Q is for Questor Thews

"Gray robes cloaked the scarecrow form, but they were decorated with an array of brilliant sashes, cloth pouches, and jewelry that left the wearer looking something like a fragmented rainbow pinned against a departing thunderstorm."

Questor Thews is the wizard from the book Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! who introduces the main character, Ben Holiday, to his new role as king of Landover. He is not what you expect of a wizard, as you soon find out when he conjures up a dozen embroidered pillows instead of a feast and accidentally turns his friend into a dog.

He certainly makes things interesting! His bickering with Abernathy is a hoot, and the progression of his character throughout the series is a pleasure to read. A bumbling excuse for a wizard he might be at first, but his heart's in the right place.

Shout out to blogger buddy Q: I haven't visited him too much, but Matthew MacNish at the Quintessentially Query Experiment seems like a fine chap with lots of great querying advice.

Book Review: WARDS OF FAERIE

Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: August 21, 2012

During a time where science and magic are vying for primacy over the Four Lands, young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil discovers a diary that may lead to the missing Elfstones. Their powerful magic might turn the tide in a coming war, but the journey to recover them is full of dangers and secrets. The Elfstones have been missing from the world for centuries, and many have tried and failed to find them. What perils await the Druids on their search, no one knows. But they are willing to take the risk, and let others take the risk with them.

I haven't picked up a book and been unable to put it down for a long while. I was unable to put Wards of Faerie down, however, and I was reminded why Terry Brooks is my favourite author. He has a way of spinning magic into his words that I love. His characters are very "human" (not necessarily literally, but you know what I mean), and I care about what happens to them. The story follows several main characters, and every time the perspective shifts, I think "Noooo! I want to know what happens to that character!" but then I get engrossed in the next one's story. Brooks is a master at keeping you turning the pages.

I enjoyed being immersed in the world of Shannara once more. All the familiar names were there--the Ohmsfords, the Elessedils, the Leahs--and some new ones as well. I was excited when I heard Brooks was writing this book, because I have always wanted to learn more about the other Elfstones. The blue Elfstones are seeking stones used for guidance and protection; they have been useful in many a quest. What do the other Elfstones do, I wonder? What other colours are there? How were they lost when the blue Elfstones can find anything in the world? This series is going to answer those questions.

Wards of Faerie is only the beginning of the quest, and most of the story is spent introducing the characters and gathering the special group of druids, dwarves, humans, and elves who will take part in it. Yet there is never a dull moment, with assassins attacking Aphenglow, the prime minister plotting against the druids, the Ohmsfords escaping with their lives on an airship, and the druid-led team exploring an unknown land.

Brooks knows how to write fantasy at its best, and I recommend this book whether you have previously entered and loved the world of Shannara or not. It is a journey you won't forget.

Terry Brooks Winner

The random number generator has done its thing, and the winner is one of my wonderful blogging buddies...

Michael Pierce!

Congrats, Michael! Michael selected Running with the Demon, which is a fantastic choice (not that there is a right or wrong choice with Terry Brooks, of course). Just email me your address, Michael, and I will send it off to you straightaway.

And for interest's sake, here is a synopsis of Running with the Demon from from Goodreads:

Nest Freemark has always been able to see feeders, creatures that feed on the darker side of human emotions. As a result, she has been enlisted to help guard the Sinissippi National Forest in Hopewell, Illinois, a place where magical creatures such as Pick, a sylvan, and Wraith, a ghost-wolf, still live. 

John Ross, a Knight of the Word, has sworn to serve the Lady, the voice of the Word, in the eternal battle against the forces of the Void. Every night, he dreams of what will become of the world if he should fail. John carries a staff that has the power to destroy demons and their ilk, but he is growing weary; he has spent his entire life fighting demons and doesn't have much to show for it. John's dreams send him to Hopewell, where he meets Nest. 

Unbeknownst to Nest, a demon also appears in Hopewell. His goal is the release an evil creature trapped in the forest. As the lives of these three characters entertwine, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. 

This novel, the first in Terry Brooks's Word and Void trilogy, combines our world with a world of demons and magic, and thrusts ordinary people into a fight as old as time itself.
 
Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Books on Writing

There are two types of writers who read books on writing: people who want to improve their work, and people who are procrastinating and want to do something, anything, associated with writing to make themselves feel better. I have read books on writing for both these reasons, and my advice is this: do not be the second type of person. Read books to improve your writing, to inspire you to write, to learn how professional authors write, but not in place of the act of writing. That being said, here is a list of five wonderful books that have inspired me and helped me to become a better writer.



On Writing by Stephen King

I am not a fan of Stephen King (I don't mean I dislike his writing; I mean I have never read any fiction by him), but this book is a fabulous compendium of writerly wisdom, tips, and life stories from an experienced author. Every writer I know who has read this book has loved it.







Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Lamott has a refreshing way of encouraging writers through her stories and humour. I especially appreciate her advice on "Shitty First Drafts," and now I don't feel guilty when my writing sucks at first. It is nice to know professional authors have these problems too.

 The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Don't argue, just read this book if you haven't already. At about 100 pages, it is short and won't take you long. You won't regret it. This is a handy resource that I keep on my desk at all times as it concisely describes the elementary rules of usage, composition, and form that every writer should know.

Fiction Writer's Workshop by Joseph Novakovich

This is an excellent guide for writing fiction that includes advice on setting, character, plot, point of view, dialogue, voice, revision, and more. It also has exercises at the end of each chapter to help you practice the techniques discussed.







Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks

I like this one simply because Terry Brooks is my favourite author, so I am interested in learning more about him and how he writes. He tells about the lessons he learned with specific references to books he's written, and highlights the importance of outlining, showing instead of telling, and developing believable characters.






This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event! 

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There is also still time to enter my giveaway to win a book by Terry Brooks! Enter by commenting on the post below.

Terry Brooks Giveaway!

In honour of my blog reaching 100 followers and my placing third in Cherie Reich's Flash Fiction blogfest, I am hosting a giveaway! As Terry Brooks is one of my all time favourite authors, I have raved about him several times on this blog, so I thought it appropriate to give away a book written by him. So here's how it'll work: you can pick any book by Terry Brooks and I will send it to you right from Amazon. Leave a comment on this post telling me which book you would like to read, and I will randomly draw one winner on Friday, June 8. Open to US and Canada. One entry per person; no, you don't get extra entries if you blog or tweet about this giveaway or follow me, but I will consider you even more awesome if you do.

Check out my post on Terry Brooks to help you decide. Haven't read anything by Terry Brooks? You could start at the beginning with his first book, The Sword of Shannara, which is often compared to The Lord of the Rings because it is very similar. Or, you could start with my favourite of the original trilogy, The Elfstones of Shannara. Or, you could try my favourite series of all his Shannara books, The Voyage of Jerle Shannara, which starts with Ilse Witch. Not interested in epic fantasy? No problem--try Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold!, which is a more lighthearted fantasy, or Running with the Demon, which is a darker urban fantasy. Wow, so many choices! What Terry Brooks book do you want to win?

First Loves Blogfest

Today is the First Loves Blogfest, hosted by the awesome ninja captain Alex J. Cavanaugh! I am jumping in at the last minute because it looks like a lot of fun. The idea is to post your first love in movies, music, books, and people, so here goes:

Movie -- The original Star Wars trilogy

I am the youngest of four, with two older brothers who influenced me in tomboy-ish activities like climbing trees, playing cops and robbers, fishing, catching frogs, and yes, movies. They loved the Star Wars trilogy and watched it over and over as we were growing up. I watched it because they did, and grew to love it too (in fact, I probably like it more than they do now). Star Wars introduced me to the joys of science fiction movies and led me to seek out science fiction books as well. Interesting fact--I used to be scared of Yoda and ran away whenever his scene in Dagobah came up in Episode V! I'm not sure why he scared me... I guess I just thought the grey-green monster was creepy. Now that scene where he is poking around Luke's stuff and having a tug-of-war with R2-D2 is one of my favourites!

Music -- Coldplay

I have a very wide taste in music. I like soundtracks, instrumental, rock, jazz, oldies, progressive, Christian, alternative, you name it... Pretty much anything but country. However, I often only like one or two songs from one band. Coldplay is one of the first bands that I enjoyed a lot of the songs. Their music is relaxing with catchy melodies.

Book -- Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold!

When I was 11 or 12, my dad brought home some used books from a garage sale by Terry Brooks. He declared that they were wonderful and that I should read them. Attracted by the interesting cover (it was the older cover not shown here with a dog wearing glasses sitting in front of a book, a man holding an amulet and a wizard standing in front of him), I read Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! and loved it. It introduced me to the wonders of humorous fantasy and the genius of Terry Brooks. He writes a brilliant adventure story. (If you're interested in Brooks you can read a previous post about him here.)


Person

I'm not sure if this counts as "love," but in Kindergarten I was best friends with a boy who wrote me a note on my birthday telling me he loved me. My mom thought this was so cute, she posted it on our kitchen wall, and I think it stayed up there for a few years. How embarrassing!

Author Spotlight: Terry Brooks

Today I am shining the spotlight on one of my favourite authors.

When I was eleven or twelve, my dad brought some used books home from a garage sale. Among them were The Sword of Shannara trilogy and Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! An avid fan of fantasy already, I eagerly picked them up because of the fantastic looking covers, and because my dad assured me they were wonderful fantasy stories. I was not disappointed. At all. I was the furthest thing from disappointed, in fact.

The Sword of Shannara is Terry Brooks' first book, published in 1977. He wrote it after reading and being captivated by The Lord of the Rings, and you can certainly tell that Tolkien was his inspiration. Sword has a similar grand fantasy feel to it, with a group of travelers on a quest to save the land from an ancient evil. The main character, a half-elf named Shea Ohmsford, is the last heir of Shannara and therefore their only hope because he has the ability to wield the Sword of Shannara. He and his cousin Flick are reminiscent of Frodo and Sam, and the druid Allanon, of course, has a role much like Gandalf's.  

Sword is a classic story and should be read as such--meaning, don't expect a lot of unique plot twists, but be prepared for a solid adventure story. I re-read this book recently, and sadly did not enjoy it as much as when I was a kid, but I still admire it for promoting grand fantasy like Tolkien's. Sword is followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara, and together the three make the original Shannara Trilogy.

There are many more series that take place in the Shannara world, following the later generations of Ohmsfords. The Shannara series I like best is actually not the original, but the later Voyage of Jerle Shannara trilogy, which starts with Ilse Witch. Brooks starts using more of his own ideas and less of Tolkien's here. The adventure is wonderful and the plot twists sublime. And there are airships. Airships! Who can say no to airships?

And now we come to my absolute favourite series by Brooks: The Magic Kingdom of Landover. Beginning with Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold!, the Landover books are light-hearted fantasy that follow the story of Ben Holiday, a lawyer who is distraught from the loss of his wife and answers an ad in a magazine to buy a magic kingdom for a million dollars. Interested yet?

To Ben's surprise, the kingdom turns out to be real, but not quite the fairy-tale land the man who sold it to him led him to believe. Citizens refuse to recognize him as king, taxes haven't been collected for years, an evil dragon is on the loose and a witch is plotting to reek havoc and destruction on the land.

This is the book series that I recommend to everyone, even readers who don't normally like fantasy or sci-fi. Oh, and did I mention it is funny? Downright hilarious, at times. There's a sarcastic, talking dog named Abernathy who works as Ben's scribe, gnomes who get into mischief, a wizard who fumbles with magic, a sylph who can turn into a tree... And since I can't say enough good things about this series, I will leave it there.

I can't talk about Terry Brooks without mentioning his Word and Void series, which begins with Running with the Demon. This book is different and much darker than his other stories. It takes place in a small town called Hopewell in Illinois, where demonic creatures called feeders live, and only a few people can see them. Nest Freemark is one of those people. A fourteen-year-old girl, she has a power that no one understands, least of all her. Mysteries unfold as John Ross, a Knight of the Word, comes to Hopewell when he senses terrible evil growing there. This book has suspense, horror, and wonderfully strong characters.

Some people who liked Shannara and Magic Kingdom hated this series. Some people who didn't like Shannara or Magic Kingdom loved Word and Void. I happen to like all three. But whatever your tastes, I hope you are inspired to give Terry Brooks a try if you haven't read anything by him, or perhaps try a different series by him if you have.