Author Liesel K. Hill's Musings on Fantasia...
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Follow Friday: Back-List Favorites
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!
How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!
Recommend some of your favorite back-list books--ones that are at least a few years old (5-10 years).
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I'll warn you that it's full of teen angst and typical paranormal drama, so if you don't like that kind of thing, it's probably not for you. But in truth, I generally don't go for that kind of stuff too much, but I'm really enjoying this series. It's surprisingly easy to get into, and to return to when I've been away for a while.
It's taking me some time to get through it since my reading time has taken a nose dive lately, but every time I pick it up I'm like, "Ah, back to Kaylee and Nash. Yea!"
Check it out if you haven't. Definitely a worthwhile read. :D
Has anyone else read Soul Screamers?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Way of Kings Read-Along, Week 10 (Final Week!)
Welcome to the final week of our Way of Kings Read-Along! We've reached the end, and it was epic! This week we read the final hundred pages which comprised chapters 66 through the end. Remember that everything in this section as well as everything that's come before is fair game for spoilers, so read at your own risk!
1. Syl's true nature as an honorspren has been revealed! She once again asks the interesting question: are spren attracted to their element or do they create that element? What do you think? Do you think there are more honorspren or is Syl unique?
Hmm. I don't think it's one or the other, or perhaps it's just a combination of the two. I don't think spren create their element, but I'm not sure 'drawn' to it is exactly right either. Maybe they're something that shows evidence of that element, but neither effect or are effected by it. I think there may be other honorspren, but that they're very rare. The fact that more people don't have Syl-type experiences is surely proof of that, but I can't imagine she's entirely unique in the universe either. Interesting question.
Hmm. I don't think it's one or the other, or perhaps it's just a combination of the two. I don't think spren create their element, but I'm not sure 'drawn' to it is exactly right either. Maybe they're something that shows evidence of that element, but neither effect or are effected by it. I think there may be other honorspren, but that they're very rare. The fact that more people don't have Syl-type experiences is surely proof of that, but I can't imagine she's entirely unique in the universe either. Interesting question.
2. The Parshendi had a whole host of reactions to Kaladin's power, mostly including fear and awe, though they also seemed to recognize him or his power. Why do you think that is? How do you think the Parshendi hiring Szeth plays into it?
I think the Parshendi, in their own way, are more in the know about magic and the truth of the universe at large than the Alethi are. They probably have some kind of legend or belief that made them recognize and respect Kaladin's power. Kaladin expected his men to be disturbed, but the Parshendi were almost reverenced by it.
I think the Parshendi, in their own way, are more in the know about magic and the truth of the universe at large than the Alethi are. They probably have some kind of legend or belief that made them recognize and respect Kaladin's power. Kaladin expected his men to be disturbed, but the Parshendi were almost reverenced by it.
3. Dalinar makes some pretty intense decisions towards the end of this book, including trading his Shardblade to free the bridgemen and completely changing how he wants to deal with the highprinces. Do you think these were good decisions?
I definitely think they were good. I'm positive they'll cause him trouble down the line as well, but he went into it with open eyes. What was nice was to see his confidence and determination to move forward. The entire book he's known what he wants to do, but not how to do it. Now he has a definite plan of action. Maybe it will work, maybe not, but if he wants any shot at all of uniting the highprinces, I think he's moving in the right direction.
I definitely think they were good. I'm positive they'll cause him trouble down the line as well, but he went into it with open eyes. What was nice was to see his confidence and determination to move forward. The entire book he's known what he wants to do, but not how to do it. Now he has a definite plan of action. Maybe it will work, maybe not, but if he wants any shot at all of uniting the highprinces, I think he's moving in the right direction.
4. A lot of mysteries surrounding Jasnah are finally revealed! Do you think that she is right and that most Soulcasters do work? Why do you think Shallan and Jasnah both happen to have this soulcasting power? What is Shadesmar really?
I kind of want her to be right about the soulcasters--that would make her and Shallan's abilities more unique--but I also think it unlikely. If fabrials used for soulcasting is the common belief, then even most soulcasters may believe it, which means there may be others, who knows how many, with Jasnah's abilities.
As to why they both have the ability, I don't know. We talked about Shallan and Kaladin as Radiants, but how Jasnah plays a part is hard to guess at this point. Perhaps Shallan always had the ability, but needed the proximity or influence of someone else using it to unlock it?
I don't know what Shadesmar really is. I tend to think it's like the World of Dreams in the WoT series--a parallel world, perhaps a skewed reflection of reality, that is very dangerous to traverse without knowing what you're doing. I think it's powered by magic and that it will be key to both Jasnah and Shallan's abilities. The true nature of it was only hinted at here.
I kind of want her to be right about the soulcasters--that would make her and Shallan's abilities more unique--but I also think it unlikely. If fabrials used for soulcasting is the common belief, then even most soulcasters may believe it, which means there may be others, who knows how many, with Jasnah's abilities.
As to why they both have the ability, I don't know. We talked about Shallan and Kaladin as Radiants, but how Jasnah plays a part is hard to guess at this point. Perhaps Shallan always had the ability, but needed the proximity or influence of someone else using it to unlock it?
I don't know what Shadesmar really is. I tend to think it's like the World of Dreams in the WoT series--a parallel world, perhaps a skewed reflection of reality, that is very dangerous to traverse without knowing what you're doing. I think it's powered by magic and that it will be key to both Jasnah and Shallan's abilities. The true nature of it was only hinted at here.
5. Szeth is once again on a mission, but this time we really don't want him to succeed! What do you think is going to happen with him and Dalinar in the next book? Do you think Szeth and Kaladin will recognize each other's power?
Well, Kaladin and his men are going to become bodyguards for Dalinar and his family, so a confrontation between these three is a very real possibility. I think it'll either happen at the very beginning or very end of book 2. I kind of doubt that Szeth will actually succeed in assassinating Dalinar, but it seems to me this will be like Luke and Vader crossing lightsabers--a fight of epic proportion and consequence. Can't wait! :D
It was also interesting to learn the true origin of the quotations at the chapter beginnings. I had assumed they were taken from Jasnah's research. The fact that they were being taken down by Szeth's "true master" who is killing people just to record their last words opens a whole new can of worms, doesn't it?
One of the most intriguing exchanges:
"You're a monster."
"Yes," Taravangian said. "But I am the monster who will save this world."
*Goosebumps*
Well, Kaladin and his men are going to become bodyguards for Dalinar and his family, so a confrontation between these three is a very real possibility. I think it'll either happen at the very beginning or very end of book 2. I kind of doubt that Szeth will actually succeed in assassinating Dalinar, but it seems to me this will be like Luke and Vader crossing lightsabers--a fight of epic proportion and consequence. Can't wait! :D
It was also interesting to learn the true origin of the quotations at the chapter beginnings. I had assumed they were taken from Jasnah's research. The fact that they were being taken down by Szeth's "true master" who is killing people just to record their last words opens a whole new can of worms, doesn't it?
One of the most intriguing exchanges:
"You're a monster."
"Yes," Taravangian said. "But I am the monster who will save this world."
*Goosebumps*
6. We finally have a better idea where the Parshmen and Parshendi came from! What do you think the real history is there? How did people possibly enslave the Voidbringers and why are the Parshendi now changing?
They must have found something that compelled the Parshmen, something that was able to bend them to their will. It also makes me wonder why exactly the Knights Radiant freaked out and left. Was it before or after the enslavement? Was it because of the enslavement, or was it a catalyst for it? So hard to say, but I think we still have a lot to learn before we can see the big picture.
They must have found something that compelled the Parshmen, something that was able to bend them to their will. It also makes me wonder why exactly the Knights Radiant freaked out and left. Was it before or after the enslavement? Was it because of the enslavement, or was it a catalyst for it? So hard to say, but I think we still have a lot to learn before we can see the big picture.
7. The last chapter with the Almighty was pretty crazy. What do you think about this vision? What do you think this means for Dalinar's future and the world's (universe's??) future? What is Odium really?
Okay, I read the info at that link someone posted several weeks ago. Odium, Honor, and Cultivation are three of the sixteen shards, which are named after ideals, but according to the wikia page, must also be controlled by people. So, I tend to think Odium is a real person, but that's probably not his real name. Just the ideal he embodies, and it doesn't sound like he's a particularly pleasant person. Remember, too, that when Kaladin asked Syl if she'd heard the name before, she hissed and flew away, obviously distressed. I would suggest everyone read the info at this link, now that we've finished. It gives a better idea of what's going on at large, but still leaves plenty of questions to be answered.
I really loved the idea that the man in the vision was leaving his interactive journal for someone to read. He knew somehow that someone would find it and make use of it, but not who or how. I really loved that idea. So haunting.
Okay, I read the info at that link someone posted several weeks ago. Odium, Honor, and Cultivation are three of the sixteen shards, which are named after ideals, but according to the wikia page, must also be controlled by people. So, I tend to think Odium is a real person, but that's probably not his real name. Just the ideal he embodies, and it doesn't sound like he's a particularly pleasant person. Remember, too, that when Kaladin asked Syl if she'd heard the name before, she hissed and flew away, obviously distressed. I would suggest everyone read the info at this link, now that we've finished. It gives a better idea of what's going on at large, but still leaves plenty of questions to be answered.
I really loved the idea that the man in the vision was leaving his interactive journal for someone to read. He knew somehow that someone would find it and make use of it, but not who or how. I really loved that idea. So haunting.
Since this was the last section, there was obviously A LOT else going on! I didn't want to include too many questions, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on everything else as well. Also, how did you end up enjoying this read-along??
It's also interesting that Shallan's father may have been part of the group trying to assassinate Jasnah. We finally got some answers about the people threatening her family. In a way, I think it must all be connected. She didn't zero in on Jasnah as the answer to her problems by chance. She was probably led to it, even if she didn't realize it, by things her father did before he died.
Also interesting that she confessed to being her father's murderer. I'm assuming we'll hear more of that in later books.
I loved Wit's final chapter. Sitting around, strumming his instrument and philosophizing about the human condition. Just classic. And that last part where the guy was pounding on the city gates was downright chilling. Great ending. I'm just glad we don't have to wait four years for book 2!
Overall, I really loved this book and this read-along. Anyone planning on reading book 2?
It's also interesting that Shallan's father may have been part of the group trying to assassinate Jasnah. We finally got some answers about the people threatening her family. In a way, I think it must all be connected. She didn't zero in on Jasnah as the answer to her problems by chance. She was probably led to it, even if she didn't realize it, by things her father did before he died.
Also interesting that she confessed to being her father's murderer. I'm assuming we'll hear more of that in later books.
I loved Wit's final chapter. Sitting around, strumming his instrument and philosophizing about the human condition. Just classic. And that last part where the guy was pounding on the city gates was downright chilling. Great ending. I'm just glad we don't have to wait four years for book 2!
Overall, I really loved this book and this read-along. Anyone planning on reading book 2?
What other blogger's thought:
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Teaser Tuesday: Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
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She wanted us to have more than five choices. Now we have none. I know for sure, then, that I can't be her ally, and I never could have.
"We have to go," Tris says, and I know she's not talking about leaving Michigan Avenue or taking Edward to the hospital; she's talking about leaving the city.
"We have to go," I repeat.What are you reading this week?
Monday, March 3, 2014
How to Step Up Your Characters So Readers Will Shut-Up, Read, & Remember
We all know our characters need to be well-rounded and jump off the page in order for our readers to both connect with and remember them. Most of us know the basics of character development, but what if you're doing all of that stuff and still feel like your characters are a bit blah. Here are some tips on how to go above and beyond to make your characters fascinating, empathetic, and memorable.
1) Give 'em quirks. This is where the memorable part comes in. Your readers will remember your characters most for the goofy or eccentric things they do over and over again. Pick something that evokes a sensory reaction--an image, a smell, a visible action, etc. Show it over and over to ingrain it in the reader's mind.
2) Use torturous, scarring moments to define your characters. Now, I tend to do this literally. Many of my characters wear physical scar that they obtained during the most defining moments of their lives, but often the non-physical scars are much more powerful than the physical ones. They are somewhat harder to bring across on the page, requiring more thought and subtlety, but if done right, they tend to be unforgettable.
3) Give them religion. I don't mean organized religion. This can be a system of beliefs that's true to our world, or to the world you build for your story. Make them believe in something--anything--so strongly that they won't give it up for anything. Make it so drastic that, if their system of beliefs proves justified, it will mean triumph, but if it's flawed, it will mean their downfall. Either option can make for a fascinating story and an unforgettable character.
4) Make sure their actions are in line with their beliefs and goals, even if their words are not. This one's tricky, but can be highly effective. Check out my post about this if you are't familiar with OODs (Objects of Desire). In short, they're what the characters want, both in an overall, metaphysical sense, and literally, in the framework of the story. Sometimes the audience might not understand what a character was truly trying to accomplish until the end of the book. That's fine. But make sure their actions always point to it, even if the reader doesn't realize it.
As the saying goes, your character can lie about 5 things, but will make 10,000 decisions that are truthful.
Even if the character is deceptive to other characters in the story, make sure the reader sees the actions that are truthful. This will make him not only a true reflection of a real human being, but intriguing to no end.
If you already have the core of your characters down, use these suggestions to take your characters to the next level. They'll captivate readers, grip them by the chest and refuse to let go.
Have you ever used any of these techniques in your writing?
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2) Use torturous, scarring moments to define your characters. Now, I tend to do this literally. Many of my characters wear physical scar that they obtained during the most defining moments of their lives, but often the non-physical scars are much more powerful than the physical ones. They are somewhat harder to bring across on the page, requiring more thought and subtlety, but if done right, they tend to be unforgettable.
3) Give them religion. I don't mean organized religion. This can be a system of beliefs that's true to our world, or to the world you build for your story. Make them believe in something--anything--so strongly that they won't give it up for anything. Make it so drastic that, if their system of beliefs proves justified, it will mean triumph, but if it's flawed, it will mean their downfall. Either option can make for a fascinating story and an unforgettable character.
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As the saying goes, your character can lie about 5 things, but will make 10,000 decisions that are truthful.
Even if the character is deceptive to other characters in the story, make sure the reader sees the actions that are truthful. This will make him not only a true reflection of a real human being, but intriguing to no end.
If you already have the core of your characters down, use these suggestions to take your characters to the next level. They'll captivate readers, grip them by the chest and refuse to let go.
Have you ever used any of these techniques in your writing?
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Path of Daggers Read-Along, Week 2
Welcome to week 2 of our Path of Daggers read-along. This week we read chapters 5-9. Remember that everything in this section, as well as everything that's come before, is fair game for spoilers, so read at your own risk!
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| Our Super Girls dominate the Bowl of Winds (Source) |
1. The Super Girls finally got to use the Bowl of the Winds. The power needed and the weaving involved were both certainly impressive, but were you a little underwhelmed by the immediate lack of results?
Maybe a little. I don't remember what I thought the first time I read it, but this time I assumed the results would be pretty much instantaneous, which means I remembered it wrong. It kind of made you want something epic but didn't deliver right away.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Follow Friday: Changing Crappy Plotlines
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!
How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!
Change the plot. If you could, what book would you change the ending or plot thread? Go ahead and do it...change it.
**I think we're gonna have a lot of book spoilers on this week's posts. Mine is no different. This has spoilers for the end of this trilogy, so if you haven't read it and plan to, don't read any farther!**
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I think I'm gonna have to complain about The Millenium trilogy here. I've complained about this before, but it's one of the only books I really pretty much hated. There's a lot of talk online about giving honest reviews, and believe me, I'm all for that. Most of my reviews are relatively good, though, because I honestly don't usually hate the books I read. I might dislike aspects of them, but I rarely have a passionate negative reaction to them.
This one, I did. The first book had a great mystery/whodunit in it that I loved. I kept reading because by then I was invested enough in the characters to keep going. Books 2 and 3 sort of degraded into mediocre semi-espionage novels, which is a difficult genre for me to read anyway. The reason I kept reading was because of the promise of eventual romance between the two main characters--Michael and Lisbeth. The way the author set it up, it was all but promised. All but certain. I just kept thinking, if I can just get to where they finally hook up, it will have been worth slogging through all the slow stuff.
Roughly 100 pages before the end of book 3, it was ridiculously obvious that the author simply changed his mind. He introduced a new female character, had Michael fall for her in record time (a couple chapters I think) and decided they'd be together. At the end, Lisbeth was alone and just had to accept that she'd never get to be with Michael.
I mean, what the *bleep* kind of ending is that anyway?
So that's the one I'd change. Get them together. Make the books worth reading. End of story. Pun intended.
So, what plot line would you change?
Thoughts for Thursday: Quotes about Folklore
Just have fun, collect awesome sayings by awesome people, and try to be inspired!
On Monday, I did a post about writing Folklore. Continuing that theme, this week's them is The Importance of Folklore.
"Read the folklore masters. Go to galleries. Walk in the woods. That's what you need to be an artist or storyteller."--Terri Windling
"I've had a lifelong obsession with urban legends and American folklore."--Eric Kripke, creator of the hit CW show, Supernatural.
"Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know."--J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
"Most have been forgotten. Most deserve to be forgotten. The heroes will always be remembered. The best. The best and the worst. And a few who were a bit of both."--George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows
"Across the nations the stories spread like spiderweb laid upon spiderweb, and men and women planned the future, believing they knew truth. They planned, and the Pattern absorbed their plans, weaving toward the future foretold."--Robert Jordan, Path of Daggers
**For more quotes on folklore, check out my other blog.**
What is your favorite quote? Do you have one to add?
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