Keeping it Real

This month I was asked if I did videos. The short answer was "not often!" Thelogner answer is that I have some on the website and YouTube (www.youtube.com/@shakatdamen) but it's few and far between. Some readings, a few requests (library event etc) and such. 

Can I do more? Sure. But what should I talk about? That made me think for quite a while. 

So when I’m asked what kind of writing I do, I often struggle in the moment to explain. I write fantasy, sure, that’s obvious. But how do I explain what I do versus what others write? I write epic fantasy, but also sword and sorcery YA. But that’s a category; it doesn’t say anything about who I am as a writer! 
Ultimately, I discovered that what I aim for is realistic fantasy. 

I realize it’s a bit paradoxical to use those words together, but it fits my style! Fantasy has fantastical elements. That doesn’t mean it has to be entirely out there. In fact, I would argue it shouldn’t be. And I’m not just talking about being internally consistent (which is, as far as I am concerned, mandatory for good fantasy). I meant having details and stories that make sense and are believable. It’s one of the reasons I started describing my stories as historical fiction in another world. 

To get there, I was doing a lot of reading. Son of No Man takes place in a ‘dark age’ tech level. While I found tons of information about later medieval periods from 1200 AD on, I had trouble finding important details on European 600-900 AD. I did find some great resources for life around the year 1000 though, which was eye-opening! 

It’s not just technology but ensuring there is depth to the world, including weather and seasons, food that makes sense, and dealing with bugs and illnesses, and so much more! 

So that’s where I stand; researching history to understand my own world better, a world that includes layers beyond the stereotypes even though it’s still European! Once I got my fill of that (ie. finished the series) I ended up ‘traveling’ more in the world… so that European bend will be going away too! 

I have decided to do a few videos following up on this… Things I got right, or things I got wrong when making my fantasy as ‘real’ as possible! We’ll see how that goes! 


Meantime, we have new plans coming up for freshening up the covers of the Son of No Man series, plus the release of "His Last Name," the spin-off of Kitable and Shimmer's final adventure after the end of the series. PLUS some sales coming up. Follow to be notified! 

Meantime, here are this month's promotions, and they're running out soon! ​All free this month! Just click to find a new free ebook!