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.
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!
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!
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.
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 from. 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!
I purchased a copy of Michael Hauge‘s Writing Screenplays that Sell a long time ago, and I read it in time for him to inscribe it at the 2018 Maryland Writers’ Conference, where he was a guest speaker. His book is on my list of recommended readings for authors.
I first met Rafael Alvarez at another Maryland Writers’ Conference years earlier, and I received an inscribed copy of Hometown Boy during a talk he did at the Linthicum Community Library.
John DeDakis signed my copies of Fast Track, Bluff, and Troubled Water at the 2018 C3 Convention. I first met him when he spoke at a meeting of the Annapolis Chapter of the MWA, and he later provided an extremely helpful critique when I was editingMystical Greenwood.
Last week at the MWA in Annapolis, Susan Moger was the guest speaker, and she signed my copy of her novel Of Better Blood.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the collection, especially if you’re looking for some titles to add to your own to-read list:
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 :)
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!
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.
There are many more too, including those on my Amazing 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:
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:
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:
This summer has been eventful. In June I appeared on the ArtistFirst Radio Network, which is highly supportive of independent authors:
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! 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:
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. Check out my Blog page to catch up on old ones! Be sure to visit me on social media too:
Andrew McDowell 