Category: Anthologies

Our Favorite Fairy Tales

7/29/2018

On August 3rd, the Fellowship of Fantasy launches Tales of Ever After, a fairy tale themed anthology. To prep for it, we put out a call in our author group asking people to tell us THEIR favorite fairy tale. Here are the results!

I've loved Sleeping Beauty since I was little, but my favorite character has always been Maleficent. Even as a little girl I wished I could turn into a dragon and chase people.
Pen

I love Beauty and the Beast because it’s a stunning picture of a God who loved me while I was still beastly.
Tracey Dyck

Sun, Moon, and Talia, because it is one of the oldest versions of Sleeping Beauty available. It reminds me of a Stephen Sondheim musical, where it stars light and cherry and then takes a quick, dark, turn.
Jonathan M. Lazar

If I had to pick - Beauty and the Beast. It's one of the few original fairy tales where the woman actually controls her fate. No one beats Belle!
Lacy Andersen

My favorite fairy tale is, and will always be, The Little Mermaid. I love mermaids and am obsessed with them. As someone who has been a competitive swimmer since middle school, I've always wanted to be a mermaid. And though I don't understand the mermaid's desire to join the human world when she could live underwater forever, if I was given the chance to become a mermaid, I would totally do it.
Corinne Morier

I'm personally a huge fan of Rapunzel - even more so, what happens AFTER her story. There's something about exploring the world through the eyes of a girl who's only ever lived in a tower.
Rebekah DeVall

Beauty and the Beast, espec. Disney 1992 version. I love how the film shows that true beauty lies beneath the surface, and demonstrates the power of genuine transforming love.
Randall Allen Dunn

"Little Furball" because, unlike most fairytales, it's about a girl who goes out and saves herself.
Meredith Mansfield

Cinderella. It's a classic. I used to pretend I was Cinderella when my mom told me to clean my room. I still sing the Sweet Nightingale song, especially when I'm trying to put them to sleep.
Angel Leya

Beauty and the Beast. I grew up with the Disney version of this fairy tale, and despite its flaws, it resonated with me the most. Belle was a brown-haired bookworm from a small town--just like me. She inspired me so much as a kid!
Heather Hayden

Scheherazade's story: the framework story for The Thousand and One Nights. I love it because of how unashamedly Scheherazade owned her intelligence. She figured out a plan and acted on it, and in so doing, she saved at least a thousand of her countrywomen. The sheer ingenuity it must have taken to keep spinning stories every single night for almost three years is incredible, not to mention the skill to know what was the crucial point at which to stop to keep the Sultan interested and the courage it must sometimes have taken to continue going while knowing that she could be executed any morning. I don't often see intelligence as a primary or lauded trait of protagonists (whether male or female) in fairy tales, and it's fantastic to find it here. That's why I love her story so much.
Arielle Bailey

Beauty & The Beast for two reasons: 1) I identify with bookish Belle and 2) I find it sweet how she begins to fall for the Beast due to his personality rather than the way he looks.
J.M. Hackman

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite because it is the only one with a character arc.
C. O. Bonham

Cinderella has always been my favorite fairy tale. I've always considered her to be a quiet hero. She has been put in a tremendously unfortunate position, but she handles it with grace and dignity. It is because of her good heart and kind ways that she is wishes and winds up in a better, happier life. I like that in the original fairy tale, it isn't Cinderella that 'gets back' at her stepsisters and stepmother, but the magical birds who are her defenders. My takeaway from this story has always been to strive to be a kind person, even in the face of adversity or when dealing with awful people. Kindness will win out in the long run.
D. G. Driver

My favorite fairy tale has always been the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I love the mystery and adventure of it. I also love that it isn't your typical fairy tale in which someone needs to be rescued - while in some versions/retellings the dancing is a curse, in the version I read as a child, it was portrayed as a secret adventure that the princesses were going off on each evening. I always loved that the young man who solves the riddle was portrayed as clever and good and obedient... he doesn't make the mistake of getting great advice and then decides not to take that advice, or forgets about it as soon as the opportunity arises. I also love the endless possibilities it presents for retellings!
Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Beauty and the Beast- mostly because it beautifully shows how the masculine and feminine natures compliment each other.
J.M. Jablowski

Was your favorite fairy tale mentioned? Are you excited to read 16 new fairy tale inspired stories?
Check out Tales of Ever After.

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Submission Information: Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales

6/15/2018

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To submit send your finished and edited to the best of your ability work to hlb@hlburkeauthor.com as a doc attachment. Please do not include identifying information within the document as we do intend for blind judging. Any identifiers will be deleted. I promise to keep careful track of who submitted what.
Expenses for anthology production will be split between accepted authors.

QUICK SUBMISSION RUNDOWN:
1. 500 to 10k words... for this anthology we are opening the gates to accept flash fiction length pieces.
2. Fantasy or Fantasy Subgenre.
3. Fits the chosen theme of “Cats” in some way.
4. Does not include explicit material, meets the group standards as expanded upon at our website. http://www.fellowshipoffantasy.com/submission-guidelines.html#submission
5. A complete self-contained short story, not an excerpt of a larger work.
6. Not currently available for purchase download (stories that are previously published in other publications or anthologies will be considered on a case by case basis. Please note in your submission email).
7. Submissions start 6/15/2018 and run through 7/15/2018
8. While we will allow multiple submissions per author, only one will be accepted.
Time Frame:
Submissions 6/15/2018 and run through 7/15/2018
Rather than allowing a long period for authors to rewrite and resubmit a story, we will be doing a simple acceptance/rejection system. Some small edits may be requested if we like a story enough to want it included but have some suggestions to make it shine even more. These will be returned to the author so that they can make the adjustments so we don’t have editors messing with the author’s voice.
Proofreading (grammar, punctuation, and spelling, not line editing) will be provided by the group, but please do your best to submit a clean first draft as it is just more professional.
Proofing will lead into prelaunch, and I would like to release the anthology in September or October.
Theme: The story must feature a cat in some way.
General: The purpose of the anthology is to provide a sample of various authors’ work and allow for us to pool our audience/social media presence to draw in more readers. The anthology will be free in ebook form.
As the book will not be making a profit, there will be no royalties paid out. The purpose of this anthology is marketing, not profit.
Since we cannot put the paperback version for free, there may be a small amount of revenue garnered from that version. We will put those funds back into advertising.
Rights:
We will draw up a contract that grants the anthology first publication rights with an expiration date so that you may republish the work on your own or submit it elsewhere after a four month period.
Submission Standards:
Each submission must be an original, self-contained work. Not an excerpt from a larger work (though it may be set in a world or use characters that also appear in a larger work, the story needs to read as a story, not as a “teaser” for a bigger project.).
Each work should be between 500 and 10k words. Works that are over or under by small amounts (say a couple hundred words) will be judged on a case by case basis.
Must fit the theme of “Catss” in some way, but we are open to a broad interpretation of said theme.
Must abide by the groups “low PG-13” standard in terms of violence, language, and sexual situations/innuendo (see the main site for more details http://www.fellowshipoffantasy.com/submission-guidelines.html)
The group retains the right to reject an entry due to perceived issues of quality.
Submissions can be emailed to Anthology Coordinator, Heidi Burke at hlb@hlburkeauthor.com Please attach as a .doc file. Judging will be “blind” so remove any mention of the author name from the submission itself.
We ask that you use a legible font in at least 11 pt.
Tone:
We actually want a varied tone rather than a homogenized one, so any work that fits the theme, length requirement, and content standards as listed above will be considered. Please no stories that are ONLY interesting to children, though. Stories that are appropriate for children or interesting to children are fine, but no easy reader or picture book level simplicity. Aim for at least Middle Grade content level, and try to provide something adult readers would enjoy as well.
Positions and Responsibilities:
Members will be asked to donate a small amount towards cover design, proofreading, and formatting expenses, but the team will work hard to keep this down to a low number. We’re looking at options for $30 premades for the cover, for instance. There will also be a $100 administration fee paid to Heidi Burke as the organizer of the project. The total amount depends on the length of the anthology and the number of authors splitting the prices, but for instance if proofreading turns out to be $200, formatting $75, cover design $30, and the one time fee is $100, then we have 10 participating authors, the inclusion fee will be $40, but if we have 15 participating authors (our cap) it will be $27 a piece. Also, those numbers are not set in stone (a shorter anthology means cheaper proofreading. Formatting is currently under investigation/negotiation. We are open to an author donating a completed cover design--to be approved by the group--rather than paying the fee).
Acceptance Criteria:
Things that will be considered by the judges include whether the piece:
1. Makes sense. I know we're writing fantasy, but does the story make sense or does it just seem to be a series of disconnected events ... this could also be phrased "is it confusing." Also looking out for continuity problems.
2. Fits the theme: It in someway involves a cat.
3. Not error filled ... we do not expect "error free." Typos and mistakes are forgivable, that's why we'll have editing rounds, but it's just good to clean up your own mess, don't submit something with constant tense switching, obvious misspellings, and other errors.
4. Fits the word count range ... don't submit a 15k word monster. Don't submit a 500 word flash.
5. Actually has a story with a clear arc and resolution.
6. Actually has characters with definable characteristics.
7. Does not suffer from obvious writing "problems" like over use of passive voice, head hopping, info dumps ...
We realize that some of these can be subjective and depend on taste. We are going to arrange a system of readers to both lessen the workload for the administration and create some protection against the whole thing being “Stories Heidi Really Likes” instead of “Stories with Broad Appeal.”

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June Heroes Giveaway!

6/1/2018

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Heroes!
What would stories be without them? The Fellowship of Fantasy has put together an Incredible prize pack featuring fictional Marvels. If you have a Vision, you’ll want to get your hand on this Wonder of a collection, including a Woman Woman Journal, a Paperback copy of Hall of Heroes, and a ten ebook mini-library of Fellowship of Fantasy titles.
It’s Super--
What?
Oh …
Apparently I’ve used up my bad pun allowance for the week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Ebook Prize Pack Features:
(the following are affiliate links)
To Save a Race by Kandi J. Wyatt
My Alien Boyfriend by Janeen Ippolito
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors by H. L. Burke
Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones
The Shaman’s Apprentice by B. Muze
Aerisia: Gateway to the Underworld by Sarah Ashwood
Imani Earns her Cape by Bokerah Brumley
After by Savannah Jezowski
Between Heroes and Villains by Various
Toonopolis: Anchihiiroo by Jeremy Rodden

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Mythical Doorways/Deep Magic Giveaway!

3/20/2018

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The Fellowship of Fantasy and Deep Magic E-Zine have joined together to offer you an awesome paperback giveaway!

About Mythical Doorways:

Welcome to Mythical Doorways, the third anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy. We present to you our tales of gateways to marvelous places. These doorways open into adventure, wonder, and even danger.

Within, you will accompany heroes on their way to fairy worlds. Brave the dangers of the past through a portal in time. Eavesdrop at the door of a forbidden workshop. Follow a girl on a search for a better life in her choice between three tempting magical doors. Help a sorcerer close a gateway before an unspeakable horror escapes, and slip through a portal on a quest for delicious chocolate!
There are many perilous journeys ahead of you, but no graphic content. All the stories here fall below a PG-13 rating.
The Fellowship of Fantasy is an online group of writers dedicated to presenting the best in clean fantasy stories of any stripe. Some tackle epic quests to save the world, while others prefer more urban settings. Whether you enjoy contemporary tales, romantic re-tellings, or something else entirely, you're sure to find stories that speak to you.
Thank you for joining us on our trip through these doorways, and may you find adventure and entertainment on the other side!

Click here for your ebook (free to download starting March 27th): https://www.books2read.com/u/bxq70e

About Deep Magic E-Zine

The name Deep Magic pays homage to C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Deep Magic is a quarterly e-zine dedicated to creating a safe place for minds to wander in the worlds and universe of SFF. We want all who visit to feel welcome and confident that they will encounter professionally written fiction of the highest quality that is safe for all to read.

Click here for more information: https://deepmagic.co/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Mythical Doorways Writing Contest!

3/5/2018

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“The door creaked open ...”
And then what? Well, that's up to you!

In honor of the launch of the Mythical Doorways Anthology the Fellowship of Fantasy is hosting a story snack writing contest. Starting March 5th readers can submit their 500 word or less bite sized fiction.
To enter use the form at the bottom of this post or click here.

Submission Requirements

Every story must begin with the prompt “The door creaked open ...”
The submissions can be up to 500 words and may be either a complete flash fiction or an excerpt suggesting a larger story.
Content level must be appropriate for publication on our site and not violate our content standards (not requiring a squeaky clean G rating, but please familiarize yourself with our “content guidelines.”). . http://www.fellowshipoffantasy.com/submission-guidelines.html#submission
Winners grant the Fellowship of Fantasy the right to publish the submitted work on their website and social media.

Deadlines and Voting Period

Submissions begin March 5th and run through the 26th.
Winner will be chosen by popular vote.
Voting rounds will begin on the 27th of March and run through April 3rd.

Winners and Prizes

Winners chosen in two age categories: 16+ and 15 and Under
Writers under the age of 18 must receive permission from a parent or guardian before entering the contest.
Winner of the 15 and Under Category will receive a mini-paperback library of Fellowship of Fantasy.
Winner of the 16+ Category will receive an ebook library of Fellowship of Fantasy titles.
We reserve the right to substitute ebooks for paperbacks if the winner is outside of the US, due to shipping expenses/restrictions.

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Mythical Doorways Author: H. L. Burke

2/15/2018

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Over the next several weeks we'll be spotlighting some of the authors who will be appearing in our Mythical Doorways anthology.

Today's author visit is with H. L. Burke. Her story Jericho and the Magician's Daughter is part of our soon to be released anthology. She's here to explain what a cat-dragon is and where you can find them, among other things.

Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing:
I'm a dragon-keeper, cat-servant, Marine Corp Wife, and mother to two Super-Hero Princesses. While I started writing before I could write (dictating short stories to my mom), I've been seriously writing for public consumption as an indie author for about five years now. Recurring themes in my story include dragons, snark, and exploring fantastic worlds. I move around a lot (military spouse, as mentioned), but currently reside in southern California (my profile pic is me on a family outing to Legoland. They have dragons!).

What inspired Jericho and the Magicians' Daughter?
I really wanted an excuse to write a cat-dragon (or a dracoline, as they are called) into a story. Cat-dragons are an awesome combination of cat and dragon, and I like to bring them into my world whenever possible. Freckles, the cat-dragon, is the mascot of the Indie Book Magic Podcast I do with my friend and publisher Janeen Ippolito. He's just adorable. The one in Jericho and the Magician's Daughter is slightly more fearsome than Freckles, but still just as awesome. Also (as I'll go into a bit in the next question), I had a lot of back story for Jericho and Rill in my brain and I wanted to explore them a little.

Does this story connect in any way to your other works, either stylistically or by being in a shared universe? If so, how? If not, why did you choose this departure from the norm?
Jericho Carver, Hedward Spellsmith, and Rill Spellsmith are all major characters in my Spellsmith & Carver gaslamp fantasy trilogy (for those who don't want to Google that, gaslamp fantasy is essentially fantasy set in a period with a basis in the Victorian period, sort of Fantastical Steampunk). I finished writing the trilogy, but had so much unused backstory (for Jericho and Rill especially) that I thought up this prequel. This takes place about five years before the events of the first Spellsmith & Carver book and features a young Jericho and Rill figuring out how to make their friendship work. It does not have the other main character from the trilogy, Auric Spellsmith, Rill's big brother, because it takes place while he's away at the Magicians Academy.

Because the theme of this anthology is doorways, we really need to know how you would handle this hypothetical scenario:
You approach a wooden door at the end of a long, dark passage. It is big and heavy. Warmth radiates from the wrought-iron handle. You hear a strange noise rising through it. What's on the other side and what do you do?
The sound sends vibrations through my hand as I touch the warm wood. I immediately recognize it as purring. Thankfully, I brought along my trusty companion, Bruce, my big orange tabby cat. We exchange a meaningful glance. With a confident nod and a jaunty tail twitch, Bruce lowers himself into a crouch. I open the door. Bruce bursts through it like a streak of ginger lightning.
He lands on the back of the cat-dragon. The beast meows shrilly, but it cannot escape the deft paws of my Bruce. Bruce perches on its head and begins to groom the cat-dragon's pointy ears. Pleased with the attention, the cat-dragon settles down and purrs like a kitten. I now have my own cat-dragon. I win.

Where can we connect with you and find out more about your writing?
My Website: www.hlburkeauthor.com
My Facebook: www.facebook.com/hlburkewriter
My Podcast: https://indiebookmagic.wordpress.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/burkesdragons
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/H.-L.-Burke/e/B00EYQ1HLW/

Click HERE to sign up for anthology email alerts.

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Mythical Doorways Author: Laurie Lucking

2/7/2018

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Over the next several weeks we'll be spotlighting some of the authors who will be appearing in our Mythical Doorways anthology. Our next author is Laurie Lucking, here to talk about her story, Threshold, appearing in our soon to be released anthology and how it connects to a well-known tale ... can you guess which?

Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing:
I’m a lawyer turned stay-at-home mom turned author. It’s a long story… I write young adult fantasy, always with a central romance and a happily-ever-after kind of ending. My debut novel, Common, is set to release on Valentine’s Day! It starts with a Cinderella premise but takes the story in a different direction, including a plot against the throne, an unusual group of nuns, and the servant girl saving the day :) I grew up in Wisconsin but now live in Minnesota with my husband and two young sons.

What inspired Threshold?
When I first saw the topic for the anthology, my oldest son was starting kindergarten so I had the theme of growing up on my mind. I immediately thought of Peter Pan, with the twist that the fantasy land could be accessed from a closet trapdoor. The major conflict of the story fell into place when my husband and I watched the episode of Doctor Who called “Amy’s Choice” (Season 5). What if the Wendy character had been visiting the alternate reality since childhood, but then had to choose one world in which to spend the rest of her life?

Does this story connect in any way to your other works, either stylistically or by being in a shared universe? If so, how? If not, why did you choose this departure from the norm?
My author tagline is “Fantasy Adventure, Fairy Tale Romance,” and I think that accurately describes all the stories I’ve written thus far, including “Threshold.” Whether short story or full-length novel, contemporary or historical, everything I write has some fantasy elements, tie-ins to a fairy tale or other classic story, and a strong thread of romance.

Because the theme of this anthology is doorways, we really need to know how you would handle this hypothetical scenario:
You approach a wooden door at the end of a long, dark passage. It is big and heavy. Warmth radiates from the wrought-iron handle. You hear a strange noise rising through it. What's on the other side and what do you do?
I grab my book out of my bag and raise it in a way that hopefully looks threatening (thank goodness it’s hardcover!). Then I open the door and find myself on a beach amid a rowdy group playing volleyball. The sun must’ve been beating on that door handle all afternoon! I sneak around the volleyball players, find a comfortable spot in the sand, and settle in with my book :)

Where can we connect with you and find out more about your writing?
See my latest updates and sign up for my newsletter on my website: www.laurielucking.com. You can also find me on:
Blog: www.landsuncharted.com
Readers’ Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1191276077665496/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaurieLucking/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieLucking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurielucking/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22270968-laurie-lucking
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/luckinglaurie/

Click HERE to sign up for anthology email alerts.

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Mythical Doorways Author: D. G. Driver

2/5/2018

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Over the next several weeks we'll be spotlighting some of the authors who will be appearing in our Mythical Doorways anthology. Our next author is D. G. Driver, the author of The Hallway of Three Doors, appearing in our soon to be released anthology. She's stopped by to tell us about her story and how it differs from her previous works.

Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing:
I primarily write young adult contemporary fantasy (or urban fantasy), but I’ve dabbled in a bunch of other genres and age groups as well. I’ve been writing professionally for over 20 years, but I’ve only been writing as D. G. Driver since 2014 when I got my first YA novel, Cry of the Sea, published. I’m currently working on a YA romance novel that has ghosts in it. Another haunted YA novel of mine, On the Water, will be coming out this summer, and I just released the first of a series of original fairy tale novellas called The Royal Deal. I keep pretty busy with my job as an infant teacher and occasionally doing a local theater production (not to mention being a mom of a very busy teenager) so I don’t write as often as I’d like. I’m hoping my daughter will be driving soon and that will free up some time.

What inspired “The Hallways of Three Doors”?
During the season of 1995-96, I was making a living acting in a touring production of The Three Musketeers (as Milady D’Winter). The cast traveled all over California, Las Vegas and Reno in a van. My best friend at the time was in the cast (playing Constance). Sweet, demure, and very Christian. There was another fellow in the cast that was always trying to make things light and funny. But the rest of the cast were the most self-centered, rude, awful people I’ve ever met. I got so sick of them that I wrote a story about a girl who is stuck on a carriage ride with the vilest of people. All of these people I toured with were the characters.

That’s all the story was originally. I was new at writing and submitted it to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s magazine. She wrote back to me, “I do not care if these people live or die.” The worse rejection letter ever. She was right, though. I realized This carriage ride wasn’t a story. It was just me venting. I realized I need to find out how Seta gets on this carriage ride and what happens afterward. A much longer, more involved fairy tale was the result. 23 years later, I pulled this old fairy tale out of my hard drive and cleaned it up for submission to this anthology.

Does this story connect in any way to your other works, either stylistically or by being in a shared universe? If so, how? If not, why did you choose this departure from the norm?
My previously published works are quite different from this story. My Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy is urban fantasy, taking place in Washington state where a teen environmentalist discovers mythical creatures. I wrote “The Hallway of Three Doors” many years before I wrote the Juniper books. I was inspired to write several original fairy tales after taking a class on “The Literature of Fairy Tales” my senior year in college. When I saw the theme of this book was doorways, I remembered that I had an old story with magical doors in it. After the story was accepted, I read some of my other fairy tales and decided it was high time I did something with them as well. I chose one of my stories that had been popular on Wattpad, cleaned it up, and published it on Kindle. So, if you like the style of “The Hallway of Three Doors” you will also like The Royal Deal and hopefully the other fairy tales I will publish later on.

Because the theme of this anthology is doorways, we really need to know how you would handle this hypothetical scenario:
You approach a wooden door at the end of a long, dark passage. It is big and heavy. Warmth radiates from the wrought-iron handle. You hear a strange noise rising through it. What's on the other side and what do you do?

I write about strong heroines who do all the brave things I am too afraid to do myself. I’d like to say I’d fling the door open and begin an adventure, but I know I wouldn’t. I have no upper body strength, so I probably couldn’t get that heavy door open to begin with. I’m certain I would listen for a while to try to discern what the noise was. I’m curious like this. I’d ask questions to see if anyone needed help. Then I’d leave, get my husband and come back. He’d know how to get the door open, and he shoots well should a monster rush at us.

Where can we connect with you and find out more about your writing?
http://www.dgdriver.com
http://www.facebook.com/donnagdriver
http://www.twitter.com/DGDriverAuthor
http://www.instagram.com/d_g_driver#
http://www.amazon.com/D.-G.-Driver/e/B00J70QN64
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7867013.D_G_Driver

Click HERE to sign up for anthology email alerts.

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Mythical Doorways Author: Jenelle Leanne Schmidt Interview

2/3/2018

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Over the next several weeks we'll be spotlighting some of the authors who will be appearing in our Mythical Doorways anthology.

Today's author visit is with Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. Her story Dragon Ward will soar into our soon to be released anthology. I hear she might've brought some dragons

Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing:
I’m a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of four and an unapologetic nerd. I love all things fantasy and sci-fi (please don’t ask me to choose between them). My favorite things to do generally involve anything I can do with my family. My stories tend to include strong elements of family and adventure, as well as magic, dragons, and epic battles... at least, for now. I have some steampunk-flavored fantasy and sci-fi mystery books in the works, as well!

What inspired Dragon Ward?
The “Doorways” theme inspired me from the start. I’ve always been a compulsive “opener of doors” - generally I think I’m hoping to find a gateway to Narnia. I mulled over a few options before I realized that the Corridor from my Minstrel’s Song series was a perfect “doorway” that probably had a ton of stories I had not yet explored. I chatted with my husband (often he plays the role of “muse” for me... and one of these days he is probably going to need some sort of co-authoring credit!) and he tossed out a few ideas. One of them caught and stuck... and Dragon Ward was born!

Does this story connect in any way to your other works, either stylistically or by being in a shared universe? If so, how? If not, why did you choose this departure from the norm?
The story takes place in the same realm as my Minstrel’s Song series. When the theme of “doorways” was announced, I knew that there was a story I had alluded to in one of the books that needed to be written. The Corridor is a place that features heavily in Second Son and the upcoming Minstrel’s Call, and this story gives a bit of its history. Dragon Ward also delves into the story of Gwynna and Keltarrka, who are mentioned in Yorien’s Hand.

Because the theme of this anthology is doorways, we really need to know how you would handle this hypothetical scenario:
You approach a wooden door at the end of a long, dark passage. It is big and heavy. Warmth radiates from the wrought-iron handle. You hear a strange noise rising through it. What's on the other side and what do you do?
First, I might hesitate a little... after all... this is not normal. However, as I have already told you, I am a compulsive opener-of-doors... so I would open it and peek inside. A dragon... there is definitely a dragon on the other side. Now, some people might slam the door shut... but if I caught a glimpse of some fantastical realm behind the dragon, I might just get caught up in the moment (I have read a LOT of fantasy, after all, and not all dragons are evil... and I know some pretty great riddles, which I’m pretty sure dragons enjoy...) and step through. I mean, here’s the adventure I’ve been wanting to find ever since my dad first read me The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe! How could I pass that up?

Where can we connect with you and find out more about your writing?
http://jenelleschmidt.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenelleLeanneSchmidt/
http://www.twitter.com/JenelleLSchmidt/
https://www.amazon.com/Jenelle-Leanne-Schmidt/e/B008J4H9ZS/

Click HERE to sign up for anthology email alerts.

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Mythical Doorways: J. M. Hackman Intervew

1/31/2018

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Over the next several weeks we'll be spotlighting some of the authors who will be appearing in our Mythical Doorways anthology.

Today we're visiting with J. M. Hackman to find out about her fictional worlds, including her story Everwild, appearing in our soon to be released anthology.

Read on to find out more!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing:
A natural introvert, a large portion of my childhood was spent reading and writing stories. After graduating from Penn State, I tried various professions: substitute teacher, assistant librarian, office assistant, office manager, author, wife, and mother. I still hold the last three jobs. My YA fantasy Spark (Book One of The Firebrand Chronicles) was released in 2017. Book two, Flare, is scheduled for an October 2018 release. I spend my days writing stories, consuming massive quantities of dark chocolate, and looking for portals to other worlds.

What inspired Everwild?
It started out as a story about Jack Frost, but was an abysmal, uninteresting story. After discarding several ideas, I landed on this one. I knew a little about how kids can age out of the foster system and sometimes slip through the cracks. What if one of them had more waiting for them?

Does this story connect in any way to your other works, either stylistically or by being in a shared universe? If so, how? If not, why did you choose this departure from the norm?
It doesn’t take place in any special universe, although it felt a bit different stylistically, mostly from being written from a male point of view. I only did that because Flint was the one who mattered the most, who had the most to lose, in this story.

Because the theme of this anthology is doorways, we really need to know how you would handle this hypothetical scenario:
You approach a wooden door at the end of a long, dark passage. It is big and heavy. Warmth radiates from the wrought-iron handle. You hear a strange noise rising through it. What's on the other side and what do you do?
Um, do I have to open it right now? Because I really think I’d like some dark chocolate first before I handle anything unusual. No? Okay, well, I open the door to find a dragon. A big, blue one with disgusting snot dripping from his nose. He sneezes, and I duck and roll to avoid the plume of fire and dragon mucus that flies in my direction. He’s obviously too sick to think about eating me and after a short discussion, I’m even more relieved to discover he has a fever (because of the old adage, “Feed a cold, starve a fever.”) I go searching for an old bedsheet for him—he’s GOT to take care of that runny nose.

Where can we connect with you and find out more about your writing?
https://www.jmhackman.com
https://www.facebook.com/jmhackman/
https://twitter.com/jm_hackman
https://www.instagram.com/jm_hackman/
https://www.pinterest.com/jm_hackman/

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Our Favorite Fairy Tales

On August 3rd, the Fellowship of Fantasy launches Tales of Ever After, a fairy tale themed anthology. To prep for it, we put out a call in our author group asking people to tell us THEIR favorite fairy tale. Here are the results!

Was your favorite fairy tale mentioned? Are you excited to read 16 new fairy tale inspired stories?
Check out Tales of Ever After.

Submission Information: Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales

June Heroes Giveaway!

Mythical Doorways/Deep Magic Giveaway!

The Fellowship of Fantasy and Deep Magic E-Zine have joined together to offer you an awesome paperback giveaway!

Mythical Doorways Writing Contest!

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Mythical Doorways: J. M. Hackman Intervew

Fantastic Writes!

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On August 3rd, the Fellowship of Fantasy launches Tales of Ever After, a fairy tale themed anthology. To prep for it, we put out a call in our author group asking people to tell us THEIR favorite fairy tale. Here are the results!

Was your favorite fairy tale mentioned? Are you excited to read 16 new fairy tale inspired stories?Check out Tales of Ever After.

The Fellowship of Fantasy and Deep Magic E-Zine have joined together to offer you an awesome paperback giveaway!

Fantastic Writes!

Archives

Categories

For Fans

For Authors

Support

Was your favorite fairy tale mentioned? Are you excited to read 16 new fairy tale inspired stories?
Check out Tales of Ever After.