Faeries

My Faerie Vortex has a new fountain! The artists who crafted the landing spaces between the splashing waters are Beth and Zeeb Feywood (http://www.feywood.net). I had a stock fountain purchased from one of the major home stores but it was not created for the display of living art and I desired a space where the jshàmay could play.

I used the term jshàmay (pronounced zha’may) because that is closest to what we know in this paradigm as faeries. Jshàmay are ethereal creatures, often considered a hallucination, seen floating just above the ground in wooded and wild areas. They are translucent and glow and are normally extremely beautiful (or ugly) depending upon your relationship with them.

I created a space at my home for the fey to play because of my affinity to them and their propensity to see items that I cherished or required as objects of their desire. They often hid my keys, absconded with my earrings, and even disappeared my cell phone. (It reappeared in my pocket two years later!)

Over time I came to realize that the jshàmay were simply seeking my attention and a connection to me, thus the frustrating searches for my watch which I always hang over the post at the foot of my bed. As I tuned into these magical creatures, I began to realize that they added much to my life when I acknowledged them.

One afternoon while lazing on the edge of the everglades, small alligators eying me from the opposite bank, I drifted into a waking dream. From in between the Cyprus knees, several dainty, aqua and violet colored, translucent beings observed me. They were small, no taller than knee high, and very slim. Unique patterns of lights move within each of them such that I could tell them apart.

One, upon deciding that I was not a threat, moved towards me, pausing to tweak the two-year-old gator on the way by causing a gnat to alight on his unblinking eye. The gator’s tail twitched as its head thrashed back-and-forth before it realized that the simple solution was to blink. I swear the jshàmay laughed at the saurian’s plight.

As he approached, (it was obviously a ‘he’ from his impressive accoutrements displayed) the jshàmay took on a more substantial and opaque form. He stopped just short of where I lounged and, instead of speaking to me in my language, forced his own form of communication through my brain.

I, without volition, thrilled at the touch of his mind and found myself inexplicably aroused. I was in no state to hide my intoxication at his intercourse with me and finally relaxed into his dominance of my libido regardless of his benign intent.

“Human, you are resistant to your advancement,” he said. “You place great energy and importance into trinkets rather than your existence.” He giggled at his analysis of my plight. “We are, by our very natures, attracted to the sparkly rèsonce – the energy and vibrations of an item – with which you imbue the objects of your passions.” His whole body shook in his barely contained mirth.

“This allows us to mess with your reality.” Now he could barely contain himself and his impressive flag completed its journey to full mast. I found myself powerfully aroused in spite of his scoldings. “Even your relationship with your lover is subject to our manipulations.” He laughed outright at that admission.

His countenance signified as much of a serious mien as a jshàmay could project. “In your ideas of ownership and denial comes your downfall. How can you believe that the remote, which you hold so dear, to control your viewing pleasure will not attract the attention of the ethereal? How can you believe that by denying your lover (or yourself for that matter) the exultation of connecting with others that either of you are completely fulfilled? Why do you believe that love or desire is finite?” His whole being shook in negation.

“Do you love your older sister more than you love your younger brother?” He looked into my soul. “Of course not. How then were you capable of loving your brother when you completely idolized your sister?” Now he became very intense. “When you believe you own something, you attract our attention. Why? You may wonder. It is because we are here to expand your reality.”

During his discourse one of the female jshàmay approached. Her speech within my brain was more like the tinkling of the water in a fountain. “That favorite gold pen that you have becomes much more valuable to us because of your grasping to own it. You must learn that everything is interconnected and that ownership is a fiction.” Her trilling laugh piqued my arousal even more and I was embarrassed that a female evoked such a powerful primal reaction.

“I am going to share a secret with you,” she whispered, her breathy voice nearly inaudible. I strained forward to catch what she was going to say, acutely aware that they both could see my extreme physical reaction. I fleetingly wished that I had not been skyclad, exposed to the elements of the everglades. “If you love an item, place a lot of rèsonce into it, and then empower it to be its own being, we do not desire to collect it. However, if you handle an item and place your intent into it as it always being there specifically for your use, say like the keys to your car, our nature makes it an imperative to deny you that access even it it is just for a short period of time. We are empowered by your loss of control over that item.”

The male laughed aloud, disturbing the young gators on the opposite bank. Even the swamp grasses in the background swayed as if they were a studio audience responding to the jokes of the host. “Some of you humans who fall into that trap have learned to distract us with inconsequentials. You imbue a trinket with so much rèsonce that you make it sparkle way out of proportion to the item we have pilfered from you. And then, you offer a deal. Not in so many words, but by loudly proclaiming that you love this little rock. It is so special that you would never want to be parted from it. Not even for those keys to you car which you used to love so much!”

The female jshàmay giggled uncontrollably. “We cannot resist such an enticing challenge and will replace the shiny rock with the unwanted keys. This is because your attention is so much more empowering to us that we will collect anything you find desirable.”

I looked at the two jshàmay in amazement and came to a realization. “So, if I a create a space which dedicates my attention to you, you would be made more?” The two creatures nearly disincorporated in their motions to confirm my intuition. “I will make a Faerie Vortex – a place with flowers, structures, fountains and sculptures – within which you are free to dance, prance, relax and create, and in exchange for beautiful gifts of glittery finery and your empowerment, you will enhance my life.”

The two fey were ecstatic and without invitation moved onto me and danced on my torso. They were so light that I felt the touch of their feet as feathers on my belly and breasts. This did nothing to ease the arousal of our interactions. The female, the one with the vùrlil (violet) lights coursing through her, spoke in response as she danced, sensually intermingling with the úqel (blue) lights of the male. “Yes! You are as we hoped, a sensitive.”

The two continued their dance on my torso and it slowly wound down. I was hesitant to interrupt and simply let their rèsonce flow into me. Their dancing culminated in a crescendo as I culminated in concert with them. It was quite an ecstatic release!

“Oh!” The male interjected when he observed my return to cognizance. “This also applies to your partners. Release them to experience living to the fullest without restrictions, and we will augment your intercourse with them.” At my in-the-moment. single-minded focus on sexuality he laughed for a prolonged period. “I mean that as fey, we will enhance all of your interactions with your partners.”

The female added her blessing. “In addition, you will have far fewer ‘Where did I put...?’ experiences. Of course, this all is dependent upon your continuing to empower and honor the Faerie Vortex you will create under that Cyprus tree abutting the canal.” She studied me for a moment. “You, of course, realize that this is only the barest of interactions between us. We both will benefit from increased vulnerabilities.”

At that, the others in the swarm of jshàmay populating the knees of the Cyprus trees on the other bank came to ‘rescue’ their two outspoken mates and they all retreated into the swamp to the south. I realized that I had much to learn about the nature of possessions and in my misguided understanding of relationships as was promulgated by the dominant paradigm within which I lived.

I ‘woke’ with a start and realized that should I spend any longer naked in the sunlight that I would regret it for several days to come. Was it a dream​? I wondered. And then, when I saw my sweetie, Cat, standing on the deck offering me a cool pina colada to refresh my broiled body, I realized that I had been blessed with a glimpse into the very spirit of the fey.

I walked to the deck and accepted the offering. “You are very special.” I said with a smile. “How would you like for me to invite Kim over for some fun?” I asked enigmatically.

Cat’s response and the subsequent action is another story completely.  

Dreary Films

I really enjoy going to the movies and wondered why it was that recently many have left me somewhat depressed, even when they had positive endings. I wondered if it was just my attitude that had shifted. Several months ago a friend of mine sent me a link which discussed digital color grading with a limited palette that highlights teal and orange while muting all of the other colors.

This is done with the idea that complementary colors to flesh tones will make the images stand out. Unfortunately, this makes the skin color of most light-skinned persons orange with the complementary backgrounds various colors of teal. This is very evident in most of Hollywood’s recent releases. Two that I saw recently are Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood.

While I enjoyed both movies, I felt they came across as muted and dreary. As this had been brought to my attention prior to my seeing these movies, I specifically watched for the effects and was unsurprised to find that the lack of the full color spectrum in most scenes was depressing to me, regardless of the message of the movie.

This emasculation of color in films is akin to the castration of stories in books which many authors do by limiting character development in favor of action. I hope that both authors and directors/producers/editors soon come to their senses and provide their audiences with the full spectrum of stories and visuals rather than the ‘dumbed down’ versions they believe we will stomach. In both cases, simplified does not better art make.

PS: See http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.com/2010/03/teal-and-orange-hollywood-please-stop.html?spref=fb for more information.

Spirituality vs. Religion

I was raised in a traditional, monotheistic religion and attended parochial schools. Throughout my indoctrination into the precepts of the church, it was strongly claimed that there existed only ‘One True Religion’ and that it was the one I was being taught. When I was younger I accepted all of the claims without much question as my parents espoused the same doctrine. However, as I gained life experience, met many truly good people who followed other spiritual paths, traveled throughout the world, and lived for a while in other countries, my perceptions shifted.

This raised the question of how there could be only one true religion? If this were so, I wondered, would not the false religions slowly die off and the true on be practiced by the majority of the world’s population? Then an explanation dawned on me.

When a political hierarchy is imposed upon spirituality the combination becomes religion with spirit submitting to temporal authority. And religion, by its very nature, must claim truth in its tenets. If not, then none would become its adherents and surrender their personal sovereignty  to the agency of the church.

That explication opened vistas to me and broke through some difficulties I was having in sharing the cultures and spirituality within my books. The spiritual concepts of the stories seemed so foreign to those raised within our culture.

So, what does this mean? It shows that religion is neither true or false, good or evil. That religion is a political tool. That its application provides positive or negative results for both its followers and nonbelievers. It is my observation that for most people, joining a religious organization necessitates the denigration of their personal spirituality and the submission of their will and power for the greater good of the entity.

The persons who are most empowered in this world are those who refuse to submit their spirits to the will of others. They either remain completely independent of the politico-social organizations identified as organized religions, become powerful within a religion by using the energy of its adherents while remaining unfettered by its limitations, or create their own spiritual path by selecting elements that resonate on a personal level from among the various faiths they come into contact with.

Being empowered means not living as a sheep, servant or slave to any doctrine or individual. It also requires taking personal responsibility, which is something religions do not want as it denies them the ability to use that person as a battery.

Glory of Spring – Tórspir

Springtime, what a glorious time of year! It’s not that the other seasons lack in splendor or intensity, it is that spring embodies the excitement of that time of year of maximum proliferation, of the tug-of-war between winter and summer, resulting in extreme and rapidly changing weather. The gestation of winter is completed and life is busting out all over!

I recently visited Northern Ohio and while there the high temperatures went from the upper 20s (F) to the mid 70s (F) and after several days and nights of magnificently raging thunderstorms, tórspirs if you will, the highs dropped down to the lower 30s (F). During this period of warmth and wet, flowers popped up among the brown of the leaves and grass. Purples, whites, pinks, yellows and reds all poked their faces out to the world.

Down here in the everglades, our seasons are not as pronounced as in the northern latitudes and so I am transfixed when I get the opportunity to experience them directly. The spring tórspirs that I reveled in create so much energy. It crackles around one and I understand in Nórland how the Rús not only cause such storms, but revel in them also. Have you ever made love during such a maelstrom? It increases my ecstasy at least tenfold. I would say that I feel sorry for my partners after such a ride but from what they say, it is just as good for them.

It is hot and muggy here in Everglades and we are supposed to have thunderstorms. They won’t be the same as the spring tórspirs I enjoyed while up north but I certainly will try to harvest their energy.

Left Dangling

There is a recent trend by a number of fantasy and horror authors to employ an insidious marketing device often utilized by television shows. It is called a cliffhanger. It is not enough that authors have caved to the siren call of big screen or TV series adaptions of their books by making them more about moving from action scene to action scene than about character development, now books are being purposefully ‘ended’ without any resolution. This is not simply a good, multi-book, stopping point, but a thinly veiled attempt to get you to purchase the next book. When I see this tactic employed, I am disinclined to continue reading anything by that author.

A good book finishes with a logical wrap-up and leaves the reader satisfied they have a complete story. If there is an overriding story arc, then that, along with other unresolved items, will move forward into the next book providing continuity. This piques my desire to continue reading the series. The cliff-hanger leaves me feeling manipulated and not at all charitable towards the author.

How do you feel about book series that do not have logical breaks? Do you feel complete once you’ve finished one of them? What is your preference?

Sins of Men

“The sins of men are, in part, the fault of women, specifically women in tight-fitting clothing.” Or so claims a religious pamphlet being handed out in Bristol, Virginia. It goes on to say, “Scripture tells us that when a man looks on a woman to lust for her he has already committed adultery in his heart. If you are dressed in a way that tempts a men to do this secret (or not so secret) sin, you are a participant in the sin. By the way, some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly. So can we really say they were innocent victims?”

What was going through the mind of the woman who handed out these pamphlets? Was she so unappealing physically and spiritually that she had to blame ‘provocative women’ for the social disappointments in her life? Is she aware that most rapists seek out shy, modestly-dressed women and girls because they are perceived as less confident and thus easier targets?

I revel in being female and having the right to garb myself as I please. I do not denigrate men with the assumption that, if I wear something alluring, they will take advantage of me because they cannot control themselves. I do not hold such a low expectation of them, and I demand they not hold similar low expectations of me by limiting what I can do, where I can go, and how I can dress based simply on my gender.

In return, I do not limit men by my own expectations and biases when it comes to their clothing. I believe they have should have the right to wear the range of beautiful clothing and shoes a woman does – but our culture does not allow it. Conversely, a man can walk around shirtless without fear of sexual assault but a woman cannot. These senseless double standards have no place in our twenty-first century world.

I wish for the time when one can wear, or not wear, what one pleases without the judgment of cretins. Until then, I will continue to frequent naturist clubs, festivals and other events where diversity, creativity and textile freedom are honored.

Sins of Men Article

Free the Words

I have a growing unhappiness for all of the ‘adult babies’ in our culture. You know who I mean – those people who believe that the use of certain expletives, curses, and ethnic terms should be censored by such means as bleeping, disguising, or simply blanking out the sound. Is it because they as cannot bear directness, the possibility of denigration, or expression of intense feelings? Take the following statement for example.

“I was treated like s**t by the f***ing a***hole K**** behind the counter at the DMV.”

While this format is considered fine by both broadcast and print censors, in reality the asterisks (or bleeps in the case of broadcast media) accentuates the use of the words making them register to the subconscious mind as the most important part of the sentence.

In the TV series Caprica, the writers have circumvented the problem by creating and using an alternate word ‘frack’ that means the same thing as our word ‘f**k’. The dialog goes much smoother.

“Kill that fracking son of a Caprican!” denotes the intensity of dislike of the Caprican without drawing attention to the adjective. Compare that to hearing “Kill that BLEEP son of a BLEEP.” The bleeping focuses one’s attention on the possible words that had been said rather than the meaning of the sentence.

The strong influence of censorship in the United States has caused me to rethink how certain words are used within (or excluded from) my fantasy-adventure books. Fortunately for fiction writers, and especially those whose stories are crafted on original worlds or universes, new words can be coined to replace the ones the ‘adult babies’ cannot handle.

In my opinion, all censorship of words and ideas (save libel and slander) must cease if we are going to be truly free. If you do not like the words employed, do not read the text. If you do not like the words spoken, change the channel or walk away. The only difference between the BLEEPING BLEEPER and BLEEPED is BLEEP. I’m sure you get my drift.

Delayed Gratification – The Big Lie

It is amazing how frequently we are seeing people question the underpinnings of their beliefs in popular culture today – and never more prevalent than the fantasy genre. Fantasy is a place where cultural values can be removed from the immediacy of ‘real life’ and placed into a context where – hopefully – we can view them with less bias.

In most cultures the biggest determinant of a person’s beliefs comes through the auspices of religion. While much of what is espoused by organized religion provides a positive benefit to society, that is not its main purpose. It’s goal is to take control your rèsonce – your lifeforce or life energy – and utilize it primarily for the organization’s growth. Personal development or self improvement is only encouraged when it improves the lot of the group as a whole – and particularly its leaders.

The most insidious method used by most organized religions is delayed gratification. That is, live your life in a way that most benefits the church and in the afterlife you will have earned infinite happiness. Basically, you end up being enslaved to an organization that bases its power on fear rather than empowerment. It takes away choice, and the responsibility for choice, and replaces critical thinking with ‘faith’. Used this way – faith, a valuable tool to maintain hope in difficult situations, becomes ‘The Big Lie’.

One of the many incidents that disprove that form of hereafter is the recent story of six-year-old James Leininger who has past life memories of being being a Corsair pilot in the second world war. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/news/s_189477.html This is only one of many reported incidents of memory of previous lives.

It is not often we hear about these sorts of incidents in churches, schools, or political forums – but the ideas that break the back of mind-imprisoning dogma is the staple of fantasy literature and cinema. The very popular feature ‘Avatar’ explores the question of the connection to all life, and the continuity of life after death. It raises a potent question of the wisdom of living in current time, rather than sacrificing what is rare and precious simply to keep alive the ambitions of a dormant few.

I wonder how those who advocate ‘dominion over the earth’ will feel when they return as the children of their grandchildren – only to learn they must live in the world they have raped and destroyed with their greed. Too many are looking forward to some sort of ‘end times’ to solve their problems. At some point we need to stop and think about what we can each do to bring about what needs changing.

In my writing I explore the impact of patterns developed life after life as the same players assemble to attempt to resolve the issues they have inherited by their choices. As the stories unfold, I find myself understanding the concept of lifestrand and the impact that my decisions in this life will have on me in the future. I wish for all the chance to step back and imagine the present and future they long for in their hearts, and step forward to ‘seize the day’.

Monotonous Monogamy

One facet of the genre that has always attracted me to fantasy fiction is the opportunity to explore alternate social milieus free of the societal limitations in which we live. To be able to immerse myself in situations without the boundaries of our current culture is priceless. Often a story, that is fantastic for our world, causes me to reassess how I view reality, and that sometimes results in changes that radiate out from me to others.

An interesting spillover from our culture into that of fantasy fiction is that of monogamy. While the practice of one sexual partner for life was the agreed-upon-but-not-always-practiced norm in the Western world during the Second Millennium CE or so – especially when life expectancy was less than forty years – monogamy was uncustomary for the majority of the rest of the world. For the past century, very few have experienced even the less stringent ‘one sexually monogamous marriage partner for life’ that many espouse. I believe in the potential for eternal love and even love that transcends lifetimes but I do not perceive any truth in the idea that monogamy equates to love.

Monogamy as a requirement for females was instituted by the patriarchy to ensure that they knew who the father of a child was and to denigrate the status of women, in part in response to the previous dominance of the matriarchy and in part to define women as property. Most males were encouraged to take other lovers and were honored for their virility and masculinity. But I digress from the thread of my blog.

I love supernatural tales, so what I am about to say is not about that subgenre. I am using vampires as an example to ruminate about longevity and monogamy. In many vampire stories in which vampires are not solitary, there is a subplot about vampires who are in love with one another, and after several hundred years, they cannot conceive of sexual activity with anyone else. Often, there is a jealous reaction when one even thinks of the possibility. This conception by the author fails because of their lack of understanding of what it would mean to live for hundreds of years.

First – If you are partnered in love with someone for centuries, you will have learned that your love is not based on sexual congress but in your emotional bond and your shared life experiences.

Second – If you love someone and they could not become physically ill from having sex with others, you would likely encourage it, if for no other reasons than to satisfy curiosity, learn a new technique or bring some spice into your own relationship. There would be no jealously. How could a mere mortal of a short lifespan compete with hundreds of years of partnership?

Third – The act of feeding (that is, consuming the life of a human) is described as an extremely erotic and absolutely fulfilling experience that transcends orgasm. With that being the case, mere sexual intercourse would be of no significance to your partner.

I could refer to any number of other stories with long-lived characters and in most, the author’s biases towards what is considered the best partnership in this paradigm, contaminates the potential for the reader to fully understand what it would mean to be that character.

I prefer loving partnerships that encourage growth over limitations; ones that revel in new experiences and obtaining knowledge; and are supportive of the change that is the essence of living.

Happy New Year to you and yours! May this one be all about you becoming more.

Omnivorous Vegetarian

Okay, so I am being a bit facetious. As the title of this blog implies, I eat nearly anything that does not walk, fly, crawl, swim, slither or slide across the land, water or air. For that matter, I do not eat the products of such: eggs, milk, etc. My one exception that proves the rule is honey.

I’ve found that contrary to common belief, a vegan eats a much greater variety of food than do most omnivores and carnivores. We also consume a larger amount of concentrated protein. Many Olympic athletes also ascribe to the vegan/vegetarian diet due to the increased stamina it provides over that of other diets. (One such study can be found at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_n3_v8/ai_12182748/ . But that is not the focus of this blog.

One of the most difficult things for a vegan is eating out or at a friends’ home. It is not that there is a lack of consciousness regarding those who choose such a diet, it is that there is little comprehension of what effects even a slight amount of animal fat causes a vegan.

Take, for instance, a large restaurant change offers a black-bean burger as a replacement for their beef burger for their diet conscious customers. This is a wonderful recent addition to many menus. However, if it is fried on the same grill on which a meat product was previously cooked, often the residues from the meat get soaked up into the vegetable patty.

The problem occurs in the digestive tract of the vegan. As they do not have the enzymes necessary to digest the animal products, this quickly results in a severe case of the ‘Runs’, often before the meal is finished. This can also be the case when an animal (or fish) stock is used in soups and sauces or even with potatoes cooked in the same fryer as chicken or fish.

Then there are the many dishes where meat products are added as a seasoning or garnish. Potato salad, vegetables, green salad, macaroni salad, vegetable soup, etc. all can contain meat.

I have been told to ‘Just take the meat out and it will be vegetarian.’ That does not work as the residues send my system into an overdrive rejection. No, it is not a psychosomatic response. Even when I am completely unaware of animal products in my food, my body responds in the same manner.

My belief is that you should eat whatever you desire. I am not on a crusade and in my books, most characters are omnivores. However, I do take issue with the manner in which most of animals we consume are treated. Their quality of life is abysmal and, add to that the hormones, drugs, and even cannibal feeds they receive, it is surprising that more of us are not sick.

What I like the least is that we do not honor the creatures that provide sustenance for us. Most people never hunt, slaughter or prepare the animals that they eat. There is no real connection to the klo of the creature. In fact, many people do not want to know how their food was raised, killed, butchered and stored as it would detract from their consumptive pleasure.

I do not limit the quality of life argument to the animal kingdom. I also believe that organic, natural, non-bioengineered, raised without the use of pesticides fruits, grains, vegetables and nuts are the ultimate, healthy diet. But if one does choose to consume animals, it should be done with full knowledge of their sacrifice and with rèterís.

Warp and Weave

The other evening four of us went out on a double date to a very nice restaurant, one where they expect you to spend three hours on dinner. As is often the case when we get together, our conversations become animated and cover topics that most others never discuss. As an empath, if I do not shield from those around me, I spend most of my time processing other people's emotions. So I usually erect an 'energy shield of water' around our table to deflect the incoming feelings.

Dinner was no exception and when our conversation turned to power exchange within relationships over an exquisite spinach artichoke cheese fondue appetizer, I was unaware of the cessation of talking at nearby tables until Matt suggested that we speak more softly.

I glanced around and then responded. “You know, if what we are saying is so much more interesting than what is going on at their tables, and if they wish to eavesdrop, why should I limit my freedom of speech just because they might overhear something that offends their sensibilities?” In the past I would have censored my comments but this time I realized that the only rudeness here would be if a stranger criticized me for something overheard.

This got me to thinking about the similarities between those who go to a movie or read a book, go all the way through it, and then complain about the fantasy being presented because it conflicts with their personal morality or view of reality. If they do not like it, why do they spend so much time on it?

Susan shared one possibility. It is that many people's beliefs are not founded on personal experience, but on unconfirmed theories, and the only way to validate what is 'right' in their view of life is to have everyone else agree with them. Those who are secure in their understanding of consensual reality, at least what it means to them, do not see alternate points of view as a challenge, but simply another skein feeding into the warp and weave of reality, creating a more interesting and strong fabric.

Perhaps the best response that I can give to those who are threatened by compelling ideas in conversations, books, movies and music is: “If you don't like it, you can't have any!” And then just walk away.

Writer’s Sellout

“You are the spawn of Satan and your writings his tool!” Sharon of Knoxville screamed in her email to me. Jacky from Atlanta said, “It is clear that you have never known true love or you would never have written that Eliseyan [sic] enjoyed sex with anyone else but her husband.” “Your book has no basis in reality.” Claimed John from Salt Lake City.

When I first received these and other emails of a similar vein, I was hurt. And then, I realized that the story I shared had made an impact on another. I wondered. If they hated my book so much, why did they bother to comment on it? It must have struck a chord within them, one that did not harmonize with their view of reality. But, what difference would that make? This is a fantasy novel and its setting is not even here on Earth let alone the culture of their homes. With that in mind, I looked to other authors’ writings, those of whom inspired me, and I noticed a pattern.

The first few books written by these authors are edgy and cause the reader to rethink their preconceptions and values. This is what hooks them in the first place. But, it seems that as an author becomes more popular, their writings become more mainstream. This is most likely due to the drive to sell more books because, in part, in our society, quantity is the definitive measure of success.

In one series in particular, in the first three books the main character (a female) is bisexual, has multiple partners and defines her own life. This series developed a cult following among the alternative young adult crowd which gradually spilled over into the mainstream market. There was a hiatus of over five years between the third and fourth books. I suspect that it was due to the pressures of the author needing to earn a living. When the next book in the series was published, the heroine becomes more conservative.

By book number six, all of the proclivities of the ‘younger’ character had been marginalized and portrayed as the foolishness of youth. The woman/girl/lady that I had found so compelling, now espoused the norm of this culture. I did not continue reading the series. It had become boring. Why do I want to read about the way things are here? I wondered aloud to a friend over lunch one day.

His response startled me. “Have you noticed how those who were the most radical in your high school are now the most conservative?”

I sat in silence for several minutes. He was right! “So, are you saying that as we age we buy into the status quo?”

“Who runs the world today?” he asked quietly and then answered his own question. “It was the hippies of the sixties… and they certainly do not want the younger generations to experience the freedoms that they did because it would threaten their situation.”

I thrashed his opinions in my head. I thought that those who had lived in defiance of authority would honor their heritage by encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. Instead, the opposite had occurred because they knew how to suppress the very same actions they had done.

I come back now to the topic of my blog, ‘Writer’s Sellout’. I believe that authors begin to bow to their audience in an attempt to be popular, to make the fans happy. This results in greater sales of their books while their stories no longer hold true. That is the reason I lost interest in a number of series! I realized.

The books I write are not about this planet or any society that exists here. Vastly different physical, cultural and spiritual laws apply. The stories are those of the characters and are not subject to the limitations that popular opinion may hold. If I acquiesced to that norm, I would be doing them a disservice. No, I would be making their lives a lie. I hope that I never fall to writer’s sellout. I share stories to take one out of this space and to, for a brief time, allow one to live a life with a different set of rules.

What Triggered My Writing ‘The Hunter’?

Now a little of how I came to write Pùqest Book 1: The Hunter. I was in a long distance relationship several years ago and as a surprise gift, he wrote a short story (five pages) and sent it to me via email. I liked it a lot but the female character kept niggling at me to correct some of his misperceptions. Well, I did, returned it to him with a continuation of the original short story, and three long books later, I was encouraged to publish the results. I sought advice from a couple who are friends (and prolific authors of more than 50 published books) and their recommendation was to write a much shorter, initial novel to introduce my writing style and set the stage for the much longer trilogy. The Hunter is the fruit of that labor.

As for the story ideas, they come from the characters. I know that many authors get an idea, create an outline to guide the plot and then fill in the details, always knowing exactly where things are going and how it all ends. I create differently. A character, such as Ellíséyan, comes to me and begins to share her tale and it unfolds as I type. I often think that I know where it is leading but most times I am incorrect and surprised by the twists and outcomes. In this regard, the initial writing is as much fun as reading another author’s book for the first time.

How Did It Come to This?

Hi! I'm Amber Carez, pronounced 'caress', and I am a writer of fantasy… thus the name of my blog "Amber's Fantasy Caress".

Blogging is something I never considered doing before and I find that sitting down to blog is much scarier than writing a book. However, since my first novel has been published, I realized that I wanted to connect with those also love fantasy fiction and who have read or might read my work. So, here I am, revealing my thoughts rather than those of the characters who share their stories through me. I can pretty much guarantee that the characters will sometimes speak out through my voice and I will attempt to identify that when it happens.

The name of my first published book is Pùqest Book 1: The Hunter and it is available at major booksellers and online venues.

One of the authors who inspires me is Jacqueline Carey with her depiction of Kushiel in the Kushiel’s Legacy series. She showed that a strong woman need not be dominant in the manner of a man.

I will be sharing my thoughts of many fantasy books and I hope to dialog with you.

Please send me any questions you might have. What would you like to know?