Inspiration for The Bull Riding Witch

Jamie Marchant Posted on by

You may wonder why a college English teacher and overall fantasy fan decided to write a novel set in the rodeo. The inspiration for The Bull Riding Witch came when I went to a rodeo to help my husband sell concessions to raise money for a nonprofit he ran at the time. I hadn’t been to a rodeo since I was a young child and had no interest in doing so.

But as I watched this rodeo, I found in fascinating, in a they-still-do-this-thing way. In The Bull Riding Witch, I talk about the Holy Trinity of Rodeo: “America, God, and Ford trucks.” The announcer discuss each aspect of the Holy Trinity with equal gravity and seriousness; so much so, it seemed almost a parody of itself. I won’t talk about the trucks, but believe, they were equally serious about them. I may have gotten the order of some of the following mixed up, but not the earnestness with which they are pursued.

They began the rodeo with an over-the-top patriotic display. While it is fairly typical to sing the national anthem at sporting events, none of the rest of what rodeo does is. None of the videos in this post are from a rodeo I attended because I’ve never taken one, but they are typical of what I’ve witnessed and demonstrate how seriously rodeo takes the Holy Trinity. They have a single rider holding a huge flag ride around the arena when playing a patriotic country song. Although the riders I’ve seen have always been women, this is otherwise typical, as is the announcement beforehand honoring veterans and asking them to stand to be recognized.

And since one big flag isn’t enough, then comes the rodeo drill team in which all members carry smaller flags while riding in patterns, and patriotic country music still playing.

 

 

After the patriotic display, the announcer begins the rodeo with a prayer and a reminder that rodeo is the only sport to still start by giving praise and thanks to God. I wish I could remember the words of the prayer because it struck me as nearly ludicrous the seriousness he prayed for the rodeo performers and their bravery as well as extremely self-congratulatory that rodeo is dedicated to God. You can’t make this stuff up.

 

The Holy Trinity did fascinate me, but it was the rest of the rodeo out of which Daulphina, the bull riding witch, was born.What impressed me was the incredible skill of the participants combined with the pointlessness of developing such a skill. This was particularly notable in the team roping event, in which one rider has to rope the head of the calf and the other the heel. Watch some of them doing it:
Think how incredibly difficult that would be to do and the hours and hours of practice and dedication needed to perfect this skill, but at the same time, why? What makes it worthwhile to stretch a calf out like that? I know sports don’t have a practical purpose, but these seemed to harken back to an era that died 100 years ago.
Most fascinating of all was the bull riding, which always comes last in the rodeo. When you watch someone who’s good at it, like Wiley Petersen, it may not seem so difficult. Wiley was my consultant on all things rodeo, but I’ll talk more about him tomorrow.
You only have to stay on for 8 seconds, which may not seem like a lot, but at the first rodeo I went to as an adult, not a single one of the riders did it. As I’ve learned since, there is a lot more skill in staying on the bull than it appears to a novice. These are more typical of what I saw than Wiley’s ride.
When you get bucked off these bulls, you have a 2000 pound animal crashing its hooves down around you. That weight coming down on a rider has killed far more than one bull rider. Notice also how often they get hung up with their hand stuck in the rope while the bull throws them around like a rag doll. Trying something like this is insane. The list of injuries bull riders get is impressively long, and they all get hurt. They say it isn’t a matter of whether you get hurt, but when you get hurt. Often the injuries are extremely serious, and if it doesn’t kill you, it can paralyze you. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would subject themselves to this, especially for the few hundred dollars they could win at the rodeo I attended, and if you don’t win, you don’t get a dime. (At the PBR championships, you can win a lot more than a few hundred, but not at these local small time ones.)
While I was watching the bull riding, Daulphina was born. I thought someone has to set a fantasy book in this world. This setting is just too good to ignore, and I’ve never seen a fantasy book set in rodeo. If you know of one, tells us about in the comments below. It took a few years for her story to take shape because I was working on other projects at the time, but The Bull Riding Witch will be available soon.
Remember, I am giving away two signed print copies and two ebooks of The Bull Riding Witch when it is released. I have added a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card. To enter the contest, subscribe to my newsletter (see the sidebar) or comment on any of the posts in my blog. Each comment equals one entry, and you can enter as many times as you like.
Tell us about your experience with rodeo or the inspiration for your latest book.

Summary versus Scene

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Summary versus Scene. What are they? When do you choose one over the other?*

Summary is where you take what happened in a relatively long period of time and convey it in a short space. It compresses time and detail, and it is mostly used to transition between scenes, to jump in time when nothing of vital importance happens to the story, or to fill in bits of background. It tells things that are necessary to know for the story to make sense, but aren’t as significant to the plot or development of the character. Summary should be used sparingly and generally only in short sections. Think of the montage technique in film making.

In Scene, on the other hand, you deal at length with what happened in a short period of time. Scene invites the reader into the story and makes them part of the action. Scene makes your readers see, feel, smell, taste, and hear what it happening. It is in scene where everything important should happen.

This is the beginning scene from The Bull Riding Witch:

I woke with my head pounding and my tongue coated with the fur balls of ten thousand cats. I nearly gagged at the stench that filled the air, a scent that combined the reek of inside of a knight’s armor after jousting with the odor of rotting flesh.
Confused, I examined my surroundings. Hung on the wall facing me was a portrait of a huge bull with its head down and its heels kicked high into the air. Incredibly, a man, hanging onto a rope with only one hand, sat on the bull’s back. Why would anyone ride a bull? Bulls were dangerous and impossible to control.
Piled high on the bedside table were plates covered with the remains of several meals, bowls with a few dregs of sour milk, and empty bottles. The sheet I laid on was stained with various substances I didn’t want to identify. Where was I? This was certainly no place worthy of me, the crown princess. Maybe I had somehow ended in the servants’ quarters, although I couldn’t imagine how.
I tried to sit up, and my head felt as if it were going to split in two. I groaned, and the sound was deep and masculine. What the . . .? I looked down at my arms. They were muscular and covered with hair. I grabbed my naked chest. My breasts were entirely flat, and my chest was covered with thick, coarse hair. When I rubbed my hand across my face, I felt thick stubble. I looked down at the short clothes, which were the only thing I was wearing; there was a bulge that just shouldn’t have been there. I lifted the waistband and peeked. Dear gods, how had I gotten one of those? I poked it with my finger, and it twitched. I snapped the waistband closed and jumped away, but I couldn’t get away from the body I was wearing.
            My breath came in dizzying gasps, and my pulse raced. This was just a dream, I told myself. It couldn’t be real.

 

You feel the thickness of her tongue, smell the stench, see the bull riding poster, and sense her confusion. You are with Daulphina coming awake in a body that isn’t hers. A little bit later in the first chapter, I have a short summary of how she got there:

I tried to think back to how this could have happened. I’d been going to the Temple of Cailleach to meet my lover. Clenyeth had told me he had important information and I should come alone. Clenyeth and I had had to be careful. If my father found out about us, Clenyeth could hang.
I’d seen Clenyeth near the entrance to the cave that housed Cailleach’s temple. As I hurried toward him, someone had grabbed me from behind and put a cloth that smelled sickly sweet over my mouth and nose, and then . . . And then . . .
 And then, I woke up as a man.

 

This gives the reader necessary background information, but they don’t experience it the same way as you do the scene. They aren’t there with her. It tells them things, but it doesn’t invite them into the story.

So a general rule, if it’s important, make it scene.

Share your thoughts on writing in the comments below.

*Disclaimer: The only unbreakable rule in fiction writing is “Does it work?” However, there are things that work more often than not. Make sure you understand a rule before you decide to break it in your case.

The Goddess’s Choice Release Blitz and Giveaway

Jamie Marchant Posted on by
The Goddess’s Choice
The Kronicles of Korthlundia Book 1
by Jamie Marchant
Genre: Epic Fantasy
In a world where the corrupt church hides the truth about magic, the
fate of the joined kingdom falls on the shoulders of two young people
from opposite ends of the social hierarchy.

Crown Princess Samantha’s life begins to fall apart when she starts
seeing strange colors around her potential suitors. She fears that
she’s going insane–or worse that she’s defying the Goddess’s
will. Robrek is a lowly farm boy with incredible magical powers. He
has been biding his time waiting to get revenge on those who call him
a demon.
Thrown together by chance, they must overcome their differences to fight
their common enemy Duke Argblutal, who, with dark magic, is slowly
poisoning the king’s mind and turning him against his own daughter.
Time is running out for those chosen by the Goddess to prevent the
power mad duke from usurping the throne and plunging the joined
kingdoms into civil war.

**On Sale – .99 TODAY ONLY!!***

**Don’t miss The Soul Stone: Book Two in The Kronicles of Korthlundia series!**

Jamie began writing stories about the man from Mars when she was six, and
she never remembers wanting to be anything other than a writer.
Everyone told her she needed a back up plan, so she pursued a Ph.D.
in American literature, which she received in 1998. She started
teaching writing and literature at Auburn University. One day in the
midst of writing a piece of literary criticism, she realized she’d
put her true passion on the backburner and neglected her muse. The
literary article went in the trash, and she began the book that was
to become The Goddess’s Choice, which was published in April 2012.
Her other novels include The Soul Stone and The Ghost in Exile. In
addition, she has published a novella, Demons in the Big Easy, and a
collection of short stories, Blood Cursed and Other Tales of the
Fantastic. Her short fiction has also appeared in the
anthologies–Urban Fantasy and Of Dragons & Magic: Tales of the
Lost Worlds—and in Bards & Sages, The World of Myth, A Writer’s
Haven, and Short-story.me. She claims she writes about the fantastic
. . . and the tortured soul. Her poor characters have hard lives. She
lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband and four cats, which (or
so she’s been told) officially makes her a cat lady. She still
teaches writing and literature at Auburn University. She is the
mother of a grown son.
Follow the blitz HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

The Goddess’s Choice is Here

Jamie Marchant Posted on by

The long awaited expanded edition of The Goddess’s Choice arrives today. Celebrate with a special price of $.99 for today only.

In a world where the corrupt church hides the truth about magic, the fate of the joined kingdom falls on the shoulders of two young people from opposite ends of the social hierarchy.

Crown Princess Samantha’s life begins to fall apart when she starts seeing strange colors around her potential suitors. She fears that she’s going insane–or worse that she’s defying the Goddess’s will. Robrek is a lowly farm boy with incredible magical powers. He has been biding his time waiting to get revenge on those who call him a demon.

Thrown together by chance, they must overcome their differences to fight their common enemy Duke Argblutal, who, with dark magic, is slowly poisoning the king’s mind and turning him against his own daughter. Time is running out for those chosen by the Goddess to prevent the

 

 

The Angel Knights Series Book Tour & Giveaway

Jamie Marchant Posted on by
Read about this award winning series and enter to win below:
The Angel Knights
Prequel/Novella
by Mary Ting
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Michael and Claudia’s decision to move back to Crossroads was to keep their
children safe, but they can’t escape who they are. Their children,
Zachary and Lucia, were destined to be demon hunters—Venators. From
the age they were able to hold a sword, they were trained to become
the best and to ensure they would become leaders one day.
All is peaceful throughout the land until the Fallen and demons’
presences were felt in the between and on Earth. As the Venators
investigate these locations, they will quickly learn how dangerous
their lives are. Hearts will be broken. Teammates will lose their
lives. And they will face obstacles which will test their faith.
As danger grows, the fear of fallen angels and demons regrouping has the
Divine Elders on pins and needles. Now, Zachary and Lucia, along with
Uncle Davin, must prepare themselves—mentally and physically—to
live on Earth to investigate where the focal point of evil resides
before it’s too late.
**Strongly recommended to read before the rest of the books!**
The Chosen Knights
The Angel Knights Series Book 1
(HIGHLY recommend to read prequel first–The Angel Knights)
*** SILVER AWARD WINNER 2016–YA FANTASY–READERS’ FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL
BOOK AWARD***
A page turning mystery with a supernatural twist that entertains to the
last page! ~InD’tale Magazine
When teens go missing in Hawaii, a group of demon-hunters—half human and
half angel—disguised as high school students, must leave
Crossroads, the place where they reside. In a race against time, they
uncover the mystery connecting the missing teens, which dates back to
the era of the Knights Templar. However, when they discover one of
the Templars passed down a book containing all the secrets and codes
to finding a particular treasure, they soon realize this forbidden
treasure needs to be found before Cyrus, the lord of the possessor
demons, acquires it—a treasure which been safeguarded and hidden
from him.
There is only one problem: the pages containing the clues leading to the
treasure is missing. When the first page is found, Cyrus threatens to
kill more descendants of the Knights Templar if it is not given to
him by Friday the thirteenth. In the midst of threats and discovery,
the demon-hunting angels find they are not alone when supernatural
beings begin to reveal themselves. Can they put their differences
aside and work together to solve the Knights Templars’ cipher? As
they astral travel to the past, they witness a lot more than they
have bargained for. And some things are better left unseen.
The Blessed Knights
The Angel Knight Series Book 2
Above a small hill lay a home.
And green men peer out under the dome.
Thirteen crisscrossing arches behold,
with angels singing must be told.
Cubes like teeth thus showed,
pierce one and the door shall glow.
Part the sea like Moses,
to see the bundle of red roses.
Only then you shall see,
what is destined to be free.
Eli, Lucia’s half-demon love interest, has been stabbed with a
true-cross dagger and captured by Cyrus, master of the possessor
demons. The Chosen Knights must work together once again not only to
save Eli, but also to decipher a clue to find the second missing page
of Jacques de Molay’s journal. Meanwhile, Uncle Davin informs
Crossroads’ Divine Elders of the danger ahead and learns there is
much to fear. Countless children are being taken from all over the
world to be turned into demons. Michael, one of the Divine Elders,
has no choice but to intervene. The Chosen Knights track down Mortem,
the demon who is the key to finding Cyrus, and learn they must travel
deep into the pit of a Hawaiian volcano. When they astral travel to
the past in search of a clue and follow Jacques de Molay to Rosselyn
Chapel in medieval Scotland, what they find will rewrite history.
From The Chosen Knights:

Though it seemed impossible, in no time he stood in front of me. He appeared like a ghost, then became translucent, and then took on the form of black mist outlining the shape of his face and body. The beauty and the mystery of this supernatural being hypnotized me. As his entity flickered in and out, a soft wind lightly tousled my hair and caressed my body. To my surprise, an incredible warmth filled me. I gasped, unsure of what to do. I should be deathly afraid of the unknown, but I wasn’t.

His stare never faltered. It reached to the depths of my soul as he breathed in the air of my existence, and I his. He smelled like a mixture of sweet coconut and the freshest greens of nature. As his lips moved closer to mine, a cool mist floated out of his mouth, then back in, and I felt my body levitate, feeling weightless as a withered leaf falling from a branch swaying with the autumn wind.

Eli’s dark, menacing eyes told me he was dangerous. Something wicked ran in his blood. I sensed it with every angel instinct in me. Yet, at the same time, I sensed something good. How could I feel both at the same time? Then a strong urge forced me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he had vanished. He was sitting with his back to me again, as if what I had experienced was only a figment of my imagination. What the heck just happened?

“Lucia? Are you okay?” I heard Jack’s voice, snapping me out of my trance.

“Jack? Did you see? Was he just…?”

Jack had no idea what I meant. I stopped asking him questions, realizing some kind of supernatural activity had happened. Stunned by how easily Eli had controlled me, he was…what?

International Bestselling Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California
with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making
jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by
chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother,
and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she
started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It
was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen
name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote
literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!

Martin Vause, a Northumbrian creator of mermaids and dragons

Jamie Marchant Posted on by

Welcome my guest today, fantasy author, Martin Vause, from Northumbria, England. Some day I will visit the island, and these places will become more to me than names from novels. In the comments below, let me know what you think.

Interview

  1. Tell us a little about yourself?

 I am a healthy 59 year old with a youthful outlook on life; living for love, art, beauty and my writing in the remote countryside of North Northumberland, England. Sounds like a bit of a fantasy itself, but that part of my life is true.

  1. What are your biggest literary influences? Favorite authors and why?

Francoise Sagan for emotional feminine insight, Franz Kafka for so clearly exposing psychological reactions, and Sappho whose surviving fragments written around 600BC have inspired all love poetry ever since.

  1. If you could have written any other book by any other author, what would it be, and why?

Justine by Lawrence Durrell because I marvel at the intricacy and depth of the psychology and human motivations he exposes in such detail, which is so elegantly described and also beautifully written.

  1. Tell us something about how you write? i.e. are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you have any weird or necessary writing habits or rituals?

Imagination inspired daydreams scribbled on jotter pads form the foundation of my stories.

  1. Could you tell us a bit about your most recent book?

Astrilla inhabits a fantasy world where time is a three dimensional sphere, not a straight line from past, present to future. She doesn’t know how many past lives she has lived as organic memory will not contain so many beautiful fragments in one body. In this life she is both a mermaid and human yet she searches for reason and meaning within the seemingly endless age of perfection. Together with a powerful Goddess she fights to maintain a world where love has replaced hate and peace reigns supreme. Still lurking in the darkness is tightly coiled evil that didn’t die and was just resting. Hidden from the light the last monster broods and slithers until all that is worth living for is under threat. Mythological creatures, talking animals, and a myriad delight of mystical experiences await the invisible visitor to this realm that is yourself. Complete with the poetic evocation of Sappho inspired neo- classicism ‘Sadwi the Deer Goddess’. My extreme fantasy writing began with this secret nest of a book which is also available as a luxurious full colour illustrated edition.

  1. What gives you inspiration for your book?

The beauty and sensitivity of loving emotions, the countryside surrounding where I live, and my wild romantic imagination.

  1. What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?

Amphitrite’s Tunnel is a grown up’s fantasy story set in a parallel world of mermaids, Princesses & a powerful Goddess. I invented ‘Sadwiesque’ which is a parallel realm to our normal human world. Based on love & peace mythology lives in this separate reality. This is the heaven on earth!

My first two books The Forest Angels & Sian’s Gift are more conventional mystery –  ghost stories with an emphasis on positive emotions.

At the centre of my created characters you will always find kindness, sensitivity and the purity of loving relationships + Amphitrite’s Tunnel has mermaids & dragons!

Where can we find you online?

Blog/Website: https://martinvause.wordpress.com/
Facebook:  I don’t need facebook. My only imaginary friends are my book characters!
Twitter:  @VauseMartin
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1543257631/
                      http://amazon.com/dp/1530652634/
                      https://www.amazon.com/dp/1533317682/
                      https://www.amazon.com/dp/1530553954/

About the books

The Forest Angels

The Forest Angels is a compilation of Martin Vause’s two romantically inclined mystery thrillers: The Forest of Twins & The Lost Angel of Carmarthen. Together with the gothic fantasy poem “Sadwi the Deer Goddess,” they form a powerful and unique combination which explores the depth and range of loving relationships through the lives of an artistic couple. Touched by ghosts and a fear of loss beyond human control, they cling together on a journey that explores the sensitivities of the human soul. Love and mystery are the touchstones of this pastoral suburban dreamscape. Alf and  Sian come alive as if unrestrained by the fiction writer’s page. They were not born but live as we never could, outside of time.

Sian’s Gift

Alf and Sian’s artistic lifestyle enters a new phase as Sian’s angel ghost bestowed gift raises the pressure on their smooth suburban dreamscape. As April and Anna nurture a new life, which also feels like Sian’s gift to them; the new angel of Carmarthen struggles to balance a normal modern life with an ancient responsibility. Continuing from the compilation of Martin Vause’s first two romantically inclined mystery thrillers presented as‘The Forest Angels,  Sian’s Gift the third outing for Alf and Sian, her “gift” is a present she must open with extreme care.

Amphitrite’s Tunnel

Astrilla inhabits a fantasy world where time is a three dimensional sphere, not a straight line from past, present to future. She doesn’t know how many past lives she has lived as organic memory will not contain so many beautiful fragments in one body. In this life she is both a mermaid and human, yet she searches for reason and meaning within the seemingly endless age of perfection. Together with a powerful Goddess, she fights to maintain a world where love has replaced hate and peace reigns supreme. Still lurking in the darkness is tightly coiled evil that didn’t die and was just resting. Hidden from the light the last monster broods and slithers until all that is worth living for is under threat. Mythological creatures, talking animals, and a myriad delight of mystical experiences await the invisible visitor to this realm that is yourself. Complete with the poetic evocation of Sappho inspired neo- classicism “Sadwi the Deer Goddess.” Martin Vause’s fantasy writing begins with this rare and secret nest of a book. This book is also available as a luxurious full colour illustrated edition.

The Goddess’s Choice, expanded edition

Jamie Marchant Posted on by

On Thursday,  the release day of the expanded edition of The Goddess’s Choice will finally arrive. To celebrate, I will be offering the Kindle version for only $.99 on Thursday only.

I will also be having a twitter party on Thursday. There will be games, contest, prizes, fun, and more! Don’t miss out. Details below.

I’d love to see y’all there. (Yes, I live in the South, but I didn’t grow up here, and English needs a 2nd person plural. Y’all is much better than you guys.)