds" that made me cover my ears as a child, while designed to be beautiful, also make me soberly recall those who have gone before.

Thankfully, because of men like my father and uncles and my oldest brother (and probably yours, too) most of us will never know these fears up close. The honorable men who journey to foreign soil to hold tyranny at bay go to protect their families and their homes and something we can't see or touch. I don't know what it was like for them to be under the guns, on the shores, in the trenches though I have heard tales both frightening and humorous. My keenest imaginings are merely a shadow of what occurred there. How then can I be so touched, so moved by celebrations across the nation? The practical application of the sacrifice of these good men is that I am free. Free to write, to speak and to dream up whatever mayhem I can conjure. What they put on the line for freedom, their very lives, I see as the ultimate expression of love.

"No greater love has any man than this--that he will lay down his life for his friends." Sounds like sacrifice, but that is precisely the point. It is the deepest sort of freedom to let go of fear and do what is right because it is right. This truth shapes my life. It intricately shapes the characters I create. My heroes fight to preserve freedom and they struggle against oppression. They do it because I have seen it in action. We are in this world together and we must stand up for those that are not strong enough to do so for themselves. That is the hero's call.

May your celebrations be full with remembering and with the joy that comes from freedom.