Author: Sue Bridgwater

SUE BRIDGWATER was born in Plymouth in 1948 and after 20 years in Hackney, East London has now retired home to Devon. She has generally earned her living as a librarian, and has been writing seriously since the early 1980s. (A list of publications is included below.) Sue read English at Bedford College, London, graduating in 1970. Her M. Phil. in Children’s Fantasy Fiction was done externally during her children’s pre-school years, and was awarded in 1984. She was a Tutor in Literature and Creative Writing from 1982-96 for the Workers’ Educational Association (London District) and the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, University of London (now a part of Birkbeck College, University of London). Sue has completed a Birkbeck College Certificate in Creative Writing, September 2002-June 2004, developing fiction techniques and skills. Her main interest is in Fantasy and Science Fiction. She is currently working on the third novel in the Skorn sequence and on non-fiction in the field of Mythopoeic studies. SKORN – THE BOOKS; Perian's Journey This is a short epic romance from the Third Age of Skorn, following the life of a man from childhood to death, how he "worked and loved and lived," how he achieved greatness, how his journey through life was long and hard, but good. It was first published in hardback in 1989 by Julia Macrae. Sue and co-author Alistair McGechie are delighted that the 2nd (paperback and eBook) edition is now available, from Eluth Publishing, 2014. Shadows of the Trees This longer mythological novel is set in the Second Age of Skorn and tells the story of two Immortals, a brother and sister who lose their powers and come to terms with mortality. Another jointly written work by Sue and Alistair, this is now available from Eluth Publishing 2015 The Dry Well This is in process of writing and is a sequel to Shadows of the Trees. It is set in IssKor, a desert land in the south of Skorn, where a cruel and oppressive priesthood hides the secret of the dry well and the silent god from the people. In addition to these, Sue and Alistair (individually and together) have outlines for a number of other works to be developed. These relate to different periods in the history and mythology of Skorn and take a number of forms. Shadows of the Trees will be ready for publication late in 2016. PUBLICATIONS Bibliographical note; between 1970 and 1987 Sue’s surname was Jenkins A) Articles and reviews •Reviews of "Norah and the whale", Hilda's restful chair", "Dig away two-hole Tim", "Harry's stripes" and "The greedy blackbird." British Book News Children's Supplement(Spring 1982) pp3-4. •'Spock, Avon and the decline of optimism.' Foundation 25 (June1982) pp 43-45. •Reviews of "Nandy's Bedtime", "Joseph’s other red sock", "On the way home” and "Mr. Pinkerton's Hat" British Book News Children’s Supplement (Autumn 1982) p12. •Review of "Vaneglory" Foundation 26 (October 1982) pp 106-107 • Letter to the Editor Foundation 26 (October 1982) pp 79-80. •Reviews of "A book of cats" and "Stories for a Prince", British Book News Children’s Books (Spring 1984) p14. • “Love, loss and seeking; maternal deprivation and the quest", Children’s Literature in Education Vol 15, No. 2 (whole number 53) (Summer 1984) pp73-83. • “Growing up in Earthsea”, Children's Literature in Education, Vol16, No .1 (whole Number 56), (Spring 1985) pp 21-31 •Review of "The canary-coloured cart" International Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship Vol 2, No 3 (Winter 1987) pp 138-199. •Review of "Bridging the gap” and "Teenager to young adult" International Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship Vol 3, N o.1 (Spring 1988) pp56-57. •'The sense of belonging; an introduction to the novels of Jane Louise Curry' International Review of Children's literature and Librarianship Vol 3, No. 3 (Winter 1988) pp 176-189. •Review of "The drama of being a child" International Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship Vol 4, No. 1 (1989) pp 52-53. •“Out of the doldrums and into the curriculum; De Beauvoir Junior School Library” School Librarian Vol 38, No.2 (May 1990) pp53-54. • “Beyond the personal” a review of And now you can go, byVendela Vida, in TLS, 15th August 2003, p 21 •“A past relived” – a review of Alison Uttley’s A Country Child for “Slightly Foxed”. Issue 5, Spring 2005, pp 82-85. •Review of The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss inhttp://www.mythsc.rg/assets/mythprint-341-suwxtkv2i4xmvv8v.pdf •’Stay or go; some reflections upon stasis and travelling in Tolkien’s Mythos.’ (Paper given at Tolkien Society Seminar No.22, June 2009, Published in Tolkien Society Peter Roe Booklets series, No. 16, September 2015) •‘Staying home and travelling; stasis versus movement in Tolkien’s mythos’ in Middle-earth and beyond; essays on the world of JRR Tolkien edited by Kathleen Dubs and Janka Kascakova. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010 •’Upon the world-tree: Death, transformation and return in The Lord of the Rings, The Dream of the Rood, and Havamal.’ http://www.ltrplaza.cm/frum/frum_psts.asp? TID=242971&FID=77&PR=3 •Review of Daniel A. Rabuzzi’s The Choir Boats. http://www.mythsc.rg/assets/mythprint-353-qqARKMDVfFBTNzFv.pdf B) Poetry and fiction; •“Woman”, WEA Women’s Studies Newsletter, 20 (1983), p8 •"When I'm a tree" Leaves in the wind (Spring 1983), p15. •"How do you meet" Leaves in the wind 2 (1984), prologue. •“Story”, Arachne, 2 (1985) pp 23-25 • Perian's Journey (with Alistair McGechie) London; Julia Macrae Books, 1989; 2nd Edition Eluth Publishing, 2014 • The last pear in the universe Good Society review Vol 1 N. 4, c1993, pp 37-47

Why Are There So Few Great Writers In Their 20s Today?

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Tara Sparling writes

Why Are There So Few Great Writers In Their 20s Today?

In the last century, great writers achieved their greatness far earlier than they do now. Granted, they died earlier too, of fashionable afflictions such as bacterial infections, addiction, suicide, and the spleen; but it wasn’t uncommon for writers to be well on the road to superstardom and inclusion in the grand literary canon by the end of their twenties. So why are our great writers now so old, when they do great things?

James Joyce had written the genesis of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by the time he was 22, and finished Dubliners before he hit 30. Franz Kafka was dead at 40, leaving behind a considerable body of work. Ernest Hemingway published The Sun Also Rises at the age of 27.

In other fields, successful artists are much younger. Popular musicians generally achieve career highs in their 20s, or earlier, as accomplished at their craft as…

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Today it’s my privilege to share news of Annie Douglass Lima’s exciting new book!

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Seasons of Skorn, shadows of the seas: in search of time

Annie says:

I’m excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available for purchase! This is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, sequel to The Collar and the Cavvarach.
First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1: 

The Collar and the Cavvarach

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time.  With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?

The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences.  One is that…

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GUEST POST: WORLD BUILDING

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Interesting for all worldbuilders!

authorspotlight

Today, I am very excited to introduce readers to Michael R. Miller, whose first fantasy book, The Dragon’s Blade: The Reborn King, just came to my attention. This author bravely volunteered to reveal how world building factored into his writing process and his method of handling such a tremendous task. So without further introduction, here is Mr. Miller’s guest post, simply entitled WORLD BUILDING!

THE DRAGON'S BLADE

WORLD BUILDING

When does world building in fantasy go too far? In a genre defined by unique worlds, cultures and magic, readers expect in-depth world building. It is, however, a misunderstanding to think that these elements are the most important. Story and characters will always be what keeps a reader interested. Incredible characters and plot can shore up thinner world building but rarely will the reverse work.

Writers need to make a fairly deliberate decision on how far they want their world building to go…

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