Sandra Saidak

I don't know if anyone is currently reading my blog, but I wanted to thank everyone out there who's bought my book!  50 kindle sales so far this month--which means I've definately run out of people who I already know.  I just wish I could get the names and contact info of everyone who's bought a copy of Daughter of the Goddess Lands.  (Just to say thank-you; I'm not a stalker or anything; really.)

Anyone who's looking for similar marketing or related video tools should contact Gregg Witkin at gregg.witkin@gmail.com   And stay tuned for word about my next book, "Shadow of the Horsemen."

My guest today is Karina Fabian, Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem) and a Mensa Owl for best fiction (World Gathering). Karina’s writing takes quirky twists that keep her--and her fans--amused. Nuns working in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George,  zombie exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars online.  Today, she was kind enough to visit my blog and discuss her DragonEye series and new release Live and Let Fly.     

 Y  Your writing appears to be very eclectic (to put it mildly).  What is the attraction to writing in so many different genres?

ADD of the imagination?  Seriously, though: I’ve had a lot of wonderful opportunities open up for me once I decided to start writing seriously.  So some stories I sought—like the Mind Over Mind trilogy I’m working on (Mind Over Mind is out from DragonMoon.)  Some came out of the blue, like the devotional I wrote with my dad.  Others fell into my lap, like the DragonEye, PI series, which started out just as a story and is now logging in with 16 stories, two novels and a newsletter.

What was your inspiration for the DragonEye series?

     Vern.  He’s my cynical dragon living on the wrong side of the interdimensional Gap, eeking out a living as a private investigator.  I wrote him originally as a short story, but his noir voice and superior attitude made for the most fun narration!  Also the Faerie/Mundane world, where magic and technology don’t mix, provides a rich universe for making up unique cases.  At first, the stories were serious, but I was asked to do a serial story, and thought I’d have a little fun with Vern.  I wrote up the most embarrassing case he’d ever done—and it was a hit.  So now, I bounce between comedy and traditional noir-style mystery. 

What is your favorite genre to write in?  How about to read?

Fantasy for both.  I’ve loved fantasy since Wrinkle in Time.  However, I do try to read a variety of things, from women’s fiction to military sci-fi.  And, thanks to my space industry blog, I’m reading articles and science, too.  I wish I had more time to read and that my eyes didn’t tire so easily.

 What are some of the best books you have read?

     Terry Pratchet’s Discworld novels are my long-standing favorites.  Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series are awesome.  The Wrinkle In Time books by Madeleine L’Engle will always hold a special place in my heart.

What kind of research goes into your DragonEye series?  How about some of your other books?

     The DragonEye, PI books combine a lot of myth, legend and cliché, so I do a lot of research into whatever I’m bending at the time.  For example, for Live and Let Fly, I had to “torture” myself with 007 movies and Ian Fleming novels, plus read a lot of Norse myths.

     I’d like to note though, that I’m by no means an expert.  I’m more of a grazer when it comes to research.  I get what I need for the book, plus a little more, and move on.

What are your top three reasons for writing?

     1. To keep from curling up in a corner, lost in my imagination, thus getting carried away by the nice young men in the clean white suits.

     2.  Because I love to tell stories.

     3.  Because each day is a new adventure when you’re a writer.

Can you tell us a something about your next project?

     I have two books at publishers for consideration:  Mind Over Psyche, the second book in the Mind Over trilogy; Discovery, a science fiction novel;.  I’m editing Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco, the second in the Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator series.  In February, I finished writing The Old Man and the Void, and am editing it.  Finally, I’ve started writing the next DragonEye, PI novel, Gapman.  It’s a superhero spoof.  Every Thursday on my blog, http://fabianspace.blogspot.com, I talk about my writing adventure of the week.

 Where can readers find your books?

     Just about anywhere online that books are sold.  Or they can go to http://fabianspace.com, pick a genre and find a list of books with covers, summary and links for purchase.

When a dragon and a nun play secret agent, all Hel breaks loose! 

So here's my first foray into Amazon's Listmania.  I've enjoyed reading them, but--like so many things--I only recently decided to do one of my own.  It's called "Prehistoric Fiction That I Love."

1. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel        “The book that started the genre—at least in its current form.  First book in the Earth’s Children series and I recommend reading them all!”

2. The Year the Horses Came by Mary Mackey .           “This was my first encounter with peaceful, Goddess worshipping farmers clashing with violent, oppressive horsemen.  The first of an outstanding series, it influenced my writing, as well as my reading.

3. Daughter of the Goddess Lands by Sandra Saidak   “Despite all the great prehistoric fiction books I fell in love with, no one was writing the exact book I wanted to read.  So I wrote this one.  A different take on Goddess Worshipers meet patriarchic horsemen.” 

4. The Horsemasters by Joan Wolf     “Horsemen threaten egalitarian-minded hunters—but long before anyone thought the horse was domesticated.”

5. Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone    “This one is technically Bronze Age, later than the others—and that’s not all that’s different!  Definitely worth reading.”

6. Circle of Stones by Joan Dahl Lambert     “This one covers three very different eras of prehistory.  Outstanding research and believable characters (hard to do when you go back over a million years.)”

7. Mother Earth, Father Sky by Sue Harrison     “Beautiful storytelling amid beautiful scenery in prehistoric Alaska.”

8. People of the Mesa by Charlotte Prentiss     “The second book in a series set in prehistoric North America.  No need to read the first book to enjoy this one, but I recommend the entire series.”

9. Secrets of the Ancient Goddess by Brenda Gates Smith     “The first of two books.  I don’t know why the series stopped after the second, but if the author ever picks it up again, I’ll read it!”

10. Daughter of the Sun by Barbara Wood     “A unique tale about Toltec conquest and Anasazi resistance in the American Southwest”

11. Lady of Horses by Judith Tarr     “Rebellious woman in oppressive horse tribe dares to ride.  A fun read by a well known a fantasy author and horse lover.”

12. Hope of Earth by Piers Anthony     “Different from the others because it covers over a million years of human history.  Like James Michener, only better.”

I ended up posting this twice.  The second one had the formatting I wanted.  If you are coming from twitter or other social media, please go to:

http://sandrasaidak.com/recomandation-the-eskkar-saga-by-sam-barone

Thank you!

One of the best things any author can have is a fellow author, writing in the same universe—but in mirror image.  For me, that author is Sam Barone.  While his novels take place about one thousand years after mine, and a bit to the southeast (I’m Black Sea region, he’s Fertile Crescent) both of us write about the clash between nomadic horse tribes and the settled farmers who build the first cities. 

In my Kalie’s Journey series, I’ve attempt to show enlightened Goddess-worshipers struggling to overcome brutal patriarchic barbarians.  In Sam’s latest book, Eskkar and Trella—the Beginning we find admirable barbarians looking down on rather disgusting “dirt-eaters” (their word for farmer).  In this universe, city folk treat each other as badly as barbarians, but smell considerably worse.  They are shown as cunning and ambitious, but lacking honor, strength and courage.  While not all nomads possess honor—even by their own definition—all demonstrate strength and courage.  We see very little of those things in the villages and towns.

What fascinates me in all this is the chance to see a world so similar to mine, yet flipped upside down.  While reading, I constantly found myself admiring the work that went into a well-made bronze sword, or cheering for the lone warrior who could take on a dozen cowardly farmers.

Part of what makes this world work for me is that women have such a rotten deal in both societies that it almost doesn’t matter who wins.  The rest is simply outstanding writing.  My goal is to write as well as Sam Barone—but to do it for my team.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21586-chinese-human-fossils-unlike-any-known-species.html

More findings keep coming out about our prehistoric ancestors.  According to this article, there may be reason to believe some branches of early man lived on in places like India and China up until the time our immediate ancestors were experimenting with agriculture!  I can't wait to see what talented authors will do with news like this.

T.W. Fendley writes historical fantasy and science fiction with a Mesoamerican twist for adults and young adults. Her debut historical fantasy novel, ZERO TIME, was voted Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel in the 2011 P&E Readers Poll. Her short stories took second place in the 2011 Writers' Digest Horror Competition and won the 9th NASFiC 2007 contest. Teresa belongs to the St. Louis Writer's Guild, the Missouri Writers' Guild, SCBWI and Broad Universe.

Where fact and fantasy meet: The end of the Maya calendar
By T.W. Fendley

For many of us, March 15 is remembered as the date Rome's Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in 44 B.C. after a soothsayer warned him, "Beware the Ides of March." But today I'm focusing on a different prophecy linked to another date. I'm referring to Dec. 21, 2012--the so-called end of the Maya calendar. Did ancient prophecy warn of the world's end on this date?

If Hollywood is to be believed, we have only 279 days remaining until the apocalypse. When I first came across the Maya calendar 15 years ago, I thought that was the story I would tell, too. But by 2007, when I finally wrote my historical fantasy novel, ZERO TIME, I'd learned more and (thankfully) arrived at a different conclusion. Which brings me to how I researched the history underlying the fiction.

I fell in love with the ancient Andean and Mesoamerican cultures at the University of Michigan at Lansing while researching short story ideas for the 1997 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop. I vaguely recall reaching up for a thick volume on a back wall in a dimly lit section of the library. Then I searched for more books, magazines--anything I could find. I've undoubtedly romanticized the scene because it was a mystical experience for me. On the other hand, I clearly remember what followed--my embarrassment at not finishing my final story for the six-week workshop. My mind was exploding with the richness of all I'd stumbled upon. It simply wouldn't fit into a short story.

Life intervened. I soon moved from New Orleans to Washington, D.C., leaving behind a supportive network of writer friends. I took on more responsibility at work, which left little time and no creative energy for writing fiction. So I read about ancient American cultures and mythology. And I joined the Pre-Columbian Society. I visited museums like Dumbarton Oaks and took classes at the Smithsonian on archeology and archeoastronomy. When I had the chance to travel, I went to the Yucatan and eventually to Machu Picchu. I did research online. And I read some more.
     
I guess it's no surprise that when I started writing, I had trouble fitting what I wanted to say into a novel.There's a lot going on in ZERO TIME, with travelers arriving at different locations over a 6,000-year period. Jumps between ancient American cultures provide a glimpse at some interesting intersections in the way they viewed the cosmos. Or how it seemed to me. Admittedly, my conclusions are not based on my heritage nor my upbringing, but some of the resources I used are listed on my website: ZERO TIME: Behind the Story. As you will see, my inspiration came from history and mythology, astronomy and astrology, physics and metaphysics.

Now I'm working on the sequel, WHITE HERON, and I'm still gathering information. Seeking to improve the historical accuracy of my fiction, last month I attended Tulane's Maya Symposium. Eventually I hope to gain a basic understanding of how to read the glyphs, using the excellent free Maya Hieroglyphic Writing workbook as a start. And, yes, I'm adding more books to my collection.

So what about that Maya 2012 prophecy?
Fact: It's true that a 5,125-year calendar cycle that began on 4 Ahau 8 Kumku (August 3114 B.C.E.) will end on 4 Ahau 3 Kankin (either Dec. 21 or Dec. 23, 2012, depending on how the date's converted).
Fantasy: Like many others, I sometimes refer to the end of the Long Count as "the end of the Maya calendar." That's about as accurate as saying our calendar ended on Dec. 31,1999.
Fact: Only one inscription with the 4 Ahau 3 Kankin date has been found--on Tortuguero Monument 6.
Fantasy: What did Monument 6 have to say about the end of the world? Nothing. On that point, the scholars at the Tulane symposium agreed.

Endings of calendar cycles were significant events for the ancient Andean and Mesoamerican daykeepers, just as they are to their descendants today. And other ancient cultures as far-flung as the Hopi and Egyptians reportedly noted our time period as being one of great change. Sometimes prophecies do come to pass, as Julius Caesar supposedly learned the hard way on the Ides of March. But Hollywood's apocalyptic hype about Dec. 21, 2012, bears little relevance to actual Maya prophecies (whew).

Ebook $4.99

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Paperback $16.95                                                                         

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I just finished reading a great novel.   "Zero Time" by T.W. Fendley, offers an interesting take on the Mayan "end of the world" prophesy.  If you're tired of tabloid sensationalism, bad movies and doomsday prophets who never bothered to research the subject, this book is for you.  Great characters, vivid descriptions of ancient civilizations and believable spirituality make this book well worth reading.