Category: Blog

This week’s blog is a continuing dialogue on fantasy religions from last month. In the Catholic Church, the time from Ash Wednesday to the evening of Holy Thursday is called Lent. It is a time for penance and denying ourselves the things we love for forty days. The third, fourth, and fifth Sunday’s of Lent are scrutiny’s for the Elect, those who will be joining the Faith on the Easter Vigil. Other religions have their own process of welcoming new faithful’s. But how does a fantasy religion welcome new members?

What protocols must you develop so that one of your characters can join the fantasy faith of your world? Or is everyone born into the church? If that is true, then it limits the evangelization mission of the faith, yes no? Does your fantasy faith have high holy days? Does it believe in saints? Did it have a schism? Or maybe it is going through one right now. Did it ever sanction a crusade? What does it do to heretics?

The above questions are based on the history of Christianity. But there are hundreds, if not thousands, of religions across the globe. Does your fantasy religion say you cannot eat certain types of food? Do you have to pray in a kneeling position?  If you live a good life, do you get rewarded in the next? Does it even believe in an afterlife?

When my fantasy religions are complete, I may only use one percent of them in my current work in progress. But I plan on staying in this world for quite some time.  It behooves me to build the world properly the first time around instead of contradicting myself in future sequels. History doesn’t write itself and in your fantasy world, you truly need to know it’s history.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m currently reading the second book in Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series, One Corpse Too Many. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

Religion has been on my mind of late. Not any of the current established worldly religions, but how to create one. In my second book, I created a world set in medieval times, but not on Earth. It’s easy to create town names and character flaws but to create a whole new religion, that’s hard. It can’t be an obvious duplicate of an existing religion. Creating a belief system, and then the history of how it spread across the land is a daunting task. I’ve found several websites with instructions on how to create a fantasy religion. I’ll be working on this for quite some time.

Truth be told, I doubled my work because my world has two religions. There will probably be more, but it currently has two. I believe the second religion will be easier to develop than the first. I created a character similar to ABC’s and CBS’ MacGyver. This man knew how plants and the known chemicals interact with each other. He excelled at improvising with what’s available. Soon, a following started and now it is more of a cult than a true religion. Still, it needs proper vetting so I can use it again and again in later books set in this world.

History doesn’t write itself, especially the history of your fantasy world. The more details you can define, the better your world will be. The better the world, the more believable your story is. You may not use but one percent of the history of your world in your book, but it’s worth it to do the work. Having a logical progression of the history of your world, and its religions, are far better than tossing in random events.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m currently reading the first book in Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series, A Morbid Taste for Bones. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Yesterday morning, I posted the cover to my upcoming book, Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. It was posted first on Twitter, then on Facebook. I’ve received numerous congratulatory remarks already. If everything stays on track, you’ll be able to get your pleasure on April 24, 2018, in hardback, trade paperback or eBook format. Near the end of summer, it’ll be available as an audiobook. I’m super excited to announce all this. I hope you are doubly excited for your summer beach read. It’s a romp in the swamp!

There’s still lots of work to do. Proofreading and presales need to be checked off this list. Should have the first one done this week. Bookmarks and other promotional items need to be ordered. My book trailer needs to be completed. Author pages need to be set up on Amazon.com and Goodreads. Conferences and festivals have to be scheduled. There’s a lot you have to do to be a successful author. I pray you continue to help me reach that goal.

I continue writing my next book while doing everything stated above. My second book is not a sequel to Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. I’m creating a new world with fantastic characters who find themselves in peculiar situations. This book will a high fantasy novel, but currently, no magic is involved. World building is an extensive project. Not only do you have to come up with town and family names, you must also create the extensive history and a religion, or two, to put into your new world. It is still the most enjoyable way for me to spend my time.

History doesn’t write itself, but when you’re a writer, you need to spend a considerable amount of time in the history of your story.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Beautiful Hope by Matthew Kelly. My review is on Goodreads. I’m currently reading the galley of Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. That’ll wrap up this week. I’ll spend the next few months with Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

This was a great seven days. Last week I celebrated the anniversary of writing Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. This week I received the second conceptual cover image as well as the galley. I hope to share the final cover image with you next Sunday. It is a wonderful cover and it includes lots of elements from the story.

The galley includes the interior pages of the book, complete with the cover page, copyright page, acknowledgments and so on. Several people at my publisher will be reading the galley and making final corrections. Seeing your manuscript in book format is just amazing. I hope all aspiring authors experience their own euphoria the way I did. The culmination of all these years of work is finally coming tangible.

One other item on is the publication date. If everything stays on track, my book will be available in late April. I hope to announce the date soon. Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure will be available in hardback, trade paperback and in eBook form. Toward the end of summer, it will be available as an audiobook. Before long, you’ll be able to enjoy this romp in the swamp.

History doesn’t write itself, but if it did, it would say this was a good week. Hope yours was just as grand.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen. My review is on Goodreads. I’m currently reading Beautiful Hope by Matthew Kelly. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

Not four score, but seven years ago this evening, I first put pencil to paper and wrote the opening scene of Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. It’s easy to remember this day because it was Super Bowl Sunday. The Green Bay Packers played the Pittsburgh Steelers at then Cowboys Stadium. I’m not a fan of either team, but my girlfriend at the time was super excited to watch her Packers beat the Steelers.

During these seven years, I continued to write Bill’s grand adventure in tiny Bayou Cove, Louisiana. Around chapter twelve, I set the pencil and paper down and moved to the keyboard and screen. I attended my first critique group at the Springdale Public Library and introduced this wonderful group of aspiring writers to Bill’s foul mouth. The moderator at the time, writer Brad Carter, said, “I used f— in every way possible” in the first chapter. I attended classes at the Village Writing School and Northwest Arkansas Writers’ Workshop. I researched all the historical events used in my story. Finally, I finished the Cajun tale. After being rejected by Pandamoon Publishing, I pitched my masterpiece at the 50^th annual Ozark Creative Writers conference in Eureka Springs. Oghma Creative Media loved the voice of my story and offered me a contract. After three rounds of editing, Bill’s was laid out late last month. The cover is being tweaked. If everything stays on track, you’ll have Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure in your hands by the end of April.

A lot of work went into my story. And numerous individuals assisted me along the way. Thank you all, for helping me make this story great. It’s been a great ride, and it’s not finished yet. I look forward to this anniversary every year and reflect back to how this journey began. It’s a fabulous day and I truly hope you’ll help celebrate this accomplishment with me in late April when Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure goes on sale. It’s a great romp in the swamp!

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m currently reading Striptease by Carl Hiaasen. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

What a party it must have been one hundred and fifty-seven years ago! On January 26, 1861, the Secession Convention voted 113 to 17 leave the United States. The various websites I checked could not conclusively establish the new name of Louisiana. Some called it a republic while others called it a state. They do agree their independent status was short-lived, although it varies as well. Some say only nine days later they joined the Confederate States of America. Others report the CSA didn’t welcome the Cajuns in until March. A good example where history doesn’t write itself.

Regardless of how long it took Louisiana to become a fully recognized Confederate state, a sheer amount of confusion must have ensued. Changing of the flags at all government outposts must have been a daunting task. The assets of the United States were seized and either packed up shipped above the Mason-Dixon line, or procured for the new state’s use. They erased one country’s name and it replaced it with another. A delegation was sent west to Texas to convince their neighbors to join this new country. What an incredible time all this must have been.

Could another secession happen? Any state considering this would have an overwhelming task. The border to secure, and the more interstate highways exiting and entering the state would be a priority. Not only that, but the US highways that cross the former state’s borders would need to be addressed. Followed by state highways and then normal roads. Immigration offices would need to be built at each airport and rail station. New flags, currency, and documents would be needed. A massive undertaking. It would be a historic event.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m currently reading Striptease by Carl Hiaasen. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

History doesn’t write itself, but it is interesting to look back and see what happened many years ago. For example, January 19, 1815, at Fort St. Philip on the Mississippi River, the final confrontation of the War of 1812 took place. Enduring ten days of bombardment from the British Royal Navy, the garrison held on and the British sailed away. The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the War of 1812.

Two hundred eighty-two years ago today, a French sailor named Jean Louis bequeathed 10,000 livres to New Orleans Charity Hospital. Jean’s source of income came from shipbuilding. Settled only eighteen years earlier, the Big Easy’s population in 1736 consisted of criminals, the poor, and vagabonds. The hospital had no end of patients. In 1834, the Roman Catholic Sisters of Charity took over the hospital. It gradually became a celebrated intuition of healing. When Hurricane Katrina struck, it had 2,680 beds. Sadly, Jean Louis’ dream closed after the storm and has not reopened.

Tomorrow, Louisianan’s celebrate the French taking back the colony in 1731. King Louis XV was persuaded by the Company of the Indies to restore Louisiana to a royal colony. Attacks by the Natchez Indians in the previous years and the loss of profits led the Company to want a more secure colony to do business. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville returned to lead the colony once again.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen and Bloom County: Brand Spanking New Day by Berkeley Breathed. My reviews of both books are on GoodReads.com. I’m currently reading Striptease by Carl Hiaasen. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

Although not in my upcoming book, Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure, I thought I’d give a little history lesson this week since most of America is covered in cold weather right now. Twenty years ago, on January 12, 1997, an ice storm crippled southwest Louisiana. The ice storm lasted for two days. The Gulf Coast usually receives freezing rain. Rarely do they get an ice storm.

An Arctic air mass brought cold temperatures to the region on January 5. A stronger blast of cold air arrived five days later. The computer models forecasted precipitation from the eleventh to the thirteenth. A light snow fell on Lake Charles from 11 p.m. on January 11 to 2 a.m. the next day. Precipitation fell in a wide area after sunrise on the twelfth. It continued for the next two days. Northern Louisiana received up to six inches of snow. South of the I-10 corridor, it was all freezing rain. Folks north of I-10 got sleet. As expected, the roads became treacherous and many of them closed. Trees collapsed under the weight of the ice and power lines snapped. Calcasieu Parish bore the brunt of the ice storm. Some schools closed for up to six days. Most businesses shut down for the week. All of this from a half inch to an inch of ice.

The temperature didn’t rise above freezing until the afternoon of January 14, 1997. Almost half a million people were without power. Many reports came in from people wanting to watch the NFL playoffs but were unable to do so. With the mercury now over 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the ice melted and caused more problems. As it fell from rooftops and treetops, the ice chunks brought down more power lines. This was Louisiana’s costliest natural disaster before Hurricane Katrina, with damages in the millions of dollars. For more information, check out this blog.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m still reading Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen and Bloom County: Brand Spanking New Day by Berkeley Breathed. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

Welcome to the new year! I’m glad you’re here and that you made it through all the holiday celebrations just fine. Today I highlight another character from my upcoming up, Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. He is introduced late in the book and is the near polar opposite of my main character. Whereas Bill is a gruff, foul-mouthed taskmaster, Officer Ambeaupeaux is a southern gentleman to his core.

His first name is never revealed during his time in Bayou Cove. He’s a member of the Louisiana State Police Gator Unit, a small experimental unit that uses alligators to track down persons of interests, or ill-repute, deep in the swamps. In the back seat of his car are his two trained alligators, Spot and Fluffy. With Officer Ambeaupeaux on patrol, you of nefarious intent beware.

Officer Ambeaupeaux is a really fun character. In fact, when my former girlfriend and I wandered into Bayou Cove from time to time, I usually played the part of this respectable lawman. He’s an entertaining fellow and I hope you enjoy him.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions by Amy Stewart, Onward and Downward by Jim Toomey, and Joy to the Word: 24 Meditations by Chris Stefanick. Currently, I’m reading Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen and Bloom County: Brand Spanking New Day by Berkeley Breathed. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

Merry Christmas fans!! I pray you have a blessed holiday with your family and friends. All I ask is you pause and reflect on the less fortunate. Numerous families around the world will spend Christmas in a hospital. Many will spend it visiting their loved ones at cemeteries. Countless others will be separated from the families because of job responsibilities. Some will celebrate this joyful holiday in prison.

History doesn’t write itself. And sometimes the story it does write isn’t a happy one. Give thanks for your joyous celebrations this week. And say a prayer for those aren’t as lucky. Merry Christmas!!