I am happy to present George Steger, author of Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder the first book in a series of chronicles of Sebastian’s life with Charlemagne! The depth of perception Steger is able to light aflame in his story warmed this historical girl’s heart! I have a rapt passion for wordsmiths who garnish the ability to convince us we are transporting ourselves into their time of place as though we could simply step outside the door! The 8th Century is lavishly alive in this debut novel, yet tempered with a skilled hand not to be overwhelmingly difficult to read! A daunting proposition for a man who sought to bring the life of Charlemagne’s change of heart to the fullness of life on the page! I am thankful I had not only the pleasure of reading the novel, but for being given the opportunity to interview the author whose story captured my imagination!
By which the interview commenced,
between Jorie and Mr. Steger!
I am thankful to announce I was able to interview Mr. Steger on his first tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours! I am hopeful that he will return for tour engagements for his successive books in the Sebastian Chronicles! I decided to ask questions pertinent to the context of the story as well as the man who penned the story set around Charlemagne!
Jorie,
Many thanks for your interest in Sebastian’s Way and for your kind comments about the book. I have to say, though, that you play a tough game of 20 Questions. Nevertheless, I’ll do my best.
In all the interviews I’ve read of yours, I have not seen anyone propose the question as to what drew you instinctively to focus on Sebastian? What was the impetus?
Steger responds: What drew me to focus on Sebastian? You already know that I’m a veteran. I spent half my adult life in the military, and I served in Vietnam. 58,000 of our boys were killed there and a half million were wounded. Looking back on that ten-year conflict, I just don’t see that we served our best national interests there or that we accomplished our goals. They still Communized the country, not that that matters much now. They aren’t a threat to us.
And I guess I feel the same way about Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re getting out of both of these long wars now but what was accomplished? I just think there’s a better way than this permanent war footing we’ve been on for so long. That’s part of the rationale for what I wrote in Sebastian’s Way. I also wanted to encourage my grandchildren to know that one needs to stand up for worthy ideas and that there is always another way.
What impressed you the most in your research of Sebastian? And, what did you take away with you from those readings? And is Sebastian a fictional account of another man’s life? Or, did he truly live?
Steger responds: What impressed me from the research for Sebastian? In researching for the book I was impressed by what Charlemagne accomplished during his long reign. He unified most of Europe and gave it an identity. He made Rome secure from its enemies and empowered the pope so that he could stand up to the emperor in Constantinople, who was his theological and doctrinal rival. He was the architect of the strongest breath of cultural reawakening since the fall of the Roman Empire and presided over a period of art, architecture and learning that was so impressive that it has been dubbed “the Carolingian Renaissance.” Just one little example from that renewal is the Carolingian miniscule, which featured punctuation and spaces between words, a revolutionary change that made Latin the lingua franca of Europe for centuries more and advanced literacy dramatically.
Finally, the unification of Europe under Charlemagne provided a model that is still pursued by the present-day European Union. It is why the annual EU award for the best contribution to unity in Europe is called The Charlemagne Prize.
If Sebastian did live or is a composite character of different men who dared to change the heart of Charlemagne, how probable is it that this story has not yet been told? Would history have wanted to keep it a secret? And, why? Especially if this central character is so pivotal to your story?
Steger responds: How widely known is the story of innovators like Sebastian during the time of Charlemagne? Sebastian is completely fictional, though a partial model for him was Alcuin of York, one of Charlemagne’s closest advisors, who tried to get him to think in new ways and is partly responsible forthe Carolingian Renaissance. Alcuin was not the only forward thinker who influenced the king. It was Charlemagne’s genius that he actively recruited men like Alcuin who could bring him new ideas. He surrounded himself with such innovators as Paul the Deacon, Theodulf and Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer. The king was very proud of this ever-expanding “circle of wise men.” The existence of these men is no secret; there have been many scholarly works written about them.
After the trilogy of the Sebastian Chronicles concludes, are you going to continue in the same vein of illuminating Charlemagne’s life? Or, adventure off into a new realm of equal interest?
Steger responds: What’s next after the Sebastian Chronicles? I expect to write a prequel to be called The Horse Master, which will be the story of Attalus, the one man who was most important in Sebastian’s life. Beyond that, I have no idea. It’s already a full plate.
When queried about which historical figured you’d love to sit down with for a conversation, you mentioned it would be Charlemagne due to the breadth of what could be discussed. Which topics would you have elected to focus on if he were sitting next to you now?
Steger responds: If it were possible to have a conversation with Charlemagne, what would one want to know? What wouldn’t one want to know? But here are a few specifics: What’s the truth about the early death of Charlemagne’s brother and co-ruler? What made him marry Hildegard who was only 13 years old at the time? Why did he leave Spain in 778 after a campaign that lasted less than a year and did not result in a clear victory? Who was the real Roland? (The famous epic poem Chanson de Roland notwithstanding, and in spite of all the legends and stories about him, there’s only one official mention of Roland in primary sources.) What really made Charlemagne abandon his campaign of genocide against the Saxons? There are many more questions, but primary sources from that time are sketchy.
If you could pick three distinct eras of history (as you are a retired Professor), which are you most passionate about exploring further outside of the Middle Ages?
Steger responds: Besides the Middle Ages, what other areas of history are of interest to me? I very much like the Roman era, World War I, and the period leading up to the American Civil War.
Do you think you might explore writing about more of your historical heroes? Whom would you select? And, why?
Steger responds: What other historical figures are of interest?Harun al Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad; the Radhanite Jewish traders of the Middle Ages; Clovis I, first king of all the Franks; Catherine of Sienna, medieval saint; Sandro Botticelli, early Renaissance painter; St. Boniface, English missionary to the Germans; Attila the Hun; King Alfred of England; Alexander the Great; Alexander I, Czar of Russia; Marco Polo—to name a few.
What are your feelings on Charlemagne’s military tactics, having been in the army yourself for 16 years?
Steger responds: Charlemagne believed that more was better. He liked using overwhelming force, so he usually didn’t go into battle unless he had a big numbers advantage. He was not afraid to split his forces, however, and approach his enemy from multiple directions, a tactic which often caused panic in his opponent. And he was pretty good at doing the surprising thing, like crossing the Alps in winter to invade Italy.
What is your earliest memory in picking up the pen in regards to creating the intensive world-building as displayed throughout Sebastian’s Way?
Steger responds: Eight years ago, my wife fell ill with Stage Four cancer. I quit my job to be with her, but it was a lingering illness. So I started to write the book just for something to do and to keep my mind busy.
Which writers influenced you to write and share your own stories?
Steger responds: Ken Follett (Pillars of the Earth); Bernard Cornwell (The Saxon Tales); Mark Halperin (A Soldier of the Great War); Sebastian Faulks (Birdsong); Umberto Eco (Name of the Rose); Feodor Dostoevsky (Brothers Karamazov); Rudyard Kipling (poems and stories); Cormack McCarthy (All the Pretty Horses); Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove); and anything Dickens wrote.
What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?
Steger responds: I walked in the woods and fields a lot to conjure up the story and then hurried home if an idea or a piece of dialogue came up and sat down at the computer to type it out before I lost it. Other than that, there were many resource books by scholars on this era, particularly RosamundMcKitterick and Pierre Riche.
In your extensive travels (around the world), which cultural heritage impressed you the most? And, why?
Steger responds: Besides my own American culture, I am an Anglophile. I guess that comes from all the British literature I’ve read over time.
What part of the world would you live in, if given the chance?
Steger responds: Europe, in general; England in particular. But I like living where I am. Newsong is the name of my house and I live in rural Kansas.
Writers are generally dedicated readers, what do you enjoy reading for both pleasure and serious study? Or, do you focus primarily on historical facts?
Steger responds: Easy.Historical fiction, mostly European but I like American westerns and stories of the Civil War era.I’m familiar with most of the classics of English literature.
What was your favourite book(s) as a child?
Steger responds: Believe it or not, I liked The Last of the Mohicans.
What do you feel is the hardest to convey as a writer? The historical backdrop inside the story or the narrative voice of the historical figure?
Steger responds: The historical background, by far. That takes a lot of research. As long as you’re very familiar with the facts about the historical figure, you can imagine how he or she might be.
How do you draw a balance between making history drinkable to the everyday reader and for the historical scholar?
Steger responds: Not easy. But historical scholars like a good story too. So you make it as entertaining as you can and just make sure you don’t abuse the facts.
Was it difficult making the transition from military serviceman to History Professor?
Steger responds: Being a soldier taught me a lot about life, and it broadened what I know about the world immensely. It taught me discipline and determination. It was a hard life at times, but a worthy one. And what is not so commonly known is that modern soldiers have to go to school during much of their careers. It’s not just running up and down hills. There’s way too much technology. Most of the officers I know had at least a Masters Degree and many had a Ph.D. by the time they finished their careers. The War College and Command and General Staff College here in Leavenworth is no joke and not for dummies.
There’s a lot more freedom, however, in being a teacher, and it’s great to live in peace, which is equally satisfying and broadening. You just have to approach finding solutions to problems in a different way.
What is your greatest everyday joy?
Steger responds: That’s a very personal thing. And I guess that changes every day. But in general it’s just a great thing to be able to savor a new day and be grateful for it.
What do you hope readers will embrace the most about Sebastian and Charlemagne?
Steger responds: Well, I hope, first of all, that they will be entertained. And I would like it if they came to admire Charlemagne and at least like Sebastian. The pitch of the book, however, was to send the message that the most difficult thing in the world is to be different from those around us. Being different needs courage and a very good reason, and one needs to be prepared to pay the price.
Thank you, Mr. Steger for being open to my questions and for giving my readers & I a lot to muse about in regards of Sebastian and Charlemagne! I had a sinking feeling that Sebastian was a composite character based on the lives of the men who directly influenced Chalemagne! For me, it doesn’t alter my appeal or love of the story, because it’s the way in which you wrote the story which stays with the reader long after the book is put down! And, I was ‘hinting’ at Attalus’s prequel in my book review! I was attempting not to spoilt it in case no one else was drawing the conclusion! I appreciate your time in generating your response and I am most delighted that this is going to be an on-going series! I cannot wait to see the next installment drop in other words! Please leave a note for the author if you have anything you’d like to say or ask!
Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
{SOURCES: George Steger photograph, and the logo badge for HFVBT were all provided by HFVBT (Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours) and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. I requested an Author Interview in which I submitted the Questions for Steger through HFVBT and received his answers in response through Ms. Bruno.}
Acquired Book By: I am a regular blog book tour hostess for Tomorrow Comes Media, whereupon in conversation with Stephen Zimmer about my curiosity over the contents of this anthology due to the overwhelmingly creative book cover art; I was offered to receive a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Intrigued to Read:
Being I am a writer of science fiction stories set in a modern world akin to our own and based on science fact (I always had leanings towards hard sci-fi rather than soft!), I am always quite the intrepid girl who becomes interested in reading the latest book of writing advice, tips, and sage wisdom from those who have gone before me and cast their stories out into the hands of readers! Science fiction was in my blood long before I ever put thought to pen, as I inherited a passion for Trek & Star Wars which goes back to the original canon of both franchises. I never expected to live in a generation where having to say I support the ‘original canon’ of either one would even come to pass! However, that aside, what drew me into this anthology wasn’t just the context of the subject at hand but the excellent cover art rendering by Matthew Perry! Whose knack for presenting such a cleverly creative jumping gate of a writer’s muse is in good form! I knew whatever was contained inside the anthology was content I was determined to read! The musings of writers always makes me smile, yet its the enduring spirit of putting your heart on the line, owning your own work irregardless of its popularity and being strong in your belief an audience is awaiting to read your story is what invigorates me!
Within the Workshop, you’ll find:
Prominent writers within the craft of science fiction and fantasy story-telling, impart sage wisdom and advice given through anecdotical essays, pertinent interviews; set to a rhythm of appearances which makes Editor Knost appear nearly telepathically inclined as the reader weaves through a symbiotic rumination!
Contents Therein:
Michael Knost: Introduction
Neil Gaiman: Where do you get your Ideas?
Lou Anders: Nebulous Matters or Speculation on Subgenres
Lucy A. Synder: Ursula K. Le Guin Talks about a Lifetime in the Craft
James Gunn: Beginnings
George Zebrowski: Middles
Jay Lake: Endings
Nayad A. Monroe: Time Powers Talks about Writing Speculative Fiction
Orson Scott Card: On Rhetoric and Style
Pamela Sargent: Talking Too Much, or Not Enough: Dialogue in Science Fiction & Fantasy
G. Cameron Fuller: How Alien the Alien: A Primer
Nancy Kress: “The Green-Skinned Zorn Laughed with Grief” Character and Emotion in Science Fiction & Fantasy
Harry Turtledove: Alternate History: The How-to of What Might Have Been
Jude-Marie Green: Larry Niven Talks about Collaboration
Joe Haldeman: Hemingway Talks about Writing
Nisi Shawl: Unbending Gender
Alan Dean Foster: Reverse Engineering
Alethea Kontis: Kevin J. Anderson Talks about Spin-offs, Prequels, & Fan Fiction
Elizabeth Bear: Tactics of World-Building
Jackie Gamber: Ann VanderMeer Talks about Weird Fiction
Michael Knost: Short Fiction: A Roundtable Discussion with Short Story Editors
Max Miller: Long Fiction: A Roundtable Discussion with Novel Editors
I will be making selections of my reading to focus on throughout this bookish girl’s review of the ruminative musings which ignited in her mind’s eye as she drank through the pages with an eagerness all writers will understand! Writers reflecting on their craft and opening an honest discussion about the inner workings of writing as art is a moment to celebrate and cherish!
[Where Do You Get Your Ideas? an essay by Neil Gaiman]
The curious nature of readers is always to formulate a question directed towards the writer they unabashedly follow throughout their career as to explain the seemingly bottomless well of ideas the stories oriented from. The honest truths of where the genesis of an idea is first garnished is brilliantly executed by Mr. Gaiman (of whom I am aware of his works but haven’t yet read)! Your ideas percolate at a pace that you’re at times not even expecting to be able to fulfill a request of, because of the nature of the human brain’s processor of information! A writer is willfully able to head into the direction the first spark of inspiration alights in mind, but to follow the originating idea through germination and tether it to a solidified ending is walking through the unknown; proportions of which, none of us truly know of until we’re sitting down to write.
And, it’s within this boiling and brewing of ideas where I gather my energy for the story about to transfer out of my mind’s vortex and unto the written page! To take a thread of an idea, nurture it into being and then, allowing the freedom of the idea to transition and transmorph into its full-bodied existence of what its meant to be is a writer’s realised dream. Nibblements of ruminations sprinkled throughout a lifetime of experience and adventure start to ink out into our imagination. Transcending both time and memory, as pieces of ourselves are wrangled into the lifeblood of our characters! Being a writer is akin to being a nurturer of ideas and of ideals. We take our observations from our living realities, and pour our heart into our works attempting to yield a story that others might find palatable. I say ‘might’ find as I am one writer who writes the stories which flow through her rather than write a story which is hinged to a specific audience or topic. We (writers) all hope that the momentum and passion we have for an idea will garnish itself a foothold in a reader’s queue. Perhaps even, enlighten their outlook or perception, but moreso than naught, to give them a hearty piece of narrative which leaves them pensively grateful for the idea which started the words to fill the page!
[Nebulous Matters or Speculation on Subgenres – an essay by Lou Anders]
I felt especially blessed to find this particular section included in the Workshop, as I am always befuddled to understand which ‘genre’ is the stepping stone of each of the ‘subgenres’ in which I read! I have spent quite literally hours exhausting resources online to sort through the myriad labyrinth of descriptive analysis always walking away feeling a bit more muddled than clarified! There are a few exceptions, as one post floats to mind which I read during (#RRSciFiMonth) Sci-Fi November (my endearing name for “Sci-Fi Month” hosted by Rinn Reads!*) which was Top Ten Sci-Fi Sub-Genres (Part 1: Cyberpunk) by Leanne of Literary Excursion! Whilst I read her engaging post on a slice of science fiction I never felt I could honestly attach myself, I shared this remarkable observation:
I have a keen interest in the subject as I never knew what the differences were and its part of my learning curve this month with SFN! Cheers to you!
You know, I hadn’t even realised Steampunk came OUT of Cyberpunk! Learnt something new there! And, I was researching a LOT myself to educate myself on the origins of Steampunk but I must’ve missed the key references that would have connected these dots for me! Thankfully, you stepped in and saved the day!
Wait! Hold the TARDIS! I like “Dieselpunk”!?! Seriously!? Wow. I didn’t see that coming at all! But, right there in your essay it explains that “The Rocketeer” and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” (I *knew!* I missed one on my Top List for Films!) are listed! I seriously adore those films!!!
Wow. OKay, so I’m still processing,… I am a Cyberpunk who fits inside the Steampunk + Dieselpunk genres!? Wow. I can see I have more research to do after SFN! Thanks for pointing me off in two new directions!
You can clearly see that “Doctor Who” had a direct impact on my life at the time, as I actually said “TARDIS” as an expression rather than as a direct reference of the Doctor’s travelling box! Laughs within a smile. One of the resounding benefits for me in being part of SFN is that it allowed me the advantage of not only interacting with other sci-fi enthused readers, but it allowed me to talk about a branch of literature I’m over the moon passionate about! And, within that perimeter, I gained growth in the knowledge of how the genre is both supported, explored, and constantly being revolutionised by new ideas! I am going to be going back through all the lovely blogs of whom were populated with posts during SFN as I make my exodus backwards and through the rest of my own SFN experience!
Leading back to the book at hand, Mr. Anders brought to light several classic key points which interested me dearly:
The word “speculative fiction” has plagued me since Autumn 2013, as I was trying to unearth if it were in fact the broad stroke of description attributed to science fiction, fantasy, & horror OR if it were a new definitive space of works within those keystrokes which pushed past the barriers of straight-up foundational beliefs and entered into the cross-section of the unknown, the unfamiliar, and the remarkable. His answer finally closes the theory of mystery for me!
My mind was enraptured by science since I was a very young girl, to the brink that following myself into studies for various sciences was the track I was going to bookend to my creative pursuits. Those who know me well, know which of the ‘sciences’ pulls at my heartstrings the most, and as I blog about my reading escapades I am quite certain it will be revealed for others as well. Here, I only wanted to say that due to my background in science (and the continued studies I am pursuing on my own) the branch of hard science fictionis quite appealing as it goes into the exploration of where the limits of known science and theoretical science are heading right here in the living now of time. It was not a surprise to me to see Ringworld mentioned in relation to this branch, as Niven is one of the authors I have earmarked off to read since I first broached science fiction in the first place!
The curation of mundane science fiction fascinates me due to the dexterity of how far the writers can take the stories without the ‘theories’ of the inclusion of hard sci-fi elements. There is always going to be a balance between the personal beliefs of a reader & of a writer, as to how far each is willing to extend their imagination and the stories in which they each choose to define as a whole component of the living context of the genre. I’d be keen to seek out writers of this branch and see how their approach is leading the genre forward.
Space Opera was an inherent choice of mine to pursue! One of my favourite ‘personal discoveries’ was Babylon 5, as it eliminated the ‘box’ of how science fiction serials were once defined. For me, it leapt out of the convention a bit moreso than its counterpart of Deep Space Nine, which was still set to work inside an established reality and space. I even appreciated the folly of Galaxy Quest as a comic and cheeky side of being a geeky sci-fi appreciator! (I am not one who would normally gather a mirth of joy for folly, farce, or parody!) The ramifications for living interstellarly is too keen of an idea not to indulge in reading! And, there is of course the tv movie from the 1980s I am still trying to unearth the title of,…where they had to choose whether or not to stay on the moon or return back to earth?! The woman was pregnant and the choice would be between where to live and how the choice would affect their family long-term. Not a lot to go on, but it was brilliantly done at the time and I regret my memory cannot remember more!
New Space Opera leaves me curious as I am always seeking to read more British literature, and if the Britons have sorted out a new method of curating stories of this nature, I am definitely going to sort out how to find them! Verse Military Science Fiction taking a limited backdoor of plausible interest. I think for me, the film Starship Troopers wrecked the joy! As I watched it when it first premiered, had I know the level of intensity I would experience I would have omitted the desire. Conversely, I have a deep appreciation for military fiction stories, as I have been a long-term supporter of JAG, NCIS, and NCIS: LA, as much as seeing various incarnations of the military fiction in both tv and film. I never fully close a door, as I might wander back through with a book in hand which changes my perspective and illuminates a character which my heart grows empathy to meet. Two examples of military fiction I have been over jupiter’s moon in favour of are: Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy & Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder by George Steger.
New Wave Science Fiction is one that I have noticed without the realisation of what I was seeing! And, yet am a bit on the fence if I am a reader who can attach herself to the stories of this category! Time will reveal… Cyberpunk I already revealed was a startling discovery of interest!
Steampunk Is a sub-genre I’ve had a deep appreciation for which was knitted out of a love of the Victorian Gothic clothing movement, the sub-culture of indie artists on Etsy, and a firm appreciation for Victorian technology merged into story-lines which elicit a new generation of science fiction with the heart of the old age intact yet re-defined for today! I am only in the very beginnings of reading ‘steampunk’ as my next foray will be The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart! (blogged about my discovery of the book) (posts on Steampunk)
Epic &/or High Fantasy Is singularly my absolute favourite to read due to the breadth and depth of the stories which bind together living worlds of imagined joy! I love wandering around a well-fused story, anchored by characters whose lives are visibly flawed but contain within the mirth of their scope an adventure, a journey, or a mission which takes you to the heights of their world and yours. I get all giddy about discovering new authors to seek out, because I know the story I’m about to merge my heart into is going to be one I’ll not quite forget! The author who proved her salt and my adoration for this branch was Kate Elliott’s Crown of Stars saga which I began reading at the age of seventeen!
Sword & Sorcery as well as Urban Fantasy Are two branches I am always a bit hesitative to indulge in as I am not a grisly, gruesome, or intensely horror-filled sort of reader. Having said that, I have read Urban Fantasy books which might have resonated an issue with my personal preferences but the heart of the stories staid with me much longer than a twitching of an issue over a book turnoff contained within their covers! I always keep an open-mind whilst I read due to the fact you never know which book your going to read that might push you outside your known envelope of acceptance into a story that gives you back something you were not expecting to receive.
Dark Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Are two more areas in which I find myself at odds to begin reading; only because I haven’t yet found my proper footing to explore the writers who pen their tales! There are aspects of the paranormal which intrigue me to read (clearly, as I read the Ghost Harrison series by Heather Graham!), but its in finding which author who pens which story of whose characters resonate with me in printed form as much as say “Ghost Whisperer” does in its motion medium.
Sci-Fantasy To me sounds like a merger of two of my favourite literary excursions in which I cannot wait to journey inside! To empathises and mix the two genres into a lively genre-bender exploration of story and thought is beyond genius! One of my favourite genre-benders for science fiction (Sci-Mystery?) is The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester, another story I read at seventeen!
Ander’s way of capturing the tick-tocking dance of enticing offshoots of the genre, electrify the eagerness to drink in more of the stories which give us the most joy to read! His enthused approach to make the complexities of genre explainable to the causal reader as well as the experienced is a credit to his skill in understanding the foundations of science fiction. IF lack of space hadn’t been an issue, (as I presume all essays within the Workshop were under a limited word count), I would have rejoiced in reading more on the subject! Eek. Exciting stuff! And, for a girl transitioning back into the genre, it’s quite literally ‘a road map and treasure trove of where to wander off next!’
*As you may or may not be aware of, I am resuming where I left off with my Sci-Fi November postings, to where I want to complete what I originally set out to accomplish! I have numerous notes on the Doctor Who episodes I watched, as much as I want to complete the viewings I scheduled as it was such a fantastic introduction to the tv serial! My gratitude to Rinn for conceiving the idea & for running with it is a deep as the galaxy itself! I do hope it becomes an ‘annual’ event as it was quite literally the light and joy of my November!
[Jake Lake: Endings]
As it so happens the day I was first preparing this review to go live on my blog, I ended up readily engaged in quite a lively conversation through #LitChat which is a bi-weekly (Monday & Wednesday, 4-5 EST) literature conversation for the bookishly inclined! I stumbled across their feeds late in 2013, only to realise that it feels like I have found a nexus of readers who are as geeky and bookish as I am! The topics change weekly, as do the guests they feature on Wednesdays! As you can see, the topic on Monday was “Cliffhanger Endings” which I felt was appropriate to include here being that I was reading an essay on this very topical issue! How to properly end a story!
The following tweets were inserted using WP’s automated Tweet App: (as such I was trying to only include my words but the top tweet appears as well! They also appear in ‘reverse order’ because I like to be quirky!)
#LitChat My blog expresses the eclectic nature of my reading adventures! :) Laughs. Its a great time to be geeky and bookish! @LazetteG
As you can clearly denote, I have a keen interest in why certain books are set to swirl my head with bone crushing emotion and anguish, only to have no resolution of the core of the climax! These are the stories which nestle into my heart, the characters of whom I have followed through strife and joy, only to emerge out of their adverse circumstances with an unresolved distaste in my mouth! I whole-heartedly understand when stories cannot end well in later chapters if it’s the beginning of a serial, but what about the stand-alone books which oft-times are written by début authors!? What then, pray tell? Do you chance the hope that a sequel will be penned and released within a twelvemonth or do you anguish over the grief of not having a proper Epilogue to guide your heart back through to reality outside of the realm of the book!?
Endings if you ask me, are dicey, and these were my ruminations BEFORE I entered into Lake’s essay! Whoa!
I am quite comfortable if the elucidation of the story’s resolve remains vague if enough of the climaxical angst feels as though nothing more can be said or done to alleviate the character’s anguish. There are as much unresolved endings in fiction as Lake credits to real life; and I completely concur! Except to say, there is a measure of a breadth of leeway for science fiction & fantasy to a certain extent. However, my comments in the LitChat feed was a broad stroke recollection of inter-genre discussion. As such, I never specifically said which genre or branch of literature I was respectively discussing nor which particular author. I’d rather debate the merits of a tool of the craft, in this case, ‘the cliffhanger ending’ rather than to specifically denounce a preference of a writer. Because in the end, the issue with the ending is mine. I’m the reader who picked up the story in the forethought of expectation of an ending I could live with once the book was set down on my shelf. IF my presumption worked against my heart in the end, it is only half on the fault of the writing. It’s difficult to brace ourselves for unresolved endings when in life we are constantly dealing with the peculiar nature of the unknown! Sometimes it is nice to have a purported dimension where more or less resolution is commonplace rather than elusive!
According to Lake’s assessment my key issue is with accepting a story which is writ in normative and non-normative format! I knew there had to be a reasoning behind my discontempt! Yet. There are moments in certain stories I would suspect or even hope that the ending wouldn’t be resolved if the issues contained within the heart of the journey are ones beyond the scope of the book. A story can only yield so much insight into the world in which it thrives in the space in which it inhabits. I think my classic mistake is expecting too much out of certain stories in which present a journey with an open-ended definition of ‘the end’.
I was smiling when I read the bottom paragraphs of page 51! At the footfall of page 52 arching into page 53, Lake touches on the exact sentiment I was attempting to explain myself! If a story is generated to be a complex tome of narrative, the reader not only presumes but requires the ending to resonate with a deft complexity as the rest of the text! Thank you, Mr. Lake! His final sentence of page 55 is precisely what I was hinting at! Precisely!
Ah, ha! My malaise can lift! I suffer from broken endings under the influence of the parachute technique!
[G. Cameron Fuller: How Alien the Alien: A Primer]
The opening sequence of this essay illuminates one of my favourite [fantasy] films of the past decade: Avatar! I quite literally wanted to soak into the world in which the Na’vi lived! To soar into the skies as a warrior would have made my heart thrive on the electric pulse of purpose! Except to say, I believe my gender is against me in this one regard, but oh, I suppose there is a bit of a feminist in all of us who strive towards equality for all genders to pursue what they individually wish to achieve! Including in fictional worlds we drink in with a mirth of a nod in awe!
What fascinated me is that the conjecture of the tone in this section is that the Na’vi were not altogether alien in the traditional sense but rather a humanoid species living on a different planet from our own! Strangely or not, this mirrors my exact thought processes whilst I was in the darkened theater watching it on the silver screen! The aliens for me were the para-military minded soldiers whose taste for blood winked out the last bit of my inner resolve for warfare! No one wins in war, but warmongers are not my favourite characters to meet in fiction nor in motion pictures. The level of the emotionally gutting plane is enough to eclipse a moon!
I could even reflect that whilst I was becoming a Whovian during the 50th Anniversary month of Doctor Who, there were more than one occasion where I felt the ‘alien’ species being highlighted were less alien than the contemporary humans! Did anyone else think the nurses whose faces were cats was not all that unrealistic? Or, what about the fact that the Doctor himself is quite alien but prefers to be human?! Data ring any bells!? (as in: Brent Spiner’s character!)
He delves further into a study of some of my most memorable ‘alien’ characters: from Star Trek, Star Wars & Battlestar Galactica (all originals for me!); to the HAL computer of Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the evolution of fear of technologic advances as explored in the works of Michael Crichton which I read from thirteen to seventeen! I devoured Crichton because I appreciated the balance of science fact and science fiction. Who else jumps into a dedicated passion for quantum mechanics and quantum physics due to the immersive jauntings of chaos theory encapsulated by the character of Malcolm in Jurassic Park? Which previously had been encouraged by Macgyver!
To put it more plainly, my personal preference of an alien race is one whose blendability is as translucently unseen as the subtle CGI special effects of films where unless you were given an outline could not deduce which sequence was digitally enhanced and which was shot in live-action!! Too much CGI makes a film portioned out of position which goes to say, that an alien who acts wantonly alien is going to have a more difficult chance of drawing empathy out of a reader!
[Nancy Kress: “The Green-Skinned Zorn Laughed with Grief” Character and Emotion in Science Fiction & Fantasy]
Compassion for characters through being a receptacle of their emotional cues whilst reading their stories unfold on the printed page is one of the main reasons I read fiction! I want the visceral experience to be all-encompassing without limiting myself of how far I am willing to take my emotional keel! I want to ache and anguish alongside the character who is woefully going through strife and adverse circumstances before embarking on a path towards redemption or enlightenment. I want to emotionally be convinced that my time spent with the character is one where I can feel as moved as though I had lived their life by the time the story concludes.
I do have my limits, naturally, we all do, but what I am referring to here is to be ensconced into a story within my limits and living every inch of the character’s life therein.
The following tweets were inserted using WP’s automated Tweet App: (as such I was trying to only include my words but the top tweet appears as well! They also appear in ‘reverse order’ because I like to be quirky!)
I couldn’t find the exact tweets I was seeking, which made me realise that perhaps the conversation was half contained in LitChat and half contained elsewhere! My memory is not drawing forward the exact ‘moment’ the topic was examined but the tweets I did discover to include bank around to the topic of why empathy for written characters is crucial to the reader’s experience of the story! If we cannot attach ourselves to the lead or supporting cast of characters on an emotional level, be that intensive or fanciful, we are not going to feel as though we read a transformative piece of story. We transform ourselves through the characters we read, as our minds process the experiences of their lives as experiences that become a part of our own threads of living. We process and analyse everything we drink in, which is one reason we all have to be cautious of what our internal limits are for subject, topic, and genre explorations! Its one thing to read to expand our horizons, it’s quite another to focus on literature which has a negative effect on our overall well-being. Which for me includes how far I am willing to absolve myself in gutting emotions if the off-set of the anguish is not released by a resolved ending!*
*The Time Traveller’s Wife (motion picture); Remember Sunday (tv movie); Follow the Stars Home (tv movie); The Notebook (motion picture); Backdraft (motion picture); Saving Private Ryan (motion picture); Life is Beautiful (motion picture); Alice I Have Been (book); The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (book); are key examples of stories I watched or read but should have exited without seeing the conclusions. The emotionally gutting angst and anguish which followed each of them was wrecked physically by the nightmaric flashbacks and migraine! Sometimes writing can feel so hauntingly real to me, that I have to watch that I do not traverse through a section of narrative that will render me worse than when I first became engaged! Woe to all sensitive hearts like me!
Whereas despite the heavy emotional keel I experienced whilst watching Road to Perdition it was the sociological perspective of understanding the character Tom Hanks portrayed that leveled out the angst of watching his life unfold. I gladly rallied through Girl in a Blue Dress (book), The House Girl (book), and even The Spirit Keeper (book) to emerge out of where I had started. I cherish the stories which push the envelope only ‘nay far’ to where I can enter and exit without side effects of my visit.
Her conclusion is my reason for reading itself: to walk away feeling physically moved and changed by the story I’ve read to the brink where the characters, setting, and place are able to stay with me for many years yet to come! I crave seeking out the stories which leave pieces of their imprint on my heart!
[Elizabeth Bear: Tactics of WorldBuilding]
Her essay was keenly lit in my eyes as I had already blogged about my Top Ten Book Turn-Offs late in 2013. Wherein I would disclose that one of the hardest issues I have in reading is when I am ‘taking out of place’ within the confines of the story. I completely concur with her lamentations about the purity of research and the extensive amount of said research it takes to create the true atmosphere of a world built on a sturdy foundation. I personally thrive on research because I happen to have a curious mind of which is rarely quenched! I adore snaking through corridors of the past to spotlight a key notation that could lead to a recognition in a story I am creating. I love wandering and absorbing everything that whets my general interest in the subject at hand as well as the focus in which I am pursuing for a specific reason. I try not to limit my research in scope but rather in a methodology that allows me the genesis of spontaneity of creating dialogue and narrative at the brink of discovery!
There are two key elements for me when it comes to world building in narratives, which may or may not be as prominently important for others. Is the author a wordsmith? And, did the author conduct the research to stitch in clues of the ‘place’, ‘time’, and ‘setting’ in which the story is erected!? These are key for me, because I am not one who always appreciates the redundancy of words in fiction. There are certain genres which sometimes flutter an ire inside me, because they relay on the usage of ‘trigger’ words which repeat, reflect, and insinuate themselves to have their own harmonious hum in the story. I still read those stories if the character and context interest me, but my ire is aflame a bit to wonder, why not pick up a thesaurus?I should have mentioned this in my Book Turn Offs, but I didn’t originally believe I had enough to fill the list! The research falterations can become readily apparent to me in most instances and less so in others. It depends if I am reading for mere pleasure or if I want a heartier read where I quite literally want to feel, touch, and sense the world in which I am reading. The difference is subtle but the elements can reflect whether or not its a causal author you read OR if it’s an author you want to pursue long-term.
Her exposition on writers using other writers to give them the foundation of their stories is something I picked up on myself whilst reading certain genres which are saturated. You can start to notice the telling truth of writers who write stories solely based on the books they read themselves. Mostly because their own creations are limited to the world in which they read by another writer’s vision. Her intuition of a readers who send up ‘red flags’ whilst reading is reflective of my own reading life! If I reach more than three flags, I am considering why I am bothering at all! If it feels like a tornado siren is going off in my head, I simply discontinue right where I am!
Being a think writer myself, I understood where she is pointing her guiding hand; she wants writers to become aware of their worlds to where you could quite literally walk blind through them knowing every inch of its space. You have to be conscience of the dynamics your world is creating for you to build the story. If your confidence grows out of the knowledge of your world, your readers will automatically endear themselves to the novel long before the middle is reached! Whilst reading her essay I found a like-minded soul who reads with the same apprehensive excitement as I do!Apprehensive here refers to whether or not she or I will find what we are hoping to read inside the cover!
I am not one to generally gravitate towards a manual of ‘writing tips OR how to’ yield the most out of our craft [writing]. Except to say, I can honestly credit Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy alongside Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg as being my favourite discoveries thus far! The key elements of the craft are interlayed into both books, and I daresay, no matter what you elect to create, these are the two books of ‘writer’s craft’ guides you need in your personal library!
I have unearthed three distinctly different Twitter Chat interfaces this week, which I happily suggest you find time one week to engage in directly!
*(runs concurrent with The Star Chamber Show, unfortunately! In which you may not see me until its concluded!)
Do you know of any other chat feeds and the days in which they chatter about a literary topic? Kindly share your experiences in the comment threads!
This Seventh Star Press focus week was brought together with the help of Tomorrow Comes Media, of which I am a blog tour hostess and book reviewer. To keep up to speed with which authors and books I will be featuring on Jorie Loves A Story in the near future via Tomorrow Comes Media, please check out my Bookish Events!
This marks my fourth post in contribution of:
(“Strength and Honor” by Stephan Martiniere, used with the artist’s permission)
I open up the discussion to continue through you, dear hearts! Which of the sections I have highlighted through my own musings attached themselves to your own curious heart? Which inclinations of writing resonate to you the most? Which of the three branches of speculative fiction do you write? Which do you draw a breath of curious excitement to read? Are any of the writers contained in the anthology ones you read regularly? I’d love to hear your thoughts and takeaways from your visit! And, as this is a focus week on an Indie Press, which Indie Press do you gravitate towards for science fiction, fantasy, and horror? OR have you hesitated to read an Indie Press title or author? Which specific sub-genre do you gravitate towards the most?
{SOURCES: The 2014 Sci-Fi Experience was granted permission to use the artwork by Stephen Martiniere in their official badge for all participants to show their solidarity during the event! Michael Knost photograph & biography, cover art for Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Blog News badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Tweets pulled from Twitter were able to be embedded by the codes provided through WP’s Tweet App in the Media section. Likewise, tweets can also be directly added by individual tweets on Twitter.}
I was selected to be a stop on “Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder” Virtual Book Tour, hosted by HFVBT, in which I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author George Steger in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Curiosity Inspired Reading:
Whilst watching an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? involving Cindy Crawford’s ancestry (Series 4, E6), I learnt far more about Charlemagne than I ever dared hope possible! And, the fact that Ms. Crawford is directly related to him was an unexpected joy in seeing revealed! Whomever made the ancestral chart for her which unfolded like an ancient scroll is a master of their craft and field! I would love to have one for my own heritage as a keepsake! Whilst she was first being given this ‘key’ (a rather unexpected key!) to her past, it was revealed that Charlemagne was not the man everyone presumed he was based on what they knew of his military career and tactics. That there was more to Charlemagne than the world realised and that she should feel honoured to have him in her line!
This episode reaffirmed how little I know about certain pockets of historical remnants of life-changing proportion. There are certain epochs of history where rulers and conquerors alike have quite literally changed our world view as much as the map in which the world alights! Charlemagne never felt tangible to become acquainted with given his arc of life to research. When I first learnt of the blog tour surrounding this particular book, I felt as though I was being given my own ‘key’ and ‘gift’ opening the door to history and to the man of whom very few understood on a personal level. My curiosity you see, led me to the story of Sebastian (a name I always have appreciated!) as a gateway into the world of Charlemagne!
Book Synopsis:
In a dark age of unending war and violence, one young warrior opposes a mighty king to forge a new path to peace…
During the savage Frankish-Saxon wars, the moving force of his age, Karl der Grosse, King Charlemagne, fights and rules like the pagan enemies he seeks to conquer. But in the long shadow of war and genocide, a spark of enlightenment grows, and the king turns to learned men to help him lead his empire to prosperity.
One of these men is the unlikely young warrior Sebastian. Raised in an isolated fortress on the wild Saxon border, Sebastian balances his time in the training yard with hours teaching himself to read, seeking answers to the great mysteries of life during an age when such pastimes were scorned by fighting men. Sebastian’s unique combination of skills endears him to Charlemagne and to the ladies of the king’s court, though the only woman to hold his heart is forbidden to him. As the king determines to surround himself with men who can both fight and think beyond the fighting, Sebastian becomes one of the privileged few to hold the king’s ear.
But the favor of the king does not come without a cost. As Charlemagne’s vassals grapple for power, there are some who will do anything to see Sebastian fall from grace, including his ruthless cousin Konrad, whose hatred and jealousy threaten to destroy everything Sebastian holds dear. And as Sebastian increasingly finds himself at odds with the king’s brutal methods of domination and vengeance, his ingrained sense of honor and integrity lead him to the edge of treason, perilously pitting himself against the most powerful man of his age.
This fast-paced adventure story brings Charlemagne’s realm to life as the vicious Christian-pagan wars of the eighth century decide the fate of Europe. Filled with action, intrigue, and romance, Sebastian’s Way is a riveting and colorful recreation of the world of Europe’s greatest medieval monarch.
Author Biography:
A native of Louisiana, the author followed a long tradition of young men from the Deep South by seeking to improve his prospects in the military. From a green second lieutenant in the famed 101st Airborne Division to battalion command in Vietnam, Colonel Steger spent most of the rest of his military career in four European tours as an intelligence officer and Russian foreign area specialist, working on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. He traded sword for plowshare in a second career in academia and is now Professor Emeritus of history and international affairs at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. The motivation to write Sebastian’s Way came from his experiences in both war and peace, from fourteen years in Germany and Eastern Europe, and from his love of teaching medieval and other European history courses.
Steger is an avid hiker and trail biker, and much of the story of Sebastian came out of time spent in the woods and fields of eastern Kansas. In memory of Mary Jo, his wife of many years, he and filmmaker son Ben spent a recent summer trekking across Spain on The Camino de Santiago, one of Europe’s oldest pilgrimage trails. He lives and writes in rural Kansas and has four other grown and gifted children.
For more information please visit George Steger’s website . You can also find him on Facebook.
Delving into 8th Centurion history:
I must confess, the very first page of this novel, begins by giving my impetus for reading the book: how would a ruler as heralded and ruthless as Charlemagne be turnt into a formidable man whose strength was not merely wielded from the bloodshed of his battles? To evolve through a change of mindset and heart by the influences of those closely tied to him in confidence is a story I felt had the merits of etching into the deepest forays of my mind!
Steger launches you into the very heart of the story, but eclipsing pleasantries and edging you right into the everyday ‘now’ of Sebastian’s life! If I weren’t sweltering in an early onset of Summer’s wrath, I’d be keen to have a Spring bolt electrifying thunderstorm outside my window to entertain the atmosphere I am drinking in by text! Although, I am always concerned whilst engaging into a tome of military history, I was pleasantly surprised that the tactical deviations are tempered by a sociological transcription of the age. I appreciated getting into the internal mind of the characters, both major and minor combined, as it allowed me to step through an invisible time portal. Given the distance is greater than 1,200 years between then and now, it’s the descriptive nature of Steger’s writing which gave the visceral experience more depth in meaning!
He even goes as far as to include proper entitlements for each chapter section, as well as giving a reader like me a fathering of a chance of catching on to the dilemma of Charlemagne’s relationship with Sebastian via a proper Prologue! I have always been a bit of a bookish geek in this one regard, where I simply adore inclusions such as these as they lay way to a sturdier foundation than most. Historicals which dip into the realm of biographical fiction, need to stand tall on the merits of the writer’s ability to divert one’s mind off where one sits as the book is read in order for the fuller effect to take. Steger has blissfully launched himself on a platform of quality story-telling interspersed with bang-on brilliant dialogue and narrative!
My Review of Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder
Whilst reading of the conditions of the siege and aftermath at Adalgray, it was in Steger’s description of Sebastian’s mother (Ermengard) which reflected back an image of a recent excursion on a nature trail whereupon I rather unexpectedly ‘found’ my errant flying red-shouldered hawk! The hawk had re-emerged on the opposite side of the cypress trees (as I had been walking in tandem at the water’s edge as the hawk had squawked from the upper boughs) settled rather stealthily on a branch with a crisp view of the world at large. I, however, was startled by the hawk’s piercing eyes and encompassing logic of place. Ermengard’s keen telling of her emotional state and of the situation at hand, reminded me of the hawk. Acutely aware and bold in tenacity to take-on what needs to be done!
I commend Steger’s cleverly bold descriptions of emotional angst which are a happy diversion from the general inclusion of more elicit language! I am thankful to see a writer champion the merits of a story, told through strong declarations of speech without having to wallow at a level that is not readily befit literature. His words ache and arch back to a time where thought was put before impulse, and where conversation was both hearty and logical. Likewise, there are only a flittering amount of grisly details which had I blinked would have missed completely! I was quite comfortable in his guiding hand as I dared myself the will to read each chapter with post-haste excitement to see what further revelations I could indulge in! A few page turns further, and I was bemused with the enlarging back-story of Charlemagne’s main nemesises!
To see Sebastian first as a grown man reformed in the knowledge of warfare attempt to sway a King’s mind towards diplomacy, I was thankful to be given the chance to see the passageways which led to his transformed heart. I am always keen on sociological understandings of a person’s psyche insofar as what attributes of their beliefs and ideals lead them to make the choices they endear throughout their lives. To understand how they absorb the tragedies around them and the horrors of living in an age in a consistent state of war is the better way of drawing out empathy and compassion for history. To understand rather than to presume and to be mindful of the time in which the men lived to counterbalance the knowledge of today. This is how Steger presents his hero to his audience, by engaging us in the lifepath of his character.
Heimdal proved to be Sebastian’s guiding light by speaking the truth in which Sebastian was at first blind to see. I had to speculate whilst I first was introduced to Heimdal, if its his direct influence which led Sebastian to be bold to think he could change Charlemagne’s heart as well. To open Charlemagne’s eyes to the truth of war and the truth of how man ought to endeavour to live. His counsel with Heimdal and a pivotal experience during the siege overtook Sebastian’s spirit and his resolve to seek a different solution that would run counter against convention. His humanity and his insight were blessings, but I would suspect at the time in whence he lived they would be viewed as weaknesses. Attalus on the other hand was the retired warrior who agreed for Sebastian to apprentice under him, to garnish his own bones of wisdom. Remnants of his advice were like orbs shining back on the opening Prologue. Attalus is a man who dimensionally has a keen place in Sebastian’s life as with Heimdal, those who teach us the most are generally the ones of whom cross our paths serendipitously!
Yet Heimdal and Attalus was only one of the men who encouraged Sebastian to see past what every warrior took as a mark of measure for a warrior’s life. He internally strove to circumvent the order of the day with the balance of a man of faithful mindfulness. Instead of accepting the reality his eyes would observe, he bolted himself to the idea that perhaps not every path towards succession of power was meant to be laced in blood. The barbaric camaraderie of the age was taxing on Sebastian, as he took no pleasure in the joy of a hunt or kill when it came to battling foe and enemy. He’d rather seek out a point of leverage or alternative course of action where lives could be spared but power could be restored. In many ways, my heart was with Sebastian as he struggled to find his footing both as a young lad and as a young man, who had strong shoes to fulfill from his father and uncle.
The Pathfinder is an apt sub-title acknowledging that Sebastian was meant for a greater purpose than merely taking up spear, lance, and arrow as a warrior. Seeking a path towards redemption for the loss of the soul’s of men he was directly or indirectly responsible for having shed, this installment garnishes a full respect of the years in which Sebastian was schooled and apprenticed. The proving grounds for how he would come to think and process the quick-step action of the battlefield and the ruminative thoughts which pulsed through him when he was taking an accord of a difference against King and country. Despite his stature, his greatest strength was forged in the pure belief that if a man worked hard and endeavoured to understand what he was first ignorant of; true progress could be reconciled.
In gratitude of Mr. Steger’s writing style:
I dare thought it might not be plausible to settle into a thick slice of historical suspense such as a story of Charlemagne, until I was given the chance to read Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder! A book which lives up to the virtues of historical fiction by etching into our mind’s eye the very inclinations and notions of the age in which Steger’s central figure lived and breathed. It was an age of boldness and an age of religious upheaval. The battle to control the power of the land and the power of the people was not forged through mediation. It was a time which bespoke more of war wounds and proven allegiances based on leadership in the field. To approach the narrative with a slight hesitation of what the context would reveal to me, gave me a bit of an edge once I was ensconced! My nerves melted with each word and paragraph I hungrily drank in to see where the author was taking me next. His ability to light the story from within the heart of the narrative itself is a gift.
One character who gave me a bit of a lasting impression, save Sebastian, was Attalus, and it wasn’t too far afield into the story where I surmised the author had a similar inkling! Attalus was a character who took me by complete surprise, and I am thankful I had the chance to meet him! And, the continuation of his story is one I long to consume!
I pray I shall have the chance to watch the evolution of the Sebastian’s story as the next volumes in this chronicle start to release! For each installment brings us closer to the fullness of Sebastian’s intuitive nudges of enlightened grace.
I am quite curious, dear hearts, if you have read stories about Charlemagne prior to discovering this one, what drew your eye for Sebastian’s Way!? What is it about Charlemagne do you feel allows his popularity and his legacy to continue to be spotlighted in modern society? What role do you feel he plays in our conjoined history? Do you recommend other fiction or non-fiction accountments of his life? Which century or era do you readily drink in? What captures you the most?
{SOURCES: George Steger photograph & biography, Book Synopsis, and Book Cover were provided by HFVBT and were used by permission. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
Today on Jorie Loves A Story, I am asking one of the Seventh Star Press Anthology Editors to take a brief moment out of his schedule to give my readers a bit of a glimpse of what it is like not only to edit anthologies but a bit about the man behind the Editor’s pen! I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Knost on The Star Chamber Show #8 where I learnt quite a heap about him overall. I felt it might be nice to host a Q&A with him to coincide with my bookish review of his anthology Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy! Ahead of yielding to the conversation which emerged out of my questions, I wanted to share a few tweets from the Chamber to give you a glimpse into his personality:
I understand you’re an author, editor, and columnist – which tugs at your heart the most? And, why?
Knost responds: Author. I love the creative process, and it is most personal when I am producing the words. I love eliciting emotions and working as a co-writer with the reader—I love the collaboration process with the reader, utilizing the theater of the mind.
I love how you keyed into the co-interaction with the reader who picks up your stories and completes the circle of the creative synergy which began when you first spilt words onto the page! Not a lot of writers look at this as a circle of fused reality between the creator of the story and the reader of the finished work. I oft thought that if a writer didn’t have the audience, the story would only be half complete! It’s a bit like how actors in motion pictures & live theatre need the audience to generate the apex of their mediums! For me, nothing excites me more than the unlimited frontier of our imagination! Writing is an exploration of the mind, the heart, and the will to create a palette of words out of the genesis of inspiration!
When did you first pick up the pen? And, in which direction did it guide you?
Knost responds: Maybe twelve years ago. I managed radio stations for years and started writing self-help books and trade articles. It didn’t take long before the bug was deeply under my skin and I was interested in science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
I love how your entrance into the craft of writing was a bit of a cheeky one, as you left broadcast and went straight into the trade at hand! I’ve always been deeply invested in science fiction & fantasy, but the elements of horror are a bit notwithstanding as compared to other Seventh Star Press readers & family thereof! I have my moments when ‘horror’ alights in my life (ie: classic psychological suspense films, the Dead Zone series, the Mummy trilogy of films, etc), but for the most part it’s the uncharted territories of hard & soft sci-fi and high fantasy that whet my curiosity the most!
Which writers inspired you to write and share your own stories?
Knost responds: Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Arthur C. Clarke.
Bradbury, Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkien, and Clarke have been on my ‘grandfathers’ of the genre reading list for absolute eons now! I have always had this determined spirit to read each of the grandfathers (& grandmothers!) works, as I wanted to step back into the folds of time watching how the stories developed originally in order to come full circle and see the merits of their legacies in modern stories. I love the history of the genre as much as I appreciate the interconnectedness of the field. Writers and readers have a wonderful way of coming together and its something I celebrate rather often!
What was your favourite past-time as a child? Did it inspire your future creative pursuits?
Knost responds: I was a voracious reader, and I was a musician. So, yes, I am sure being a reader was the creative planting/watering season for my writing, and being a musician played a crucial role in learning critique and practice.
Voracious describes me as a child as well, once I sorted out how to read that is! A bumpy start led to a devourment of books, genres, authors, and series as I danced my way straight through all childhood reading levels to broach college levels ahead of schedule! Laughs. I think when you have this intense curiosity inside you about life in general, you get an itch to learn as much as you can! Having said that, I also have felt that cross-related creative endeavours feed the creative spirit inside us all. Music and writing are extensions of each other rather than polar opposites, so I see where music gave you discipline!
What is your favourite aspect of being involved with the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre? What endears you most?
Knost responds: It rekindles the same sense of wonder and amazement I experienced as a youngster reading my favorites. It gives me the feeling I’m part of an ever-evolving community imagination—I’m passing on to the next generation the foundation they can use for their stories and futures.
Curiosity. Wonder. And a pure sense of being in the company of great thinkers is what drew me into SFF! I loved the accessibility of ideas and the nurturing of knowledge. The exploits of sorting out the changing technologic advances as much as broader the human condition to eclipse when the envelope of what man ought to be monkeying with was pushed to the extreme. I loved your response to this question! Rock on!
Is editing an anthology more difficult than writing a book? If so, why? And, how did you coordinate the sections of Writers Workshop on Science Fiction and Fantasy in such a way that the previous writer melded into the next’s topic?
Knost responds: Each has its own difficulty, and each has its own strengths. As an editor, I am tasked as a conductor, seeking to keep the whole in a harmonic state, which sometimes can be nearly impossible. Where the writer is concerned about his or her solo, the editor is concerned about the entire piece. Just as each song is different, so is each anthology or collection, and because of that, each is structured by going with one’s heart. As for WWOSFF, I assigned the particular element of the craft of which I wanted each writer to focus. And I planned the layout while in the assignment stages, which evolved somewhat.
I would imagine the greatest joy of being an editor of an anthology is the simple resonance of knowing your on the verge of discovering the new talent of ‘today’ of whom could become the ‘classic’ writer of tomorrow! We’re always hinged between worlds when we write and when we publish. We dare to embark on a journey to unearth our own stories and those stories of others who dare us to think further outside the box of our own nestled spheres of probability. My hat’s off to you with the Writers Workshop of SFF, as each time I delved into a new section of the book, I felt as though the concurrent writer was telepathically connected to the previous! This showed a deft hand as an editor who guided each writer not only to pick up where the last left off but to guide the entire project into one seamless volume of advice!
Are your Appalachian roots where your fascination with urban legends began? What first drew your eye?
Knost responds:Absolutely. I grew up with verbal storytellers who told the stories that were passed down from generation to generation. The funny thing about Appalachian ghosts and legends is the fact that they originated from the homelands and ancestry of the tellers. It reminds my of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, where we brought our gods with us when we came here—we did the same with our ghosts and legends. I grew up with living histories but none of those stories involved urban legends, which is why I wanted to hear how your passion for this kind of story-telling was first inspired to be penned. I agree that the origins of where we come from; as well as the foundations of our living truths inside our families, have an impact of what we choose to do in life as much as our motivations to seek out our passions. My family was happily full of story-tellers but it had more to do with everyday living and the escapades of discovering who you are as you live rather than the legends that grow into the framework of a particular setting or place.
Why did you decide to approach the Mothman myth? And, to make him distinctly different from the norm?
Knost responds: The Mothman is a very popular creature in my home state of West Virginia. I had a unique idea about the creature and had to get it out of my system or I would explode.
What tools and materials do you use to write? And, where do you write the most? Time of Day?
Knost responds: For Return of the Mothman, I wrote Return of the Mothman 100% on my iPad using the Pages app, which synchronizes with Microsoft Word. I write mostly at my home office, which is detached from my home—usually between 5:00 PM and 2:00 AM. However, I do occasionally write at coffee shops and restaurants when I am on the road, or need a breath of fresh air.
I am always wondering how each of us approaches the craft whilst we are huddled away from the world as we allow our imaginations to fully root into the page and paper! I’m a bit of a paradoxical writer in that although I’d love to have a Mac in the future to write my stories on (a desktop, not macbook!),… there is a part of me who wants to shirk the modern tech in favour for the old-fashioned tech of yesteryear! If I could have my druthers I’d get a fully restored typewriter from the 1940s! I once carted a notebook round to coffeehouses & cafes, whereupon I learnt for my own sanity pen and notebook (lined college ruled paper equivalency!) would do me just fine! The one thing we do share in common is that we’re both night owls! Hoot! Hoot!
What is your greatest everyday joy?
Knost responds: My wife and daughter. My wife has been my best friend for over 21 years, and my daughter (five-year-old) is the light of my life.
There is singularly no greater joy in life than the companionship and love of hearth, home, and family!
Thank you, Mr. Knost for being generous with your responses and for giving us an illuminating look into the life of an editor ‘behind’ the scenes as it were! I appreciated your broadcast on The Star Chamber Show as much as having you alight on my blog today! I look forward to getting to know you a bit better as time moves forward! I have quite a heap to share in regards of your lovely anthology and so, I do hope time will allow you to return to see my ruminations!
This Seventh Star Press focus week was brought together with the help of Tomorrow Comes Media, of which I am a blog tour hostess and book reviewer. To keep up to speed with which authors and books I will be featuring on Jorie Loves A Story in the near future via Tomorrow Comes Media, please check out my Bookish Events! Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
This marks my third post in contribution of:
(“Strength and Honor” by Stephan Martiniere, used with the artist’s permission)
{SOURCES: The 2014 Sci-Fi Experience was granted permission to use the artwork by Stephen Martiniere in their official badge for all participants to show their solidarity during the event! Michael Knost photograph provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. I requested an Author Q&A with Michael Knost through Stephen Zimmer, of whom sent me the answers. Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Tweets by Jorie were provided by embed codes on Twitter.}
Available Formats: Trade Paperback & E-BookPage Count:416
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a stop on “The Professor” Virtual Book Tour, hosted by JKS Communications Literary Publicity Firm, which I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from JKS Communications in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Intrigued to Read:
As I revealed in my response to Mr. Bailey’s interview question about reading John Grisham novels, I elected to read his at a very young age (fourteen!) as I was shifting out of young adult titles and into the world of adult fiction. Grisham set the stage for me as far as legal dramas and legal thrillers are concerned. I attempted to read others within the same boundaries of the field but always felt as though I was falling a bit short of what I enjoyed in his books. I read everything that was published by the mid-90s, and prior to his writings shifting away from legal stories, I ventured off into new directions myself. Aside from the writers I had mentioned, I had a keen interest in Shakespeare, British Literature (especially the 19th Century), Science Fiction, and Fantasy. When I first read the description for The Professor I felt it might finally be possible to segue back into the genre of legal dramas in book form! For years, I have carried my love and appreciation of the genre in the world of classic motion pictures and tv serials!
Author Biography:
From the time he could walk, Robert Bailey has loved stories, especially those about the legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his beloved Crimson Tide football team at the University of Alabama.
Bailey was born in Huntsville, Ala., in 1973. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Davidson College in North Carolina and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 1999. In law school, Bailey was honored with the Award for Outstanding Achievement at the American Judicature Society Interscholastic Trial Competition. He made Law Review and was a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society. Somehow, between studying and preparing for the bar exam, Bailey managed to watch every home football game.
For the past 14 years, Bailey has practiced law as a civil defense trial attorney in Huntsville at the law firm of Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne. In addition to representing health care providers and nursing homes in medical liability cases, he defends trucking companies, insurance carriers, insureds and businesses in injury-related lawsuits.
Bailey is admitted to practice before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court – Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama and Western District of Tennessee – and in all Alabama state courts.
He is a member of several professional associations including the International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, Alabama Defense Lawyers’ Association, Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association and the Alabama Bar Association.
Bailey’s first novel, “The Professor,” will be published Jan. 28, 2014 by Exhibit A Books.
Bailey is married with three children. When he’s not writing or practicing law, he’s playing golf, coaching his sons’ little league baseball teams and, of course, cheering on the Crimson Tide.
Synopsis of the Story:
“In trials, like sports, sometimes winning means everything…”
Thomas Jackson McMurtrie is a living legend scorned. Forty years ago, he gave up a promising career as a trial lawyer to become a law professor at the University of Alabama at the request of his mentor, Alabama football Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Now Tom is forced into retirement, betrayed by both a powerful colleague and his own failing health.
Meanwhile the young family of one of his oldest friends is killed in a tragic road collision. Believing his career is over, Tom refers the case to a brilliant, yet beleaguered, former student, who begins to uncover the truth behind the tragedy, buried in a tangled web of arson, bribery and greed.
But as the eve of trial approaches, the young attorney’s case begins to unravel. In over his head and at the end of his rope, he realizes there’s only one man who can help…
“The Professor” is the first in a series of tense legal thrillers featuring the enthralling and brilliant legal team of McMurtrie and Drake, combining the thrills and authenticity of a John Grisham novel for the audience that flocked to “Friday Night Lights.”
My Review of The Professor: (minor spoilers)
I picked up The Professor in the hopes of finding a new voice in legal drama which would give me what I was seeking in a genre I have all but abandoned in literary circles for those of television teleplays. Sinking into the first chapters of the story I was less convinced of my choice than I was when I originally broached the idea to read the book for the tour.
The opening of The Professor illuminates the darker core of humanity, but going to the root of the chase for the golden egg in the transport industry. In this particular story, the all too familiar records of drivers are presented at being against federal regulations, but this is only a telling back-story of the corruption of the company in which the drivers are employed. I was a bit aghast at how the author chose to present the opening sequences, as the writing was brash, distinctively vulgar, and brimming with corrosive short passages and easy sentence structures. If I were hoping for a hearty opening chapter filled with a choking honesty of the fatality accident which sits as an apex into the story, I was grossly mistaken.
By the time Chapter Eight rolled around to introduce ‘the Professor’, I was nearly considering if I could go much further into the dark underside of the story. I realise I’ve read Grisham’s full library of legal dramas save three, but I never remember in all those readings where the story was told through choppy narrative and brutally blunt descriptions. Although, all things being equal time and memory can change as we move forward in life.
The hard truth is that I couldn’t draw empathy for any of the characters as they were presented save the dying family in the car in front of the petrol station. In their short and ever so brief appearance in the story, they felt more real to me than anything that happened past their tragic exit. If I had to swallow through one more corrosively laced line of thought murmurations and dark alley gusto I think I would have lost the will to pick up another legal drama! I unfortunately didn’t finish this story because in all honestly, I couldn’t begin it with the proper footing it requires. My mind leapt in and out of the sequences due to the overwhelming cliche inclusions of drama. As much as the redundancy of vulgarity. Once every blue moon, yes, I can accept that. Every single time a person opens their mouth or attempts to ruminate their thoughts? I think naught!
I felt letdown overall, as after having read Bailey’s answers to my Interview, I went in thinking that the story which would be presented would be one I could wrap my head around and enjoy. Clearly, not every book’s description foretells what is writ on the inside.
{SOURCES: Robert Bailey photograph & biography, Book Synopsis, Cover Art and the logo badge for JKS Communications were all provided by JKS Communications: A Literary Publicity Firm and used with permission. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
I am happy to present George Steger, author of Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder the first book in a series of chronicles of Sebastian’s life with Charlemagne! The depth of perception Steger is able to light aflame in his story warmed this historical girl’s heart! I have a rapt passion for wordsmiths who garnish the ability to convince us we are transporting ourselves into their time of place as though we could simply step outside the door! The 8th Century is lavishly alive in this debut novel, yet tempered with a skilled hand not to be overwhelmingly difficult to read! A daunting proposition for a man who sought to bring the life of Charlemagne’s change of heart to the fullness of life on the page! I am thankful I had not only the pleasure of reading the novel, but for being given the opportunity to interview the author whose story captured my imagination!
Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy (edited by) 
My Review of Sebastian’s Way: The Pathfinder
Today on Jorie Loves A Story, I am asking one of the Seventh Star Press Anthology Editors to take a brief moment out of his schedule to give my readers a bit of a glimpse of what it is like not only to edit anthologies but a bit about the man behind the Editor’s pen! I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Knost on 
From the time he could walk, 
I picked up The Professor in the hopes of finding a new voice in legal drama which would give me what I was seeking in a genre I have all but abandoned in literary circles for those of television teleplays. Sinking into the first chapters of the story I was less convinced of my choice than I was when I originally broached the idea to read the book for the tour.