Jessica Andersen's Blog
May 21, 2010
May 18, 2010
Mayan archaeology and NASA in the news
From the Way Cool department comes a team of archaeologists using high tech to penetrate the rainforest canopy and map ancient settlements, as discussed in last week's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/science/11maya.html
May 10, 2010
A couple of FAQs
Hey GoodReaders! I thought I'd post the answers to a couple of frequently asked questions today. Enjoy!
FAQ #1-- What made you decide to write a series about Mayan legend?
Well, I guess my best answer is that I’m a huge fan of books and movies that have lots of action and romance in them, but are spiced up with interesting factoids that I didn’t already know (National Treasure, DaVinci Code, etc.).
So when I came across a reference to the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, I immediately saw the potential for a high-action, high-intensity series based on a mythology that hasn’t been done to death in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy markets.
Part of my fascination comes from having spent time down in the Yucatan as a kid. My parents would pull me out of school for a few weeks every spring (much to my teachers’ relief, I suspect) and we would go investigate the ruins, which were in the process of being restored at the time.
They’re far more regulated and tourist-ified now, but back then, ruin ratting was a total Indiana Jones, creep-through-the-collapsing-tunnel experience. I try to bring that excitement and wonder to the books.
FAQ #2-- Which is easier to do, writing a story-line based on a known legend or writing straight from the imagination, where the only rules you have to follow are your own?
I think it probably would have been easier in a sense to make up everything from scratch, because then you can let your imagination run wild. Personally, though, I love having the framework of an existing mythology to work with.
I think it gives the stories a real-world authenticity that is important to me. The Nightkeepers are real people living in the real world, but their reality has been shifted by the fact that they’re now being asked to believe in—and learn how to use—the magic of an ancient culture.
Not to mention that I'm a big, drooling geek when it comes to similar stories that show up in different cultures, so I love playing with the ideas of crossovers between the Egyptians, Maya, Hopi, and others!
FAQ #1-- What made you decide to write a series about Mayan legend?
Well, I guess my best answer is that I’m a huge fan of books and movies that have lots of action and romance in them, but are spiced up with interesting factoids that I didn’t already know (National Treasure, DaVinci Code, etc.).
So when I came across a reference to the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, I immediately saw the potential for a high-action, high-intensity series based on a mythology that hasn’t been done to death in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy markets.
Part of my fascination comes from having spent time down in the Yucatan as a kid. My parents would pull me out of school for a few weeks every spring (much to my teachers’ relief, I suspect) and we would go investigate the ruins, which were in the process of being restored at the time.
They’re far more regulated and tourist-ified now, but back then, ruin ratting was a total Indiana Jones, creep-through-the-collapsing-tunnel experience. I try to bring that excitement and wonder to the books.
FAQ #2-- Which is easier to do, writing a story-line based on a known legend or writing straight from the imagination, where the only rules you have to follow are your own?
I think it probably would have been easier in a sense to make up everything from scratch, because then you can let your imagination run wild. Personally, though, I love having the framework of an existing mythology to work with.
I think it gives the stories a real-world authenticity that is important to me. The Nightkeepers are real people living in the real world, but their reality has been shifted by the fact that they’re now being asked to believe in—and learn how to use—the magic of an ancient culture.
Not to mention that I'm a big, drooling geek when it comes to similar stories that show up in different cultures, so I love playing with the ideas of crossovers between the Egyptians, Maya, Hopi, and others!
April 27, 2010
What's your fantasy?
I'm chatting about fantasies over at RomCon-- One randomly chosen commenter will win a signed copy of DEMONKEEPERS!
Okay... testing out whether I've got this linking thing right:
http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/conversations/post/318
If not, cut and paste:
http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/co...
Okay... testing out whether I've got this linking thing right:
http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/conversations/post/318
If not, cut and paste:
http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/co...
April 26, 2010
Greetings!
Hello friends and followers on GoodReads!
I'm just starting to get up to speed here, but thought I'd dip a toe into blogging here at GR by telling a thoroughly embarassing story, a version of which appeared at SmexyBooks a week or so ago.
***
To begin with, I should confess: I’m easily amused.
I love failblog.org, and the un-husband and I have been known to watch World’s Dumbest (Whatever) on Tru TV. This gem not only includes video clips of people doing really dumb things, there’s the added bonus of B-list celebs doing MST3000-type commentaries on the clips.
Given that … I need to own up to a recent dumb moment of my own. The other weekend I was at a writers’ conference, talking to several relatively new writers about their stories. I had just turned in a novella, had done several appearances promoting Demonkeepers, and had missed a meal somewhere along the line. Realizing that I was starting to fade, I turned to the nearby goody table for a snack.
Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, the goody table is where conferences display promo items—these giveaways tend to be heavy on the bookmarks and pens, but I’ve seen novelty condoms, stress reliever balls, t-shirts, and a variety of other stuff.
The key here is that there is almost always chocolate somewhere on the goody table. And not only am I a chocoholic, it’s symbolic of my stories: Chocolate arose among the ancient Maya, and I write a sexy series about the modern-day magi who are racing to prevent the rise of ancient Mayan demons on 12/21/2012.
So I grabbed a Kit Kat with a Hannah Howell historical cover on it, and a pretty handmade white chocolate heart that promoted Ashlyn Chase’s lighthearted eroticas. I figured Hannah and Ashlyn would forgive me for snagging their promo items in the interest of my not whomping down unconscious in the hallway.
Returning to my chat with the newcomers, I downed the Kit Kat, unwrapped the white chocolate heart, and bit in.
It wasn’t white chocolate. It was soap.
Euuuwgh! My parents hadn’t ever used the soap-in-mouth punishment on me, so this was a first. And not a pleasant one! But I played it cool, rewrapped the soap, stuck it in my pocket, and continued on as if nothing had happened. Inwardly, though, I was doing the ew-ew-ew dance and wishing like heck I had read the label! LOL.
Later, I confessed to Ashlyn and several other friends, and we had a good laugh about it.
Ironically, that’s something that Lucius, the hero of Demonkeepers, would do. Back when he was pure human of the nerdly variety, he embarrassed himself like that at regular intervals. But now that a twist of magic has given him powers beyond belief, he’s got a whole new set of problems—not the least being that he’s being teamed up with Jade, the one-night stand he never forgot … and it’s up to them to foil the ancient Mayan demons who are bent on destroying the sun god and plunging the earth into darkness.
So, to celebrate dumbest moments, Murphy’s law, and the release of Demonkeepers, leave me a comment if you're inclined-- share a dumbest moment, ask me a question, or just say “Hey!”
And thanks for reading!
Doc Jess
aka Jessica Andersen
I'm just starting to get up to speed here, but thought I'd dip a toe into blogging here at GR by telling a thoroughly embarassing story, a version of which appeared at SmexyBooks a week or so ago.
***
To begin with, I should confess: I’m easily amused.
I love failblog.org, and the un-husband and I have been known to watch World’s Dumbest (Whatever) on Tru TV. This gem not only includes video clips of people doing really dumb things, there’s the added bonus of B-list celebs doing MST3000-type commentaries on the clips.
Given that … I need to own up to a recent dumb moment of my own. The other weekend I was at a writers’ conference, talking to several relatively new writers about their stories. I had just turned in a novella, had done several appearances promoting Demonkeepers, and had missed a meal somewhere along the line. Realizing that I was starting to fade, I turned to the nearby goody table for a snack.
Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, the goody table is where conferences display promo items—these giveaways tend to be heavy on the bookmarks and pens, but I’ve seen novelty condoms, stress reliever balls, t-shirts, and a variety of other stuff.
The key here is that there is almost always chocolate somewhere on the goody table. And not only am I a chocoholic, it’s symbolic of my stories: Chocolate arose among the ancient Maya, and I write a sexy series about the modern-day magi who are racing to prevent the rise of ancient Mayan demons on 12/21/2012.
So I grabbed a Kit Kat with a Hannah Howell historical cover on it, and a pretty handmade white chocolate heart that promoted Ashlyn Chase’s lighthearted eroticas. I figured Hannah and Ashlyn would forgive me for snagging their promo items in the interest of my not whomping down unconscious in the hallway.
Returning to my chat with the newcomers, I downed the Kit Kat, unwrapped the white chocolate heart, and bit in.
It wasn’t white chocolate. It was soap.
Euuuwgh! My parents hadn’t ever used the soap-in-mouth punishment on me, so this was a first. And not a pleasant one! But I played it cool, rewrapped the soap, stuck it in my pocket, and continued on as if nothing had happened. Inwardly, though, I was doing the ew-ew-ew dance and wishing like heck I had read the label! LOL.
Later, I confessed to Ashlyn and several other friends, and we had a good laugh about it.
Ironically, that’s something that Lucius, the hero of Demonkeepers, would do. Back when he was pure human of the nerdly variety, he embarrassed himself like that at regular intervals. But now that a twist of magic has given him powers beyond belief, he’s got a whole new set of problems—not the least being that he’s being teamed up with Jade, the one-night stand he never forgot … and it’s up to them to foil the ancient Mayan demons who are bent on destroying the sun god and plunging the earth into darkness.
So, to celebrate dumbest moments, Murphy’s law, and the release of Demonkeepers, leave me a comment if you're inclined-- share a dumbest moment, ask me a question, or just say “Hey!”
And thanks for reading!
Doc Jess
aka Jessica Andersen
