Sneak Peek of Books. Fantasy. Fandom.

Fun news, guys! Ashley Nixon and I are starting a book review and reading blog! You may have seen the hints on Write Me A World already. While we both love (and will continue) our writing blogs, we also wanted a site where we could fan out as readers. And we figured you might too!

The result is Books. Fantasy. Fandom. Or, BFF for those who like clever acronyms.

On the site, you’ll find:

• Weekly reviews of fantasy books across all ages
• Friday Fandom posts about our favorite fandoms on the large and small screen
• Q&As with authors like Kate Elliott, KA Stewart and more
• Categories and tags that help you find reviews in our archives (even tricky finds like “YA for boys”)
• Our review policy in case you’ve got something you think we’d love!

As you can probably tell by the number of exclamation points, we’re really excited about BFF and hope you are too!! In fact, we hope you’re so excited you’ll spread the word and stop by to enjoy. We can’t wait to share our favorite books and new reads with you!

If you have questions, salutations or are interested in a guest post, email us at booksfantasyfandom[at]gmail[dot]com.

Happy reading!

Why We Love Galavant (And Other Fantasy Comedies)

If you haven’t heard of Galavant yet, it’s a four-week “medieval musical comedy” put on by ABC. The phrase “medieval musical comedy” was enough to intrigue me, and the last two weeks’ episodes have delivered on the hilarity in a big way.

Here’s what makes it so great:

The trailer

I dare you not to hum along!

The songs

The combo of Alan Menken and Glenn Slater is pretty unbeatable. As my cousin likes to say, Alan Menken composed the soundtrack of our childhood (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast), and Galavant’s tunes deliver in a similar way. They’re catchy, and fun, and definitely get stuck in your head!

The guest stars

John Stamos as a pansy jerk of a knight is hilarious! (See the joust scene below) I’m also excited to see Weird Al, Rutger Hauer, and Ricky Gervais in their guest spots.

The tongue-in-cheek fantasy tropes

Like the old Monty Python classics, Galavant is able to make fun of itself and the larger fantasy/ fairytale genre while never veering far from its love of those same tropes and stereotypes. The noble knight, the fair maiden, the evil king. Galavant turns them delightfully on their head, but still speaks to the heart of what we all love about those tales.

The joust scene

In traditional medieval showdown style, Galavant and his knight nemesis (John Stamos’ character) face each other in the joust…only they’ve both been either drugged or overtrained into a stupor.

Want More Comedic Gold?

I also saw the Harry Potter tribute episode of Psych for the first time last week, and if you’re looking for more comedic fantasy gold, look no further. It had me snorting and crying in laughter after about two minutes.

From comicbook.com

And since my Packers won, a shout out to Aaron Rodgers' favorite - the ever-quotable Princess Bride!

Have you seen Galavant? Does Monty Python have a classic place in your collection? Are Shawn and Gus your go-to comedy duo?

What Kind of Fan are You?

Have you guys seen this? It’s been deemed the “totally awesome epic universal fandom” quiz and is supposed to give you your fan match for just about every book, movie or TV show in fantasy.

I, of course, had to test it!

That Klingon answer has me slightly worried. :)

Try it for yourself here.

More fun questions...

A few weeks ago, Georgina over at Diary of a Writer in Progress gave me a blog award shout out, plus some questions to answer. Here we go!

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Wisconsin

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Bright or teal blue

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Tangled

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan

THE POWER GOES OUT.  IT WILL BE OUT FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOURSELF?
Read…and possibly write. Dark nights are great for inspiration, and I always have a flashlight, lantern or candle at hand.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Get Your Shine On, by Florida Georgia Line

GREATEST STRUGGLE AS A WRITER?
Learning what NOT to put on the page. And finding time...yeah, that one!

WHAT IS THE ONE BOOK YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ?
If you’re holding me strictly to one book (vs. a series), it’d be The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. If I’m allowed a series it’s, of course, Wheel of Time.

IF YOU COULD BE ONE OF THE GREEK GODS WHO WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
Ooh, fun question. Probably Artemis or Athena.

WEIRDEST THING YOU'VE EVER BEEN TOLD BY A FORTUNE COOKIE?
 Um…I don’t remember. I’m usually too busy enjoying their tasty goodness.

SEVEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I’ve done a mile-long ocean swim
2. Tornadoes freak me out
3. So does walking into a pitch dark woods at dawn, but I do it anyway
4. My eyes water when I hear or see anything eerie. It is different than crying, and my friends make fun of me for it all the time. They’re always trying to get them to water.
5. I am a die-hard Bon Jovi fan. When I was little, I sang on my kitchen table with an air guitar made from a kiddie broom.
6. I interviewed Christina Schwarz (Author of Drowning Ruth) when I was in high school. She’s from my hometown and a fellow alum from a few years back. It was so great to talk with her! She’s very down to earth – I remember her asking me, “Where do you keep your WIPs? All of us writers have a special place for them, don’t we?” So true! And I loved that she asked about it.
7. I love honey!

Blog-hopping to Sommer’s!

I’m over at Sommer Leigh's Tell Great Stories blog today (well, technically tomorrow) with some tips on editing. ‘Cause who doesn’t need more editing tools?! Check it out!

There are a couple other really fun things going on in the blogosphere:

David Powers King’s “Wrap it Up” Blogfest

Give the gift of writing this holiday season…and get some pretty cool blog giveaways in return! Don’t have a blog? Don’t worry. Your friends and family will still love the heartfelt gift of your words!

Caitlin’s 2012 Fantasy Reading Challenge
Love reading fantasy? Take the challenge! I’m going for “Wizard Level."

How about you?

Judging A Book By Its Cover, Or Why I Love Michael Whelan

Today’s post is all about pretty pictures. Actually, make that amazing pictures in the form of cover art.
We all have a favorite cover artist. The one we’ve dreamed of having design our own cover. For me, it’s Michael Whelan. His work is breathtakingly gorgeous and brilliant, and I think I might give a non-essential organ for him to do my cover.

Just for fun, here’s the link to his gallery.

I also really love the work of Christian McGrath. I first saw his stuff on Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, and recognized his hand on The Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy several months later. I’d love this vibe for a steampunk I’m working on. (Edit: I just now realized he’s done all the Dresden covers too!)

Link to your favorites in the comments trail and I’ll add ‘em here!

Steampunk Costume Bonus!
Also, this really doesn't belong in the same category as the beautiful pics above, but this was my fantabulous steampunk costume for Halloween. Gotta love Goodwill - I made the whole thing for under $30.

It's Official - I'm a Campaigner!

I’m very excited to be taking part in Rachel Harrie’s Platform-Building Campaign. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, the Campaign seeks to connect blogging authors who share genre or reader/audience interests (fantasy for me, of course!) and who truly want to support and network with other aspiring writers.

Watch for fun new posts later this week, but for now, I thought I’d dig into the blog history and suggest some “Campaign Stops” for those who might be new to the blog as part of the campaign.

Enjoy!

Harnessing the Muse You Need NOW
Calling All Non-Magical Beings
Why We Love Spec-Fic
Freedom Fighters
Not Quite as Easy as 1, 2, 3
Play Ball…or Quidditch
The UN-fairytale Ending

Why We Love Spec-Fic

Get ready to get tricksy! I’m jumping into the Something Wicked blogfest to spread my love for spec-fic. The folks over at Wicked & Tricksy started us off with three excellent questions, so away we go:

1. Name 3 of your favorite spec-fic stories (books, movies, tv shows, anything goes!)
First of all, someone was very cruel in limiting us to three. I’ve read a lot of amazing stories across all sub-genres of spec-fic, but my first love is fantasy.

Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
Space colonies and dragons – does it get any better? Lessa remains one of my favorite heroines to this day.

Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan
Readers tend to love the series or hate it, but it’s hard to beat Jordan’s characterization. I admire how even his throw-away characters have their own stories.

Stardust, Neil Gaiman
Adventure, comedy, romance, evil witches, falling stars – this movie has it all…and, oh yeah, Robert De Niro in a dress! Gaiman is a great story-teller and the movie did it justice.

2. Tell us why YOU love spec-fic – what plot line, character type, story trope, setting, time, place is your absolute favorite.
I confess my deep and undying devotion to spec-fic every time I enter a library or a Barnes & Noble. It takes the best elements of other genres—romance, history, suspense—and adds a touch of wonder and magic!

It has adventure, love, big glorious good-vs-evil showdowns, and characters that make us feel like we’ve known them all our lives. (And let’s face it, some fantasy series are so huge, that we probably have.) One of my favorite cover flaps of all time is from M.M. Kaye’s historical fiction epic, The Far Pavilions. It says, in part:

“We all remember certain sweeping novels we hated to see come to an end; it was almost like breaking up with someone we love…a passionate, triumphant story that excites us, fills us with joy, moves us to tears and makes us remember just what it is we want most from a novel.”

THAT’s what fantasy is for me. Ironically, of course, I have quoted how I feel about fantasy from a non-fantasy book. *grin*

I also once came across a fabulous comment from another blogger who said what he loves most about fantasy is the honor. He nailed it! There is a very precious and mysterious aspect to spec-fic novels that makes readers yearn to be part of some higher code and righteous struggle.

It lifts us up and transcends our current fast-paced, Me-centered, instant-info (and in many ways very wonderful) reality. It gives us characters to believe in and makes us believe there might be something out there worth fighting for.

I read and like many other genres, but I’ve never found one I love quite as dearly as fantasy. Whether it’s dragons, deep space, alternate worlds or vampires, I can’t get enough (especially the dragons!). 

3. Take a guess if you can: where do you see spec-fic stories going in the next two, five, ten years? What will be popular and how will the sub-genres have changed?
It’s hard to predict what’ll be on the shelves tomorrow, much less years from now. I do think the pace of books will continue to increase. YA and urban fantasy are the pace-setters right now with incredibly fast, tightly weaving action, and I think the other sub-genres of spec-fic will follow.

Although epic fantasy is dear to my heart, I also see that giving way to more futuristic, dystopian and alt-history subgenres.


So, now that I’m done singing its praises, what do YOU love most about fantasy? Share it here and hop over to Wicked & Tricksy to see what others say.