Happy 7th Birthday, “…on Anything, Really”

The “we” that comprises the joint enterprise of me and the “..on Anything, Really” blog, that is!

Yup, today marks seven years since I entered the blogosphere.

Overall, it’s been great and “..on Anything, Really” and I have done some fun stuff together, including marking the entry of all three The Wall of Night installments into the bookish world.

I think we’ll keep on going for a while yet. 🙂

Waddya reckon — sound like a plan?

A week ago I posted on Why I Read, adding my mite to HarperCollins’ #WhyIRead 200th anniversary celebrations. To read, or refresh last week’s view, click on:

Why I Read

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In posting on #WhyIRead, I suspect I have also told you #WhyIWrite — because when we love something, we naturally seek to emulate and grow the love.

However, as recently as March 6, I addressed the topic of “Why Write.” In that post I said that the answer to #WhyIWrite was quite simple: “I write because I want to tell great stories.”

I went on to say that a “great” story, to my mind, is one that:

“i) makes readers feel the way I do when I listen to Mozart, or any other great piece of music;

ii) in some way manages to capture what NZ poet, Glenn Colquhoun, has called the ache of being alive and being human; and that

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iii) entertains, taking readers out of themselves for the time they are reading.”

Over the years (seven at the end of this month) I’ve also blogged about why I write Fantasy in particular. So if you would like to explore the myriad reasons for #WhyIWrite Fantasy, here’s the list in chronological order:
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April 16, 2011: Why Write Epic Fantasy

March 27, 2012: A SF Signal Guest Post: “Celebrating Epic Fantasy”

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June 25, 2012: A Gemmell Award Essay: “Why I Chose To Write Fantasy & Writing Influences”

September 23, 2013: Why I Write Epic Fantasy

May 23, 2016: Looking at the Stars: Why Epic Fantasy Keeps “Speaking” To Us

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Next Monday I’ll complete the #hc200 post series by focusing on writing influences.

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Recently I’ve resumed my “About the Characters” posts that focus on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series — because “I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

The feature is posting every second Thursday, alternating with A Geography of Haarth.

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Vern: initiate priest, serving in the Temple of Night

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“Night followed day, and the stars wheeled above the earth.  In the Temple of Mhaelanar someone screamed in terror and despair.  Voices shouted, feet ran, and a sinuous form slipped between darkness and shadow near the sanctuary where Korriya and Vern had taken refuge.  The sacred flame burned on the altar and cast the silhouette of a flat, narrow head onto the wall, reared above a robed body.  The head and neck were armored with chitinous scales; the long, lidless eyes regarded the pair with contempt. “Blood demands blood,” it hissed. “Your puny defences will not save you, even here in the sanctuary of your great god.  Where is your Defender now, servants of Mhaelanar?”

~ from The Heir of Night, The Wall Of Night Book One – Chapter 31, The Hidden Tower
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“…Vern was frowning at the Stone priests.

“Commander,” he said, the rough burr in his voice pronounced, “they’re building power against us within their square. I can feel it.”

“They are,” Torlun mocked. His grin was sharklike. “And what can you do about it, just the pair of you? … ”

…Var and Vern were both sweating, their expressions set. Trying to block whatever the Stone priests were doing, no doubt—but as Torlun had said, there were only two of them to oppose sixteen…”

~ from The Gathering of the Lost, The Wall Of Night Book Two – Chapter 28, Border Crossing

HarperCollins Publishers, the US publisher for The Wall Of Night series, is commemorating its 200th anniversary this year. As part of marking the bicentennary, HarperCollins is celebrating reading and readers, writers and our collective shared passion for books through posts linked by the hashtag #WhyIRead and also #hc200.

On 5 May, CEO Brian Murray extended an invitation to all HarperCollins authors “to join the conversation and share your own experiences and passion for reading.”

As an avid reader, as well as a dedicated writer, I am delighted to take up the invitation today and share with you:

Why I Read

From earliest childhood, reading has been one of my favourite pastimes, if not the favourite. I was fortunate to be read to by my parents and to have the opportunity to listen to storytelling via the radio, but quickly progressed to reading and selecting stories for myself. Choosing the first book I ever bought—which although now coverless and decidedly tattered, is still in my possession—remains a vivid memory. And although I played games and sport as a kid and teen, I was also one of those kids that hung out in the library, both at school and in town.

Loving books is reason enough to read, but the question implicit in the hashtag is why I love them so much. My initial response was that I simply love stories: the non-fiction stories that are “real” and the fictional stories that help us to understand them. With a teaspoonful of luck and a dash of hope, they may also assist us to better comprehend ourselves as individuals, societies, and a species.

I also love reading because it’s essentially an active and interactive process. The primary act of creativity may be that of the author, but the imagination of the reader is essential to interpretation of the writer’s creation—and every reader’s vision of the characters and their stories will almost certainly be (at least slightly) different. If anything may be said to be perfect, the wonderful AS Byatt quote from Possession perfectly captures this alchemy of creative interaction:

“Think of this – that the writer wrote alone, and the reader read alone, and they were alone with each other.”

Books also encompass voyages in space-time. Even if I never step beyond my front gate onto Tolkien’s “road that goes ever on”, every book opens a portal into a new world: worlds in which the voyager may encounter landscapes, cultures, history, secrets and revelations, questions and answers—and walk in many different shoes.

Through books, I am always—in the words of John Donne’s famous Meditation XVII—“involved in Mankind.” When reading, I never have to send “to know for whom the bell tolls.” I already know that it tolls, but also rings out, for me.

~ Helen Lowe

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If you would like to share your own #WhyIRead experience then I welcome your comments.

Alternatively, you might like to write a post of your own and join the conversation that has endured through two hundred years, by tagging #WhyIRead.

“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series returns to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series comprises updates of previous entries as well as new listings.

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Bronze Hold:   satellite fortress of the House of Blood
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‘Another attacker staggered backward, doubled up over her stomach, and Myr finally saw the three beleaguered fighters at the center of the melee. Her hands flew to her mouth as she recognized Taly and Dab fighting shoulder to shoulder with Bajan of Bronze Hold, their backs to the wall. They were outnumbered three or four to one and as Myr watched, more assailants pushed forward.’

~ from Daughter of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three – Chapter 23, The Midnight Keep

My US publisher, HarperCollins Publishers, is celebrating its 200th birthday this year — which I have to say, I think is incredibly awesome. I really am thrilled to feel my work is part of an endeavour that has endured for two centuries.

As part of celebrating its bicentennary, HarperCollins is focusing on celebrating reading, readers, writers, and our shared passion for books through posts linked by the hashtag #WhyIRead.

I’ll be posting my take on why I read, why I write, and what books have influenced me on Monday next week. But if you would like to be part of the conversation as well, please feel free to do your own post on #WhyIRead — and/or write, and/or your bookish influences! 😉

You can leave a comment here, too (either on this post, or the one next week on #WhyIRead), if you wish, with a link to your post on #WhyIRead embedded.*

So hop on board, have some fun, and be part of celebrating two hundred years of great books and fabulous reading experiences. 🙂

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Recently I’ve resumed my “About the Characters” posts that focus on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series — because “I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

The feature is posting every second Thursday, alternating with A Geography of Haarth.

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Var: initiate priest, serving in the Temple of Night
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‘ “But how in Haarth,” said Var, who had been eyeing Kalan sharply out of his narrow eyes, “did you end up with the Heir?”

“It’s a long story.” Kalan shifted uncomfortably.  “But what about your battle?  Did you really call down the Golden Fire?”

“Apparently so,” began Var, but Eria stopped him…’

~ from The Heir of Night, The Wall Of Night Book One – Chapter 13, Path Through the Mist

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‘“The bedtime stories are true,” Var said, urging his horse forward while Vern followed more slowly, his dark face set.

“Bootlickers,” Boras said contemptuously. “It’s as we’ve always thought, you’ve abandoned your birthright to grovel at the warrior kind’s feet.”

Var went white. “That’s not true—” he began, but Asantir checked him with a gesture.

“They’re baiting you, Var,” she said quietly. “Don’t let them.” The young priest nodded, pressing his lips together tightly.

~ from The Gathering of the Lost, The Wall Of Night Book Two – Chapter 28, Border Crossing

On May 1, I posted a few thoughts on Margaret Mahy’s classic YA fantasy, The Changeover, on the Supernatural Underground.

You can read the post in full by clicking on: Book of Magic — The Changeover by Margaret Mahy.

As I wrote then: “First published in 1984, Margaret Mahy’s The Changeover won the Carnegie Medal (for Children’s and YA fiction) in the same year. It is now regarded as a classic of supernatural Kids/YA fantasy.” It is also currently being made into a film and Hachette have rereleased the title — huzza for re-releases! 🙂

However, since penning my Supernatural Underground thoughts I have found myself reflecting further on the story. In particular I’d like to shine the spotlight a little more closely on my observation that: “The author has focused on universal themes of family, friendship, and “the ties that bind”…”

This also ties into the title and the fact that The Changeover is—in my humble opine—a story of “layers.” On the surface it’s a tale of a girl and a magic-imbued quest to save her younger brother from an evil spirit/demon. In this sense it is part of a great  fantasy tradition, from relatively contemporary offerings such as the film Labyrinth and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, to  older stories such as Hans Christian Anderson’s The Wild Swans, itself based on the The Six Swans folktale collected by the Brothers Grimm, or Janet in the Scottish folktale of Tam Lin—although the latter is her lover, not her brother.

The Changeover is also a coming-of-age tale, perhaps not surprisingly since it is written for YA readers, and the heroine, Laura’s, path is very much a theme of the story in this respect, not least in terms of the titular “changeover.”

However, the aspect of the story that struck me most strongly is the way in which it is a story about families. The first family readers’ meet is the very functional unit of Laura, her divorced mother, Kate, and baby brother, Jacko. Shortly afterward we meet the Carlisle family of three witches: grandmother, Winter; mother, Miryam; and son/grandson, Sorenson (aka Sorry.) While not dysfunctional in itself, the Carlisle family has its pressures, which resulted in the fostering of Sorenson with a family that ended being violent.

Overlapping and interacting with the three families that are most central to the Changeover story, i.e. Kate/Laura/Jacko and Winter/Miryam/Sorenson, are Kate’s new relationship with Chris Holly and the subsequent reintroduction of Laura and Jacko’s absent father Stephen, with his new (and pregnant) wife, Julia.

So the heart of the story, from my perspective, is not the magical possession of Jacko and Laura’s quest to save him, or the coming-of-age journey and changeover required of her in order to do that. It’s really all about the  circles of family and relationship that overlap and connect and support Laura to enable  her to combat evil and seek to save Jacko.

So if you asked me what The Changeover is about, I will always answer that primarily, it’s a story about family and “the ties that bind” (nods to Bruce Springsteen. 😉 )  Of course, being a tale of layers, it’s also about other things as well, such as personal integrity and the use and abuse of power — but then, I would expect nothing less of a master storyteller such as Margaret Mahy.

Am I recommending The Changeover? Sure am!

“The Heir Of Night” map: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series explores the full range of locales and places from The Wall Of Night world of Haarth.

From January 25, 2013 to November 25, 2014, the posts traversed locations encountered in The Heir Of Night and The Gathering Of The Lost.

Now the series returns to gazette the geography of Daughter Of Blood (The Wall Of Night Book Three.)  The new series will include updates of previous entries as well as new listings. Today’s entry is another new location.

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Brave Hold:   satellite fortress of the House of Blood
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‘Taly was shouting out Brave Hold’s battle cry, but the Darksworn warcries drowned her voice as Madder and the wyr hounds leapt to meet Arcolin. Nimor’s marines answered with a Sea House yell as the first rake of Arcolin’s sorcery scored Kalan’s shield—but the black spear absorbed the brunt of the assault and turned the remainder back toward the attackers.’

~ from Daughter of Blood, The Wall Of Night Book Three – Chapter 57, Spear Song

As promised on April 10, here is the guest post from Tarran Jones on some of the inspirations for her short fiction collection, Tales From The Scribe.

Tarran and I met at AussieCon4 in Melbourne in 2010, where she impressed me with her friendliness, sincerity and enthusiasm. At that time Tarran lived in Adelaide and was employed in the book industry. Since then we have reconnected via t’ interwebs several times and I have always appreciated Tarran’s engagement with books, writing, and speculative fiction in particular.

Tarran has since published a collection of her short stories — the theme of today’s guest post 🙂 — and has also recently moved to the country, a  change which may also prove an influence on her writing. For now, though, I hope you’ll endorse my welcome to “…on Anything, Really.”

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Small Things Lead To Wonderful Ideas

by Tarran Jones

“So much work goes into writing even a simple short 2000 word story. You have to get your ground work done before you can even touch the middle and start building your dream world.

I believe stories are dream worlds of authors who then want to share their dream with other people—and that the process of writing gives us an insight into the minds and personalities of everyday people. They could be our neighbours, friends, families, or a random stranger on the train (In fact, a random person typing away is most likely going to be an author, frantically trying to get as many words done on the trip to and from their daytime job.) The author also puts a small piece of him or herself into every work they do. It can’t be helped.

World-building in stories means a lot of things. You have your basics, like customs, money, countries, and peoples. Then you have the info structure, daily life, weather patterns, laws, borders, and the list goes on. To make a believable world, one must intensely research  seemingly mundane things and then use them in ways that enhances the story. Once the  ground work has been done, then your imagination can fly.

The first story in my short story collection, Tales From The Scribe, is called:

The Journey of Cerdiwen

I fell in love with the original telling of this story because the magic of the Celtic tales run through my blood. My family hails from Britain, the Yorkshire plains and Kentish countryside. I am first generation Australian but my heart has always lodged in the myths and legends of my mother and father’s country.  Cerdiwen’s Tale comes from the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which is the story of Branwen, sister to Bendigeidfran (The Blessed Bran.)

In the original, Bran comes to the aid of his sister Branwen who is being abused by her husband Matholwch, in retaliation for an offence committed by her other brother, Efnisien. Matholwch tries to trick the Blessed Bran and his brothers, but in the end a battle ensues and everyone is killed apart from Branwen, Taliesin Ben Beirrd (Bard), and a few other soldiers who then have to take the head of the Blessed Bran back to Britain. They bury it where the Tower of London sits, where it is said to protect Britain from invasion to this day. Branwen then dies of a broken heart because everyone she loves has died.

I wanted to write a rehashing of this story, but then I thought, “What if Branwen’s fate could be changed, then what would happen?” A strong series of images followed, with Taliesin rewriting history by sending people back into the past to change a pivotal moment in their history. If they succeed then they disappear, never to return. If they fail, they come back changed beyond belief. How scary would it be to go through a ceremony where some people never made it back? As a protagonist, what would you be thinking? So I send Cerdiwen back to change time. Is she successful? You’ll have to read her Journey to find out.

Life After Death, another of the stories from Tales From The Scribe, takes a powerful look into what the afterlife may be. Nobody knows for certain, but we all have theories. This story came about when I was in a dark state of mind and wanted to explore what I believed. In the story my main character, Gillian, has committed suicide after battling with depression. She could not see the love she gave or what she received, she could not see the good in the world. She then goes on a journey into her soul-mind to discover and learn HER truth. Pain, Struggle, Regret. These are very powerful emotions and when we die, most of us are going to have experienced these things, but if we can learn to accept and not fear them, then we may have a chance to go to God, be reborn, or fade away into nothing. Our afterlives, in my opinion, are based on what we believe. Gillian’s struggle and then acceptance of death is an intense moment that we all face in the future.

The world building in Life After Death is within the person herself and her inner demons. We know nothing about the country she lives in, its economy, or her job. All the reader learns is about  the inner workings of Gillian’s mind and the journey she has to make after taking her own life. It is not a story about suicide as such, it is about what happens to our souls and how we reconcile with the decisions made during our lifetimes.

Life After Death is perhaps one of my favourites from this collection. A story with such raw pain and yet the hope of redemption.

Conclusion:

I have been writing three of these stories for a few years. Re-working them, loving them, shaping them. I am so proud of them. Each one has a little bit of my soul poured into it.  I have changed so much as a writer as I wrote them. I see how far characters such as Cerdiwen have come along, and how personalities like Gillian have changed so much. I believe that writing these stories has helped me grow and become better. There is something for everyone with this collection and I really do hope they inspire and make you think. You don’t have to like them as long as they make you think, “What If?”

I would like to hear from you and your thoughts if you do end up reading my Tales From The Scribe. Contact details are below.

To find out more about Tales From The Scribe collection, including reviews and how to buy, follow these links:

Tales From The Scribe

Amazon: Tales From The Scribe

Good Reads: Tales From The Scribe

~ Tarran Jones. “

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Tarran Jones

About Tarran Jones:

Tarran Jones is an avid book lover and has been in the book business for 16+ years. She loves to write fantasy and has a short story in the anthology Twice Upon a Time (ed. Joshua Allen Mercier, Bearded Scribe Press, 2015.) Tarran’s collection, Tales From The Scribe, has recently been published.  A Twisted Tale of Wonderland will be coming out in 2017, so keep an eye out for it.

Tarran is quirky, dedicated and a dreamer. After writing, gardening is her passion and she would love to own a hobby farm and be self-sufficient.  She lives with her family in Peterborough, South Australia and is keen to be involved in workshops and other bookish things.

You can find  Tarran on her website:

tales from the scribe

on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tarranjones13.com.au/

and Twitter:

@MagiTaliesin

Or email her directly on:

celestia131@hotmail.com