The spring edition of the Stoughton Press has hit the streets. I posted two articles this time, but I'll begin with this one.
What happens when you blend murderous whales, an orphaned
fawn, and tattooed dragons? Award Winning Magic.
Stoughton resident and the Press’s own Creature Feature
writer, Rebecca Ferrell Porter brought home Silver in the 2014 Wishing Shelf
Independent Book Award on April 1st for her second novel, Cairn:
A Dragon Memoir. “I knew had written something unique, but I never
expected this,” Porter said. The respected European award, unique in its own
right, celebrates and fosters the next generation of readers. Organizers have
teamed with enthusiastic teachers and willing students in and around London, England.
The entries become part the curriculum as the kids hone their critical assessment
skills. Each book is graded on editing, theme, style, and cover. Once the
finalists have been determined, a smaller, select group campaigns for the medal
winners in what the organizer has termed a heated battle. Each finalist had its
champion, but in the end, Cairn: A Dragon Memoir won enough
votes to capture Silver.
While written for fantasy fans of any age, Porter chose
to enter Cairn: A Dragon Memoir in the teen category. “It seemed a
natural fit because I write what I term cozy fantasy. That is to say a story where
the characters take center stage. I keep the plot tight and spinning with
action, but little or no graphic violence occurs. To be fair, this story is
built around a series of murders, but I didn’t find it necessary to describe
every wound in titillating detail. Cozy fantasy focuses on the character and
his or her journey toward change while adding a final element, humor. When I
read, I want to enter the heads of the characters, feel what they feel, laugh
when they laugh, and cry when they cry. That’s how I write; I don’t know any
other way.”
Porter began her writing career a few short years ago,
and although the craft has a steep learning curve, she’s already gaining the
attention of her peers and gathering fans around the globe. “Over time, I’ve
developed a system that works for me. My goal is to infuse every scene with
images chosen to stimulate the senses. I want the reader to feel as if she has stepped
through a portal. The breeze is heavy and she brushes her hair out of her eyes
as the scent of the meadow swirls up from her clothes. In the next nest, the soft
snore of the dragon calms her as the sweet juice of a stolen plum drips from her
chin. It’s a deeper experience honed by the creed of show not tell (the golden
rule of good writing).
In
Cairn, readers find a world dominated by dragons as Porter spins a new legend
built around the natural phenomena we call the Northern Lights. As in all good
legends, unexpected and secretive characters appear. Porter introduces us to
Aurora, a complex Elemental wielding magic strong enough to send cosmic ribbons
of light across the hemisphere. It wouldn’t be right to say more here, but
Porter saves some of her strongest imagery for these chapters.
“It
all begins in character development. If I can’t see the character in my head, I
won’t be able to share the experience with the reader. It’s an intense process.
Aurora stepped out of my imagination several weeks before I began writing Cairn.
I still remember the moment I met her. It was late at night when I should have
been sleeping, but her face, her voice, her honey scented hair all combined
into an image so strong, I literally ran to my notebook and sketched her
features for hours. Other times, a character I thought to be minor pushes
through as I write. Kes, the dragon Scribe was one such character. Her sacred duty
is to preserve the memories of the clan in both stone and flesh. She’s a bit
frightening and her confidence is unparalleled, but she’s pivotal to the plot.
“Your
inscription is elaborate. It will take time. I may tire and stop to rest, but
once started the inscription must be completed.” She [Kes] raised her hand to
reveal a flight feather, stripped to the tip where a flake of diamond winked in
the light.
He was shaking despite his best effort
to control it.
“Some have died, but only a few. You are
strong … your heart, pure. You will survive, and I will be remembered as your
Scribe. I thank you for this opportunity.” He felt the pressure of her hand
resting on this throat.
Just get it over with, he thought.
She inserted something under a delicate
scale at the base of his throat, and began prying it up. The pain was
excruciating, but he focused on his breathing. He would not cry out. One by
one, his scales were lifted, dozens of them until he thought she was removing
them all, but he felt her carving away just enough scale before she would
gently press the remains back into place. He tried to ignore the stream of
blood that grew into a river as even more scales were ripped away.
“It
was fun to slip into the head of the dragons, and it a strange way, I miss
thinking in dragon, but I’ve moved on to the third book in the Legends of the
Aurora trilogy.” With this win, Rebecca Ferrell Porter has earned the title
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, and it’s helping to open doors, but in the end, she’s
only concerned with writing a damn good story.
No comments:
Post a Comment