Book Review: Lichgates by SM Boyce

The way I look at it, there is really only one difference between fiction and reality, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with magic. It's that someone steps outside of the script for our lives that we're all far too familiar with. You know the one- wake up, go to work/school, have dinner, watch TV, socialize a little, go back to sleep, repeat. At some point, whether it's the most common and mundane drama or the most profoundly removed from the laws of physics kind of fantasy, the main character is put in a position where s/he makes a different choice.

I find it comforting, to think that the only qualitative difference between the adventures of the best protagonists, and myself, is that they stepped out of the ordinary. I could do that, you could do that. It doesn't seem too implausible.

S.M. Boyce's Kara Magari does just that while out hiking and is transported into another world teeming with danger, intrigue, and the sort of world building that makes the reader want to linger. I could definitely use reading more about the world of Ourea, and with Kara's difficulty adjusting to college life and the loss of her mother, Ourea was just what she needed.

In some ways I am reminded of The Lord of the Rings, in that an unsuspecting hero has great power and responsibility thrust upon him/her, and the fate of everyone is somehow tied to their journey, but in a new and wonderful turn of events, Lichgates focuses on the trials, tribulations, discoveries, and adventures of a girl.

I know that I've probably just not read enough high fantasy, but the female protagonist in a story that isn't, at it's heart, just a love story with a fantastic setting, seems kind of hard to come by. Her character may take some warming to, but if you're in for an otherworldly adventure, well, then of course, I highly recommend following Kara's example and opening the book.

Interview with Jamie Marchant

Happy Friday, everyone! Today we're talking with author Jamie Marchant about her novel, THE GODDESS'S CHOICE.

Welcome to We Do Write! Tell us a bit about yourself.

From early childhood, I’ve been immersed in books. My mother, an avid reader herself, read to us, and my older sister filled my head with fairy tales. When I was about six, I started writing stories about the Man from Mars for my older sister. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, and I wrote my first fantasy novel while in high school—not that it was publishable. Taking into consideration my love for literature and the challenges of supporting myself as a writer, I pursued a Ph.D. in American literature, which I received in 1998. I started teaching writing and literature at Auburn University and discovered the excitement of teaching. But in doing so, I put my true passion on the backburner and neglected my muse. Instead, for a few years, I wrote literary criticism. Then one day, in the midst of writing a critical piece, I realized I had no interest in doing so. What I wanted to do was write novels. My muse thus revived, I began the book that was to become The Goddess’s Choice. I have an entire series planned.
I live in Auburn, Alabama, with my husband and son. I still teach writing and literature at Auburn University.

Tell us about THE GODDESS'S CHOICE. What’s the story about?

The Goddess’s Choice is an adult epic fantasy novel set in the kingdom of Korthlundia. The crown princess Samantha fears she’s mad; no one but she sees colors glowing around people. The peasant Robrek Angusstamm believes he’s a demon; animals speak to him, and his healing powers far outstrip those of his village’s priests. Despite their fears about themselves, their combined powers make them the goddess’s choice to rule the kingdom of Korthlundia.

Samantha’s ability enables her to discern a person’s character through their multi-colored aura, and Robrek’s makes him the strongest healer the kingdom has seen in centuries. But their gifts also endanger their lives. Royals scheme to usurp the throne by marrying or killing Samantha, and priests plot to burn Robrek at the stake. Robrek escapes the priests only to be captured by Samantha’s arch-enemy, Duke Argblutal; Argblutal intends to force the princess to marry him by exploiting Robrek’s powers. To save their own lives and stop Argblutal from plunging the realm into civil war, Robrek and Samantha must consolidate their powers and unite the people behind them.

The Goddess’s Choice is loosely based on a Norwegian fairy tale, “The Princess and the Glass Hill.” Though my favorite fairy tale as a child, it disturbed me that the female character has no name and no role other than being handed off as a prize. My novel remakes the crown princess of Korthlundia into a strong heroine who is every bit as likely to be the rescuer as the one rescued.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

The Goddess's Choice originates deep within my childhood. My sister Jalane--she is ten years older than me--told me stories, fairy tales mostly: "Midas and His Golden Touch," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Hansel and Gretel." But my favorite was always "The Princess and the Glass Hill" or "The Glass Mountain" as my sister titled it. I had her tell that story over and over again. I was captivated by the bold hero on his magical horses of bronze, silver, and gold.

When I had a child of my own, I wanted to pass that fairy tale on. My son, Jesse, loved it every bit as much as I had. One day after telling it to him, it came to me that the story could be so much more than five pages and sparse details. However, I didn’t want to write a children’s story but the type of epic fantasy I enjoy as an adult. I upped the dramatic tension, villainy, and sexuality of the piece to create something far different than the original fairy tale. The Goddess’s Choice is intended for an adult audience.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a critique group, and I would highly recommend having one. The Goddess’s Choice wouldn’t be half the book it is without them.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

Although it is an adult epic fantasy novel, The Goddess’s Choice is loosely based on a fairy tale, so I had some structure imposed on it to begin with. But the fairy tale is only five pages, and the book is nearly four hundred, so I added a lot! For instance, the story of Samantha—the crown princess and heroine of my novel—is almost completely absent from the fairy tale.

Other than the imposed structure of the original tale, I’m a more fly-by-the-seat-my-pants kind of writer. I never made a written outline or plotted a story arc. I had a basic idea of where I wanted to end up, although I didn’t know exactly how The Goddess’s Choice was going to end until I was nearly there. A lot of where the story goes depends on the characters. They tend to take on a life of their own.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The final edits. By then, I just want the piece to be finished, and I get lazy and impatient. Fortunately, my critique group doesn’t let me get away with it.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

I have to be leaning back on a couch with my laptop on my knees. I hate sitting at a desk. It also helps to have a cat around, and since I have four of them, one of them usually obliges me.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I’d like to fly. I’ve always wanted to soar with the birds.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Celtic wedding rituals. I needed the information for my novel.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: snakes, motorized, and prattle.

Motorized snakes slithered over the toddler while she prattled to them.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Reading or playing a computer game.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

I wish to express extreme gratitude to the members of the Robrek Steele Conspiracy Writers’ Group: Peg Daniels, Jim Elston, and Eve Harmon. Peg and Jim, especially, supported me through every stage of the novel and never let up on me until I got it right. I wish to thank my husband Tim and son Jesse for their love and patience throughout this process and their willingness to listen to parts of the novel read over and over again. I also owe a debt to my brothers and sisters for the stories they told me as a child and for their support and belief in me. I am grateful to my sensei, Travis Page, who taught me everything I know about fighting and didn’t look askance at me when I asked him the best way to kill someone with a staff. And lastly, I’d like to thank Derrick Eisenhardt and Reliquary Press for loving the novel.

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?

I can be found on my website: http://jamie-marchant.com/
Blog: http://jamie-marchant.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Marchant-Author/164706710298768?ref=hl
Twitter: @RobrekSamantha

The book can be purchased at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Goddesss-Choice-Jamie-Marchant/dp/1936519127/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1351963793&sr=8-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-goddesss-choice-jamie-marchant/1110185060?ean=9781936519125
Reliquary Press: http://www.reliquarypress.com/Reliquary_Press/Welcome.html

Interview with Lorna Suzuki

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's start of 2013 by chatting with fantastic author Lorna Suzuki.

Welcome to We Do Write, Lorna. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you for the invitation, Dorothy! I live on the west coast of beautiful B.C. where I work fulltime as a novelist. When I’m not writing epic, adult and young adult fantasies, I’m a martial arts instructor.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve spent many years in the corporate and educational world where I created newsletters, training manuals, and educational guides. I’ve also been a scriptwriter for an adventure travel series that has been picked up for an international audience. As far as my start as a fiction writer goes, I started writing my first novel on February 7th, 2002, the day after I lost my job. It was a series of events, the stars aligning so to speak, but I started writing the very next day.

Tell us about IMAGO CHRONICLES. What’s the story about?

There’s an ensemble cast of characters in this epic fantasy series, but the central character is a female warrior. She is half human and half elf, and being the only one of her kind, she’s shunned by one race and denied by the other. To make matters worse, she enters the male dominated arena of warriorship and suffers a long, hard climb to become a respected leader and captain, and all without using magic or possessing supernatural strength or powers! It’s also a coming of age story as she struggles to find acceptance and love in a world that has little tolerance for a halfling like her.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I’ve had experience as a female in the male dominated arena of law enforcement and martial arts when women were breaking into this field, so I had a lot of firsthand knowledge dealing with sexism, male chauvinism, and also racism. When I turned 39, I started a journal for my daughter touching on these subjects and how I dealt with them. The fantasy novel was instigated when I was teaching at a martial arts seminar and I was the only female instructor. I had the female participants come up to me after I was done, telling me how they never knew a woman could really fight until they saw me doing a demo using all male students. When I asked them why they believed this, they said it was in their culture, their upbringing and in the books they read. Well, I didn’t want my daughter reading about women waiting to be rescued, I wanted her to read about a female capable of doing the rescuing. I also wanted to create a female character capable of overcoming both physical and mental challenges without needing special or supernatural powers to do so. With this in mind, Nayla Treeborn and the Imago Chronicles were born, but the opportunity to write the first story in this ten novel series didn’t happen until I had lost my job.

Your novels have been optioned for a movie trilogy. Congrats! Can you tell us more?

Yes, the first three novels of the Imago Chronicles series were optioned after the executive producer saw an interview and martial arts demonstration I did on MTV a few years ago. All I can say for now is that the production company involved is an Oscar nominated, two-time Golden Globe winning team. So far, I’ve been hired on as a creative consultant, an award-winning screenwriter had been hired and the screenplay has been written (and it is AWESOME), a line producer determined the film budget based on this screenplay, 100% of the film budget has been secured and even a distributor to get it into the theaters is all lined up. I’ll be able to share in the specifics of this movie deal once the production company’s public relations dept. issues a press release to the trade papers in the near future. A Warrior’s Tale is in development now and filming is slated to begin in late spring/early summer 2013.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

I’d say I’m probably about 75% planner and 25% pantser.

Me too! What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The writing is easy and fun, the hardest part is editing and then proofreading over and over and over again, as well as constantly tweaking because of that need to make the story as good as possible.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I’d have the power that would allow me to steal away other super heroes’ powers on a whim. I’d be able to fly, have superhuman strength or be invisible if I want.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I think it was probably when I had to research hand grenades and how they work.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

A special thanks to my husband Scott for creating book covers, proofreading and formatting the ebook and print versions of my novels; my daughter Nia for her lovely support and being a constant source of inspiration; to all those who read the first novels in the Imago series and The Dream Merchant Saga, and then returned to buy some or all of the novels in the series; to the executive producer who optioned the Imago series for believing in my writing skills and seeing the potential for a major motion picture trilogy; to my wonderful friends who have stood by me, cheering me on with each book I’ve published and now, they’re cheering on this whole movie adventure; to all those who have taken the time to read the novels and post wonderful reviews; to friend and fellow author Jessica Subject to started and maintains the Imago Fantasy Series Facebook page; to all those who have invited me to their blog for interviews; and to you, Dorothy, for inviting me here!

You're very welcome! And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

My official website is http://www.newmobileme.com/imagochronicles9
You can follow me on Twitter @LornaSuzuki
My print and ebooks can be found on Smashwords: http://t.co/Q4T2iKFS & Amazon: http://t.co/UlQSvL0s

It was great having you here today, Lorna. Thanks so much for chatting with us, and I look forward to hearing news about your movie's release!