THE LAST HERO: How Escapist Imagination and Real Life Led to Nathaniel Dane's First Novel

Anyone who writes fiction---actually, anyone in the arts---will relate to the essay from today's guest, Nathaniel Danes. He shares how the world he created for his first military science fiction novel, The Last Hero, grew in his mind and gained importance in his life until he just couldn't keep it off the page.

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The Last Hero -- I had to write it

by Nathaniel Danes

I never thought I'd write a book. Heck, for most of my life, getting beyond page three of any school writing project felt like a Herculean task. I think the difference between now and then, is my writing doesn't feel forced, like the story is there, I just need to get it out. Maybe that's the difference between writing what you want as opposed to what you have to.

Thinking about it now, it almost feels as if The Last Hero grew itself organically rather than having been written. My over-active imagination, love for military history, science fiction addiction, blindness, failed military career, daughter, and more were filtered through my fingers onto the page. It's a nexus where several pieces of my life came together. Believe me, that sounds far easier than it was.

I've always used my imagination as an escape hatch from life. As far back as I can remember I'd bolt from mundane situations in my mind, transporting myself to excitement and adventure. I'm sure most kids do this, but for me, I've never stopped. Today, I do this as a coping mechanism. I'm losing my sight to a genetic disorder, the reason for my failed military career, and I find it relaxing to drift off into worlds where I don't have that limitation.

These fantasies were always content to live inside my head until I read The Forever War. That classic sparked something inside me. Science fiction has always been my preferred genre for TV and movies, but as far as books go, I used to only read military history. After stumbling upon The Forever War everything changed. I couldn't read enough military science fiction and those stories in my head started to become restless.

I also can't overstate the importance of my daughter's birth in helping to shape the story in my first novel. There are a select few things I truly love in his world, my wife for one, so the feeling isn't foreign to me. However, I honestly wasn't prepared for the body blow of raw emotion, of pure unconditional love, I felt the second I held my baby girl for the first time. From then on, I couldn't imagine a universe that she wasn't a part of, where that incredible connection didn't exist. Her presence in my life enriched and brought depth to my fantasy worlds. She brought meaning and purpose to them.

Literally bursting at the seams, I had to get the stories out. So, I started to write and write, then I rewrote and rewrote. Before I knew it, a few years had past and I'd written four books. Finally, I decided to try and get one published. Fortunately, Solstice Publishing saw fit to give me a chance and agreed to release the The Last Hero.

If you read my book, I hope you enjoy it and can feel the passion that went into its creation. It will be the first of many. I don't have a choice, the stories have to come out.

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Learn more about Nathaniel Danes on his website.

Purchase The Last Hero on Amazon.

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Vonnie Winslow Crist on using fact in fantasy

My guest today is Vonnie Winslow Crist, who explains how her fiction is constantly influenced by personal experiences, family history, and myth, not to mention feline behavior! Her new fantasy novel is The Enchanted Skean.

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Turning Fact into Fiction 

by Vonnie Winslow Crist

All of my fiction begins with facts. I know that sounds counter intuitive, but it's true. The trick is to take facts and reshape them into something new.

For my short stories, I begin with an unusual celebration, a scrap of mythology, a bit of quirky scientific information, or an event from my life. An example would be the Burryman's Parade. I stumbled upon the celebration in a book on British folkways and did some additional research. Then I asked (and answered in my story): What if the ocean decided to claim the boy offered to the sea to increase the fishing harvest?

I used a modern day celebration in my new fantasy novel, The Enchanted Skean. The costumed dog parades sponsored by various Animal Rescue groups were the beginning place for my Clock Day Parade: “Dogs were welcome to accompany their owners to Clock Day, for it had been watch dogs that had warned the town of the approaching villains on that legendary morning when the Millak flesh-eaters attacked. The central square and nearby side streets swarmed with tail-waggers of all sorts, from the fancy lapdogs of the wealthy to the flea-bitten mongrels of street urchins...” In the novel, not only do the dogs wear costumes, they march in an honored position with the mayor's guards.

I've also reshaped lots of myths and legends in The Enchanted Skean. For example, in the Welsh stories of The Mabinogion, a woman made of flowers is turned into an owl by a magician as punishment for unfaithfulness. I asked myself: What if Blodeuwedd had daughters? Who would they be and what would they look like? My answer was an owl-sprite called a featherfay. In The Enchanted Skean, a featherfay and her sister aid the main character, Beck, after he places an owl feather in water and chants “Blood wed” three times.

As for events from my life, I adopted a stray cat who terrorized any dog who wandered onto our property. Her favorite target was our next-door neighbors' golden retriever. My small orange cat would crouch under bushes and wait until the retriever got within six feet. Then, she'd run out from her hiding place hissing and yeowing. The huge dog would race home with her tail tucked between her legs. The Enchanted Skean's watch-cats who ride behind a Janepar warrior on his or her war bull and protect their partner's back during battle were inspired by my feisty cat. Plus, the folk-belief that cats have 9 lives plays a role in the book, too.

Perhaps the strangest fact-based part of the narrative is Beck's attempt to bring his father's bones back from a distant town for re-burial in the family graveyard. One of my ancestors is actually buried in 2 places, because when a cousin was sent to bring his bones home he discovered the body had mummified. The only solution to the problem was the one chosen by Beck in The Enchanted Skean. Curious? Click here to read a 3-chapter excerpt that includes the Ulfwood graveyard scene.

There are lots of other facts woven into The Enchanted Skean's narrative. Consciously or unconsciously, I think readers recognize strands of truth. And when those facts are twined with threads of imagined places, people and creatures, I believe it makes it easier for readers to suspend their disbelief and sink into the writer's fantasy world. You can have a look at the book trailer here.

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Learn more about Vonnie Winslow Crist on her website and her blog.

You can purchase The Enchanted Skean on Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble

Karina Fabian: From Dashiell to Dragons

My guest today is Karina Fabian, whose new novel, Greater Treasures, is a fantasy that takes its inspiration from a noir classic. She discusses how she fit these two genres together in her DragonEye world.

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Stories are like Sonnets

By Karina Fabian

One of my favorite metaphors comes from Madeleine L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time Trilogy.  She describes life as a sonnet: we are all given a strict structure and rules, yet have complete freedom within those rules to create ourselves into unique individuals. 

Fiction writing is like that:  There are rules to follow on grammar and story structure, yet we have incredible freedom of imagination.  No matter how strict the rules, no two people will create the same thing.  My story, Greater Treasures, is a good example of this.  I wrote this story while watching The MalteseFalcon, so while I watched the movie, I took careful note of the plot progression and iconic scenes, like the confrontation between Sam Spade and the police chief.  So I had the structure and basic character set: detective, partner, police chief, damsel in distress with a dark secret, even the competing treasure hunter and his henchman.  Then, I exercised my creativity by placing this structure into my DragonEye universe and let my characters in that world play out their parts.

The result is a very different story from the one written by Dashiell Hammet.  The stakes are higher:  the life of Vern’s best friend (Sister Grace) vs. the fate of an entire world (one that has not treated Vern very well).  

The femme fatal, of course, would not be able to use her feminine wiles on Vern, who’s a dragon.  She needed a different pull.  In addition, Vern is a little more savvy than Sam Spade (Sorry, Sam); plus, he’s seen The Maltese Falcon.  If you’ve seen or read The Maltese Falcon, then you might recognize some of the events and catch a couple of in-jokes; however, there’s no mistaking Greater Treasures for the noir classic—if it becomes a classic itself, it will do so on its own terms.

There’s a saying that there are only 10 original ideas (or 4 or 42 or…)  The number does not really matter, because it’s not the idea or the structure that define the story.  It’s what you do within that structure that makes it yours.

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Learn more about Karina Fabian on her website.

You can purchase Greater Treasures on Amazon.

Jennifer Maruno on balancing research and emotion in historical fiction

I think you'll love today's guest post. Author Jennifer Maruno gives us and honest an personal look at her quest to make historical research come to life in fiction that moves the reader.

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Finding the Heartbeat

  

My love of history came from my dad. Every holiday included a visit to a historic site or a special place that we would later be able to say, "I was there."  Only I know the significance of his collection of photographs of soil-laden dump trucks  as the digging out of the St. Lawrence Seaway or the excavation of the ruins of the mission of Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons in Midland, Ontario. 

He was a handsome man, full of good humour and personality.  He passed away, leaving me his black binder full of anecdotes, newspaper clippings and rambling remembrances of his life. The possibilities of a novel was right under my nose but wasn't sure what to do with all this information.  What was it that I want to explore in my father's life. What would be the story's heartbeat?

Following the heartbeat of your story stops one's creative mind from running off in all directions, like my father's collection of anecdotes. The creative mind is like a crow pulled towards all kinds of shiny things of interest but too many fascinating pieces of information or unnecessary descriptions only confuse your work.

Dissatisfaction with what is perceived to be one's life expectations can make people runaways. This is the heartbeat I used in Warbird, my story of young Etienne who wanted to follow in the tracks of Samuel de Champlain and  become a great explorer.

When the Cherry Blossoms Fell  and the sequel Cherry Blossom Winter are both novels that beat to the theme of Identity. Who am I? What does it mean to be both Japanese and Canadian during the Second World War? What part does one not want to be? Why can't they celebrate their heritage? What would happen if I take on a new identity?

For Kid Soldier I settled on the theme of Worthiness, or how the character faces life, especially in the face of all odds. Fatherless and penniless, 15 year old Richard Fuller wants a bike. Mr. Black, the baker that lives up the street hires Richard to help with deliveries. Richard is impressed with the baker’s organized ways. Military man, like Richard’s deceased father, Mr. Black entertains him with army stories and teaches him Morse code. He invites Richard to attend the opening ceremonies of the 1939 military camp in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The monotony of Richard’s existence ends the day the Canadian Army opens their two week camp with a demonstration of efficiency and strength. Infatuated with army life, Richard decides to become a soldier.

Kid Soldier is also about Heroism. When war looms on the horizon, Richard makes the most impulsive decision in his life, he enlists. He travels to England with the newly formed 1^st Canadian Division, witnesses the Battle of Britain, the death of a German pilot, an unwarranted animal massacre and gets caught in the London Blitzkrieg.  When his true age is discovered, Richard faces a possible court-martial. He doesn't becomes the typical war hero but does discover the path his life should take. Returning home, he learns Mr. Black is dead, his bakery in disrepair, and Mr. Vogel’s farm up for sale. No longer a boy, he uses his deferred pay and a loan from a bank to put things right.

Historical fiction is nothing more than an imaginative recreation of the past, but there must be a balance between authenticity and imagination. In my novels I balance the distinctive flavour of Canadian history with the heartbeat of universal motifs that appeal to children worldwide. Soon to be published is Totem (Dundurn Press)

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To learn more about about Jennifer Maruno, visit her website.

You can purchase Jennifer's books from Dundurn Press, on Amazon, and on Indigo.