What do I write?
Fiction in general, and Fantasy in particular.
If it hasn’t become obvious by now, I have a deep love of Irish folklore and mythology. I find the stories of Ireland fascinating, entertaining, and contagious. I love trying to put my own spin on classic stories, or even just playing around in the sandbox of characters, creatures, spirits, and heroes that exist therein and attempting to craft a unique tale of my own. Sometimes I am more successful than others, but always I enjoy it.
Let it not be said that that is all I write though. There is a story I am working on that is based on a little bit of folklore from the little town that I grew up in, in Washington State. It concerns a witch that we all knew lived in the woods behind the elementary school that I went to as a child. I love the King Arthur legends and have worked repeatedly on my own version of that classic tale. I keep returning to it, slowly building it up into something that I hope will be a refreshing and new take on the legend; the way I have always wanted to hear it told. I can’t get enough of adventures that take place in the real world mixed with a little bit of magic and wonder to liven things up. When it really comes down to it, I guess that makes me a writer of Urban Fantasy more than anything else.
The book that I am currently working on and focusing the majority of my effort into, is a story initially set in Washington State where the protagonist is finding his grip on sanity slowly unraveling as the folklore of his childhood starts creeping into the reality of his world. I won’t say much more about it here, but I will be posting more of a synopsis as well as potentially an excerpt of it soon under the ‘books’ tab. I plan on making that section more interactive as a way to mark progress on my current works and keep you all more informed. And yes, the folklore of his childhood is Irish.
But what about High Fantasy? Do I have plans to write my own classic tale in the well-worn vein of stories like The Lord of the Rings? The stories and characters that everyone thinks of when you say the word ‘fantasy.’ The short answer is not right now. And the long answer is yes. I have always wanted to craft my own world, create my own magic, and bring people on an epic adventure. It is something that I want to do right. It is a project that is constantly going on behind the scenes of everything else; slowly but surely taking shape.
I think that is where I will leave off with you today. I look forward to sharing more with you in the near future.
Until next time,
Slán!
“I, myself, am more partial to stories featuring great gnomish heroes. Perhaps one with a ginger beard and a fantastic woodland green hat. I keep pitching the idea, but Sam doesn’t appear to be listening. His loss. (And here I thought he wanted to succeed).”