+

+ Book, fantasy, Fiction, News, Uncategorized, Writing

Drakin, where to buy, and what’s next? #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

by Unknown's avatar

Hello all!

I hope everyone has enjoyed The Drakin Series!! Please don’t forget to leave me a review on Amazon once you’re done. That really helps me out a lot.

Copies of these books, as well as my others, can be purchased on Amazon by following this link:

James Harrington’s Author Page

They’re also available at Barnes and Noble, as well as many other places where books are sold!

Please feel free to like and reblog this post. Word of mouth helps us writers out a lot!

Drakin: The Story of Raiya

Book Synopsis:
‘ “Abomination, freak, monster…”  You get used to names like these when you have yellow eyes, horns, and scales, but Raiya could have really cared less.

After being forced into exile because of her appearance, Raiya’s mind has been focused on one goal; hunting down the dragon lord that killed her parents. For over thirty years, humanity has been locked in a struggle for survival against a race of dragons that had fallen from the heavens. They took everything from her and consumed the planet in a fierce war. Humanity’s numbers are quickly dwindling, leaving her few options in the way of allies.

What she doesn’t know is that her journey will strike at the very heart of the Red War and uncover truths about her past that she may not want to know. Can she finish what she started while coming to terms with the truths of her origin? ‘

Drakin: The Orphans of Haven

Book Synopsis:

The Red War may be over, but not all wounds have healed. For Sergeant Radley Zall, the nightmares never end. After years of struggling for survival, he finds himself in a dead end job, deporting wayward dragons to the Exclusion Zone. The horrors of his past have left him a broken man, slowing killing himself in a bottle of whiskey. It’s a wearying existence that many former soldiers have been subject to since the war ended, but for Radley, that is all about to change. Throughout his life, Radley’s hatred of dragons has been unmatched until one evening when a small one shows up on his doorstep. The pathetic creature is emaciated and begging for shelter. Her appearance reminds him of his younger self, compelling him to help her. That uncharacteristic decision forces him to confront his past actions— some of which may have contributed to a sinister plot to reignite the Red War and wipe out the few remaining dragons on Earth.

DRAKIN: An Empire of Ashes

 

Synopsis:

Two hundred years have passed, and the Red War has become a distant memory for most. Dragons and humans now live together in peace… but one powerful woman who has been deranged by her own history unleashes her vengeance on a helpless population.

Now, the world’s only hope for survival rests with Kaori, a naïve and wayward princess of the Eastern Empire. Having been disillusioned with her mother’s rule, she discovers a dark secret about her family that will change the course of history forever. She soon crosses paths with Nayeli and Joaquim, a pair of rogues living within her borders.

Their fight for survival takes an unexpected turn as a shadow of from the past reveals that the situation is more dangerous than they know. The fate of billions of lives rests on these three unlikely companions putting aside their differences to stand against the world.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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+ Heavy Metal, Inspiration, Metal, Music, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

 

Definitely one of the most unorthodox bands on my list. I absolutely love these guys. This song is not for soft ears, but if you give it a chance, it’s actually a pretty good build up song.

When to listen: It’s a good opening song. Definitely a song to listen to when writing the beginning of your story.

 

P.S. SERIOUSLSY, IS THAT ARIA STARK AT THE END!?

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Heavy Metal, Inspiration, Metal, Music, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

 

This beautiful power ballad brings a tear to my eye every time. It has everything an 80s hair metal band would have and more. Definitely one of the band’s stronger songs.

When to Listen: Eh… I mean there are two places I suppose you could. One could make the argument that this could be a song for a romantic or intimate scene, but I don’t.
With lines like ‘The Kiss of Death is All I need, Set me free from the night.’ Yeah this is a death or loss song. I listened to this in the past when I’ve killed off a character that wasn’t easy to part with. Simply put, this song can help push you past the hesitation.

 

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, grammar, literature, personality, Reading, Writing

Grammar in Dialogue? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Hi Jim,

I’ve been working on my story for a while and it takes me through a lot of dialogue along the way. I’m trying to write a modern story with slang and lingo that people today understand. However my spellcheck picks it up and gives me the ‘correct’ recommendations. I don’t want my writing to sound unprofessional, but I don’t want my characters to sound like robots either. What should I do?

Thanks,
MandyMinx

Hi MandyMinx

Annoying isn’t it? My best advice is to turn off the auto correct and spelling underlines while writing or they will drive you nuts. Turn them on when you’re done. They’re there to help, but they can be a major distraction and source of frustration. Honestly if you were to copy/paste a novel by anyone from Stephen King to Mark Twain, to Homer into your spellcheck, you’ll be amazed what comes up. I would place correct grammar on the back burner when it comes to dialogue. Keep an eye on it only when you need to. If you have characters that talk with accents, characters that use broken English, or even characters that just talk the way people do today, it’s going to set off a bunch of red (or in Word’s case, green) flags.

It may be an unfortunate truth, but people do not speak in grammatically correct ways. Often it’s a requirement that you do not write with proper grammar if you want to establish a character’s personality and differentiate it from other characters. If you don’t… you’re left with something that would resemble Star Trek The Next Generation if the entire cast were restricted to 6 or 7 Datas (Trust me, it would not be entertaining).

Hope this helps!

Readers, do you have additional advice for MandyMinx? What would you tell her to do in this case?

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, Inspiration, Music, Opinion, Uncategorized, Writing

Off My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

I can’t believe I’m doing this…

 

You’re a stronger person than I am if you can watch this video and still take this band seriously.All I’m going to say…

When to listen: DON’T!!!! Hahahaha Just kidding. This is a psych out song. Don’t listen to it while writing. You kind of have to watch the video to really get the full effect. It’s sort of a pallet cleanser to clear your mind (yes, it has that affect).

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Reading, Science Fiction, Writing

When to start?

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I’ve had a lot of ideas flying around lately, but not all of them are that great. Often times I find myself writing out some of my ideas only to almost immediately hit a road block. Then when I look over it again, I don’t know what I was thinking when I started writing. I don’t know how those thoughts could have ever made a good story. How do you know what to write and what will work? Do you have any tricks for figuring out which ideas would work in your head and then translate well to paper or is it just trial and error?

Much appreciated,

Mark.”

Oh Mark, you’ve just touched on the very folly that had felled many a good writer. Everyone has ideas, but not everyone can adequately translate them into writing. Other people can write really well, but there ideas are few and far in between. I think the key here is not to necessarily write out every idea that pops into your head, or if you do, just jot down the idea as a side note. Don’t try to turn everything single idea you have into one story. Trust me, it won’t work.

I personally can’t tell you how many scraps of paper I have at home with character descriptions, plot devices, and descriptions of fictional lands written on them. The trick is to keep a library of them tucked aside for later. I can honestly tell you that I only have one book written that was 100% an on the spot creation. Everything else I’ve written was a mix and mash of plot devices and characters that I had tucked away.

Think of it like this… when each of us were younger, for the most part, our parents bought us puzzles to help us build our cognitive skills. Early on, those puzzles usually had a back board that we could slip those pieces into so that the puzzle could be done on a carpet and was easy to put away. I want you to consider that back board your plot. When you come up with an idea for a story, that’s the back board without any of the puzzle pieces on it.

The next part of the project would be to take those plot devices you thought up previously, say a magic sword, a crystal, or something like that, select the ones that you think would work, and incorporate them. Do the same thing with the characters, pick a few characters out of the library you created and see how well they’d mesh together, compliment each other, or feed off each other. Then you can incorporate them and create a relationship, be it love, friendship, love/hate, hate, etc.

In summation, don’t try to turn all of your ideas into a story. Write them down, but keep them aside until you get one really good idea that you’re enthusiastic about, then add in the other ideas you came up with as other details. You’ll have your story written before you know it.

Thanks friend, and good luck.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, Inspiration, Music, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Got a request to recommend a good ‘rock opera’ song. Really it doesn’t get any better than Avantasia and in particular this song! The Great Mystery has everything; chorus, amazing instrumentals, guest performance by metal legend Bob Catley from Magnum… oh yeah! This has to be on my list!

When to listen:  I’ll give you a hint, skip to 9:19. Then picture your favorite Disney animated classic. Yeah, this is an ending song. When you’re ready to close up your story, THE INTENSE ENERGY at the end of this song is what you want!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Writing

‘Damn’ Obstacles

by Unknown's avatar

“Dear Jim,

I saw the updates on the book you have coming out (congrats by the way) and was wondering if you could tell us how you overcame certain obstacles. For example, in my writing, I’m having a hard time establishing character relationships. I don’t want my story sounding like a Disney princess story where two people just instantly fall in love, but I don’t want to flood my book with a lot of filler dealing with how they fell in love. I’m not writing a romance novel, but I do want it to have a romantic element.

Thanks,
Jbob”

Hi J,

Good question… and personally I myself have been trying to find ways around it for a while myself. There are three ways I’ve discovered so far;

1. Start the story off mid-relationship. Establish that your characters have had a relationship all along, so that when the story starts, you’re already where you need to be. You can go into detail through monologue or character discussions as to how the two of them got to where they are throughout the story. That isn’t something you necessarily need to find out early on.

2. If you plan to start your story off before your characters meet, this is where it can get a little more complicated. The way I’ve used so far is to start the story off before they meet, have them meet, summarize in a page or two what they’ve been going through over a few months to a year and then get back into the main narrative. This way you get the beginning of the relationship set and you get moved right to the main point in the story.

3. “The afterthought.” Start the story off at the climax and have the main character remember back to when they first forged their relationship and have him/her describe it in a few chapters leading up to where they are now.

Hope this helps, but I’ll open it up to the floor and ask my readers if they have found ways to establish character relationships quickly for the sake of the flow of the story. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Book, fantasy, Fiction, News, Uncategorized, Writing

Tale of a Frozen Heart (New Book) Update!!! #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

by Unknown's avatar

Hello all,

So I just want to give another quick update as we expect the cover to be done soon!

Each update will include the blurb going forward, so if you don’t know what the book is going to be about, please keep reading…

Before that, though, I wanted to give a brief introduction to my cover artists.

Brett Warniers has been my cover artist going all the way back to Magnifica Gravestalker. He’s always been easy to work with and is incredibly talented. I highly recommend him for any sort of animation/illustration work needed. Please check out his website for more info:
http://brettwarniers.com/

Of course, who could forget the unforgettable imagery in some of my more recent books, revolving around some incredible photography work. That work is handled by photographer and filmmaker Richard Chandler, who’s company, The Boston Film Family has been producing majestic and often disturbing imagery… keeping me awake every time he posts anything to his page!

Check them out, they are both incredibly skilled individuals and would be happy to assist in your artistic needs!

Blurb:

“War always comes with consequences, many of which are not immediately apparent. The remaining dragons were allowed to integrate into human society, despite many underlying tensions. A recently discovered ability that makes dragons appear more humanlike has helped move things along. However, not everything is as peaceful as it seems.

Asher Cole is attending his final year in one of the many integrated high schools. Life is relatively mundane until he crosses paths with Taryn, a green-eyed girl who does nothing but make his life difficult. They wind up stuck working together on a science project. As he works with her, it becomes apparent that there is more to her than meets the eye.

A dark secret that even she doesn’t know could threaten the fledgling peace. Taryn’s dreams become haunted by a malevolent entity that is hell-bent on destroying her. Ash is in a race to save them both before they both lose their sanity. If he fails, she will not have the strength to prevent this unknown evil from wreaking havoc on the world.”

The projected release date of the book is May 25. So stay frosty! Releasing a new book never get’s old and I’m very excited for this one!

Stay safe, stay healthy, read a book!

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Inspiration, literature, Music, Reading, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Yeah, no Heavy Metal playlist is complete without at least 5 songs by Dragonforce. This song is pure adrenaline. It makes you feel good, it’s upbeat, and I love it.

When to Listen: Well, it’s on my general playlist and I like to listen to it whenever, but if you’re looking for a specific time to listen to it… burnout. I’m not kidding. Are you tired of writing? Take some time off and before going back to it, listen to this song.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.  I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, Inspiration, literature, Music, Opinion, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Not even the Imperial March could come close to being as recognizable and identifiable as the Top Gun theme. Far more simplistic in nature, yet bombastic and upbeat at the same time.

It is such an iconic theme clearly right out of 80s Hair Metal, that you can’t ignore it.

When to Listen: … yeah this is another upbeat writer’s block song. Listen to it either when you can’t figure out what to write about, or immediately after your character succeeds at whatever you’re writing about.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

You can also add me on Twitter!

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Writing

Classic Cameos #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I’m currently writing a story dealing with fantasy characters. I wanted to include a couple of classical fantasy characters in my story. I was wondering if you had any advice about how to go about this? I don’t want to get sued by their owners.

Thanks,
Jeremy J.”

Hi Jeremy,

Hi Jeremy, by classical, I assume you’re talking about the creative works of people like the Brother’s Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc?

If so, you’re in luck, most of those characters fall under public domain.

“Works in the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable.” Wiki

The standard rule, at least in the United States, is that pre-1923 works are in the public domain. This is… mostly correct, however, determining whether a work has entered the public domain or is still under copyright can be a lot more difficult than this, mostly because copyright terms have been extended multiple times and in different ways. At first, it was a fixed term based on the year of publication with a renewal term, to a term extending to fifty to seventy years after the death of the author. So the claim above is correct FOR PUBLISHED WORKS. Unpublished works fall under Federal Copyright laws and extend to the life of the author + 70 years.

This can differ in other countries, so check your local copyright laws or, as always, consult and attorney.

The best advice I would give is to read the stories that surround the characters thoroughly. I say this because most of those classical characters have been used in movies by Disney or have been adapted and rewritten in other versions. DO NOT JUST USE THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES YOU KNOW THE MOST!! I can’t stress that enough.
Why? Because if were to put the dwarves from Snow White into the story and use the names from Disney (Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey), you will get sued. Those names are not original to the story and are the intellectual property of the Disney Corporation.

Like I said, know your story, know your characters and know what you’re writing. Often times, taking a little creative license with these characters is not only warranted, but 100% necessary to keep the work from treading into intellectual property waters.

Lastly, please remember, I am not an attorney. I have studied the laws, having been published myself, but even I don’t know all of the nuances. My words are for advice purposes only. If you find yourself in a bit of gray area, PLEASE consult an attorney. A little money now is a lot better than being sued for a lot later and I take no responsibility if don’t.

Any thoughts from the reader base? Further advice for Jeremy?

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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