Lee Murray

On Saturday May 1, I posted the fifth in this year’s Magic Systems in Fantasy series on the Supernatural Underground (SU) — this month featuring fellow NZ author, Lee Murray, talking magic and the supernatural in her short fiction and Taine McKenna series.

Lee is a multi-award-winning author-editor (Sir Julius Vogel; Australian Shadows), and a five-time Bram Stoker Award®-nominee. A third generation Chinese New Zealander, her work includes military thrillers, the Taine McKenna Adventures, supernatural crime-noir series The Path of Ra (with Dan Rabarts), and debut collection Grotesque: Monster Stories. Lee will soon take up NZ’s Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship for 2021, for her poetry collection Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud.

Just to lure you in ( 😉 ), here’s a wee taste of what Lee has to say in the interview:

“What’s interesting about horror, unlike fantasy and certain other speculative subgenres, is that it doesn’t have to incorporate magical elements at all. Horror, by definition, describes work that instills feelings of fear, the intensity of which appears on a spectrum that extends from vague unease all the way to bone-rattling white-knuckle terror. But the elements that make up our horror stories, the things that contribute to those feelings of fear, can either be anchored in reality or imbued with supernatural elements according to the needs of the story and the preferences of the author. For me, magic and the supernatural are a natural way to approach horror, partly because in New Zealand myth and monsters hover just beyond us in the shadows…”

Of course there’s more, and it’s all fascinating reading — so please do rock on over to the SU and check it out:

Lee Murray In Conversation on “Fear Beyond Boundaries” & Magic & the Supernatural in Her Writing

Enjoy!

“I suggest not thinking of it as a BLOCK, but as a part of the process.

It’s a matter of your brain not working as fast as your fingers. Sometimes the best stuff needs to simmer, and we need to allow for that.”

~ Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series.

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I believe this to be fact, if not necessarily universally acknowledged… When I read the quote for the first time I stood right up and cheered. 😀

As a reader and writer, I love the way the poems and books I heart always stay with me.

Some of you may have picked up that I like to get out into the great outdoors as well – and yesterday I set out amid a late afternoon that very much resembled Keats’ “season of mist and mellow fruitfulness”, with the mountains blue and clear across the plain, and the poplar leaves a burnished gold along the river.

A coastal environment is always a dynamic one, however, and just as I turned back a southerly squall hit, ripping in off the Southern Ocean. So I found myself walking along a clifftop high above the river and into the teeth of the southerly, amid a swirl and spiraling of golden leaves – while not too far ahead of me, the ocean was transformed from mirror glass into whitecaps and spindrift.

Seized by the energy of the moment, I found myself reciting (although shouting might be more accurate, given no one else was near to hear 😉 ) lines from Galadariel’s song, in The Lord Of The Rings, into the wind.

Galadriel farewells the fellowship…

You know, the one from the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, when she and Celeborn farewell the fellowship from Lothlorien:

“I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew,
Of wind I sang, a wind there came, and in the branches blew,
Beyond the sun, beyond the moon, the foam was on the sea,
And by the strand of Ilmarin, there grew a golden tree…”

The leaves and the sea are doubtless reason enough for shouting those words into the wind, but given the grandeur and wildness of the unexpected squall, I did wonder if it might not be a moment for lines that appear later, in The Return of the King:

“Horns, horns, horns…great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”

That particular passage still gives me goosebumps, even though I’ve read it many times. The weather was not the only reason it suited the day either. Yesterday was ANZAC Day, which commemorates the New Zealanders and Australians that served in the First and Second World Wars, in particular, but also more recent wars. Tolkien served in WW1, and his account of the siege of Minas Tirith, which concludes with the arrival of the Rohirrim, encapsulates a darkness, desperation, and terror that was very likely grounded in his own experience of war.

ANZAC Day Observed

If you would like to reflect further on ANZAC Day itself, the following link to ANZAC reflections, including poetry, that I’ve posted in other years:

NZEF Trooper 203453 by Leigh Vickridge

ANZAC Day & “The Walk Home” on Radio New Zealand National

ANZAC Day & The NZ Novel

ANZAC Day & Poetry

The ANZAC Memorial: The Words of M. Kemal Ataturk

Some ANZAC-themed NZ Children’s Books

The Ataturk Memorial, Wellington, NZ

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Note: The Lord of the Rings quotes are from memory, so if not ec-zackerly right, that be why. I believe, though, that little fault may be found with the spirit of the quotations… 😉

In the process of doing The Chaos Gate (The Wall Of Night #4 – WALL #4 for short 😉 ) updates* recently, I realized that it was some time since I had reminded readers here that there’s a Wall Of Night Facebook Group “out there.”

The Group title is Haarth.

Haarth is a private FB group for Wall of Night series’ readers to meet and discuss the books and related topics – and the discussions do sound rather fun. 😀

Rosie Cooper

The group was set up by the estimable and inestimable Rosie Cooper, shortly after Daughter of Blood was published, and I believe Rosie still convenes it. I am sure that she and the rest of the Haarth crew will welcome anyone who would like to join the group and the conversation.

As the series’ author, I am still chuffed, needless to say, that there is sufficient material for an ongoing conversation. 🙂

To join or check it out, click on:

The Wall Of Night Facebook Group

I love that the header uses the original The Gathering of the Lost cover (US), too, so here is the full cover glory for you all today — because “why not?” 😀

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* The WALL#4 updates are here:

March 29: For The Wall Of Night’s UK & Commonwealth Readers

April 5: As Promised, A “The Wall Of Night” Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Update

In my recent The Chaos Gate (WALL #4) update, I discussed the current endgame sequence being a little tricky.

Reflecting on this also put me in mind of a Guardian interview with the great Haruki Murakami, which I first read awa’ back in 2014. I feel the interview is “one out of the box” on so many different levels: the insight into the writer, his work, the process of writing, and writing influences.

The Guardian: An Interview With Harumi Murakami

The interview is wide-ranging, but the parts that really resonated for me were when Murakami spoke about the writing process. Here are a few examples:

“I like to write. I like to choose the right word, I like to write the right sentence… in the right place. That kind of engineering is exhausting, though: a daily trip to the “basement of the mind” and back up again. …You have to dedicate yourself to that work. You have no extra space to do something else.” 

Also:

“I take time to rewrite,” he explains. “Rewriting is my favourite part of writing. The first time is a kind of torture, sometimes. Raymond Carver [whose work Murakami has translated into Japanese] said the same thing. I met him and I talked with him in 1983 or ‘84, and he said: ‘The first draft is kind of torture, but when you rewrite it’s getting better, so you are happy…” 

And this:

“I don’t like deadlines …when it’s finished, it’s finished. But before then, it is not finished.”

I believe the reason these quotes resonate so strongly is because they closely reflect my own writing experience.

In 2015, Haruki Murakami attended the Auckland Writers Festival here in NZ, where another of his quotes resonated strongly with me:

“My stories are always unpredictable to myself.”

Mine definitely work in their own mysterious ways, their wonders to perform. And are not infrequently shapeshifters to boot – just when you think you’ve got them tied down, there they go, shifting again: not unlike Menelaus and the Old Man of the Sea…

Or as I wrote the other week: “tricky.” 😉

Yet also magical, and rewarding, no matter how exhausting that daily trip to the basement of the mind and back up again – and with the good hope, always, that the end result may also prove rewarding for readers.

Just by the way, too, if you haven’t already read Haruki Murakami, you may like to check out his work. I first read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle but he has written many books now, including Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore among many others.

UK/AU/NZ

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, by name, of course!

At present, we’re currently in the realms of “L” – a popular one for names in the Haarth world. 😀

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USA

Leto Ilvaine: a grandson of Prince Ilvaine, the head of  one of the ruling families in Ij

When they ducked back out into the brightness of the morning, they found a richly dressed youth waiting with Aravenor. The newcomer’s appearance, Jehane Mor reflected as he bowed, was quite magnificent. He wore a jupon of apricot velvet over a gilded breastplate, with the Ilvaine leopard device stitched into the velvet with gold thread. Tight, golden-chestnut curls clustered around a classic profile, and the eyes that lifted to meet hers were flecked with amber.

“Honorable heralds,” the young man said, straightening. “I am Leto Ilvaine. My grandfather, Prince Ilvaine, invites you to join his other guests in our pavilion…”

~  from © The Gathering Of The Lost, The Wall of Night Book Two: Chapter 8 — The Demonhunter

NZ cover

The Sorting Hat (aka RANDOM) has sorted and I’m delighted to announce that we have a winner for the giveaway copy of Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore.

My thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway for NZ readers only, leaving comments on my posts of April 2 or April 8. (Entries closed at 12 midnight, NZ time, on Friday 9 April.)

And now (pauses for Drum Roll and Trumpet Fanfare 😀 ) the lucky winner is:

Gabrielle

Congratulations, Gabrielle!

I’ll be emailing you directly, but ‘just in case’ you can also get in contact with me via my webmail: contact[at]helenlowe[dot]info

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And just ICYMI, my recent Supernatural Underground interview with Kristin Cashore, which sparked this giveaway, is here:

Kristin Cashore Talks Magic In Winterkeep and the Graceling Realm Series

NZ cover

Just a wee reminder, as per the heading, that entries to go in the draw for the hard copy of  Kristin Cashore’s Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) close tomorrow:
Friday 9 April, at midnight (NZ time.)

Up until that cutoff, you can still enter the draw by leaving a comment here on this post. 😀

Also by way of a reminder, I’ll make the draw via Sorting Hat (aka Random) over the weekend, and announce the result as my blog post for Monday 12 April. I’ll also contact the winner directly via my webmail to get the posting address.

In the event the prize is not claimed by midnight Wednesday 14 April, I’ll redraw on Thursday 15th.

Last but not least, thank you again to Kristin and Hachette NZ for making a hard copy of Winterkeep available for giveaway here in NZ.

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US cover

Read The Interview on Supernatural Underground 😀

Just in case you missed it last week, my interview with Kristin about the magic in Winterkeep and her Graceling Realm world is available to read on the Supernatural Underground:

Kristin Cashore Discusses Magic…

I don’t *think* you’ll be disappointed if you rock on over and take a look… 😉

Last week I confirmed, among other matters, that:

The Wall Of Night series

1. Yes (evile rumour notwithstanding) I am still working awa’ on WALL #4. (Huzza!)

2. And no, WALL #4 is not titled The Golden Fire, but – as per the end note in Daughter of Blood – its working title is The Chaos Gate (TCG).

1, of course(!), is the key takeaway at this stage but the purpose of today’s post is to give you a little more idea of where I’m at with the “working awa’ ”

The last major update was December 28 (2020) when I told you I had just begun writing the endgame for WALL #4 (TCG), aiming toward a mid-year completion. On February 18, by way of a mini update,  I reported steady progress.

As indicated in December, the endgame involves wrapping up the storylines for the main point-of-view characters ahead of the final denouement – and it’s still moving steadily forward, although the current sequence is proving a little trickier than the others to date.

This could call for a bigger coffee pot!

I think this is because it’s one of the ‘biggest’ of the wrap-up/reveal sections in terms of its implication, and also involves 3-4 central characters. And as friend and fellow author Courtney Schafer said in our Supernatural Underground interview recently, “…the difficulty of writing a scene goes up exponentially with the number of characters involved.”

So in terms of where I’m at with the endgame, it’s always difficult to tell until it’s done, but my informed guesstimate says about halfway through – so eek for that midyear finish goal: hyperventilates, whilst resolving to dig deeper!

Life In Haarth: writing, writing, writing on…

However, steady forward progress still means I’m closing in on “the end” – and the only way to get there is to keep going and keep writing, which are definitely among my superpowers.

Meanwhile, as also indicated last week, I shall keep doing semi-regular updates (aiming for no longer than 3 months intervals) as well as posting more from “Inside the Writing Life” so please do check here if you want news “from/at the source” (literally, ha!) – remembering that “About My Books” & “About What I’m Doing” are the Categories (see far-right-hand sidebar) to look at for updates.

“Inside the Writing Life” posts may also show up under “About Writing” as well as “About What I’m Doing.”

Naturally self-isolating: inside the writing life…

Following on from yesterday, my Magic Systems In Fantasy interview with Kristin Cashore is now live on Supernatural Underground.

Here is the opening salvo, just to increase your eagerness to read on. 😀

“Helen: The Graceling Realm series involves several realms, from the Seven Kingdoms, the Dells and Pikkia, and now the Torla continent that includes Winterkeep. How important is the associated magic in making each realm distinct, but also connected? 

Kristin: It’s true that as I’ve expanded my world to include new realms, I’ve given each part of the world a distinct kind of magic — and you’re absolutely right, I’ve tried to make the different kinds of magic feel connected, or all-of-a-piece. I’ve created thematic links between them, in the hopes that my readers will be more willing to come along for the ride.

With the first book, Graceling…”

And here’s that link to the full interview:

Kristin Cashore Talks Magic In Winterkeep and the Graceling Realm Series

Now for the giveaway details!

NZ cover

Giveaway of Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) for NZ Readers

Firstly, thank you to Kristin and Hachette NZ for making a hard copy of Winterkeep available for giveaway here in NZ.

All you have to do to enter the draw is leave a comment here on this post, or on the reminder post that I’ll run next Thursday 8 April.

Entries will close at midnight, NZ time, on Friday 9 April; I’ll make the draw via Sorting Hat (aka Random) over the weekend, and announce the result as my blog post for Monday 12 April. I’ll also contact the winner directly via my webmail to get the posting address.

In the unlikely event the prize is not claimed by midnight Wednesday 14 April, I’ll redraw on Thursday 15th.

Good Luck!