J.P. Reedman
Scribe
Hi, I just found this site today (surfing the net with my nice new PC!) and it looks like it should be both helpful and fun!
My name is Janet Reedman; I was born in Canada but have lived for the last 20 years in England. I wrote my first story at 5, and my first fantasy novel (over 100 pages!) at 12.
My favourites authors are Tolkien, Robert Holdstock, Alan Garner, Susan Cooper and Garth Nix. (I also like Rosemary Sutcliff, she's more historical than fantasy, but some of her stuff set in the deeper past almost qualifies as fantasy; she also seems to share the 'sense of place' that authors like Tolkien and Garner also have.)
In the 80's I had quite a lot of material published in the small presses--Mythic Circle, Bardic Runes, Cemetary Dance and loads more. But short stories really didn't interest me, and then when I moved to Britain I became so busy with various pursuits, I pretty much stopped writing.
I resumed about 5 years ago, forcing myself to write a whole children's novel by hand in order to make sure I didn't get sidetracked by 'fiddling' with it. (My biggest problem is finishing stories!)
I have done anything with it, as yet, but then went on to writing another novel that had been brewing in my head, after moving into the town of Amesbury...just around the corner from Stonehenge. I'd studied stone circles for years and was always a bit disappointed that most novels around the subject (and there just aren't many) are usually pretty darn dreadful. So I decided to have a go myself, combining anthropology and archaeology with the legends of King Arthur. And how do you reconcile a Dark Age king with a neolithic/bronze age monument? Well, if you look at Arthur, he, like Robin Hood, seems to be a composite of many different people; and in his oldest incarnations he doesn't fight Saxons but ogres, witches and magical boars. His knights are also not the courtly ones of later legend, but thinly disguised celtic gods.
Anyway, that is how STONE LORD came to be; it's the first of two books. I have decided to self-publish for several reasons. I know that living where I do I should have some markets for it. I wanted my own title, with decent keywords, and especially , I wanted a cover that would be relevant and accurate to the theme--not a bunch of hairy cavemen or knights or brawny barbarian types! I remember one decent prehistoric novel that totally sank without a trace, partly, I'm sure, because the cover was so appalling and the title so vague.
I have a blog up for it and have had well over 1000 hits in 4 or 5 months; not bad for something that's not even available yet. I'm hoping to get it out around October time.
Anyway, this post is turning into a novel itself, so I'll close now.
Looking forward to chatting and discussing things with everyone!
Janet
My name is Janet Reedman; I was born in Canada but have lived for the last 20 years in England. I wrote my first story at 5, and my first fantasy novel (over 100 pages!) at 12.
My favourites authors are Tolkien, Robert Holdstock, Alan Garner, Susan Cooper and Garth Nix. (I also like Rosemary Sutcliff, she's more historical than fantasy, but some of her stuff set in the deeper past almost qualifies as fantasy; she also seems to share the 'sense of place' that authors like Tolkien and Garner also have.)
In the 80's I had quite a lot of material published in the small presses--Mythic Circle, Bardic Runes, Cemetary Dance and loads more. But short stories really didn't interest me, and then when I moved to Britain I became so busy with various pursuits, I pretty much stopped writing.
I resumed about 5 years ago, forcing myself to write a whole children's novel by hand in order to make sure I didn't get sidetracked by 'fiddling' with it. (My biggest problem is finishing stories!)
I have done anything with it, as yet, but then went on to writing another novel that had been brewing in my head, after moving into the town of Amesbury...just around the corner from Stonehenge. I'd studied stone circles for years and was always a bit disappointed that most novels around the subject (and there just aren't many) are usually pretty darn dreadful. So I decided to have a go myself, combining anthropology and archaeology with the legends of King Arthur. And how do you reconcile a Dark Age king with a neolithic/bronze age monument? Well, if you look at Arthur, he, like Robin Hood, seems to be a composite of many different people; and in his oldest incarnations he doesn't fight Saxons but ogres, witches and magical boars. His knights are also not the courtly ones of later legend, but thinly disguised celtic gods.
Anyway, that is how STONE LORD came to be; it's the first of two books. I have decided to self-publish for several reasons. I know that living where I do I should have some markets for it. I wanted my own title, with decent keywords, and especially , I wanted a cover that would be relevant and accurate to the theme--not a bunch of hairy cavemen or knights or brawny barbarian types! I remember one decent prehistoric novel that totally sank without a trace, partly, I'm sure, because the cover was so appalling and the title so vague.
I have a blog up for it and have had well over 1000 hits in 4 or 5 months; not bad for something that's not even available yet. I'm hoping to get it out around October time.
Anyway, this post is turning into a novel itself, so I'll close now.
Looking forward to chatting and discussing things with everyone!
Janet
Myth Weaver
I look forward to seeing you around!
Inkling
