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Thank You

/ Andrew McDowell / 13 Comments

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.

Mystical Greenwood RGB

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:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  Tumblr  |  Goodreads

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What Banned Books Week is all about

/ Andrew McDowell / 1 Comment

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!

via What Banned Books Week is all about

Author Interview with M. J. Patrick

/ Andrew McDowell / 4 Comments

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!

via Indie Author Spotlight: Andrew McDowell

Herbs in Mystical Greenwood

/ Andrew McDowell / 13 Comments

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:

*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
  1. Celtic Herbs
  2. Wildflowers of Ireland

Interview with author Andrew McDowell

/ Andrew McDowell / 11 Comments

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 🙂

Interview with author Andrew McDowell. Image: Speechbubbles

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My Interview with Vonnie Winslow Crist

/ Andrew McDowell / 5 Comments

Check out my interview with the amazing author Vonnie Winslow Crist! Many thanks for this opportunity, Vonnie! Anyone who’s looking to do an author interview, I highly recommend her blog Whimsical Words!

via Interview of Andrew McDowell

National Author’s Day

/ Andrew McDowell / 11 Comments

It’s National Author’s Day! I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to many different writers I’ve met, and who’ve been encouraging to me on my author’s journey. Writing, despite what some (if there are any still) think, isn’t solitary. I started out on my own when I was a teenager, but I’ve come to see that authors get where they are with the help and support of others, especially fellow writers.

Here’s a list of some of those writers:

Ben Garvey

Ari Meghlen

Lorraine Ambers

Sharon Ledwith

J. I. Rogers

Rebecca Alasdair

Michele Chynoweth

John DeDakis

Lucia St. Clair Robson

Izolda Trakhtenberg

Victoria Clarkson

Sally Whitney

Jennifer Bort Yacovissi

Austin S. Camacho

Vonnie Winslow Crist

A. L. Kaplan

There are many more too, including those on my Amazon Authors Twitter List and those whose pages I follow via my Facebook page. Again, many thanks to all of you! I wish you the best of luck with your own writing endeavors! Same to you reading this, especially if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo!

I’m looking forward to my writer’s talk, which is now in two weeks! I’ll be discussing the importance of names for the Annapolis chapter of the MWA at the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts. Come on out if you’re in the area, especially if you’re a writer! I’ll also be participating in their Open Mic next month!

The holidays are around the corner, and books make great gifts! Please don’t forget to order your copy of my high fantasy novel, Mystical Greenwood:

US$:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books a Million  |  Goodreads

UK£:  Amazon.co.uk  |  Foyles

If you enjoy the book, please post your review and help spread the word, especially on Amazon and Goodreads! Add it to your to-read list on the latter today!

Remember, the cover art is available also on Deviant Art in the form of prints, mugs, magnets, mouse pads, coasters, postcards, and greeting cards. Show you’re a fan!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new blog posts! Check out my Blog page to catch up on old ones! Be sure to visit and follow me on social media too:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  Tumblr

Believe in Your Writing, and Yourself

/ Andrew McDowell / 3 Comments

My latest guest appearance on the blog of the amazing author Sharon Ledwith, where I discuss the importance of self-confidence for writers, and dealing with self-doubt:

Believe in Your Writing, and Yourself

Many thanks to Sharon for this opportunity! I highly recommend her blog for all you writers and readers out there.

Looking Back on Summer

/ Andrew McDowell / 14 Comments

This summer has been eventful. In June I appeared on the ArtistFirst Radio Network, which is highly supportive of independent authors. Here’s my full interview:

Not long after that, I went to a wonderful family reunion. I signed their copies of Mystical Greenwood, and they surprised me with a special cake! Here’s a picture of the cake, along with some pictures of relatives from later on with their copies:

Most recently I made an appearance at the Crofton Library, where I talked about how I came to be published, and featured a musical performance of the two songs in Mystical Greenwood by their composer, Lee J. Chapman, and his associates:

Be sure to check my Events page for upcoming appearances in autumn and winter!

Don’t forget to purchase your copy of Mystical Greenwood, and post a review when you’re done! Every review helps! Please spread the word! Recommend it to your local bookstore and/or library! It is available from the following sites:

US$:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books a Million  |  Goodreads

UK£:  Amazon.co.uk  |  Foyles

In addition, you can purchase mugs, greeting cards, postcards, magnets, mouse pads, and coasters featuring the cover art, as well as prints, on Deviant Art! If you’re a fan, show it!

Don’t forget to subscribe to receive new blog posts, and check out my Blog page to catch up on old ones! Be sure to visit me on social media too:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  Tumblr

WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Andrew McDowell

/ Andrew McDowell / 4 Comments

 

My first official author interview! Many thanks to A. L. Kaplan for this opportunity! If you’re an author looking to do an interview, I highly recommend being interviewed by the Wolf!

alkaplan

081Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Andrew 2Andrew McDowell wanted to be a writer since he was a teenager. He has studied History and English at St. Mary’s College, and Library and Information Science at the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Maryland Writers’ Association. He is an associate nonfiction editor with the literary journal JMWW. He has had poetry published in the anthology Pen in Hand, and he won second place in the creative nonfiction category of the MWA Literary Contest in 2015 for his essay on his experiences with Asperger syndrome. His YA fantasy novel Mystical Greenwood was published by Mockingbird Lane Press and is available on Amazon…

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