Check out this interview I did with my friend and fellow author Ally Aldridge as part of her “Behind the Book” series, in which I discuss my novel Mystical Greenwood. Many thanks, Ally, for this opportunity!
Marketing
Double Feature: Two Recent Guest Appearances
Many thanks to author Yari Garcia for featuring Mystical Greenwood as part of her book blog tour series! And to author C. L. Schneider for including my book among her newsletter’s guest indie authors!
Here are links to both:
Praise for Mystical Greenwood
“I believe that there are few books for teenage boys and girls out today that match the excitement, the creativeness, the originality, the great characters, and the adventure this writer captures so well.”
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Karen DeMers Dowdall, Author of The Captain’s Witch and Garrett’s Bones (To read her full review on her site, click here)
“Andrew McDowell creates a beautiful and complex world revolving around Nature and our connection to it. […] It’s an ideal story for lovers of high fantasy!”
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Ben Garvey, Author
“Mystical Greenwood is a coming of age story full of poetic writing that keeps you mesmerized from start to finish. I loved this read!”
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Nour Zikra, Author of Divinity Falling and Dance with the Devil
“A wonderful fantasy story set in a highly imaginative setting where nature is revered and respected.”
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Chris Hall, Author of You’ll Never Walk Alone, The Silver Locket, and Following the Green Rabbit
“This book was what I read when I needed to center myself and feel more at peace, and I rooted for the characters the whole time. There was adventure, excitement, heartbreak and triumph.”
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Rose J. Fairchild, Author and Contributor to Through the Sunshine
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A. R. Clayton, Author of Memory Bound
“I enjoyed the book on many levels–the appealing main character Dermot, whose arc of self-discovery is well imagined and revealed. The cast of intriguing major and minor characters who exist in a beautifully evoked natural world which I particularly enjoyed along with the thoughtful reminders of human responsibility for that world.”
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Susan Moger, Author of Of Better Blood
Resolutions
It’s a new year! I’ve always found it remarkable how time flies, especially when we’re not really paying attention to it. It’s only when we’re constantly noting it that everything is going extremely slow. But more importantly, reflecting on times past helps one see just how far one’s come, and to prepare for the future, which I think everyone can agree is on people’s minds right now, with the notion of New Year’s Resolutions. Ever since I took my writing seriously, there have been resolutions related to writing every year.
I started my website over four years ago. There’s been a lot of trial and error in building and designing my website, and those of you who’ve been loyal followers, thank you for your support. Thanks also to those who have read and reviewed Mystical Greenwood. Over this time, I’ve been fixing a number of grammatical errors, but as frustrating as it has been, I’ve learned from them—not only new things about language that have helped make me a better writer, but that no one and nothing will ever be truly perfect—not even writers and their work. I’ve come to accept that, and people have for the most part been understanding and kind. The majority of reviewers so far have enjoyed it and written favorably about it. Plus, the book was a finalist in a contest!
This past year I didn’t plan that many public appearances and book signings. I made a few, but not throughout the entire year, and the year before some didn’t draw large crowds due to a lack of planning. But others did. Perhaps my most successful was my discussion on the importance of names. This year I know I’m going to have to do more of them in order to spread the word and get more readers and reviews. To start off, in a few weeks I’ll be signing copies of Mystical Greenwood at an indoor yard sale at Nichols-Bethel United Methodist Church. I’ll giving my aforementioned discussion on names once again at the end of February, this time for the Baltimore chapter of the MWA. I also hope that I will be able to sign and sell copies of my book at the 2020 Maryland Writers’ Conference at the end of March!
And of course there are online appearances—I have in the past couple of years made several guest appearances on other blogs and a podcast, and I’m always looking for more opportunities. Anyone who would like for me to be a guest speaker or blogger can always reach me via this site’s Contact page. Perhaps most importantly, I need to place some serious focus on future works, especially the sequel to Mystical Greenwood. A number of reviewers have expressed their interest in finding out what happens in the next book, so I have to get on that so they will not be waiting forever! Here’s hoping for a good year with good memories and prolific writing!
Guest Appearance at Shortprose!
Check out my latest guest appearance, where I discuss the origins of what first inspired me to become a writer! Many thanks to my friend Gabriela, who blogs at shortprose.blog, for this wonderful opportunity!
Thank You
To all those who’ve purchased, read, and reviewed Mystical Greenwood, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It was recently announced as a finalist in the Epic/High Fantasy Category of the 2019 American Fiction Awards, sponsored by American Book Fest.
If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll consider reading my book and posting a review. Every review helps spread the word. I will be very grateful if you do.
It is available in Paperback, Kindle, and Nook:
US$: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million
UK£: Amazon.co.uk | Foyles
CA$: Amazon.ca
Be sure to add it to your Goodreads to-read list! The cover art is also available at Deviant Art. If you’re a fan, you can show it through your memorabilia!
Be sure to check out my publications in poetry and creative nonfiction as well!
Don’t forget to subscribe to receive notifications of new blog posts! You can also follow me on social media:
What Banned Books Week is all about
Check out my guest appearance with the amazing author Ally Aldridge! On her blog, I discuss Banned Books Week (which is going to be September 22-28 this year) and the importance of creative and intellectual freedom for writers, librarians, and humanity. We have a few months to go, but there’s no harm in thinking about it early! Thank you Ally for this opportunity!
Author Interview with M. J. Patrick
If you haven’t yet, check out my interview with fellow author and MWA member M. J. Patrick! Many thanks, M. J., for this opportunity!
Herbs in Mystical Greenwood
April showers bring May flowers. So this month I thought I’d talk about the herbs that appear in Mystical Greenwood.
Wortcunning is a real term that I found in my research. I liked it and chose to use it in the book. The herbs Saershe employs for medicinal purposes were likewise inspired by real herbs and the treatments for which they were used.
Here they are:
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- Blackwort/Knitbone (Comfrey)
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- Rosin Rose (St. John’s Wort)
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- Red Clover
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- Wild Mint
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- Thousand-leaf flower/Soldier’s woundwort (Yarrow)
*Photos from Wikimedia Commons.
I’ve discussed before how fantasy can often be rooted in reality, especially when it comes to world-building. Originally when I was conducting research on herbs and plants for medicinal purposes, I chose herbs primarily for their purposes and didn’t give too much initial thought to where they came form. Eventually though I decided I wanted them to all have a generally similar place of origin to make the sense of reality stronger (similar to how I chose trees sacred to the ancient Celts), so some were discarded and new ones came in, specifically Comfrey and St. John’s Wort. Yarrow, wild mint, and red clover were there from the beginning and I’d decided were able to be kept.
Some are referred to by their proper names in the novel. Others are instead referred to by alternate names (which are given for those who haven’t yet read the novel). I didn’t set out to use those alternate names; I found them when I was reading about those herbs. I chose to use the alternate names because I felt their proper names sounded too modern and would not fit in a fantasy world (similar you might say to how dinosaur species in the Land Before Time films were referred to by names such as “Longneck” and “Sharptooth”).
Their healing abilities may be exaggerated for the purposes of storytelling, as Saershe also uses magic when employing them (it is a work of fiction after all), but I did try to make sure their purposes would be mostly authentic, and so the story did not stray out of that feeling of reality.
Don’t forget to order your copy of Mystical Greenwood!
US$: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Goodreads
UK£: Amazon.co.uk | Foyles
CDN$: Amazon.ca
If you enjoy the book, PLEASE post a nice review and spread the word! And if you’re a fan, order your merchandise on Deviant Art!
Further Reading
Interview with author Andrew McDowell
This is my second guest appearance on Ari Meghlen’s blog. Many thanks again to Ari for this opportunity, and if you’re a writer looking to do an interview, I highly recommend her site.
Today I welcome back author and good friend of mine, Andrew McDowell who has shared his advice with us before. Today he agreed to do an author interview. Check out his answers below 🙂
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