|
|
• Forthcoming Books
• Featured Book
• News, Updates and Articles
• What the Reviewers Say
• HELP DRAGON MOON FIND A TITLE! and other Contests |
|
 Valerie Ford-Griswold,
co-editor of
the NEW Untitled Fantasy Writer's
Guide
One of the most amusing things for
me, personally, is being asked how I got published. You know
the questions: “What was your query letter like?” “Who’s your
agent?” “Did you do a one-page or a ten-page synopsis?”
Writers like those kind of questions, because, well, that’s what
they’re doing when they submit. Considering I haven’t written
either a query letter or a synopsis yet, and the only agent I
speak with regularly is my car insurance agent, these questions
tend to make me laugh and pull out the story of how Tee Morris
got Val published.
In all seriousness, though, the
best part of editing this book was seeing the quality of authors
that we assembled to write it.
We’ve got people from all parts
of the industry – not just writers, but publishers, editors,
people from radio and newspapers, all sharing their knowledge.
Most books on this topic that I’ve seen have been written by one
person, sharing their personal journey through submitting and
publishing, not to mention promoting their book. We decided to
go the opposite direction, and bring in as much varied
experience as we could find. I think we succeeded.
~Valerie Griswold-Ford, editor of
Dragon Moon's upcoming Fantasy Writer's Guide
This is my debut as a co-editor for a non-fiction
work aimed at Western hemisphere writers. I was delighted to be part
of the editorial team and loved working on it. The contributing
authors and the submitted chapters were wonderful: I laughed aloud
at submissions' anecdotes, squee'd at the squeaky clean copy
of other articles, and had a ball when I saw the chapter title
images.
This
is the type of book I wish had come out years ago. It is pragmatic
business sense for writers. It includes
examples, publishing paths,
applied press release pointers, obtaining a radio interview, the ins
and outs of podcasting, promotion on a budget, multi-media
networking, submitting to magazines and more. Networking:
Communicating with Others in is my second contribution to the
Fantasy Writers series.
In my other life, I live in an
agoraphobic-claustrophobic city, write marketing content, create
children's picture books and edit short animation scripts.
~Lai Zhao, co-editor of Dragon Moon's upcoming Fantasy Writer's
Guide
REVIEW of Lai
Zhao's previous work
"Lai
Zhao's chapter on "Worldbuilding in Asian Cultures" is an in-depth
(32 pages) and indispensable starting point for anyone that wants to
write an Asian-themed fantasy.
~Michael
D. Pederson of Nth Degree-the Fiction & Fandom 'Zine,
Issue 14, Sept
2005, p. 11.
Karen Anne
Webb Talks
about THE CHALICE OF LIFE
 I
started writing about my world of Caros when, after a stint in nurse
practitioner school, my internship unexpectedly fell through. Caros
is literally the world of my dreams. I had four very specific
dreams about the place around that time, and I finally decided the
universe was calling to me to write this stuff down.
I
have been interested in millennial thought—the idea of a peaceful
world commonwealth where people’s diversity is embraced—since before
I knew what the word “millennial” meant. Caros, the world on which
a lot of the early action takes place, is my way of taking an
idealized society—a millennial society, one that has matured to the
point it can be at peace with itself—giving it a fantasy twist, and
using it as a backdrop for the main action.
I think this absorption with
the advent of a new age and an ongoing study of comparative religion
and mythology have given me a strong belief in the arts as a means
for uplifting man’s spirit. With the series that The Chalice of
Life kicks off, I’ve tried to tell a good story peopled with strong,
interesting, believable characters that will, by its end, leave you
feeling positive rather than suicidal. If you’ve been around long
enough to remember the old Infocom text games, you may also see that
influence as well as that of all those hours of reading about the
Monkey King, dragons, phoenixes, the Buraq, the Sidhe, and folk like
the Jade Emperor and the White Buffalo Woman.
REVIEW EXCERPT
I think it (Chalice of Life) was fabulous. A real competitor for
those folks to whom you gave thanks (that C. S. Lewis fella and
such). I can hardly wait to get on to the next six portals.
~Col Ed Penico USMC retired, freelance travel writer
|
| Tom
Dullemond and Darin Park on
The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy |
It was a joy to work on the Fantasy
Guide - the enthusiasm of the contributors and the knowledge that we
were trying a different approach to an old idea made for an exciting
and motivating project. The response from the public was good, too,
and clearly the book and its successors opened a new avenue to
exploring the needs of fantasy writers.
Personally, the experience of
assisting in the editing and compilation, as well as working with
some very talented authors, was invaluable. I've seen complaints on
snarky websites about how our contributors were unknowns or
amateurs, but this just shows an ignorance of the sheer depth of
enthusiasm and talent in the Fantasy writing field.
With published and award winning
authors and experienced hobbyists among our contributors,
we had the opportunity to build a solid grounding of information to
help beginning authors avoid the pitfalls of mainstream fantasy
writing, and I'm proud to be a part of the project.
Tom Dullemond, editor of THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING FANTASY
Writing fantasy is not as easy as you may
think. I found out that editing a book on writing
fantasy is even tougher. After coming up with the initial idea
for The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, I took it to a
writing list that harboured experts in different aspects of
writing fantasy.
The toughest ordeal of creating the book was
coordinating the 15 authors from different parts of the world in
a timely fashion. After a few
false starts, it was finally
completed and edited into a comprehensive whole.
The
most enjoyable part of this project was bringing all the parts
into focus into a book that could be picked up and used by
anyone interested in writing. As
it achieved a high standing as
finalist for ForeWord MAGAZINE'S 2003 Book of the
Year I feel that this book has exceeded my expectations
and is one of the most comprehensive books about writing fantasy
on today's market.
As
an exciting sequel
to the Fantasy Guide, the Complete Guide to Writing
Science Fiction will be available, albeit tentatively
scheduled, for Spring 2007. This book has been spearheaded
by Dave Law, who is editor-in-chief for its compilation. As
with the previous guide, this book attempts to address the
key areas needed to create a science fiction story from
start to finish, with tidbits of information supplied from
some notable authors such as Piers Anthony. Science fiction
has always been my first love, and to see a book this
comprehensive about to enter the market, with notable
authors adding their experience to the mix, is a dream come
true.
Darin
Park, co-editor
of THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING FANTASY
EXCERPTS/REVIEWS
 ...Then
there was The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, edited by Tom
Dullemond and Darin Park. It is comprehensive, with much advice on
historical settings, weapons, combat, world building and such, and I
think fantasy writers can profit by it.
~Piers Anthony, Author of the Xanth Series
"The Complete Guide to Writing
Fantasy is a broad compendium of advice and resource material
developed and compiled by writers who understand the struggle
involved in mastering the craft."
~Jacqueline Carey, Author of the Kushiel's Legacy series
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING FANTASY
FINALIST FOR ForeWord
MAGAZINE'S
2003 Book of the Year
Written by new and
established voices of Science Fiction and Fantasy,
The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy
offers something for writers at all levels. If you want to write a
fantasy novel, but feel the need for help in creating a believable
world, this is definitely a book you will want to add to your
library. Its sage advice will help you avoid many amateur mistakes.
If you are already a published fantasy writer, you will still want
this book, for its enjoyable style and its wealth of reference
material.
Explore World Building,
Religions, Food, Fighting & Weaponry, and much more, to craft an
exceptional story.
|
| News,
Updates and Articles |
PIMP THAT KIWI: Tee Morris takes Philippa Ballantine on the Road!
 During the week of 18 Sept- 23 Sept, Tee Morris, U. S. author, and
Philippa Ballantine, of New Zealand, toured together in the United
States. Philippa (or “Pip”) premiered her award-nominated debut Fantasy, CHASING
THE BARD, even got into garb and spent the day at The Maryland Renaissance
Festival. Right by her side was Dragon Moon veteran Tee Morris with
his own award-nominated title, LEGACY OF MOREVI: BOOK ONE OF
THE ARATHELLEAN WARS. Pip says, “I didn’t expect this trip to become a working
vacation, but I can’t say ‘No’ to my first book tour in the States.”
As far as their podcasting
connection goes, Tee takes extra pride in this micro-tour. “This
signing is a real success story for Pip, and the podcasting
community. For Pip, this is her first signing in the United States.
In podcasting circles, this is the first signing where two people
from opposite sides of the world, getting to know one another via
podcasting, that are coming together as friends and professionals.”
SELINA ROSEN
and TEE
MORRIS do
DRAGON CON 2006
Dragon-Con
in Atlanta is one of the largest sci-fi conventions in the world
with over twenty-five thousand fans and literally hundreds of
writers, dierctors, screen writers, game developers, master
costumers and actors in attendance. There are great costumes
everywhere you look, so many in fact that they shut down the streets
in downtown Atlanta and hold a parade. People are nice, the convention is very well
organized, and they have an extremely inclusive attitude. In short,
if you can't have a good time at Dragon-Con, you just don't know how
to have a good time.
~Selina Rosen, Author of SWORD MASTER
 I dubbed 2006 "The Year of the Dragon" as I made
the commitment to appear at Dragon-Con. The timing was
perfect as this year, co-ordinated in part by Dragon Moon author
Michael R. Mennenga, a podcasting track was offered. I stepped
up and got myself into the programming.
 Attendance was
in
the tens of thousands.
Not only did I learn a LOT about this weekend of pop culture, I had
a blast with fellow geeks, photos with favorite actors of
television and
film, and taking shots of the cosplayers and the wide
array of SF/F/H salutes! This was an incredible weekend, and you
can see more photos
online.. If you want to hear audio commentary about the
weekend, you can have a listen to my
Special Edition podcast all about Dragon*Con where I give the
"lessons learned" from a four-day Speculative Fiction extravaganza!
And yes, I'm already making plans for Dragon*Con 2007! I hope to
see
you there." The Mythbusters Build Team. Tory Belleci, Tee
Morris, Kari Byron, Grant Imahara)
~Tee Morris, Author of the LEGACY OF MOREVI:
BOOK ONE OF THE ARATHELLEAN WARS
The World Science Fiction
convention had about SIX thousand people in attendance. Connie
Willis was guest of honor and as always she was funny and very
approachable. I attended the SFWA meeting, but spent 90 percent
of my time at the Miesha Merlin table in the dealer's room
selling my newest book Strange Robby. The dealers room
had limited traffic this year as it was at the very end of the
function space and most people were spending their extra cash at
Disney Land which was literally right across the street from the
convention center. Still I saw most all the guests and a lot of
my friends and sold a lot of books. I got to visit with Alan
Steel, Anne McCaffrey, Robin Bailey, and Connie Willis to name
a few. There were some wonderful exhibits of life sized robots
from many sci-fi films as well as an exhibition of sci-fi movie
automobiles.
~Selina Rosen, Author of SWORD MASTER
On
September 23, Tina Morgan, Jennifer St Clair and Bob Nailor (authors
of Writing Fantasy and Companion Guides) hawked their wares at the
Ohio
Renaissance Faire, selling Dragon Moon books to
the throngs--okay--to the brave few who attended the rainy
day event. They will be back again on Oct 7 and Oct 22, again
plying their skills in sales to attendees of the Faire. Even though
there was water in the air, people were drawn to the tent and its
books in plastic freezer bags -- which doubled as sales bags, too.
~Bob Nailor, co-author of
WRITING FANTASY and Companion Guides.
J.Y.T. Kennedy's short story, 'The Fatality Sign' will be published
in
the anthology 'In the Dark,' to be released this month by Tightrope
Press.
Jana
Oliver presented An Author's Take on Marketing at Kennesaw State
University (Kennesaw, GA) on October 16th. The course, Entertainment
Marketing, focuses on all aspects of the entertainment field,
including publishing. The students are always fascinated to hear
the 'inside' stories of how author's earn their keep.
ARTICLES
An Interview with Gwen
Gades, publisher of Dragon Moon Press. Find out what it's
like to walk the tightrope of starting your own publishing company,
from a woman who's done just that! September 8, 2006
University of Calgary OnCampus Article written by
Jennifer Rahn,
author of THE LONGEVITY THESIS
How
to Cure a Sniffling Unicorn, by Jeanette Cottrell, September 2006. She
offers her own remedies for this distressing situation, and requests
advice others may have. Jeanette Cottrell is the
author of THE SHADEBINDER'S OATH.
|
SOJOURN
One doesn't have to be a fan of this particular sub-genre to
thoroughly enjoy the adventures of a twenty-first century female in
the slums of Victorian East London during the days of the most
infamous serial killer of all time.
~I Love a Mystery Reviews~
ALIEN DECEPTION “I was captivated.”
~Michael Thal,
Scribes World Reviews ~
THE SHADEBINDER'S
OATH The characters are multi-dimensional and well
developed. There's a lot of humor, interpersonal misunderstandings
and confusion, and lots of intrigue. Certainly, this is a writer to
watch.
~Gayle Surrette , www.sfrevu.com~
Read About
Dragon Moon's Other Awards and Accolades |
|
"Dragon Moon
Press needs a title for its newest book-- and YOUR help! Got
a better imagination than we do? Submit possible titles for our
brand-new Fantasy Writers Guide. Find out everything you need to
know about the book right here! (link provided) The lucky winner
will get a first-edition, hot-off-the-press,
very-first-book-touched-by-the-publisher's-hands copy of the new
book as soon as it is published. The winner will also receive a
certificate of appreciate signed by the publisher for his or her
help in this endeavor. Titles will be judged by a panel including
the publisher, and the book's editors. NOTE: In the event that an
actual book title cannot be selected from the entries, the prize
will be awarded to the best overall entry, as determined by our
panel.
To enter, see details on the
Dragon Moon website. Title entry must be received to be
eligible for the prize. Subscribers to the Dragon Moon
newsletter who submit a title will be awarded a second chance to
win."
Jeanette Cottrell is offering an extra chance at her Choose Your
Own Chocolate drawing. Recommend one or more of her books to your
local library for another entry in this yummy contest. Drawing on November 15, 2006. |
|
