NaNoWriMo - Epic Fail or Epic Success?

    Well, if you are a buddy of mine on the NaNoWriMo site, then you might no that I am very, veerrry far behind.

    Now some might see that as an epic fail on my part. In fact, I thought of it as an epic fail.

    But something changed my opinion of that. And that was the fact that I managed to read over half of my own book, pushing me closer to the publication of Paradox.

    So, I ask you, dear reader, do you see NaNoWriMo 2012 as an epic fail on my part, or an epic success?

God bless,

Brian

P.S. - Blogger is going through technical difficulties right now, so if you're wondering why I have not gotten back to you on any comments you have posted, know that it is only because Blogger will not let me post comments. I assure you, I read every comment that is posted.

An Important Element In Christian Fantasy

    I've been thinking for the last several days about something that, to me, MUST be included in Christian fantasy stories, though it is certainly not required to make the story simply amazing.
    That element to which I am referring is some form of gathering to worship the "God figure" in your novel/short story. Whether God is named Elyon (Ted Dekker's Circle) or Trand/The Fire (Brian McBride's Paradox) or Ellos (Wayne Thomas Batson's and Christopher Hopper's Berinfell Prophecies), it doesn't matter.

St. Alban's Cathedral in England - I modeled the "church" in Paradox after this building.

    In my own book, I entitle it Ynderrum (in' - dare - um) - A weekly gathering of a multitude of people to unite in worship and reverence to Trand.
    The reason that I think a form of worship or some kind of "church service" is important in a good Christian fantasy is because of two reasons.
    The first is one that I have taken directly from the Bible: we are made to worship. God created us to worship Him. Why then should we not include a form of worshipful gathering in our Christian fantasy stories?
    Another reason is this: how can followers of your fictional "Christ figure" be unified with each other when they don't come together for fellowship once in a while? The Bible says that we are one body with many parts. What would happen to a body if the heart decided it wanted to be its own self? It would stop working, right?
    Well, those are just two of the reasons I could think of as to why we should include elements of fellowship and worship in our Christian fantasy stories. I'm sure there are many more reasons. I just can't think of them right now. ^_^
    Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions and disagreements in the comments below!

God bless,
Brian

NaNoWriMo 2012!!! A Month of Writing!

Hey, all!

    So, as I'm sure a lot of you writerly people out there already know, NaNoWriMo begins next month! And for you non-writerly people, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNoWrimo is to write a novel (or a portion of a novel, if you would rather it be longer) that contains at least 50,000 words.

    I was involved in NaNoWriMo 2011, but I didn't win. I hope to succeed in writing all 50,000 words this year though. ^_^
    The novel that I am planning on doing this year is Point of Darkness, which will be my first supernatural horror to write. It will also be a standalone novel, so I'm hoping to get a total of 100,000 words.
    If you haven't checked out my Literary Endeavors page, I'll give a brief synopsis.

    Emma, an orphan, is transferred to a creepy orphanage in the middle of nowhere, Turn Around Point. It's run by a creepy old hag. When strange things start happening, she believes that the other orphans might be playing a trick on her - the newbie. But when, in the middle of the night, they awake and act like zombies, Emma begins to suspect that there's more going on than meets the eye.

    What do think? Is that a novel that you would read? Well, I really hope so, because I'm really excited to be writing it! :)
    So, are any of YOU participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Have you already stocked up on much-needed supplies?
    Please, leave a comment below! I love hearing from you! :)

God bless,
Brian

Book Cover of the Week - #7

    I'm really sorry that I've been slacking off on my Book Cover of the Week thing. But I'm back now, and that's what's important. ^_^

Anyway, I shall commence with the post.

The winner is................

By Darkness Hid - Book One in The Blood of Kings Trilogy by Jill Williamson

    I recently bought the entire trilogy and when book one came in, I seriously could not take my eyes off of the gorgeous cover. Jill Williamson is one lucky author to have such a beautiful set of books. I will be reading this series once I finish rereading The Berinfell Prophecies.

    Check out the rest of the books in this series: To Darkness Fled, and Fom Darkness Won.

You can watch the book trailer for the newest book, From Darkness Won, here.

God bless,

Brian

As per normal, feel free to comment below! I love to receive your thoughts and inputs on my posts!

"The Midnight Labyrinth - The Guardian Chronicles" by Sahara Adalyn Moran - A Book Review

Guardians, wizards, the Midnight Labyrinth - all part of the past. Forgotten elemnts of the mighty battles fought in the ancient times of Aselda and its lands. Even the Dragon Warriors seem to be just parts of the fable stories told to the children of the kingdom of Aselda. Anyone who exercises magic is considered a follower of the legendary evil sorcerer Seuderak. The safe havens are coming to ruin, leaving no safe places to flee to. The monsters that once threatened Aselda's lands seem to have reappeared, lurking in the shadows, awaiting any stragglers.
    The only hope that glimmers in the darkness are three unlikely champions - a young inexperienced king, the most wanted thief in all of Aselda, and her younger brother. But will anyone trust them? Most importantly, can they trust each other? If they can even survive the Royal Guard, they will have even harder challenges ahead of them.

Fan-tas-tic! Sahara Adalyn Moran's debut novel, The Midnight Labyrinth, book one in The Guardian Chronicles, was an amazing tale. It had an abundance of memorable characters, vivid imagery, emotional twists, and fantastic action-packed sequences. It is packed full of amazing and imaginative creatures and races.
    Arella - one of the many main characters - is a thief, who has lost her parents and must struggle with her grief as well as take care of her younger brother, Jared. Arella is the protective, strong older sister, even though she tries to hide her weakness. Hansrai is the king-who-wishes-he-wasn't. Jared is the clueless Chosen One. Each of these characters come with an abundance of faults and weaknesses - which is fantastic! Because it makes them more realistic, and therefore, more "relatable" (I know that's not a word).
    The plot was well-fleshed-out and beautifully written, right up to the last sentence, which just so happened to be a cliffhanger!
    Language-absolutely none! Well, there is English. ;) Okay, that was kind of cheesy. There is mild violence - two sword blades are used like a pare of scissors to sever a head, among many other fight scenes. The Midnight Labyrinth comes with an abundance of monsters and creatures as well. There is no suggestive content either.
    The only disappointment that this book brought with it is the cliffhanger at the end. I mean, what happens next?!

4 of 5 stars.

God bless,

Brian

"A Book" - A Poem

The following, is a poem I wrote (one of my favorites... and longest). I hope you all like it.

A Book
by Brian Mcbride

What is a book that we should be so lucky 
to lay our hands on something so rich?
Description being more than just “blue sky” or “green meadows”.
Etching elegantly painted pictures into our shallow minds.
The rich, deep, shimmering sky dotted with billows of white.
The oceans of waving, green meadows filling a landscape.
All painted in perfect harmony in our minds.

The cascading waterfalls thundering down a cliff.
The tall evergreens standing regally; 
the fathoms of pounding wind.
The foaming oceans battling an unseen force.
The rolling hills dotted with rainbows of flowers.

Words etched so perfectly on a piece of paper.
An artist, working effortlessly through hours of endless labor,
checking, down to the last fiber of the perfect story.

Books of old, books of new.
Books thick, books thin.
All tell the story of the one within.

Emotions flood our minds as we soak up the words. 
Happy, sad,
Hateful, mad,
Loving, serene,
All mixing in with our emotions and thoughts.

The characters, described so perfectly.
Flowing fiery red hair…
High cheekbones…
Pointed nose…
Giving us an image of those who are so engrained in our memory for all eternity.
Impressing upon us the will to belong to the stories we read.

The adventures…
The climaxes…
The resolutions…

Nothing is so rich as a book.
Telling us of other worlds where light reigns,
Where the meadows are untouched,
Where the doe grazes beneath the tree,
Where the buck leaps over rotting wooden fences.

A book is a doorway.
It guides us,
It shows us rights and wrongs,
It lives in us,
And it never leaves us.

A book is rich, deep.
Never shallow.
Unforgettable, Unending.
The countless stories, unfathomable.

Illusions of old,
Magic of new,
Hide within the pages of a book.

Stories never heard,
Folktales long forgotten,
Are rebirthed.

People who have passed,
Great, or small,
Are all remembered by a book.

Without it we have no knowledge,
No understanding of right or wrong,
No imagination,
No emotions,
No way to know how to describe the earth as more than simply
“blue sky” “spherical planet” or “green meadows”.
No longing.
Nothing. 
We would be empty, void of depth.
Shallow.

A book is a blessing given to us by the Creator,
Master of all,
Author of life and all that we see.
The potter of the trees, the sea, the hills, the valleys, the birds of the air,
The beasts of the field, the fish of the sea, the man, 
you and me.

Simple pages we turn every day,
But some don’t pay attention to the magic in
Each word.
Description, destiny, love, hope, fear, faraway places.
All lie in the pages…
…of a book. 

God bless,
Brian

"Winter Sparrow" by Estevan Vega - A Book Review

TRUE. LOVE. FOREVER.
"I'll grow wings all by myself..."
    Mary is a young artist about to enter a new chapter in her life. After years of waiting and searching, she has finally found true love. She's also just discovered that her fiance, Joshua, has inherited his father's rundown countryside mansion. To add to the rising pressure, her wedding day is so close she can practically hear the music. All she has to do is accept what the future holds. Accept... and be happy.
    But something's missing.
    As the seasons change, her doubts turn to fears, and her fears become reality. Through struggle and loss, the love she once possessed for Joshua transforms into contempt. When Mary is confronted with a magical escape, the life she has and the life she dreams of will collide, awakening a mysterious change within. But no choice comes without a cost, and each one will draw her closer to the truth.

    Winter Sparrow by Estevan Vega, author of the best-selling Arson Trilogy, is a unique novella full of romance, inner struggles, and desires.
    As her wedding approaches, Mary begins to question whether she will be good enough for Joshua, her fiance, or whether he will be good enough for her.
    This novella is a journey, spanning one year; Mary's journey. She and Joshua are struck by the death of their first child - still in the womb - and Mary becomes reclusive.
    Each page drips with sorrow, love, anguish. It portrays the power of true love. It shows the lengths one will go to in order to save their one true love. It paints a picture sacrifice.
    Winter Sparrow is a romance novella to the core, with a twist on the fantasy side.
    This story, though it doesn't end necessarily happy, it ends hopeful. It ends with the hope of spring after winter has passed.
    There was no language. There was mild thematic contact; when Mary was in highschool, she was violated by a boy - he touched her breasts. Though this isn't my favorite element to have been put in the book, it was absolutely necessary to show Mary's brokenness.
    No violence. However, there were some possibly frightful scenes; there is a bat-like creature, as well is mutated women with ripped flesh and mangled wings.
    I absolutely have to give a hand to Estevan Vega for thinking up such a clever and wonderfully amazing plot and writing it. I also want to thank him for giving a copy to me to pre-read. It was beautiful!
    I recommend the novella Winter Sparrow for anyone 14-years-of-age, or older, who love a good romance/fantasy story.

5 of 5 stars!

God bless,

Brian