Fantasy and Society (OWS CyCon)

Introduction 

I'd like to offer you a warm welcome to my blog. I write what you want to read, so feel free to drop a topic below! I hope you enjoyed visiting Timothy Bateson's blog. If you haven't stopped by, make sure to check him out! 

My name is Erin Casey, and I'm an urban fantasy/YA fantasy/medieval fantasy writer. My first book The Purple Door District came out December 2018, and the next book in the series, Wolf Pit, will be released in December 2019. To learn more about my series, and all the other projects I'm doing, find me on my website, twitter, instagram, and facebook. 

If you've come here from OWS CyCon, you can find my booth here. If you're new to OWS CyCon, CyCon is a weekend-long book online convention where you can meet authors, vote on book covers, check out interviews and readings... all without putting on pants! I'm also involved in cover wars, character wars, and several panels. Be sure to visit the CyCon website and Facebook events acting as the hub for all of our events. Sign up for our newsletter or RSVP to the event to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the bookish goodness we have to offer. Be sure to visit the Fantasy Sci-Fi Reader's Lounge, especially on Sunday, May 19th from 11am-12pm when I'll host an author takeover event. 

Now, with all the logistics out of the way, let's get into the heart of the blog post! 

Fantasy and Society 

Whether you write epic fantasy or urban fantasy, you have to find a way to integrate the fantastical world into "normal" society. How you do that depends on several factors of world building. We're going to talk about a few of these in hopes that they'll get you started in developing your fantasy world. 

Who Knows? The first question to ask yourself is who knows about magic and your "not human" characters (we'll call them parahuman in this case)? Are your parahumans just starting to come out in society or are they a secret hidden away from the government?

For example, in The Purple Door District, society is starting to learn about parahumans. There's a government section that is specifically devoted to the parahumans, though they generally keep to themselves unless otherwise needed. The way parahumans can find each other is by going to Purple Door Districts, safe havens that are marked by purple-colored doors, or purple-colored items at the front of the building. In this case, some people know about the parahumans, and others don't. They try not to announce themselves because Hunters lurk in the shadows, people who think parahumans are an abomination and want to kill them.

What about your world? Whether society knows about your parahumans or not can play a major factor in the danger your characters may endure. 

Jobs/Economy: What kind of jobs do your parahumans have (whether they're "out" or not in society)? Are werewolves more likely to take on heavy-lifting jobs like construction or maintenance work while suave vampires are more adapt to being lawyers? Do you have places that are run by magic (think of a coffee shop that's powered by magic and produces drinks with potions that help with stress, anxiety, weight loss, etc.)? Or do their abilities not influence where they work or what they do? Note: If you find the idea of a fae-run coffee shop interesting, check out my story Coffee Chaos on wattpad. 

Introducing Your Readers to Your World: Once you have your world established, how do you want to introduce the magic and society to your readers? Some writers will introduce a character who is human or not very aware of the parahuman world and slowly integrate them, and the readers, into the world. In other cases, you can use someone who knows about the world but has a very different view of it to help your readers adjust. Stick with some familiarity so that the readers don't feel completely overwhelmed. 

Government: As mentioned, The Purple Door District has a government faction that knows about the parahumans and keeps them in check. What about your world? How is the government involved? Do the parahumans have to watch their backs? Are they free to roam in society as they are? Does your world resemble X-Men where some government officials call for sanctions against them while others want to protect their rights? It's good to figure this out ahead of time because it can help you know just how much trouble you can get your characters in with or without government involvement. 

How Powerful Are Your Parahumans? Do they have abilities that could threaten all of humanity? Think of Professor Xavier and Cerebro and how his ability almost took out all humans/mutants in the 2nd X-men film. Are there fae who have their own world and government and could easily take over humankind? Or are your parahumans more like groups of vampires and werewolves who can be considered a threat but can't take over the entire world? Knowing this allows you to figure out how society might either accept or fear the parahumans. You can also play around with the characters who have different power levels. How would an overpowered character react to a situation vs someone who is weaker? Figuring out how you can integrate the fantasy element into society will help you further develop your characters. 

These are just a few elements to think about when you're integrating fantasy into society. One thing to keep in mind is that you want it to be believable. Know why parahumans act the way they do, or why society treats parahumans a certain way. Be creative, and most importantly, have fun! 

I hope that you found these tips helpful. If you want to learn more about integrating fantasy into society, take a look at Kayla Matt's blog. 

Happy writing! 

How to Ruin Character Arcs A La Game of Thrones

Note: This post is dark and full of spoilers from S8E5. 

Sunday treated us to the fifth episode of season 8 of Game of Thrones, and it left watchers and readers raging. Between Dany activating "Mad King" mode and burning King's Landing to the ground, Jamie going back to Cersei, and Cersei getting the fastest, easiest death of most characters of the show, it left people wanting. And lighting pitchforks. 

Now, let it be clear, it's not that the episode didn't go the way I wanted that has me upset, it's the destruction of the character arcs that has my blood boiling as much as Dany...or any of her victims for that matter. This episode--frankly the last two--have shown a gross break away from the character arcs that we've grown to love over the past 8 seasons. In one episode, these fleshed out characters get a 180 makeover leaving us all feeling a bit whip lashed. 

So let's go through and talk about just how our beloved characters were ruined. 

Daenerys Targaryen

Yes, ladies and gents, we're going to pounce on the Mother of Dragon(s) herself first. To begin, I'd like to say that I've read an incredible article about how Dany's fall into madness makes sense, and I suggest you take a look at it. Check out "Game of Thrones": Don't be shocked by Daenerys-- her King's Landing turn was very much earned written by Amanda Marcotte. 

In summary, in the article, Marcotte explains how Dany's descent shouldn't be a surprise to us as George R.R. Martin, and the show writers, have hinted at her fits of rage more than once in the series. From killing the "masters" to free the slaves to frying Sam's father and brother, Dany has shown she doesn't handle people disagreeing with her ideology very well. 

But, here's the caveat. Dany started out the series basically as a brood mare for her brother to help him gain power. She was married off to Khal Drogo where she was subsequently raped and taken advantage of until she learned how to bend him to her will instead. She started from the ground up, learning how to find a foot hole in a situation that would otherwise see her as a captive. 

Throughout the series, Dany's main focus has been going to Westeros and claiming the Iron Throne which is her birthright--up until we learn that Jon Snow is a Targaryen of course. She works on building her army through taking command of the Dothraki, freeing the Unsullied by killing the masters, raising her three dragons, and swaying people to her side, all the while fighting to convince everyone that she's not like her deranged father. Robert Baratheon sends assassins after her when she's just a girl because of the threat she poses (what if she truly is like the mad king)? And yet she survives it. 

Varys makes a point to say that when a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin to see on which side it lands. Dany could have become a powerful queen or an evil dictator, and unfortunately, the latter came into play. And it's maddening. It makes sense that with the loss of Jorah, two of her children, and her best friend, Missandei, that she would go into a spiral of rage, but that doesn't mean she had to go all Mad King. While she--along with many characters-- has demonstrated violence towards those against her, she's also shown mercy, love, and caring. 

The thing that angers me the most is that the writers set it up that the fact that Jon doesn't want to boink her is what sends her over the edge. Can we please stop the themes of women going crazy because they're scorned by a guy? 

When the Lannisters surrendered at King's Landing, that should have been it. I would have understood her wanting to go after the Lannister army, and Cersei of course, but to destroy the entirety of King's Landing along with all the innocent people within? It seems contrary to her character. She's fought all this time not to be her father. She has one dragon, one child, left, and she puts him completely at risk to take King's Landing and destroy all of the people. It doesn't do her character justice. She basically destroys the very thing she's come to claim. If the city is burnt to the ground, who's going to serve her? Never once in the series (that I can recall) has she intentionally caused the deaths of children or mothers. And yet here, she destroys every single one of them, and without any remorse. 

This isn't the Dany that we were presented with. 

Jamie Lannister

Where to begin? We all hated Jamie at the beginning when we were introduced to him banging his sister followed by him shoving a kid out the window to protect their secret. Great moral compass there, Jamie. 

But, as the seasons progress, we get to see him and Brienne together and learn that he killed the Mad King to save King's Landing. He didn't want to see people burn to death, so he stuck a sword in the man and became the loved and hated King Slayer. Through their relationship, we see a softer side of Jamie. He loses his hand protecting her. He swears to fight by her side during the battle against the Night King. He abandons Cersei (granted, she gave him a death threat) because he doesn't believe in what she's doing and how she's hurting the people. He meets Bran again and tells him that he's not the same man he once was. And then Jamie shows even more growth by being with Brienne and bedding her, treating her like a woman rather than some object. He even says he'll stay with her while the battle at King's Landing happens.

And then...he finds out Dany is going to kill Cersei, and he does a 180 and runs back  to Cersei. 

Wait, what? 

Didn't he just get a death threat from Bron that he's been hired by Cersei to kill Jamie and Tyrion? 

Oh, but no, your sister and bed buddy is in danger, so let's forget the woman that you fell in love with, and new moral compass, and race your butt right back to King's Landing. Right before Dany massacres everyone. 

Nice. 

The debauchery of Jamie's character continues when he sees the devastation that's happening at King's Landing and he does nothing to stop it. Jamie, the King Slayer, the man who murdered the Mad King to save the people, just shoves his way through the crowd to get to Cersei. He fights, and almost dies by, Euron to get to her. And in his final moments, he holds her, comforts her, and confesses his love for her as they're crushed by rocks. 

BY ROCKS.

So much for not being the "same man." 

This is not how you end a character's arc. He literally had everything going for him at Winterfell, and even after Bron threatened him, he had no intentions of going back. But the moment he hears Cersei is in danger, he throws all his morals aside and rushes to her. Hell, he's demonstrated more loyalty to Tyrion by helping his brother escape the cells than he has to Cersei, and he still chooses to be with her rather than to fight at his brother's side. 

Bad call, writers. Bad call. 

Tyrion Lannister

I was rooting for you, sir, I really was. 

First off, what happened to the "I drink and know things" Tyrion that we were treated to in the first few seasons of the show? A man of witty words, fascinating quips, and enough intelligence to lead an army into war at the Battle of Blackwater Bay. He became Hand to Dany and seemed to remain the same Tyrion for awhile. 

And then season 8 happened.

Suddenly, Tyrion has turned into a bumbling fool who can't anticipate what's going to happen in battle. He's constantly apologizing for his mistakes to Dany, underestimating his sister and her supposed good will, letting his brother go and run back to Cersei (thus betraying Dany), and selling out Varys which he's never once done before. 

Varys has been one of his closest companions and a fellow adviser through this all, and yet when Varys demonstrates his hopes of Jon being the one on the throne, Tyrion rushes to Dany to let her know and Varys pays the price. Granted, it's treason. It makes sense. But since when has Tyrion had an issue with treason (ie. killing his father on the toilet, freeing his brother, turning against the Lannisters, etc). 

No, we're left with a man half the character he once was (no pun intended), and with little intrigue and all hot air. Tyrion's character hasn't been done justice whatsoever, and while I do appreciate that he did try to save the people of King's Landing, if he's so smart, he probably should have realized his queen wasn't going to listen to him and go bat-shit crazy, destroying everything he knows and loves. 

Tyrion, my friend, you know nothing. 

Jon Snow

First off, pet the damn dire wolf, Jon Snow.

There, I said it.

Okay, I think we can all agree that Jon is very much Mr. Broodypants who doesn't have the best battle tactics, and craves to be the hero. Even if he doesn't want the Iron Throne. 

We've spent all of Game of Thrones getting to learn the honorable Jon Snow. Friend to Wildlings. Killer of white walkers. The mighty warrior of the Battle of the Bastards. 

The knower of nothing! 

Okay, scratch that last part, at least until season 8. 

I've cheered for Jon up until this point. He's demonstrated leadership in his fight against Ramsey, and his quest to capture a white walker to convince Cersei to follow them into war (even though he was probably a fool to believe she'd actually do it). And despite his poor battle tactics in the fight against the Night King, he's at least stayed true to his character. He wants to defend his people and the North. He wants to protect all of Westeros from these demons. 

And then he finds out his lineage, and suddenly Jon is just incapable of reason. He blindly follows Dany to fight at King's Landing, pushing men who are already exhausted from the fight against the Night King. He doesn't necessarily agree with her tactics, but she's "his queen" and he'll do what she says. In the fight against King's Landing, he at least gets back some of his honor and tries to stop his people from killing the civilians, but it's like he's lost any sort of power or sway that he actually has over the situation. No one is listening to him (unless they're running from the fire-breathing dragon). And despite warnings, he just blindly follows along. Like a sheep led to slaughter. 

I don't want his character to end this way, not as a puppet to Dany or to his own ignorance. 

Maybe he should have stayed with Ghost and Tormund in the North. 

This is what you get for not saying goodbye to your dire wolf, Jon. 

The Do's and Don'ts of Author Interviews

Whether you're a blogger interviewing an author, or an author responding to a blogger's questions, it's very important that you both provide quality and professional work when it comes to interviews. I've been interviewing authors for over a year now, (and been interviewed as well) and I've noticed a few things that both help and harm the interaction. So I'm going to divide this up between Do's and Don'ts for both authors and bloggers.

Authors

• Do

  • Provide all material requested from the blogger the first time around.

  • Edit your responses (spellcheck/use proper grammar and capitalization) so the blogger doesn't have to fix it.

  • Provide high-resolution pictures for yourself and your book covers.

  • Get your material to the blogger on time.

  • Answer all the questions (unless otherwise agreed upon) and provide interesting information. One-word responses won't engage the reader or the interviewer. 

  • Post the interview around to your social media platforms and give the blogger credit. 

• Don't
  

  • Badger the blogger about when your interview is coming out or keep requesting changes (unless you have a book coming out and need to provide a sale link). 

  • Act rudely towards the blogger. They're doing you a favor by creating the interview for you. 

  • Answer questions dishonestly 

  • Cut down other writers or bloggers in your answers. 

  • Ghost the blogger. 

Bloggers/Interviewers

• Do

  • Get questions to the authors when promised. 

  • Provide a designated day that you'll post the interview and stick to it.

  • Provide the author with a link to the posted interview so they can share it around.

  • Review the answers before you post it on your site in case of errors or controversial responses (depending on your site's dynamics). 

  • Answer any questions the author might have about the interview or provide clarification. 

  • Be honest to the author about what they can expect (are you posting the entire interview or just portions of it?) 

• Don't
  

  • Act rudely towards the author. You two are trying to work together to help one another. 

  • Post the interview late or not at all.

  • Ignore the author's concerns if something is posted incorrectly in the interview. 

  • Ghost the author. 

  • Promise a posting date until after the author has provided their material. (I've missed posting interviews because authors didn't give me their information in time). 

These are just a few ideas to keep in mind while interviewing and getting interviewed. Bloggers and authors should remember that they're working as a team. Together, they can provide exposure to each other. I've read far too often how authors have lashed out at book reviewers, bloggers, or interviewers for petty reasons. Bloggers can't post interviews without authors, but authors can't gain exposure without the help of bloggers. Work together harmoniously and you will both succeed. 

If you both find that you're on completely different pages, then it's also okay to politely agree to go your separate ways. What it comes down to is respect. We're all professionals here, and it's important to treat each other like people and not invisible faces. 

Independent Bookstore Day, April 27th

On Saturday, April 27th, the country celebrated Independent Bookstore Day! For the past five years, independent bookstores have thrown parties, offered treats, featured guest authors, created kid events and scavenger hunts, and so on and so forth. This one-day national party is meant to celebrate each bookstore's uniqueness and get people into the stores instead of buying books exclusively online. 

Iowa was no exception. Prairie Lights Bookstore had treats and special items available for people who stopped in during the day. The Haunted Bookshop had special deals on books. Next Page Books had giveaways, delicious coffee and treats, and tickets for the Music of Harry Potter at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids. I mean, who wouldn't want that? 

I spent my day as one of the featured authors at M and M Books, a lovely little place in Cedar Rapids that I've learned to call home. Owned and operated by Bill and Ursla Lanphear, M and M Books is a beautiful place to bring community together. It's run by incredible staff who really care about their customers, authors, and each other. In the past year, they've featured author signings, author readings, and book clubs. They're always evolving, finding out what's best for them and the community, and I can't wait to see where they go from here. 

Saturday, though rainy and cold, didn't exactly put a damper on things. The store was filled with amazing treats (some made by Dana Beatty) and dozens of gift baskets ready to go out to customers who signed up for the newsletter or bought books at the store. 

[caption id="attachment_671" align="aligncenter" width="905"] Picture by Dana Beatty[/caption][caption id="attachment_672" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Picture by M and M Books[/caption]

Local author Jane Melloy and illustrator Mary Campbell showed off their books in the morning, followed by a lovely appearance from Prima the Alpaca who looked stunning even in her wet coat. 

While Prima busily greeted guests at the door, author M.L. Williams and I presented our books at a table and talked with a great group of locals. I had such a wonderful time sharing information about my story with new people and talking with a U of I student both about my writing process and The Iowa Writers' House and The Writers' Rooms. And of course, I always enjoy spending time with M.L. who, despite his grumbling, is one of the nicest people I know! 

Also, my skull pen holder was a huge success. Who would have thought that a care package gift during my first college course, After Hamlet, would be such a big eye catcher. 

Pizza was provided for everyone near lunch time, which was much appreciated and unexpected. Bill and Ursla really know how to take care of their guests! 

Finally, Andrew Ridker, author of The Altruists and the big headliner, wrapped up the day with an incredible discussion about his book and a signing session. If you haven't had a chance to check out The Altruists, go to his site and take a look. I loved his reasons for writing it as it definitely speaks to my generation.  

So, despite the sleet and snow, it was a wonderful day, and I can't thank M and M Books enough for all their hard work and their dedication to local authors. This is truly a great bookstore, and I hope that if you're in the Cedar Rapids area, you'll take some time to stop by and say hi. You never know what treasures you'll find on their shelves.