Angela VanWell

Author | Reader | Traveler | Tea and Coffee Drinker

urban fantasy

Inspiring Author of the Week: JF Penn

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I came to JF Penn, or Jo Frances Penn or Joanna Penn’s dark fantasy through her Arkane, action adventure thriller series. She uses her theological and psychology background to weave together pieces of human history and the darkest fears and acts of humanity.

The Mapwalker Series continues with the exploration of human history with the added twist of magic. The first instalment, Map of Shadows, takes place in Bath, England and in another realm: the Borderlands. The Borderlands are the pieces of Earth that we choose to forget or ignore. The darkest parts of our pass and the dark secrets we hide in the shadows.

The story begins in Bath where Sienna Farren inherits her grandfathers map shop upon his death. What she inherits is more than a shop, it is an obligation to protect the Earth from the Borderlands. This is news to Sienna who knew nothing of her families past. She is thrust into a dark adventure and learns that her family is an integral part of Earth’s survival as we know it.

I am a newer reader in the dark fantasy genre. But when I took into account J.F. Penn’s background, it should not have been a surprise the darker parts of history she was able to pull her story through. There were enough true historical details– who knew there was an island off of Newfoundland, Canada called Isle of Demons???–to engage me in the story. The writing is fast, dark, with a tinge of romance added in. I don’t really think it needed any romance, but then it opens more opportunities to spin the story into different directions in future books in the series. Having read only the first book in this series so far, I am guessing at what the second story will include.

Quotes from Map of Shadows

It is the perfect time of year to get lost in such dark adventures where the world is at stake. Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve, and Día de Muerto, all days where many believe the veil between the living and the dead has thinned. In the Mapwalker Series, J.F. Penn has spun a similar veil between us and the forgotten and hidden. While merriment and prayer are the traditional celebration, her stories are filled with blood and sacrifice.

There is a lot of gore, violence against women (off the page), intriguing pieces of history, and an exploration of darker pieces of humanity wound through the urban fantasy thriller. Be prepared as it is not for the feint of heart.

My Writing Journey Pillar IV: Creating Awesome Chapters

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For centuries storytelling has been used to share news, explain events, entertain, inspire, and lecture. The earliest known example of written literature, as of the date this was written, is from Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians first developed cuneiform markings on clay tablets around 3400 B.C.E. At first the texts focused on administration, but by the third millennium B.C.E., there were also poetry and myths.

Poetry has a rhythm to it. A means to make it easier to memorize and pleasant sounding. Myths, and other story types also have a rhythm to them. There is a conflict or problem, the hero must determine how to solve the problem, and then they either do or they don’t. This can be broken down further into chapters. Each chapter is in itself its own little story. It will have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

In Pillar IV of Plot Development Step by Step by Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt, the Chapter is broken down into a series of questions:

  • What is the character trying to achieve?
  • What is the obstacle or conflict between the character and their goal?
  • What inner emotions are attached to this obstacle? If they overcome the obstacle, how will that effect them internally? If they fail, how will the respond?
  • What is the climax of the scene? The point of greatest tension before the character wins or loses.

Ending the chapter before the climax is resolved, leaves a great cliffhanger. For readers like myself, it means I turn the page and read on to find out how the character is doing. Which is the point of the cliffhanger. Who can go to sleep without knowing if their character lives, saves the prince, or makes it out in time before the confetti bomb is released.

They end the outline process with a list to validate the outline. Ensuring all subplots are folded properly into the main plot. And the most important point to remember: “the story always trumps the template.”

For my novella, my chapter outlines are synopsis. I think better in sentences than in bulletin points. Remember, this is my outline, not the written or finished product. So it is sparse in detail and missing formatting. It is my thoughts all pushed together and shared here. I am sharing the scene where the Inciting Incident occurs. Where Ally and Riley lose the envelope they have taken responsibility. An envelope that contains a signed contract that would save Riley’s family river cargo business.

Remember: this is a first draft, unedited. Therefore, expect it to be full of mistakes:)

“Riley. Riley!” Ally shouted over the boisterous crowd who surrounded her. It was then she realized the band were louder than the crowd. One of the brothers was glaring at the other one and pushed him out of the stage area. They both dropped their instruments and a fight broke out.

Ally, whose table was close to the stage, was pushed away from the table, her chair slammed back into the person seated behind her. Ally turned to apologize as other band members, and Riley, try to break up the fight. One of the brothers snarled, then punched his brother in the face. The injured brother stumbling and smashed into Ally’s table. The table broke under his weight, all of Ally’s papers, her drink, the table and the guy, collapsed to the floor. The patron she had been pushed into, pulled her chair back away from the fight. Ally lost sight of her papers and her bag as more members of the band jumped into the fight. 

She could see Riley on the stage, his arms wrapped around one of the other band members who was throwing his drum sticks at the members of the fight. She was thankful to see he hadn’t been pushed into the fight. Once he had the guy under control he searched the room and looked relieved when he found Ally. She waved at him from across the fight to let him know she was okay. 

Their must have been police already at the pub, because within minutes they were pushing their way through the crowd and breaking up the fight. The rest of the pub noise fell to a hush as the police broke up the fight. The band members swore at each other as they were subdued. Ally watched, wanting to pull Riley out and make sure he is okay. There was more than her table broken. Several chairs, glasses, and plates littered the floor from the nearby table and along the bar. The patrons who had been sitting in those places looked angry but she didn’t see anyone injured. The bartending was pouring fresh drinks and handing them out to those who had lost theirs. They must have been regulars, because the bartender didn’t need to ask what they were drinking. 

“Thank you.” Ally said the the gentleman who had pulled her back. He nodded at her and took a drink from his stein. She turned to see what had his attention.

The bartender was shaking his figure at the band and swearing in German. She understood the band were told if they don’t leave now, the bar would press charges. Ally’s stomach tightened. Riley hadn’t done anything wrong and might get in trouble for being with the band. One of the band members stormed out while the rest agreed to clean up and leave. Ally searched the floor for her papers, hoping they were not too badly ripped or stained. She had been intending to show them to her parents to show the school would be paid for. But if they were covered in beer stains and ripped, they would not give off the best impression. She would have to see if the information was online and she could print off a cleaner set. Riley nodded at her and then turned to help the band carry out their equipment as Ally helped straighten up the bar. Collecting broken glass and plates on the floor so no one was injured.  She would have to talk to Riley about this band. She already had a bad feeling about the two guys, but now she knew they were no good. It wasn’t a good idea for Riley to be connected to them. The villages along the Rhine were close, problematic people were shared to keep the locals safe. If Riley’s name was associated with this band, his parents would find out and the police would be monitoring him as well. All bad.

Riley finished carrying out the last drum then joined Ally who had filled a box the bartender had given her, with broken dishes. “Are you okay?” he asked as he carried the box and placed it on the bar. 

“I’m okay.” Ally moved her chair aside and tried to find where her bag had landed. But she couldn’t find it anywhere. She had all of her papers, some in worse shape than others. If she had been drinking water it would have been better but the cola stains were through everything, there was no getting the stains out. At least it wasn’t beer. 

“Riley, do you see my bag?” It was as if the chair and the bag simply disappeared. She couldn’t find either anywhere. 

Frowning, Riley moved aside the broken table and found the chair in pieces below. But no bag. A chill swept up Ally’s back. She didn’t have anything valuable in the bag, but Riley did. “Riley, your parents envelope was in the bag.” Ally said quietly. 

 His naturally brown skin paled. “We have to get it back. It’s a signed contract between my parents and a new client. If they do not have it to him on time, they could lose the deal. And it was a really big one.” He swallowed, “They purchased a new boat for that contract. If we don’t get it back then the job could go back to tender and they could lose it. And they would still be responsible for the payment on their new boat.”

Ally was the one holding it, her stomach plummeted. She was responsible for the loss. “I’m sorry Riley. I don’t know what could have happened to it. I don’t know what we can do.” 

Inspiring Author of the Week: Patricia Briggs

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Patrica Briggs writes one of my favourite characters, Mercy Thompson. Why do I enjoy Mercy so much? She is a wonderful female protagonist. Strong spirited and whole hearted, Mercy Thompson’s series begins with Mercy in her early thirties. Old enough to have earned some wisdom and emotional scars, but young enough to believe in the good in those around her.

Mercy and I were the same age, with different scars, but it was easy to connect with a character who took an interesting degree, hers in History, mine in Anthropology, yet realizing after the fact there wasn’t a lot of jobs available requiring that degree.

While she worked at and eventually owned a garage, I can change my car’s oil and that is about it, her series focus is all about character. Mercy had the equal amounts of fortune/misfortune to be brought up along side the Marrok’s wolf pack. Fortunate, as she had a loving family and intimate knowledge of the non-human elements of society, unfortunate because she never belonged. Wolves didn’t want or need a coyote in their pack.

Fine by her, she set out on her own and made her own pack, filled with friends and family that continues to grow as the series progresses. Moon Called is the first book in the series where a half-starved young werewolf arrives at the garage looking for a job which ends him, Mercy, and the local wolf pack Alpha, Adam in a whole lot of trouble. With lives on the line, Mercy has no choice but to turn to the wolf pack, who rejected her, for help. as is the way with life, everything gets more difficult from there on.

Through the first book, and the remainder of the series I have read to date, Mercy continues to find her way through her chaotic, magic-filled world. She gains allies, love, and enemies, but always holds onto who she is.

Smoke Bitten, Book 12 in the Mercy Thompson Series

The main series is up to Book 12, Smoke Bitten, out in March of 2020. I enjoyed it, as I have everyone book in the series. If you are knew to the series, that means you have 12 wonderful books to binge! I envy you.

My current favourite book in the Mercyverse is the Shifting Shadows Anthology (The main image above). I have spent so many years getting to know Mercy and her crew, it was nice to enjoy stories about her friends and family. Patricia Briggs has built a wonderful cast of characters, unique, wounded, and heart felt. Each of their life experiences make them integral to the stories and are brought together to fight evil in a way that only Mercy can do. She is the glue in it all. When I need a quick read with a uplifting story, this is the anthology I turn to.

The Latest Anthology Patricia Briggs as a story in.

Patricia Briggs has another series in the Mercyverse called Alpha Omega. It focuses on the wolf pack Mercy was raised in. The short story in the Fantastic Hope Anthology is about Asil, an old wolf whose frenemies are playing a game with him and sending him on blind dates. This will be Asil’s third date and it is filled with the wit, vanity, and violence a reader would expect from him. I met Asil in the Mercy Thompson Series as he was sent to help Mercy in Frost Burned.

Enjoy your binge reads and let me know which of Patricia Briggs characters you enjoy the best! Happy reading.

My Writing Journey: Pillar III Subplots

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Subplots are a way to expand character development while supporting the main plot. The main plot of this story is how Ally and Riley are going to recover the document they were trusted with and lost.

If you read the character development sheets, there is a lot of potential subplots for these characters.

Ally is hiding her desire to leave the family business to the extent that she has hid her applications to various secondary institutes and acceptance. She is not sure how she can sell it to them as a benefit for everyone. She does not want to disappoint them. They love her and support her but she is ashamed that she does not want the life they have built for her. How can she tell them she doesn’t want it? What if they find out without her telling them? The worse thing that could happen is hurting them. But it feels like Ally is held with golden handcuffs; a home, a business handed to her, but in a lifestyle that she cannot stand. Yet, they have no other children, no one else to leave the business they built up to. They were only able to have her, a sick child who took all of their love and care to bring to an adult.

Riley loves his family too and although he supports Ally and helps her to reach for her dreams, he does not forget he will be left behind as well. And it hurts. Especially since he knows there is more to their world, there is magic. But he does not want Ally to choose to stay because of him. He wants her to follow her dreams and he is going to start following some of his own. As the youngest son, he does not inherit the family business and is treated as the baby in the family. They love his support but do not trust him with the important parts of running a river cargo business. If only he and Ally could change places. But then he would have to give up his mom’s home cooking and there is no way he would hurt her. So he will find his way. find something for himself for when Ally leaves him and he is alone.

Hunter, at this point, does not have a large part in this story. (But I rarely follow an outline to the T, so who knows what part he will play when its written?) He is only there as a favour to Logan because he knows Logan cares about Ally and Riley. Not much older than the two friends, Hunter begrudges them their easy, safe lives. He owes Logan for saving him, so he will help the two out, though he would rather enjoy a beer at the pub and ignore them.

Ciarron and Darragh have a lot in common with Riley. Music, the need to escape from the family business, and to start making money on their own. They plan to make their family proud. It was at a concert they had met Riley as they dreamed about making their own music. They didn’t usually like humans, other than their music, but Riley was from the Riverboat Community which meant they did not need to hide who they were. Life was looking up for them. They have their own sound, though they get hired more for their cover tunes, and were starting to make a name for themselves. But then, the boss took an interest in their band, and now they are being used as spies. So, instead of taking gigs that will spread their musical sound, they have to take the gigs that will help the family business. If only they could get a big score, maybe then, they would be allowed to go back to playing the music they love and make their mom proud.

Ally, Riley, Hunter, Logan, Ciarron, and Darragh, all with wishes and dreams, all wanting and needing something different in their lives. But who will win and who will lose?

Inspiring Author of the Week: Jenn Stark

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Jenn Stark’s Immortal Vegas Series, follows Tarot Card reader, Sara Wilde as she joins the Vegas Connected community. Her personal goal is to save the children who are the victims of the illegal sell of their magic, but to save them, she needs resources; a whole lot of money. She is hired by the Arcane Council, to find magical items, and more often then not, a whole lot of trouble. The series follows Sara as she searches for magical items and learns about the darkness that is also a part of her world. Where she makes allies and enemies in her search to create a safe place for the innocent and to stop the evil festering wound in her world.

I was trying to remember when I found this series, and cannot. All I remember is reading Book 1: Getting Wilde and loving the fresh take on urban fantasy. The idea the Arcane Council and members of the Connect, (magical), community were situated in Las Vegas made total sense to me. Where else could they all perform magic and be themselves without being called out for appearing different? Where else could there be a second level of fantastical housing above the already magical Vegas buildings, that only those who are a part of the Connected community could see?

The Immortal Vegas series is a series I want to read when I am in the mood for a darker adventure. When I yearn to feel disquiet brought on my a magical tale where magical children are hunted so others can abuse and use their magic. Over a decade ago, I was at a fundraiser where a child in our world was used and abused by the adults around her. She shared her story and how the new people in her life, lawyers who were fighting for the rights of the underaged and abused, removed her from the dark and poisonous world she had been brought up in. How it was the few people who made the difference and gave her a chance to have a life where her basic needs, including safety and trust, were met. These books bring me to a lighter version of that memory. It is an imagined story and imagined victims, but after meeting a true victim with real heroes in her life, I connected with it.

There is also a lot of snark, action, and at the time I found the series, the new world of Tarot Card reading. And I loved how well Jenn Stark put it all together. If you want to learn more about Tarot Card reading, learn more on Ms. Starks page here.

I also need to mention, there is a slow burn romance that occurs between Sara and the Magician. Slow burn romances are my favourite. The frustration and challenges of new romances in desperate times. Sara has had enough pain in her past to be extra careful, and to some extent, look for magical support in fighting off the feelings she is having. All smart plans when the one focused on you has immense power. There are also other delectable characters and a spin off series with Demon Enforcers, fallen angels, who are released to this world and are left to find their place, and maybe love, along the way.

I have yet to start Wilde Justice, the newer series staring Sara Wilde. I have the first book, The Red King, but with so many books coming out at that time, I bought it, but did not read it. The good news is, there are now six books available in the series when I have time to binge read them all. And I will! I think it will be the perfect series to enjoy as the autumn air turns crisp outside and I hide under a blanket on my couch.

The Red King, reading on my couch shortly!

My Writing Journey: Pillar II The Journey

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Pillar 2 in Jesper Schmidt and Autumn M. Birt’s Plot Development Step by Step Book is all about the journey. They outline the section in a series of plot posts integral to fully developed story. I did follow the exercise completely, all 69 pages of it, but I will not be showing that outline here. Instead I will talk about the beginning, and how Ally and Riley ended up in their mess.

Why am I not sharing the Posts? For several reasons. First, even though I outlined it and have a general sense of where the story is going, I find that a strict outline does not work for me.

The first manuscript I completed, in 2017 my first NaNoWriMo I completed a middle grade novel, I did not have an outline. I had an idea of the story I wanted to tell and wrote enthusiastically. It was through the process I would realize, I needed more structure. At the beginning of the day if I started with a blank page, I would end up staring at it for a long time before I had an idea of what I wanted to write. By the end of the month I was jotting down notes the night before so I had something to start with. It was stressful, but a great way to learn what didn’t work for me.

I then started taking creative writing courses. They helped me find a writing style that works for me. What proved just as beneficial is I kept writing. I would brainstorm ideas and searched online for ideas of how to structure my stories. Then every NaNo event, whether the big NaNoWriMo in November, or camp in April or July, I would write. It is thanks to the combination of learning and experience that I have the beginning of a writing style that works for me. I say a beginning, because I am still at the beginning of my journey. If there is a workshop, webinar, a podcast, a book that looks interesting, I investigate it. I love to learn and happily embrace new strategies I can incorporate in my learning. Creating this blog is one of them! As an introverted person, I prefer small groups of people I can get to know and hang out with. I am not as good at large events. The blog provides a way for me to be both.

Back to Ally and Riley’s journey. Ally doesn’t want to live on a boat her entire life, but she doesn’t know how to tell her parents she doesn’t want to take over the family business. To see her backstory, here is a link to her introductory blog post. She has applied to colleges and universities where she had a chance at a swimming scholarship. And finally, she was accepted.

Riley, her best friends see his intro here, the only person she trusts where her secrets, is taking her out on the town to celebrate. They have one little errand to run for his parents and then they are free. Unfortunately, not everything goes as they plan and they end up chasing down the missing envelope before Riley’s parents lose out on a contract that will put their company in jeopardy, and they need to get back to the boat before it takes off and her parents meet it to find her missing and her acceptance letter on her bed.

Ally needs to create her own future, but hurting her family would break her heart.

Riley loves being apart of his families’ business, and wants they to see him as a responsible adult, not the baby of the family.

Riley’s family has been working on the river as long as Ally’s has. Such history also means they know the secrets of the river. Something Riley’s family shared with him, but Ally’s hasn’t. Some of those secrets are at risk as they two friends chase down the missing contract. Riley wants to share what he knows, but how can he tell his friend the secrets of the valley when all she wants is to escape? He was trusted with the knowledge of magic in the valley, a part of the community that may be responsible for the missing document. If they don’t find it, then there is more than his families’ boating company at stake.

As this book is a prequel to the River Run Series, it will be a full story in itself but will leave open plot points for entry into the trilogy. It, and the free short story, Lynx in Exile, which you can get by signing up below, provide background to the River Run Series that will be published in 2021.