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A glimpse of Cephrael’s Hand
This week I thought I'd give you an excerpt from Cephrael's Hand. This chapter provides our first glimpse of the constellation and its ominous implications. "To know love is to know fear." - Attributed to the angiel Epiphany The skiff bobbed on icy waves as two...
Speculative fiction is the motor of progress (why everyone should read fantasy, part 2)
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The importance of imagination in our lives cannot be underestimated. Imagination fuels the wheels of progress...
Building A Fantasy World – The Magic of Genre Fiction
Many thanks to The Cover by Brittany for originally hosting this post on her blog. Some fantasy authors cringe at the topic of world-building, but actually, it's one of the most thrilling aspects of writing genre fiction. When we write fantasy, we become the...
Why everyone should read Fantasy
“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson We are what we read. In big ways and small, the books, articles and even social commentary that we ingest fuels our thinking like...
This is the space, this is the place
Here it is, your first sneak peak from The Dagger of Adendigaeth, A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book 2! Chapter One “Nobility is birthed not of blood but of the heart.” - Gydryn val Lorian, King of Dannym The temple of the Prophet Bethamin in...
My Journey into Writing Fantasy
This is an excerpt from my post on Fiction Frolic for All Hallow's Read. Check it out to see how ten authors are banding together to raise 1000 books for literacy! Reading has always been an irreplaceable part of my life. I’ve my grandmother to thank for this,...
Exploring Tropes – The Ultimate Evil Dark Lord
The word trope is defined in most dictionaries as “a word or expression used in a figurative sense,” but trope has become reinterpreted in today’s vernacular to refer to an often overused plot device. The conflict inherent in tropes as they apply to genre literature...
Fiction Frolic for All Hallows Read
For the first 3 weeks of October, myself and nine amazing authors have pooled our creative resources into a promotional event to support the tradition originated by Neil Gaiman of giving a book or a scary story away each Halloween. You can read more about All...
Some Thoughts On Maps
In my last blog post, I included updated images from Kentaro Kanamoto for the cover of The Dagger of Adendigaeth and expounded on my beliefs about the importance of your book cover. I'm now revealing the new Map of Alorin (which I am totally in love with) and saying...
More Than Skin Deep – What’s In A Cover?
I've been working with an artist on the cover for book 2, The Dagger of Adendigaeth, as we creep ever closer to publication. For this book cover, I asked Kentaro Kanamoto to paint on his virtual canvas what I've been envisioning in the universe of my own mind for so...
Thank you, Forbes, for an unbiased view
David Vinjamuri wrote an excellent article for Forbes Magazine that encapsulates the situation in publishing today, examining the view of this rapidly changing industry from both sides. To listen to the cyber natter and chatter battering about on the subject of indie...
My interview on Self-Publishing Review
I was recently interviewed by Lela Michael for Self-Publishing Review on the use of languages in fantasy. Interview: Fantasy Author Melissa McPhail on the Use of Languages SELF-PUBLISHING REVIEW: In my SPR review of Cephrael’s Hand, Book One in your series, I...
The Mysterious Character Syndrome: When a fringe character rears his head and demands mainstream attention
I’m still on this subject of character development. It’s a hot topic among fiction writers—or at least among bloggers, who seem to think it’s a hot topic among fiction writers. In any event, all of the recent posts flying about the blogosphere on the subject have...
Exploring Time
Do you ever feel caught out of time? I had a day recently where I felt I’d skipped out of the time stream followed by the rest of the world. Like the needle on a record player suddenly dislodged backwards, I wound up running eleven minutes behind everyone else. I...
What’s in a Name? Naming Characters in Fantasy Worlds
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So says Juliet in her soliloquy about Romeo. As Shakespeare points out, names are a combination of symbols, associated with sounds, which are assigned to represent a person or thing in our minds....
The Lie
I was reading an article recently by Sherrinda Ketchersid on The Writers Alley Blog, where she introduces the concept of The Lie. Sherrinda wrote: “Character development hinges on The Lie. You see, your hero needs to overcome something in his life. There needs to be...
Oh where, oh where is Book 2?
I've been getting numerous requests for an update on Book 2, The Dagger of Adendigaeth. So here goes! The manuscript is complete. Yes, truly. It's not quite as long as Cephrael's Hand, but you'll have lots of time with your favorites, plus an introduction to Kjieran...
Björn van Gelderan Is Good (or is he?)
“Björn van Gelderan is good. I’m telling you, he is.” (reader quote) If you’ve read Cephrael’s Hand, perhaps you have an opinion on the Fifth Vestal’s motivations and actions. Perhaps you’ve decided that he’s been wrongly maligned by the other Vestals and the rest...
Everyone says you have to have a blog.
It’s true. You do. Everyone says so. I’m not a big fan of the “everyone” generality. First, because it’s horrifically glib. Second because it’s rarely accurate. But the statement is so darned prevalent everywhere from forums to eBooks telling aspiring writers how...
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