This Is Halloween...

Okay, it's not Halloween yet, BUT it is the month of Halloween.

Hey, if Christmas gets to take over Thanksgiving, Halloween gets its own month!

I'm going to be posting on Twitter the rest of this month until Halloween with three different flash fiction stories from David Rex Bonnewell (@WickedlyWritten), John H Howard (@JHHoward) and Midge Cline (@ClineMidge).

I have a flash fiction piece up as well, but it was something I wrote a few years ago on Writing Dot Com for a contest. So it may be familiar to you. But I am also taking pictures and artwork that I feel relates to The BREED, and writing flash fiction for that as well.

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, I'm @MLChesley and I am currently posting on the Midian Entertainment @MidianEntertain. I'm still kind of geeking out about all of this. It's amazing to have a great group of people all working together, writing, and creating this world.

I hope you all drop by and see what's going on and get to know us if it is your kind of thing. If not, pass it on to people you know who might like it.

Have a great rest of your week!

Cover Reveal: Deadeye...

Hey all!

Well, as promised, here is the cover reveal for David Rex Bonnewell's book, Deadeye! Artwork was done by Carlos Villas. You can find more of his art here.

To follow all things Deadeye and get to know Dave's character, you can find the page for it here, on Facebook.

So the coolest thing about this is, Dave has written a three part series. Each cover will go together and become a panoramic scene! But this one right here, with the Razorback, I think he wants to jump off the cover and kill me. Lol!

Tell me what you think about the cover in the comments below! And don't forget to check out more artwork by Carlos Villas!

More Life...

My intentions to get back to blogging were solid. But then, I learned how difficult it is to get internet to my house! My goodness. I love my house and won't give it up for anything... except maybe internet!

Just kidding. But I am doing what I can with what I have between now and then. I hope you all enjoyed my guest post yesterday from Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc. (I love her name! LOL!)

Things are moving along around here where Midian Entertainment is concerned. I have one novel that won't make it for the January release, but lucky for me, I had another waiting in the wings.

I did a cover reveal on Twitter for my fellow author, David Rex Bonnewell, and I will be sharing that cover here on Friday! So watch this space! I have a couple more covers that will be coming out soon.

We'll be setting up pre-orders for all books in December. It's getting so close and we're all getting so excited. There's been very few details we've been allowed to share due to our NDA. But soon... Soon we'll be able to share with the world!

Have a great rest of your week, and I'll see you tomorrow with Dave's cover!

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Five...

This is it! This is the number one book of my top 5 countdown! I hope you've enjoyed this series of posts. You get to know a little more about me with each one. And if you've left comments, I get to know more about you, as well!

Here we go!

Author: David Eddings

Book Title: The Belgariad (series!)

Why it left a lasting impression on me:

Oh my, again, like with Elf Quest, where to start? Again, another author I discovered in high school. I couldn't read these books fast enough, but never wanted to read TOO fast, because that meant it would all end. Garion and Pol, they were like extended family. The world Eddings created was a rich environment and painted many a great picture in my mind as I read.

I have tried to maintain having all of these books in my library as well, even if I did have to get rid of them to move, I always got them back. This is a series I love to read over and over. I don't usually do that. Once I've read a book, I don't typically pick it back up. But these, I do.

I think it was Eddings, more than any other author, that inspired me to write fantasy. I wanted to create a world just as enticing, characters that felt like family, and when the story was over, you felt as if you were saying goodbye to familiar friends until the next time.

Leave me a comment and tell me about the books that left a lasting impression upon you! I'd love to hear from you!

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Four...

Ooh, we're getting down to the wire, here. I'm counting down the top 5 books that left a lasting impression on me, and we're now at #2!

I won't kill you with a ton of commentary, we'll just get right to it.

Author: Melanie Rawn

Book Title: Dragon Prince (Series!)

Why this left a lasting impression on me:

I love, love, love this series. I stumbled upon Melanie Rawn all on my own, again, in high school. I took to her stories like a duck to water. such an intriguing story, unique spell-casters, and of course, DRAGONS!

You become part of the story right from the beginning. You follow Rohan and Sioned's lives intimately (no, not THAT intimately!) and watch as they grow as a couple, as rulers, as parents. Then you are drawn into the lives of their children as they grow as well.

These books stuck with me so much that I have bought the entire series, had to get rid of said series, then bought it all over again, just to have it. It made me sad when she started her new series, Exiles, didn't complete it, and has since gone on to other things. According to her website, though, the last two books of Exiles should be nearing completion.

Aside from all that, the Dragon Prince series will remain in my library.

Tell me about a book that has left a lasting impression on you in the comments!

Switching Gears...

Hello everyone!

It's kind of fun to get back in the blogging business. I've missed it. I miss the community, the feedback, the discussions.

I'm trying to get around to reading posts again and visiting you all soon. Things are hectic!

So I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've switched my focus from the fantasy genre to horror/supernatural/paranormal. It has been a blast, except for when I creeped myself out late at night. Yeah. ::Blushes::

I am not giving up on fantasy, by any means. I learned a LOT from that experience and the ones that followed. My writing has improved, I've got formatting down to a science, I've made a lot more connections with cover artists and editors. It's great.

But, I do find it hard to switch gears. I'm glad I wrote fantasy first. It does help to fill in those fictional gaps when needed.

I've also toyed around with the idea of using a pen name, but I don't think I have the time or energy to maintain and alternate persona. I think the only difference will be "M. L. Chesley" for fantasy and "Mel Chesley" for my current genre.

Have you switched genres? How well did it work for you? What do you find most difficult? Easiest? How do you maintain an alternate persona?

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Two...

Hi gang!

I'm continuing on this week with my top 5 books that left a lasting impression on me. I gave fair warning last week, that some of the books that impressed me were part of a series. This is true!

Without further ado, here is #4 on my list as we countdown!

Book Title: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Why this book left a lasting impression on me:

Oh, so, so many reasons! First of all, let me explain that I never read these books until just before the second movie came out. Yes, yes, I know. I've gotten a lot of flack about that over the years. I mean, seriously, I'm a gamer and touted about writing fantasy and never read these books??

Yes.

One of the biggest reasons these books left a lasting impression on me, is my mother in law. She's passed away a few years ago, but I always think of her when I think of these books. She gave me "The Hobbit" to read. She knew I was writing a fantasy story, asked if I had ever read them and didn't give me grief when I said no. She simply handed me her copy.

After she returned from vacation, she mailed me the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. By then, the movies were out and all of my friends and my husband were so excited to go see it, so I went as well.

I swear, I sat through the whole thing with my jaw dropped the entire time. How? How had I never read these books?!? I kept asking myself.

By the time the second movie had come out, I had read the entire trilogy along with "The "Hobbit".

The richness of the stories, the writing, the world that was created and cared for, it blew me away. I think I will always cherish these books no matter what.

So leave a comment and tell me what book left a lasting impression upon you!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Jenna Miller

It's November 1st. Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2017 is now available! So today, I have an interview with the creator of the anthology, Jenna Miller. Not only is she the one responsible for this wonderful, creepy collaboration of chills and thrills, she's also a contributor as well. Let's get on with the interview! Her answers will be in green.

What inspired Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror? 

Way back in 2007, just after I’d published my first fantasy novel, I was invited to contribute to a horror anthology (Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City) – it was so much fun and I wanted to do my own anthology. We were also just starting Word Weavers (a writer’s group) at the time, and doing anthologies through there … I wanted one that was just for women, and more importantly, just for women in horror. When I approached people about it, I got mixed responses. A lot of women didn’t want to do it. I got a lot of flak about exploiting women and how it wasn’t “positive.” I also had a few guys who joked about not having a men only anthology.

So I decided to do both, a Ladies and a Gents, and a combined.

How often have you contributed to the anthology? 

I contributed in 2008, 2013 and 2016.
What are the titles of the stories you’ve contributed? 

Addiction, Bitch and Slither (respectively).

What was one of the hardest scenes you’ve ever had to write? 

The rape/cannibal scene at the beginning of Addiction.

How does your family feel about the production of the anthology? 

They’re encouraging, but hate that they essentially lose me for the few months I work on it.

Why do the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society? 

The anthology doesn’t make enough money to pay each contributor much at all, so in 2013 the group decided that donating the profits to charity would be best. As a group we chose breast cancer, but finding a charity that actually puts your donations towards the cause is hard, and that’s why, after much research, we chose the ACS.

I’ve asked all the authors, now I’ll ask you, too. Do you Google yourself? 

Sometimes, and while I have one of the most common names ever in the history of ever, I’m always in the top ten or so. Which is scary.

What is your preferred genre for writing? 

Horror, though I do love the occasional dabble into fantasy and sci-fi.

How do these contributors make you feel? 

I love my contributors. Each and every one has taught me something and helped both me and the anthology grow. I’ve developed long lasting friendships and also learned a few hard lessons working with people from all over the world over the last nearly ten years.

Has the success of the anthology grown over the years? 

Yes. Bit by bit, I see its popularity growing. Even now I’m booked up for the next two years in both the fantasy and the horror—which is hard to fathom, considering as I used to have to sell my soul, and seduce or otherwise entice people in order to get contributors.

How does one contribute to the anthology? 

By sending a query of interest (details can be found in the “notes” on our websites (Queries or Submission Queries) or on the FB pages ( Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror or Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy ) or to Email (horror) or Email (fantasy).

*~*~*

Thanks so much for your time, Jenna! I wish you much success with these anthologies as time goes on.

Don't forget, you can purchase your copy of the anthologies now!

What I'm Working On: The BREED

Hey everyone!

So I finally get to tell you a little more about that project I've been working on. It's called The BREED. About two years ago, I was approached by a couple of people to help get a project off the ground. One of these people I have known for some time as we used to game together in that text based RPG I've mentioned way back in the day called Legends of Cosrin. The other person was a complete stranger.

That complete stranger had this idea for a multiverse world full of your usual horror creatures; vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, etc. He wasn't a writer, but still had this idea that he worked on with my gaming friend. His names is Charles and my gaming friend is Ray. Ray knew my writing skills due to lots of posts I had made and role plays I had designed in game. For whatever reason, he felt I was the one who would be able to help get this project off the ground. I'm not only an author on this project now, but I'm the Creative Director as well.

So I was allowed to recruit authors as long as they signed a non disclosure agreement. Let me tell you, that was more difficult than you realize because I couldn't give these authors much information until they signed that NDA. I posted on here looking for people, I scoured my author friends list and I only got a few bites. But let me tell you, those few bites have panned out and we are so close to being able to tell everyone so much more!

In the meantime, all I can say is we have a few stories ready for editing and publication, plus a couple of screenplays. There are about half a dozen more stories in the works. When all is said and done, we're looking at having books, movies, video games, brand merchandise, graphic novels and so much more. It's been a very interesting past couple years!

If you'd like to learn a little more, there is an old article on the Horror Society site here.

You can also check out one of our many pages on Facebook here.

If you think you'd like to be a beta reader, here is the Facebook page for that here.

If you think you'd like to be an author and want more information, contact me here.

More links:

Facebook page for the movie, "Feeding on Fear".

Facebook page for "The Midnight Carnival".

So there it is. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I can reveal at the moment. I hope it piques your interest enough! Have a good Monday!

#FREE For Two Days...

Hey everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that starting today (the 7th) until the 9th, "Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two" will be free to purchase on Amazon.

This is the book:

This is the link.

Please share with your friends! Let's get the word out!

Now, if you don't have a Kindle, I do have "Veritas" on Smashwords as well. I'll be setting the price to free today (the 7th) until the 9th there, as well.

Here is that link.

I hope you all have a great rest of your week and I'll see you all soon!

Fantasy Book Reviewers...

Of course, with Book Two being out now, I find I have more time. That and grandkidlet is in daycare. Hooray!

More time = more posts. I hope!

So back to the topic.

I'm looking for reviewers for book two, Veritas. It is preferable if you have read book one, Adversarius. It's sort of a pre-requisite.

With that being said, if you would like to review book two, but have not read book one, I'll happily supply it.

In the past, I have asked for reviews and have offered up the book for free. I'm still willing to do that. I don't mind. But if you're just looking for a free e-book, hey, I don't mind that either. If you are truly interested in my books and don't have pocket change to buy a ton of e-books, please contact me. I am not looking to get rich, here. I've had this story in my head for well over 20 years now. (20 years!!!) I want to share it with everyone.

You're talking to a person who subscribes to BookBub to find the free deals. I have a whole series of books waiting to be read because I'm only missing one or two. If I find a series I REALLY like, I try to reach out and find out if someone can lend it to me.

I'm not a penny-pincher. Okay, well, I am. I honestly just don't have cash to throw out to get books I want to read. People don't understand that my family lives paycheck to paycheck. One bad week of sickness, we're pretty much S. o. L.

I truly understand those who can't afford books. Again, drop me a private message, we'll work something out.

Again. Back to the topic.

In the meantime, if you are honestly willing to do a review, please leave me a comment and I'll get you a copy of either book two or both of the books to get you up to speed. But PLEASE leave a REVIEW! Okay. Thanks. You can go about your business now.

Have an awesome rest of your week, everyone!

*****

Contact me: Paridzule (dot) keep (at) gmail (dot) com.

Just Chillin'...

Hey my internet peeps!

Hope you all had a good week. I'm taking some time to just kick back, relax and well, who am I kidding. I'm getting in some stuff while the baby takes a nap.

Yesh!

Silence.

I have another purpose today. I wanted to let you all know that September 14th, I will be doing an author interview with Jill Nojack, author of  the Kindle Scout selected book, "The Familiar", the first in the Bad Tom Series. She's also the author of the Fae Unbound series and has a story in "The Riot Girls"collection.

She has a website here.

Anyway, I am super excited to have her on my blog! There is always a possibility of a giveaway, so be prepared to leave a comment. It isn't that hard, these days, just have to click on the I'm not a Robot thingy, right?

Right!

See you all soon and have a wonderful rest of your week. Hopefully I won't forget the Friday Funnies and Fantasy Art tomorrow. Hmm... better do that now.

Cover Reveal: Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two...

Okay, this is it. I've finished book two and all that is left is to get it formatted and up for sale. Easy peasy!

This will currently be an e-book only format, available on Smashwords for $2.99. This is the second book in my Shadow of the Rose trilogy.

I'll be holding some contests, giving away some e-books, hopefully some swag, but that will be later on. In the meantime, as promised, here is the cover reveal:

TADA!

Now, book two will be available July 31, 2015. Again, it will only be available as an e-book for awhile.

I'll also be making a change to the Adversarius cover, simply because I found 3 images that work so well with each other and it only makes sense to have all the covers in the trilogy look similar.

At least, that's what my OCD is telling me.

All right! I hope you enjoyed my cover reveal. Have a great rest of your week!

Book Review: Eagle En Garde by Olga Godim

Title: Eagle En Garde

Author: Olga Godim

Publisher: Burst

File Size/Book Length: 1420kb/271 pages

ASIN: B00K4PIH3S

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords
(I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.)
 
About the Book:

The kingdom of Talaria is surrounded by a magic-resistant spell. While the king wishes to invite magic back into the country, the fanatical sect of Cleaners is determined to prevent its return. Darin, a mercenary officer, doesn’t participate in the dispute, until he accidentally overhears the Cleaners’ hidden agenda to destroy all magic workers in Talaria, including witches and elves, including assassinating the royal family. Darin can’t allow their treachery to succeed—it would plunge the country into dogmatism and war—but what can a lone mercenary do against a horde of traitors? His only choice lies in trickery and deceit to outsmart his enemies.

My thoughts:

I really, really enjoyed this book. Olga did a bang up job of creating a fantasy world and dragging me along on Darin's adventures! This book kept you moving, as Darin is a busy man, working for the Eagles, a mercenary group. Each adventure takes you through this world that was seemingly effortless for Olga to create. Darin has the right amount of snark and humor. I did not find one spot of the story that lagged at all. The story pulls you in to the pages, the characters are well fleshed out. This was a treat to read. It has something for every fantasy buff out there. I highly recommend this book if you like fantasy.

My rating:

Five out of Five skull and crossbones.

Book Review: Gravity's Revenge by A. E. Marling

Title: Gravity's Revenge

Author: A. E. Marling

Pages: 378 File Size: 2336 KB

ASIN: B00DO6BSU8

Purchase: Amazon

Summary (from Amazon):

A magic school. A heist. And enchantresses falling from the sky.

In the Mindvault Academy, magic imbued within the stone reroutes the flow of gravity. The school's enchantments allow for architectural wonders that inspire the empire's next generation of great minds.

Now those minds are falling. The Academy's spells are collapsing, its keystone jewels stolen. Saboteurs have invaded the magic school in a political heist a year in the planning. The attackers make but one mistake: Getting between Enchantress Hiresha and her research.

Hiresha, Provost of Applied Enchantment, endures her own pathological sleepiness to study unorthodox magic. Now twelve warriors have invaded the Academy, the only home she has ever known. Hiresha plans to expel them with the help of a dangerously charming illusionist, her loyal bodyguard, and spells by no means in the approved curriculum.

My thoughts:

I'm going to sing nothing but praise for this latest installment of A. E. Marling's series. From the first book I read, (Brood of Bones) I have loved Enchantress Hiresha. The magic system in this book has always intrigued me.

Marling's writing, once again, flows like an elegant river. To read one of these books is pure joy for me. There is something about the way Marling writes that is intelligent, captivating and delightful. Yes, I used the word 'delightful'.

You are finally introduced to several things in 'Gravity's Revenge'. First, Hiresha's Mindvault Academy. The school of magic where Enchantresses are trained. You get a glimpse of her room, her home and the other teachers and leaders. The other thing you are introduced to in this book are illustrations! You're finally shown what Marling's world looks like. You also learn the source of the magic, and that when removed or tampered with, can fail.

Enchantress Hiresha becomes the target of Bright Palms, priests dedicated to ridding the world of Feasters. They'll do anything to get the Lord of the Feast, including sacrificing Hiresha's Elders. The issue is made more complicated when they strip Hiresha of her own, personal power. The power of her gems. But most everyone is on Hiresha's side, wanting to help, even the little Fennec fox.

You can either start with this book or at the beginning, with 'Brood of Bones'. There is an order to the stories, but they stand alone rather well. You won't get lost if you start here. So kudos to Marling for yet another enjoyable read that I could not put down!

My rating:
5 out of 5 skull and crossbones.

Fave Friday & Funnies...

Hooray for Friday! Woot! Woot!

Gaming night! Er... um, Friday faves and funnies, uh day. Yeah, that's it. And NO, I won't be gaming, I'll be um, revising. Yes, absolutely.

Before I forget, there is also this going on, Sunday:

Ahem.

Hope you all had a good week. Mine was part taking it easy and part running around trying to get paper work done.

And downloading Scrivener. Yes, I gave in and stopped trying to become part of the soil with the other dinosaurs.


So Scrivener is becoming a fave of mine rather quickly. I have to use it sparingly until I can afford to pay for the full program.

I also have been doing some reading. I read this:





I have to say I loved it. I'll do a review of it later. I got it while it was free, but you can get it for your Kindle for $1.49. That's like, what, a cup of coffee? Make your coffee at home, buy the short story.

I'm also loving GIMP these days and learning how to do stuff with it. I'm looking at making some animation so, yeah, watch out. I might get all 'hi-tech' on ya. Uh huh. Pfft.

Sorry, I'm also a little loopy. I get goofy (er) when I get sleepy. And sleep and I have not been on speaking terms the past couple of days. Tell the Sandman he's fat, just once, I dare you. Won't sleep for days...

All right! On to the funnies you so patiently wait for. Either that or you just bypass my gibbering mess and go right for 'em. Who can blame you? It's Friday, you wanna have a laugh.

Ninja kittehs! Attack! Have a great weekend everyone! What are your plans?

Exciting Things To Come...

Hey everyone! I'm sure some of you have heard by now, since I plastered it all over the webiverse. My book, 'Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One' will be available December 7, 2012!

Super excited over here. Doing the happy dance and everything!

I'll be hosting a virtual book tour starting in January. In the meantime, I'd like to offer up the chance for three lucky people to win a copy of my book. Right now, it is only going to be available as an e-book, print will come later.

However, since I don't have a lot of extra cash, especially around the holidays, I'll just be giving away books this time around. I'll do a bigger giveaway when I am able to. Right now, I'd like to spread the word about Adversarius!

So on that note, you'll see a new little page tab at the top of this blog. It says, 'Giveaway Donations'. Like I state on that page, I'm not asking for money, especially this time of year! I am asking for books, swag, bookmarks, etc. I'll use these as giveaway prizes if you see fit to send me something OR hold onto the item and ship it off to the winner if you prefer that instead.

December 10th will be my first Book Giveaway, so make sure to stop on by and read the rules! Yes, there are rules, there are ALWAYS rules. So help me spread the word about Adversarius!

And thank you, ALL of you, for the wonderful help and support you have given me to get this far. Some of you more than others, and you all know who you are. I appreciate absolutely everything you have all done for me on this journey.

'The Next Big Thing' Blog Meme...

Hey everyone! It's Monday. I can hear the groans from here... lol! Well, I was tagged in "The Next Big Thing" blog hop and tried to get five authors to tag to no avail. I'll still participate, since I'm linked on the lovely Jennifer Brown's blog here. So here we go, hope you enjoy!


What is your working title of your book? 
Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two. This is currently in revision status and I should be done with it soon. It begins where 'Adversarius' leaves off.

Where did the idea come from for the book? 
I read a lot of fantasy, and have always wanted to write a book, which ended up being a trilogy. Not exactly sure where the idea came from, it just sort of crept up on me out of the blue.

What genre does your book fall under? 
Fantasy, but in all actuality, High Fantasy due to the nature of the work, characters, creatures, etc.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Ha! I have thought about this long and hard. I would absolutely choose Kate Beckinsale (Alex, you'll love this!) for Kayta, Adrian Paul for Black Rose, um, I'm torn between Rose McGowen for Nightshadow or I'd pick Keri Byron (from Mythbusters). I originally chose Heath Ledger for Vendras, but now can't picture him as anyone else. Farrehn would be Dwayne Johnson and I really have no clue for the others right now. That's about as far as I got.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 
'Truth is a bitter pill for Hedric to swallow and only he can decide if it will set him free or destroy him.'

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 
Since this is the second in the series, I have no idea just yet.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Oh wow, um... it took me a couple years for the first two parts, then I ended up running into issues, put it away and came back to it several years later.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I have no idea. I'd like to say any of the 'Forgotten Realms' or 'DragonLance' books, but I doubt they even come close.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What inspired me were all of my favorite fantasy authors growing up. My husband, Larry, came into my life much later and inspired me to finish what I had started.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There is something in it for everyone. A little romance, intrigue, pirates, all sorts of fantasy creatures; old and new. Battles, jealousy, hatred and most of all, friendship and loyalty.


I wish I had been able to tag some authors in this post. I looked, I asked but in the end, people are super busy this time of year. So here is my part, as promised! I hope you liked it.

The Monday After...

Hey everyone! I hope those of you who celebrated the Thanksgiving weekend had a safe and happy one. Too much turkey for me, but I also made the best turkey ever. Even though I bought the darn thing FROZEN the NIGHT before turkey day.

One of my Irish friends (bless her heart) patted my turkey in the store and said, "Love, how the eff are ye goin' tae cook dis ting?"

I told her I was going home to give it a bath. And sure enough, that's just what I did.

So today is another tour stop for my sister in law, Cheri Chesley and her NEWEST book, The Tyrant King!

For the latest stop on the tour, click here and head on over to Jamie Gibbs' page, Mithril Wisdom.

But wait! Don't go just yet!

I'll also be participating in 'The Next Big Thing' blog hop and I'm looking for 5 authors to tag. I'll be posting next Monday, so you will post the Monday after.

Okay, now you can go! Have a great week everyone.

World Building Wednesdays: Gods and Goddesses...

In fantasy, the pantheon of gods is boundless as well as important. When you think fantasy, think Mythology and how the mortals worshiped the likes of Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite. There was a god or goddess for all things, it seemed like. War, love, life and death. Mortals wanted to be gods so bad they could taste it and would attempt any kind of trickery to get to that higher, immortal station.

In my world, there is a god or goddess for just about everything. Why? Well, it is my belief that gods and goddesses are the epitome of magical energies and essences. You have the main deity (in my case, this is Ioweth) who created the world and all the creatures within it. His sons and daughters are the gods and goddesses brought into existence by the mortals of the world. So basically, if the people of the world needed something desperately enough and prayed for it, the god or goddess would be pulled from the magical ether and poof! you have a deity.

For example, if people were constantly being killed or robbed while traveling, there is a goddess who protects travelers, her name is Yizanthia. There is a god of worldly abundance, his name is Jerremor. Jerremor is the patron deity of adventurers looking for great wealth or people who dream of being rich. Fizanu is the goddess of law and justice.

Others deal with lakes and rivers, deserts or forests. The two suns of my world are actually twin gods, Halidien and Perriden. The moon is the goddess, Merydwen. The goddess of Life and Rebirth is Pel. There are twin sisters ruling the underworld and afterlife. Ta'arinuru is the goddess of the underworld and reigns over damned souls. Veritru'ul is the goddess of the afterlife and she resides over those kind, good souls and allows them to move on into their next incarnation.

There are lots of fantasy stories out there where the gods and goddesses are invisible. People just have faith like they do in real life that a higher being exists. Other stories have the deities walking the earth and others have them appearing only to special people. My goddess of law and justice, Fizanu, speaks with Black Rose and gifted him with longevity. He acts as her champion, righting the wrongs and fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. Basically, you better be good or Rose will come get you and send you off where you belong. Unless of course you are repentant and ask for absolution.

So think about this before you create the world. Do you want it to have just popped into existence with no explanation? Do you want just a single deity responsible for it all? Do the people of your world have free will? Or are they controlled by the gods? Do they require sacrifice or gifts?

Lots to think on! Have a great rest of the week!