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!
Tag: Marketing
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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:
Blackwort/Knitbone (Comfrey) 
Rosin Rose (St. John’s Wort) 
Red Clover 
Wild Mint 
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 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!
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA
Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Foyles
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
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Inscribed #3
The collection grows.
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 editing Mystical 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:
I look forward to signing copies of Mystical Greenwood at the conference this weekend!
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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.
Author Ari Meghlen Official Website
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 :)
View original post 883 more words
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Looking Back on Summer
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:
Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | 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. Check out my Blog page to catch up on old ones! Be sure to visit me on social media too:
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WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Andrew McDowell
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!
Welcome 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 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…View original post 447 more words
Andrew McDowell 