One of the challenges of writing Young Adult Christian fantasy is finding or creating names that fit into the story well. My previous post Five Secrets of Toxic Revealed: What’s in a Name? talks about five names and the meanings behind them. I want to continue that with two more. The first one is a person by the name of Alyn. The second one is a fascinating weapon. 1. Alyn I struggled with Alyn’s name. I wanted something different and exotic for him without being too crazy. Somewhere, and I can’t remember the source now, I saw that the name Alyn in Welsh means rock. I liked the … [Read more...]
Five Secrets of Toxic Revealed: What’s in a Name?
Are you wondering when Rancid, the sequel to Toxic, is going to be released? (If you aren't, you should be!) I am in the middle of the final edits and waiting for the cover to be designed. I know it’s taken a long time, and I apologize for that. In the future, I am focusing on getting books out much quicker. But for now, while you wait, I thought I’d share a few of the secrets of Toxic with you. When I wrote it, I didn’t just pick names out of a hat. Names of people and places were carefully selected to give you clues. While I can create plots in my mind as easily as some dribble a … [Read more...]
Empty Spaces
I spent my high school years in South Dakota, a place of rolling plains, frigid winters, and scorching summers. The farmers around where I lived liked to plant winter wheat. I was always fascinated that they had to plant it before the first frost. The seed spouts, but then becomes dormant until the spring. It bursts into life and then waits for the sun to warm it nine months later. Nine months later. Ever notice this phrase in a book or movie? It’s is a common technique that authors and directors use to move the time along. Two weeks, seven months, two years. It’s a space of time … [Read more...]
When Adventures Lead into the Night
Imagine this - Two teens, one girl and one guy, live in a fantasy world. (I don’t mean that they have a lot of daydreams. I mean that their world is one we’ve never heard of.) They live on neighboring farms. Both families are killed, and they’re fleeing for their lives as evil soldiers pursue them across the mountains. They have no idea of where to go or why the soldiers want to kill them. All they have with them are some supplies, a sword, and a faded map. The sword and the map were given to the girl by her father right before he died. (Yes, the girl. If the guy wants a sword, he can go find … [Read more...]
Break Down Your Bars
Independence Day took away our bars and set us free. It was a day that our founding fathers shrugged off their chains and breathed the sweet air of freedom for the first time. But does Independence Day give you the same feeling our founding fathers had? Is July 4th just about hot dogs and fireworks? Two hundred years later, can we – who were born with such freedom – truly know the sweetness of freedom? One of my favorite movies is The Island. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a short synopsis. “Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all inhabitants, … [Read more...]