Tag Archives: The House in the Old Wood

Silly Berries … three of ’em!

4 Aug
karia

“Karia” in contemporary Inamali

Syllabaries sound a bit like some kind of a treat, don’t they?

But they’re actually a way of writing a language. Sort of an alphabet for languages that are written syllable by syllable.

That’s how Inamali, one of the primary languages in the series, The Day Magic Died, is written. But I had no intention of ever writing anything using an Inamali syllabary. Then along came the map.

There’s a map that Karia finds in the first book, The House in the Old Wood, that has some writing on it that looks sort of like what she identifies as Old Inamali. You’ll find out in the second book, Karia’s Path, that this is written in another language altogether.

I asked the artist who drew the map for the first book to draw that map for the second book. She agreed to, but I needed to give her the words, written the way I wanted them written.

Oh.

I had no idea how the words were supposed to be written.

iiik-new

“Inamali Ili, Inamali kri” in contemporary Inamali

So this weekend I sat down and created three syllabaries: One for contemporary Inamali, one for Old Inamali and one for the other language.

I did that because the three languages are related, with Old Inamali serving as a sort of transition from the other language to contemporary Inamali.

I’ve included some examples here of what contemporary and Old Inamali look like.

iiik-old

“Inamali ili, Inamali kri” in Old Inamali

The phrase is one you’ve encountered in the first book. You’ll find out what it means in the second book. And the completion of the syllabary, so the artist can draw the map that will accompany the book, is another step toward having the second book ready to be published.

What do you think?

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Now you can find your way …

20 Jul

book1mapDid you get lost in the Old Wood?

Well, now you can find your way. Kristen Lang has drawn a map to accompany The House in the Old Wood.

Don’t have the book yet? Here you go …

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Reasons to read The House in the Old Wood, No. 13

24 Jun

You like “indies.” Publishers are out to make money. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s called business. That’s why they publish books like Justin Bieber – First Step 2 Forever, My Story. They know they’ll sell. But a series like The Day Magic Died? Let’s see. Unknown first-time novelist. Crowded genre. More than 400,000 words. That’s not exactly a formula for success. So I took the independent publishing route. If you’re the type who is willing to take a chance on indies, The House in the Old Wood may be your kind of book. If you’re the type who actually prefers indies, well, it’s that much more likely you’ll like The House in the Old Wood. I guarantee it’s a better read than Justin Bieber – First Step 2 Forever, My Story.

By the way, if you’re looking to publish a book independently, CreateSpace is a great way to go, in my opinion. It’s the route I took to put out The House in the Old Wood in paperback and for Kindle. Let me know if I can help you become an indie author.

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Not the right time for Reason No. 13

21 Jun


OK, so if I was following my normal sequence, this would be Reason No. 13 to read The House in the Old Wood. So I thought that instead of giving a 13th reason today, on a Friday of all things, I’d tell you how things are going with the next books in the series The Day Magic Died.

The second book, tentatively renamed Karia’s Path, is out to a few critical readers for their feedback. Depending on what they say, I may be able to move the release date for Book 2 up from October. I’d like to do that, if I can do so without rushing the book out before it’s ready.

By the way, why is it now Karia’s Path instead of Tsilinakaya’s Path? Well, it’s because of something important I’ve learned as a budding novelist: Big words like Tsilinakaya are awfully hard to fit on a cover. Profound, huh?

I am about one-third of the way through revisions on Book 3. I’m having to completely change the setting in which the majority of the book takes place — and that’s not simple. The setting has quite an influence on the story itself. It’s just that the setting for the book did not fit with the rest of the series. Maybe after it’s out and you’ve had a chance to read it, I can explain more.

That one may undergo a tentative name change too. In The Hall of the Prophetess, the word Prophetess is also going to be tough to fit on a cover well.

Oh, and, if I manage to move up the release date for Book 2, I’ll definitely be working toward moving up the release date for Book 3.

What I’d really like to do is release Book 2 in September and Book 3 in November. I should be able to update you on those plans in a week or two.

 

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Reasons to read The House in the Old Wood, No. 12

20 Jun

You like books that remind you of what’s important. Karia’s mom and dad have given her a clear sense of right and wrong, principles to live by, sayings she remembers. “It entertains and teaches lessons that youth of our time have forgotten,” one reviewer wrote. If you want to enjoy a book, and have the right kind of things reinforced in your life, The House in the Old Wood is for you.

Have you recently read any books that not only had a good story, they reminded you of lessons everyone ought to learn?

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