First off, some news.  I was trying to have Shadow Glyph for sale this weekend but the final proof copy I received featured a beautifully illegible back cover.  That has been fixed, but now I am waiting on the final final proof copy.  Hopefully this weekend I’ll be able to post a for sure release date.  It will be sometime next week.  Once I know, I’ll put a countdown on here.

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I recently thought of a way to inspire my blogs.  I set up this website to be both a way of communicating with my readers, but also to allow them to communicate in return, like a community.  So, last time, Dylan asked about my influences.  Below, I’ll write about that a bit.  From now on, I’ll choose a question at random (if any) from the comments and reply with a post.  Sounds like fun, from my point of view…

What has influenced my writing?  I would say that history plays as much a role on this as other written works.  Being a fantasy writer, I’ve decided that the more I fit my stories into a historical realism, the better.  Shadow Glyph has magic, but I actually prefer books without wizards, like A Song of Fire and Ice.  The main reason to write fantasy is to provide a unique way of presenting insights about the world, themes, or even entertaining plots that cannot exist in the real world.  That said, all fantasy should chase the real world.  In my opinion.

What about other writers?  This also plays a huge role in making an author.  Any writer will tell you to read; what you read does influence what you write.  The late Robert Jordan, who tragically passed before the 12th book of his 12-book series, has had an enormous impact on me, both in my writing and reading.  I’ve read the Wheel of Time 3 times now and am ever amazed at the connections, details, and twists I notice each time I open the covers.  His ability to transform characters, to age them in a realistic way, to introduce you so thoroughly into each individual’s world, I will always try to write like that.  Unconsciously and consciously.

I could go on and on about influences, so maybe I’ll talk about them again sometime.  For a quick list of books that I feel have shifted or impacted my writing: Atlas Shrugged, Lord of the Rings, the series Shannara, and a Star Wars book version of Episode III.  The author, Matthew Stover, had a very interesting way of getting you into the characters much better than the movie did.

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Last year I discovered that when I sit down and give it enough time, I can quite impress myself with my ability to draw.  I’ve wanted to try some character sketches for a while, and finally sat down to do it.  I finished a drawing of Dryn, the main character of Shadow Glyph.  I found a picture online that was exactly how I imagined Dryn to look (by the end of the book).  The actor, Alex Pettyfer, resembles the character a lot, so I found a picture on his IMDb to use.  After a lengthy pencil sketch, I made some changes, and ta-da! It’s Dryn!

Dryn ten Rayth.