Short Fiction and Worldbuilding at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Short Fiction and Worldbuilding.” It’s about the differences between setting a short story in a world that you’ve already established for novels, and setting it in a new universe created just for that story. I hope you enjoy it.

A Post About Short Fiction at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Why I Love Writing Short Fiction.” It’s about the different approaches I take to writing short stories and novels. I hope you enjoy it.

A New Post With a Fictional Twist

Today’s post is up at the blogsite of Lucienne Diver, my wonderful agent, who is also a terrific writer in her own right.  This post is a little different than others I’ve written recently.  It’s a fictional vignette in which Ethan Kaille, the hero of the Thieftaker books, visits his rival and nemesis, the lovely and deadly Sephira Pryce.  She wants something from Ethan — of course — and he is not willing to give it to her.  Check out what happens here.

Two Stops Today on the THIEFTAKER Blog Tour!

Today the Summer 2012 THIEFTAKER Blog Tour makes two stops, one at the blog of the fabulous and debonaire Blake Charlton, where I talk about my journey from academia to fiction writing; and the other at Sideshow Freaks, the blog for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, where I discuss the role short fiction has played in my development of the Thieftaker world.  Both blogs allow readers to leave comments, so please stop by, read the posts, and join the conversation.  Many thanks!

The Summer 2012 THIEFTAKER Blog Tour Is Underway!

The D.B. Jackson Summer 2012 THIEFTAKER Blog Tour is now fully underway.  Yesterday I wrote about “What Authors of Historical Fiction Owe to History” at “A Dribble of Ink,” the wonderful blog site of Aidan Moher.  Today the tour continues with a post I’ve written for the blog of my friend Barbara Ashford, a terrific writer with whom I share not only a passion for history, but also personal roots in the New York area.  Barbara writes as both Barbara Ashford and Barbara Campbell, and so my post, which is on blending fantasy with history, can be found here or here.

I hope you enjoy both posts.

There is a New THIEFTAKER Short Story Out!

“A Spell of Vengeance,” the newest Thieftaker short story is now out and available at Tor. com.  Just click here.  There is no charge to read the story.  That’s right:  It’s free!

Here is the introduction to the story that appears at the Tor website:

Ethan Kaille is a thieftaker in Colonial Boston, scratching out a living by restoring stolen property to its rightful owners. But unlike others in his profession, Ethan relies on magical spells as well as his wits to track down thieves. Being a conjurer doesn’t make him popular with the law in Boston, so Ethan is taken aback when the sheriff seeks his help in settling a dispute between a pair of wealthy merchants and a ship’s captain who has threatened their lives. Ethan knows the captain can back up his threats with magic of his own. But there is more to this matter than the merchants have let on, and Ethan soon discovers that what he doesn’t know might actually kill him.

The illustration from the story was done by the wonderful Chris McGrath, the same artist who did the jacket art for Thieftaker.

I hope you will check out the story, and, of course, I hope you enjoy it!

Calling All Podcast Nerds

So, I have a short story that I’ve written under the D.B. Jackson pseudonym, and I intend to make it available soon on the D.B. Jackson website as a .pdf (as I have other stories, as well as sample chapters from the books).  But I am also interested in possibly creating a podcast of me doing a reading of the story. I have a microphone that I use for music, and I know that I can record myself in Garage Band.  But I don’t know what to do after that.  Do I have to put it up on iTunes as a podcast?  Can I simply make the file available as a download on the website, just as I would the .pdf?  Any feedback/advice would be most appreciated.

A Writing Post About . . . Well, Several Things

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, C.E. Murphy, and Kalayna Price, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Potpourri — First Lines, Short Fiction, Dialogue,” and it is about different aspects of writing, with some emphasis on short stories. I hope you enjoy it.

A Post About Character Dynamics

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, C.E. Murphy, and Kalayna Price, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Character Dynamics,” and it is about developing relationships among our characters. I hope you enjoy it.

A Post About Virtuous and Dark Protagonists

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, C.E. Murphy, and Kalayna Price, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Characters to Love, Characters to Hate,” and it is about finding the right balance between “too nice” and “too dark” in our protagonists. I hope you enjoy it.