Who are we?

      When I walk down the street or stop in at stores or other businesses I see people that I doubt see themselves the way I see them.  Now wait, I'm not crazy.  Hear me out.  There was a fellow in my old town who I swear had to have been a dragon at one time in his existence.  He was old and a bit grisled and acted as if everyone he met was some thief trying to break into his horde to steal his treasure.  As with most dragons, there always seemed to be something mysterious about him and so several local children dared each other to one day do exactly as he feared everyone might.
      I have met women at church who surely must have been inn keepers' wives; and several young men and women who barely hid the hero personas under military uniforms and missionary suits.  I have met burly dwarves who only thought of themselves as working men, and delicate elves posing as human children.  Inside each of us are magical and wonderful  creatures that often only escape during our dreams.
      It makes me wonder if all people who become writers have somehow tapped into their dream selves.  After all, many of my stories came to me in dreams.  But if all writers used their own dream selves to write; then some of them must be very unhappy people or perhaps nightmares are what they choose to share in their stories.

How Fun!

     I had a neat opportunity.  KSL 5, a local tv station, posed a question about if anyone ever used facebook to promote themselves to get a better job.  I posted that I used facebook to promote my books and this blog.  Well, sure enough the story made the news and my comments were the top of the list.  So The Thordon Series got a area wide plug on TV.  Yeah!  When each of you read the books or follow this blog, tell your friends.  I can't wait until we get the opportunity to be seen and known nationwide.  Knowing how hard it can be to find good books for young people to read, every break is a good one.

Getting into the mind of characters.

    When I first began writing, some of the characters were created by some of my children.  But the ones that came from my imagination presented an interesting predicament.  My writing style is very conversational.  My characters talk to you when you read.  But to write so that they can do that requires that I know them inside and out.  Very often when people sit down with a good book, they never think about what the writers may have had to do to put pen to paper.
      Writing Cat's point of view was relatively easy.  She was a woman who respected herself, loved her family, and wanted the best for people she knew.  Been there, done that.  But writing about the villains is harder.  In the first few books, when I had to write about a battle scene, I would have my kids call all of their friends over.  We would give each one of them one of the characters in the book to portray.  I would tell them the situation and show them maps and let them play the situations as role playing games.  Then I took notes.
      But in some of the books, I had to write from the perspective of some really unpleasant people.  Having to step into Gadiumtan's mindset or look at the world as if you were Dalvar can be at the least very taxing.  When I am writing from those perspectives, I often find myself having to step away from the computer just to clear my thoughts.  I think sometimes out lives are like that.
      Do you ever catch yourself feeling overwhelmed by the stresses or anger that others have thrown at you?  I became a member of the CERT team and I learned that in disasters, many people who get involved become overwhelmed like that.  Sometimes, it is a victim that does not handle chaos well, but just as often, it can be the rescuers who break down.  When you are in a situation where someone (accidentally or on purpose) makes you feel like you need a spiritual bath, take a moment, step back, read a book, breathe deep, go for a walk.  Years ago, I received a casset titled Bounce Back.  It had one quote that I love and I believe is good advice for everyone.  "What you do is not as important as that you do something."  When you are at your breaking point, step away and do something and then, begin again.

Encourage your friends to come to this blog.

      Each day, I do several things.  I write on my books, I check in on facebook, I check my e-mail, and I write in this blog.  Now that may seem like I'm not getting anything accomplished but that is not true.  There are other things I also do but those things that I listed accomplish a lot.  For one thing, this blog actually helps me support myself.  The ads that you see on this blog pay me each time someone clicks on an ad.  Even if you do not purchase anything, just clicking on them helps.  It also helps if the ads are just viewed.  So encourage your friends to stop by and see what they think.
    The people who register as followers will also be given special discount codes and information that allow them to  purchase the books at about the same price book stores pay for the books.  Even if you stop by every day, it will help us both if you register as a follower.  Obviously, this blog is very new so not many people know about it yet.  Spreading the word will be more than appreciated.  But it will also help me serve each of you better.  If those of you who do stop by have something that you would like for me to talk about, this is where you can let me know that.  This is your avenue for feedback, comments and questions.  I would love for this blog to be a gathering place for events, writers, students, everyone.  Stop by, read some of the posts, click on what ads interest you and become a followers.  Let me know what you think.  I really do want to hear from you.

How the books tie together

In Thordon's Shadows we got to meet the first of our characters for the series.  They work together to save the kings of the Land East and prevent war.  One of those we meet in book 1 is Lex.  He is the father of Alexander (one of those original heroes) and he was redeemed from a curse.  In Journey of Mythrindell Lex goes to the Shadoworld to find and rescue his wife Cat.  In book 3 The Dark Rescue, Lex and Cat welcome Stephan's son Shoren on his first visit to Thordon.  The three of them, along with Dungeon who was one of Cat's crew, help the kin and kind of Thordon against a whole new enemy.  In The History & Hooey of Thordon, Shoren helps tell the stories of Thordon and other worlds that he had visited.  One of those worlds is Treasesus.  In book 5 The Palmist, a new set of heroes get to know each other on that very world.  In Book 6 The Walking Picasso we meet a man who has fallen under a terrible curse.  One of those who help him break the curse is Dungeon's son Wepor.  In book 7 The Search for Core, Wepor, his sister, and the sons of both Crissen and Molosi (who we meet in book 3) search several worlds to find Core and keep an evil demon lord from taking over a world.  The World of Spirits which is book 8 takes place in the very cavern where Crissen depends on her husband to help save the kings in book 1.  In one way or another, all of the first 8 novels are connected to each other. They are each stand alone stories but they are connected.  Only book 9 The Game and Gadiumtan is not connected to the other stories.  Every character is new for that book.  There will be more books and the world where The Game and Gadiumtan takes place, may be a new world where some of those stories will come to life.  I hope you take the time to read and enjoy all of the stories.  They are available in paperback and on kindle.  In the next weeks and months, I am going to be tackling the task of getting them onto cds so you can listen while you drive.

I love sharing Ideas

      Saturday evening, I had the opportunity to visit with several writers.  We discussed book ideas, publishing tips, and other topics about everything from illustrations to finding an agent.  Many of the novels that I have written have characters or situations that were suggested to me by family or friends.  There was one character that was considered useless by his creator.  Another story was written because of someone wanted to be included in the books as payment for graphics work she did on maps and magical items.  Several of the original book's characters were created by family members who played them in role playing games.
      So, what is my point?  Well, part of it is that while some of those who gave me ideas or characters did so in an effort to help write the books.  Others gave them because they didn't feel they had any value. Of course, as a writer, I see characters as if they are real people waiting to have their stories told.  But folks, there are more stories to be told.  It is a little like a treasure hunt.
      Finding a great story may begin with an opening line popping into your head.  It may be someone with a wonderful name like Alisterra, That begs to be something magical and truly beautiful.  It may be a situation that comes to life in a dream or it could be a bit of scenery that looks like an ancient castle in the distance.  Whether you are writing a story, sharing ideas with someone you know, painting a picture or singing a song; every hint of creativity is a gift that should be given life.
      If you don't think you have it in you to give life to those hints, then find someone to help you.  You can work with a co-writer or even hire a ghost writer.  Be warned though; since a ghost writer isn't going to have their name on the book, and so not get ongoing royalties as high as a co-author, they may charge you a lot.  But if you have an idea, go with it.  There are people who do illustrations who can help you out, even experts who can give you advice.  If you can't paint, learn to use photoshop or even better take a class at your local college.  Enjoy, and let me know where your journey is taking you.

Kudos earned and Thanks given

Yesterday, I told you that I finished book 9 The Game and Gadiumtan.  Well, I knew exactly what image I needed for the cover art, but I didn't have it.  Since all of my book covers are my own work, I was in a fix.  For me to get the photo I needed, I was going to have to drive to Colorado.  But a friend from facebook named Dr. Lawrence Erdile saved me.  He recently went to Mesa Verde and had some beautiful photos that he offered to share with me.  I took one of them and created a painting based on his photo.  So instead of having to wait weeks before I could get that picture, the book was submitted today for publishing.
    As a side note, several of my grandchildren asked to be included in my next book.  I have more grandchildren than would fit into this novel.  But the following characters have very special names.  Thomas - aide to the king, Justin - king of elves, Nathan - chief of voadkin,  KennethOneil - king of dwarves, Lauren - queen of halflings, Ashlyn - Inn keeper who sets action in progress, Corbin - prince of halflings, Addison - maid to the king, and Abbey who is one of the 3 main characters and a huge heroine for the whole story.
     I began writing this story just after Abbey was born.  But it sat unfinished in my computer for a decade.  As more stories come out, more grandchildren will become characters.  Many of these names will probably become more in depth characters in later books  But for now, they can each tell their friends that the book is about them.