Reviews
Writer's Write Review/The Fantasy Writer's Companion:
The Fantasy Writer's Companion is a terrific book for aspiring fantasy authors. It provides information about world-building using Asian cultures and Arthurian legends. There are chapters about incorporating elements from other genres into the fantasy: horror, romance and mystery elements can be folded into the fantasy short story or novel. A chapter on writing fantasy for young readers is also provided. The Fantasy Writer's Companion is a sequel to The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy (published in 2003), which is another wonderful book for fantasy writers. The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy includes information about building fantasy worlds and all the elements of those worlds: magic, weapons, medieval life, mythology, religion and combat. In both of these books, the chapters are detailed and practical. They are written by established and respected fantasy authors. Together, these two books will help jump start any aspiring fantasy writer's career. With all the excellent ideas for creating exciting stories set in original fantasy worlds populated with unique characters and creatures, all the writer has to provide is the hard work of writing. Highly recommended.
The Eternal Night Review/Not Your Father's Horseman:
Learning that she is adopted is only one of the first of many shocks that Nikki Jefferies will encounter in the days ahead. Her dreams have taken on a strange realness that is profoundly disturbing, though that experience does pan in with her current writing project, a book on haunted houses. As she sets up in one purportedly haunted inn, the mysteries only deepen. Each answer she finds raises more questions.
She discovers she might be a powerful Shadowmage, but her aura has hints of all the magics. Moreover, a ghost wants to draw Nikki into the Shadow world, and will stop at nothing to bring her there. As her heritage unfolds, Nikki is given the duty to restore the balance between worlds. The Horsemen of the Appocolypse are coming, but is the world ready for them?
Although the viewpoint shifts are not done as well as they might have been, and the novel is perhaps too condensed (it feels as if some details are lacking) this is definitely an enjoyable read. Ghosts with their own reality - one that is hard to differentiate from true reality - is a seldom used, but always intriguing concept. Science and fantasy blending in a world is always interesting.
If the series continues, then perhaps some of the more details will be fleshed out and the fuzzy points made more clear.
Fallen Angel Reviews/The Fantasy Writer's Companion:
Tee Morris and Valerie Griswold-Ford collectively gather the wisdom and experience of eleven authors. The Fantasy Writerís Companion goes beyond the basics of grammar and spelling to the little nuances that set a book apart.
Tina Morgan burst bubbles with the adage ìFantasy and Science Fiction still need to be plausible to draw a reader in.î Bob Nailor imparts the seven Cís of writing: Concept, Capture, Character, Conflict, Climax, Conclusion, and Collect. Whether writing a Short Story, Novella, or Novel a good writer employs all seven.
Lai Zhao challenges future Fantasy and Science Fiction writers to world build within Asian cultures and flavor their novel with a fresh look. Michael R. Mennenga reveals the delight of writing Young Adult Fantasy and exploring your inner child.
Tony Ruggiero confronts the writerís preconceived perception of Horror and Fantasy with a dash of humor, controversy, and disturbing insights. Wen Spencer spices her Fantasy and Science Fiction with alien detectives, psi cops, and rogue criminals.
Jeanine Berry reminds writers that the sexual revolution happened and that heroes are not monks. Intimacy used properly will reveal the heroís inner self and advance the plot. Erik Amundsen cleverly reveals the history of politics, governments, and citizens influencing a writerís saga.
Valerie Griswold-Ford explores the assortment of choices in crafting a world of magic and wonder. Evo Terra pithily communicates his herbal wisdom and imparts strategies for developing a unique system of healing. Will McDermot uncovers the hidden world of RPG and Media Tie-Ins with great tips for writing in the worlds we love.
Kim Headlee expertly reveals the mystery and thrill of the Arthurian motif without sounding like a hack. Julianne Goodman wraps it up with an excellent essay on editing your manuscript for publication.
The Fantasy Companion delivers on its promise to share the secrets for success within the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. I recommend any future writers to dig in and take notes.
Coffee Time Romance/ Not Your Father's Horseman:
Nikki Jeffries is embarking on a new phase of her life. She is leaving her parents’ home
and moving to New Hampshire to write a book about ghosts and hauntings. She has no
luck, until the innkeeper’s cousin Rick takes her to a particularly haunted cemetery - the
same graveyard that has been in her dreams for years.
Rick is what is known as a sensitive. He senses that Nikki is far more than just a
beautiful woman looking to write about ghosts. The last time he became so deeply
involved in a case, it almost destroyed him. But he will do anything to keep Nikki safe.
An experiment at a genetic research facility in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
goes horribly wrong, leaving a Dawn Lord dead, a Shadow Lord terribly injured, and two
pregnant women missing. Twenty-three years later the same scientist is determined to
try again, not caring that he is upsetting the balance of the universe, possibly causing
the end of the world.
This is a really involving novel featuring a woman determined to find herself, and she
certainly does, becoming a creature of legend. Both the New Hampshire countryside
and the Shadow Lands are vividly described, especially the haunted house which stood
in both. The subplot involving the house was as good as the main story line. The
characters were equally vivid, the villains evil, and Nikki’s friends willful and colorful. This
is a very gripping read.
Dragon Page Review/ Not Your Father's Horseman:
When you ask author Valerie Griswold-Ford how she got her contract for Not Your Father’s Horseman, she will tell you, ?Well, Tee suggested I finish the manuscript and then pitch it to Dragon Moon. What Tee didn’t tell me was he pitched it for me to Dragon Moon and got me a contract.? So, yeah, I figured a great motivator in getting your first novel done was a contract.
And it was. I got a copy of the first draft, and was thrilled when Val asked me to give it a blurb. From the original version I read, I knew this book would be a winner: a terrifying techno-thriller that embraces you in its spell. I was also excited for Val as she would be premiering it at Westercon 58 alongside Legacy of Morevi?
?then Val tells me ?I completely revamped it. Started over, more or less, and it’s completely different.?
I was a little worried now because I was knee-deep in Legacy finals, so I wouldn’t be able to read the new version and give her a new pull-quote. Also, I liked what Val had before. Why change it? Will this change work?
Just finishing the novel this morning, all I can say is “Head’s up, folks, Valerie Griswold-Ford is here, and she is taking no prisoners!” She took a terrific story and made it bigger, badder, and ballsier!
The reality Valerie has created is an Earth, set in a modern day setting. In this world we have mobile phones, Toby Keith, digital cameras, cute guys in white boxers, hot chicks in tight jeans and camisoles, and magic?lots and lots of magic. We’ve got all kinds of magic: good, bad, and ugly. Reminiscent of Stan Lee’s X-Men Universe, magic is a ?sensitive? subject with the world. Some people dig it, some don’t. (An aspect of this series I sincerely hope Valerie explores in future volumes!) The reason mages work alongside Jimmy Buffett and satellite TV without a fuss is that everything is Balanced. The Balance is just that: Shadow Magic, Light Magic, and Earth Magic all work together to keep things copasetic.
Problem is, if there is a buck to be made, some corporation in the States is going to see just how far they can tip that Balance to one side before completely throwing the world out of whack.
One such corporation is Gene-Tech. Their slogan: We Play God for the Right Price.
Far away from Gene-Tech’s dark projects reactivated, Shadow Magic with agendas, and selective breeding experiments, Nikki Jeffries is celebrating her graduation from college. She is setting off to carve her niche in the world with a photographic study of the paranormal. Something just tells Nikki that ?Death becomes her,? and a coffee table book of haunted houses and spooky graveyards sounds like her true calling?
At her first photo shoot, Nikki is about to discover exactly what her true calling is!
Valerie Griswold-Ford’s debut novel is part techno-thriller with sinister forces hard at work in genetically generating super soldiers of tomorrow, part dark fantasy as these super soldiers are actually part of a higher plan to resurrect the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She creates a believable alternative reality where magic exists openly and interacts with the world on a daily basis, provided the Balance is maintained. This world is so convincing that you begin to sweat a bit whenever that Balance is threatened. Along with earnest concern, Valerie evokes other emotions with every page, with every scene, and with every character’s action. And applying much of her know-how showcased in her articles for The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy and The Fantasy Writer’s Companion, Not Your Father’s Horseman sets up believable and dynamic magic systems steeped in mythology and legend that, while you know are fantastic elements, ring with credibility. On so many levels and with its many layers, Not Your Father’s Horseman is a delight to read and a wonderful start to what promises to be a terrific series.
With Not Your Father’s Horseman, Valerie Griswold-Ford has announced her arrival to the Fantasy genre. It is an arrival that will have you asking her, “That was very, very cool, Val! So, what’s next?” It also stands as a testimony that, yes, a book contract can motivate you better than a fire under your ass to create a terrific read.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5