Colleen Helme's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

I just finished the final edits for my next book "Flame of Destiny". It's a relief to get to this point in the publishing process. I can't wait to see what the cover looks like. Ana Winson did the cover for 'Songbird' which I absolutely adore, and is doing the cover for this book too! So I know it will be great.

Many times I have been asked why I write fantasy. Growing up on fairy tales makes it a little easier to understand, but there is much more to it. All books take us away from our reality, but in fantasy we travel to completely different worlds. Worlds where the question "What if?" is answered in compelling and challenging ways. Magic is always an element in fantasy, giving the story an even broader perspective. The fight between good and evil is distinct and the trials our heroes face teach us courage and determination. It is satisfying when those we have come to care about win against almost insurmountable odds. In a way, it is life-affirming. We can find these same strengths in those around us if we are looking. Strength of character from witnessing a noble act of selflessness is an affirmation that life is good, and in a way, magical.

The release date for Flame of Destiny is coming up soon! January 25th! I spent the day working on some artwork I hope to have posted on my website when Flame of Destiny is released. I am excited to include a map and some awesome drawings of shadowbeasts. I have several different depictions of what shadowbeasts could look like, and all of them are great. That's the thing about putting books to art. It's fun to imagine them, and also pretty cool to see what can be done with art. When I first started writing this book, I called them 'creatures' for want of a better name. After much contemplation the name shadowbeasts seemed perfect for what they are. Stop by my website on January 25th for a preview!

I'm excited to announce that Flame of Destiny has been released from Mundania Press! Also check out my website as I have some artwork posted of a wicked awesome shadowbeast, a map of the kingdom, and Callista in her Elite Guard uniform. I also have an author interview posted on night owl reviews: http://www.nightowlscifi.com/nor/Inte...
Hope you will check it out!

One of my favorite scenes in Songbird has just been put to art! It is near the end of the book, and I don't want to give anything away so I won't explain what's happening for those who haven't read it - but please check it out! You can find it here:

http://www.colleenhelme.com/novels.aspx

under ART. It's called 'Grove Ascending'. I did the outline and my daughter, Melissa did the graphics. It's way cool and just how I imagined it!

Why do I love fantasy? I think it's mostly because I love the idea of magic. First of all, I grew up on fairytales. Cinderella needed a fairy godmother to make things right. In a way magic means having a special ability to help control your world. Magic or special abilities give us heroes to save the day when nothing else will. In my book Songbird, the magic is manifest through music. What if someone could use their singing voice to heal, influence people, bring down lightning, or kill? What would this kind of world be like? The magic in Flame of Destiny is quite different. Here, there is one person who has been given the power to destroy the shadowbeasts and the evil wizard who created them. They are both heroes given difficult challenges. Their courage in the face of these challenges gives us hope that we too can overcome the things we face, and be better people because of it.

I recently had the opportunity to speak at another local High School. It was fun to talk about writing and creativity and my love of fantasy. The students were great and it was fun to share my books!

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Notice what the white board says above my posters! I love it!

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The librarian got so many requests for my books that they decided to order them for the school. Sweet!

Last night I had the opportunity to talk to a group of friends who have a book group and wanted me to review my book, SONGBIRD. I had a wonderful experience talking about fantasy, writing, and the story of SONGBIRD. It was a blast, and so fun to be surrounded by good friends. Writing is a solitary pursuit. I didn't realize how much until I was able to talk about it. I only hope I didn't talk too much! It was also exciting to see that my writing was enjoyed by so many people. As a writer, that's really all you can hope for. That the people who read your work will be glad they spent some time in the worlds and with the characters you created.
Thanks to all my friends and readers on this list!

Hey!
Just got my video trailer for Flame of Destiny posted! Please take a look! You will find it on my author page

I composed the music and Melissa created the video. Pretty Sweet!

I am in the process of the final edits for The Relic! The book cover looks great and I'm so excited for this book to be released. With my book signing coming up next week, I have a lot on my plate, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

The RELIC will end the story of Callista and Justin, but they will always be close to my heart!

Best Wishes!