C.L. Schneider's Blog: Heading Down the Yellow Brick Road, page 2

As a stay at home mom, I’ve learned to write with my kids running around the house, the washing machine spinning in my ear, and the dog playing ball under my desk. I can slip in and out of the story at any given moment, leaving mid-sentence to tend to scraped knees, hurt feelings, and a boiling pot. In fact, for many years, most of my writing was done by ‘squeezing it in’ whenever and wherever I could, sometimes in five or ten minute increments. Some days it still is. I certainly don’t prefer to work that way. I tend to crave quiet and solitude, as I believe many writers do. The problem is what happens when I get it. When I’m treated to a run of that precious, uninterrupted free time, it’s such a luxury, I have trouble letting it go. I sit down at my desk, tunnel vision sets in and I wrap myself in my work like a cocoon. The next thing I know, hours have gone by.

Immersing yourself in a story, letting the real world disappear in favor of the one in your head, is one of the best parts of writing one. But to do so, we often make sacrifices. These can come in many forms: sleep, exercise, social engagements…lunch. Whether it’s by necessity or because the muse demands it, we frequently put the writing first and ourselves last. We forfeit fresh air and lunch with friends in the hopes of upping our word count. My own recluse tendencies come out more during the cold, winter months. But what really kicked them into high gear was publishing my first book. It was no longer just about finding solace for writing. There was suddenly a high demand on my time for the promoting and marketing end of the job.

This isn’t a complaint. It’s reality. It’s me admitting how easy it is to spend the entire day at my laptop, not getting up, not eating, (putting off the housework) and not reaching out to my friends. The drive to create is powerful and constant. Even knowing it will make the words flow faster, that if I empty my mind I can fill it again, I still have trouble pulling away. I don’t like to call myself a workaholic. I’ve always seen work as something you didn’t want to do. Some place you had to drag yourself out of bed to go to every morning. Writing is not that. Writing is a pleasure for me, a passion. It’s a healthy outlet. But it also makes me a hermit if I let it, and that’s not so healthy.

Over the last year I’ve learned so much about writing and publishing. But I’ve also learned I can’t climb in a hole with it. Exiling myself from my friends to write one more paragraph, or putting off a walk for one more tweet, isn’t doing me any favors. Neither is getting less than six hours of sleep a night, but one problem at a time.

As authors, we know the writing has to come first. We want and need it to. Some of us can balance that need (and the responsibilities of publishing) with the rest of our lives quite well. But for those of us that have trouble, we need to try harder. We need to put ourselves at least second. A walk around the block, a chat over coffee, a trip to the grocery store—it doesn’t matter, as long as you get up from the chair. Take time to revitalize and recharge. Stimulate your mind with something other than words for ten minutes. Give yourself a break. If you can, maybe I can too.

I'm honored to be featured this week on the #indiebooksbeseen blog. My post discusses the Crown of Stones, my new release of the next installment, and the character of Ian Troy.

I would love for you to pop over and have a look http://bit.ly/IBBSGuestPost

Thanks to D.B. Nielsen for giving me the opportunity to celebrate my new release with #indiebooksbeseen!

This blog hop is designed to show our readers a more personal side to ourselves. We've been challenged by another author/ blogger (somewhat like the 'ice bucket' challenge) to list seven interesting facts to help cast light onto that tough writer’s/ blogger's persona we all like to project. But we want to show that behind every story is a story, our story, my story, and like everyone else I have dreams, hobbies, problems and goals. This blog hop is a way to share some of them with you, my readers.

The rules are that I share 7 Lovely Facts about myself, and links to at least 15 blogs that I enjoy reading. If I’ve nominated your blog (see names below) please don’t feel any obligation to join in but, if you do, please link back to the blog of the person who nominated you (that would be me http://www.clschneiderauthor.com/), share facts about yourself and nominate 15 blogs (or as many as you can).

I was reading some of the other blogs on this tour. There are some remarkable and gifted writers here and I’m happy to be in their company. Many thanks to DB Nielsen, author of Seed, (the first book in the Keeper of the Genesis series) for adding me to the blog hop! Dee is a huge supporter of the movement #IndieBooksBeSeen and did a tremendous job organizing the Secret Santa Giveaway where winners had a chance at over 70 indie titles. You can learn about Dee on her website https://dbnielsen.com/ and be sure to check out her 5* novel Seed on Amazon.

So, here are 7 fun facts about me.

1) I grew up on old movies. From as far back as I can remember, my mom and I would stay up until all hours watching TV. A good number of the shows were black and white. She introduced me to musicals and mysteries, cowboys and detectives, spies and monsters; Vincent Price, Lon Chaney, Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Vivian Leigh, James Cagney, Erroll Flynn. Black and white movies have such a wonderful, warm feel. They’re full of nuance, and glamor, and noir. The shadow play, the overacting, the sense of innocence, the soft close-ups; you can’t create that same level of nostalgia in color. To this day, some of my favorite movies are those old black and whites.

As a bonus, I'm proud to say the 'L' in C. L. stands for Leigh, after the actress Vivian Leigh who played Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. And since you're pulling it out of me, the 'C' stands for Cynthia.

2) I have read the book Rusalka by C. J. Cherry six times. I’m not sure why. It isn’t her best work. There is just something about that story and those characters that dug into me. Every single read was as enjoyable as the first, and after each one, all I wanted to do was write. The first three times I borrowed it from the library. Certain books though, you just have to own. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a single store that carried it. Years later, when I was feeling the need to read it again, I found it used on Amazon. When Rusalka came in the mail it was like reuniting with an old friend. It’s been a while since I’ve read it, but I still pick it up now and then to flip through the pages or soak in the cover. It’s full of good vibes. Some days you need that.

3) I share a birthplace with Amelia Earhart. We were both born in Atchison, a small Kansas town on the Missouri River. When I was growing up there was one movie theater—and even that was closed half the time. We had no McDonalds until I was in high school. The closest mall was about 40 minutes away. The air in town smelled perpetually of sour bread dough from the Pillsbury plant. In spring and summer we were treated to the relentless blaring of tornado sirens. But the storm clouds were the most majestic and beautiful I’ve ever seen. The smell told me I was home. The mall trips and the movies were special because they weren’t an everyday occurrence (and the lack of McDonalds was most definitely a good thing). And when you drove down Main Street, whether you knew the people passing you or not, they waved. It was a slice of small town America I didn’t appreciate as a kid. Now, I know just how rare it really is.

4) Every story I’ve ever written has started in a notebook. I guess I’m a little old fashioned that way. Or maybe it’s just that, in the beginning, my thoughts are flowing too fast for complete sentences and keyboards. It’s not so much a draft or even an outline at that point. I think of it as the skeleton. Then, when the ink stops flowing, I head to the laptop to put some meat on those bones. A blank piece of paper doesn’t scare me in the least. A blank screen is a completely different animal.

5) I’m not a fan of dolls, especially old ones. They creep me out. I don’t much care for mannequins or ventriloquist dummies, either. Then again, maybe I protest too much, because I love to be scared and every time I see a movie with beat up dolls hanging from a tree, it makes me squeal.

6) I may be a tiny bit of a groupie. About ten years ago I discovered this indie band from Chicago. I fell in love with their music and was so impressed with their drive. It was all about the fans to them, and it showed. Often their lyrics related to my own inner need to keep writing, and I found their persistence despite the odds inspirational. I may or may not have had a slight fan-girl crush on the lead singer, as well. I bought all their CDs and swag, did some low-level street teaming, stalked them online, dragged my friends to their concerts. My first overnight ever away from my husband and kids was when I went to see them in Chicago. Their music made up a good portion of my writing soundtrack for The Crown of Stones.

7) Oatmeal cookie dough is pretty much the best thing ever. I'm not picky though, I'll take any cookie dough I can get my hands on. Cake batter is a close second. If it wasn’t for my family expecting desert, what I’m baking would probably never make it into the oven. A good friend of mine insisted I tell you that I make the best blondies and dirty Girl Scout cookies. I'm fairly certain she puts up with me for my deserts.

I won’t go into any extreme detail here. All I have to say is that those nominated below are simply great people who love to read and/or create worlds for us to enjoy. Don’t believe me? Follow the links to find out more about them.

Tom Reinhart
http://www.tomreinhart.com/

J.K. Pitcairn
http://themanicheans.com/

Tracy Falbe
http://www.herladyshipsquest.com/

D.M. Caine
http://www.dmcain.co.uk/

Angela B. Chrysler
http://www.angelabchrysler.com/

Ben Willoughby
http://benwilloughbyauthor.blogspot.com/

Rocky Rochford
http://rockyrochford.wordpress.com/

Virginia Gray
http://www.virginiagraynovels.com/

Simon Williams
http://simonwilliamsauthor.com/

The end of 2014 is upon us. I’m on the verge of releasing my second book. Yet, sometimes, the first one doesn't even seem real. I can't believe my words have reached so many people in so many parts of the world—more than I ever thought they would. I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends and family that have helped spread the word, and I’m eternally grateful for their continued efforts. It’s the support of strangers though, that has prompted this post.

We all lead busy lives. Between work and home, there is often little in the way of down time. We rush around from one place to the next, trying to fit it all in. It’s become easier to bury our heads in our phones, keep our eyes down, stick in the ear buds, and leave it at that. I see it all the time. The halfhearted, last second, obligatory smile to the cashier. The visible indecision whether or not to take five more seconds to hold the door open for the person coming in behind us, or to walk on and let it close.

Thinking back over the last twelve months, I began to realize how many virtual doors have been held open for me since publishing Magic-Price. Many have gone out of their way, devoted time, and shown more interest and kindness than I would have thought possible in this hustle bustle world. They aren’t relatives. We haven’t known each other for years. They’re just good people that I’ve been fortunate to come across. Good people that have bucked the trend by going above and beyond for a stranger.

I’m not going to list individual names. I’m happy to say, there’s too many. I think most of you know who you are, what you’ve done, and how much I appreciate it. And if you’ve taken the time to come here and read this, there’s a good chance you’re one of them. Whether it was helping to get the word out about Magic-Price, posting reviews, sharing experiences, offering advice, or filling my breaks with jokes and nonsensical chats that help preserve my sanity; you’ve made this adrenaline rush of a year a little better. So this is me, getting sappy (which, trust me, doesn’t happen often), thanking each of you for all that you’ve done. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a new year full of happiness and success in all your endeavors.

I’ve been an indie author now for a full year. It’s been a whirlwind and a roller coaster, and I wouldn’t change the last 370 day as a published author for anything. Why? It really comes down to three things: control, community, and chrysalis. You’re probably wondering about the last one, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Before deciding to self-publish, I threw my hat into the ring and spent some time chasing agents and traditional publishers. I polished my query letter until it shined and joined the ranks; vying for attention with thousands of others all hoping for a second look. It was exciting and exhilarating, and depressing. After a while it began to feel like every letter I sent was a shot in the dark and someone else’s hand was on the light switch. Self-publishing changed all that. It put me in control. It gave me the power to decide my word count, my cover, my price—my future. It also brought me way outside my comfort zone. I wasn’t sure I would be happy out here. Despite wanting to be published, I enjoyed my little circle. I could write until my heart’s content and I didn’t have to talk about myself. I didn’t have to think about how my words were in thousands of people’s heads, and worry what they might think of them. Jumping into that giant ocean full of published authors was a little scary. But something curious happened in those first few months. I started connecting with others like me, and the ocean started shrinking: I’d found a community. Sharing tips, jokes, sarcasm, support, the good and the bad, and sometimes plain just old nonsense, the community of indie authors I discovered is so much better than that lonely little comfort zone I left behind. I guess that’s what I love about #IndieBooksBeSeen. It isn’t just a hashtag or a movement. It’s a community.

Being an indie author has allowed me to grow as a writer. It cracked open that chrysalis I’ve been sheltered in for years, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.

Want to find out what other authors love about being indie? Hop on over and take a look at the wonderful blog of Christine L. Rozzelle

It was a little over a year ago when my friend Sara said, “You need to be on Twitter”. She was right. My first book was about to be published and I needed to get out there. Except for connecting with family and old friends on Facebook, though, I’d been a bit of a social media hermit. I was definitely a writing hermit. Most of my life I’d kept my stories to myself. I had passion and dreams, but no confidence. It was easier to hide and say ‘maybe someday’ than risk taking one step outside my comfort zone.

Once I did, of course, everything changed. My confidence grew and I took the plunge and published. Problem was, I had never really thought much about promoting. I didn’t know any other authors. I certainly wasn’t used to talking to them, or talking about writing so openly.

My friend, Sara, gave me a quick Twitter tutorial one morning over coffee. I had no idea what to say for my first tweet (or the next dozen), but I jumped in with both feet and learned the ropes the hard way. I’m still learning, in fact. But what’s important is that I reached out. I connected. And I had no idea how crucial it was until I did. When I first joined, I read some online advice for writers using Twitter. One article in particular stuck with me. It talked about how you shouldn’t look at other authors as your competition. They’re your network, your cartel. I didn’t get that on day one, but it didn’t take long.

Interacting with other authors (published and unpublished), readers, artists and filmmakers, fellow zombie and fantasy enthusiasts—people of all kinds—has been an incredibly positive and enlightening experience. Twitter isn’t just about marketing and promoting your own work. In fact, for me, that’s been a small part of it. Twitter is inspiration and amusement, fun and expression, encouragement and community. It can be a much needed distraction, an exchange of ideas, and a pep rally. It’s the funny picture that puts a smile on your face when you’re ready to throw your laptop across the room. Sometimes, you need advice or support. Other times, all it takes is a simple Favorite to let you know someone in that big wide Twitterverse commiserates.

Writing can be both pleasure and pain, often at the same time. There’s an ebb and flow of confidence and doubt that I’ve come to realize is made worse by isolation. Knowing others are on the roller coaster with you makes a difference.

My friend says she created a monster when she introduced me to Twitter. I’m not sure I’m quite that bad—yet. But if I get there, I’m not too worried. A lot of my followers like monsters.

Writer’s block is a popular subject among authors. It’s also a depressing one. It can strike without warning, afflicting new and seasoned writers, and leaving the most creative of us staring at a blank screen for hours, feeling like the ideas have been sucked right out of our heads. The blogs are flooded with all manner of suggestions for thwarting this unpredictable evil.

But what happens when the opposite strikes? You’re making great progress on your story and then instead of going mute, your muse kicks into overdrive. Suddenly have too many ideas and you don’t know which direction to take your WIP. It may sound like a good problem to have, but being overloaded with options can be just as paralyzing as having none. This tends to be an issue for me more often about halfway through my first draft. Even when I have the entire story already mapped out, my brain sometimes goes on tangents. Some writers might ignore these stray creative whisperings. They don’t have trouble getting sidetracked and keep moving forward. But for those of us that can’t, the indecision can be daunting. When the clutter starts building for me, I employ a simple process to rein in my wayward inspiration. I call it Solitary Brainstorming.

To get back on track, not only do I need to see the trees through the forest, I need to see the one tree that will lead me down the right path. So with a notebook and a quiet place, I empty my mind on paper. I start with a heading; a brief description (a sentence or two) of wherever I am in the story when my brain went awry. Then I fill as much of the page, or pages, as I need to entertain every offshoot, every twist and turn rattling around in my head. I play each one out. I don’t bother with details. I avoid complete sentences. I rarely write in the lines. It isn’t the time to be concerned with boundaries or rules. It’s a free-style vomiting of ideas. An expelling of the chaos allows me to better see the consequences of each idea and how they will ripple out through the next few chapters, or the remainder of my story.

If I go left, then right, then left; how does that affect my characters? Does it flow better instead if I go left, left, right? By indulging my imagination, instead of stifling it, I can make informed decisions about which direction my WIP needs to go. It also takes less time than finding out four chapters later that the fantastic idea that woke me up in the middle of the night, has now written me into a corner.

Once I decide which path is best for the flow, pace, plot, and the development of my characters, I keep the unused ideas for later. I can always go back to them down the road and tweak them for another story. Having a vault of creative tangents and unexplored paths are also helpful to kickstart a stalled brain if and when the dreaded writer’s block decides to strike.

I remember the exact moment when I decided: I’m going to be an author. It was an easy decision. I loved books. They’d been my constant companion since I was old enough to read. I would come home from the library with a stack so big I couldn’t see over the top. I’d stretch out on my bed and dive inside their pages, disappearing inside make-believe worlds for hours at a time. I loved to write, too: poetry, short stories, or scripts for my favorite TV shows. It didn’t matter what I was writing as long as I had plots to twist and characters to explore. Once I‘d made the decision, the idea of holding my creation in my hand took on a life of its own and at sixteen I sat down to make my dream come true.

After two and a half years of pouring my soul out onto notebook pages and over typewriter keys, I had my first, full-length novel. It was a post-apocalyptic behemoth entitled A Twist of Fate. The story followed a small group of people searching for a rumored sanctuary in a ravaged world. I hired a free-lance editor out of a writer’s magazine. She said my writing was superb and I should have no trouble getting published.

It didn’t quite work out that way.

The abbreviated version of the story is: I was a young Kansas girl in a New York world. Reality was a cold bucket of water and self-doubt kept filling it to the top. It was a paralyzing combination. It didn’t stop me from writing, though. I had the itch. The stories were in me and had to come out. Instead, it turned me into what I call a ‘closet writer’. No, I didn’t actually sit in the closet and write, but I might as well have. I hid inside my very secure comfort zone, writing away in private because it was safer that way. If I didn’t tell anyone I was writing, no one would ask to read it. If they didn’t read it, they wouldn’t laugh.

From time to time, friends would see me scribbling in my notebook and ask what I was doing. I didn’t lie, but I was reluctant to come clean. I didn’t know anyone who wrote. Fantasy wasn’t in the mainstream like it is today. Isolating that part of myself, sequestering my writing half, was easier than standing out. I convinced myself I didn’t mind. Writing in itself was enough. I didn’t need to hold my book in my hand. Except, deep down I knew otherwise. It was an internal conflict that became most obvious when I realized I’d developed an unhealthy, love-hate relationship with the bookstore. Since I was young, the bookstore had been one of my favorite places to be. Now, suddenly, it was depressing. Standing amid all those shelves, perusing all the beautiful covers, glaringly brought to light how unlikely it was that I would ever see my own book among them.

I spent many years hiding in my writing closet; writing in private, not letting anyone in, letting my dream drift further and further away. There are days when I wish I could go back and reclaim that time. Break my younger self out of her comfort zone. Tell her to snap the hell out of it—don’t let fear keep you in the closet. There are many tales that need telling and only so many years to tell them in. Quit wasting time. Get out there. Be persistent. Don’t give up. It’s exactly what I would tell any young writer who’s afraid to take a chance on themselves.

Yet, if life hadn’t unfolded the way it did…if certain dominos hadn’t fallen to help me gain the confidence I needed to open the door… if I hadn’t taken a chance and stepped out on my own, things might never have happened for me. I might not be right here, right now, staring at my dream sitting on the shelf.

My magic knew nothing of sides. My spells fed without discrimination. They were selfish, heartless. They didn’t care who was right or wrong, who was strong or weak. To create themselves, they would drain friend as easily as foe.

—The Crown of Stones: Magic-Price

Power is never free. It can’t be. If there were no consequences, no limits, the world would be a scary place. So would my fantasy world.

In building a magic system like the one I created for The Crown of Stones, rules are a must. If the writer doesn’t stick to them, the reader will surely notice. That isn’t to say the rules can’t be bent now and then. Your magic system can develop as the story does. The reason has to be plausible though, and fit with the character, plot, and the world you’ve created.

Once you have a foundation and you know where your characters will draw their magical power from (spirit world, natural world, the caster’s will, enchanted objects, etc.), certain parameters need to be set.

Start with a few questions. How prevalent is the magic? Does everyone have access to it, or just a rare few? How hard is it to practice? Does each spell require some scarce ingredient that can only be found on an island in the middle of the ocean, during a full moon? Does it take years to master this magic, or does it instantly roar to life when your character touches some magical rune? Is it used sparingly, or freely, and what impact does it have on society? How is it received by those who don’t practice magic in your world? What does it cost? The more detailed your answers, the easier it will be when you’re 150 pages in and need to refer back to them. If the magic doesn’t make sense to you, it probably won’t make sense to your readers.

Be consistent. If a spell that has worked time and again suddenly fails (your character uses magic to start a campfire to cook his dinner and sets the whole forest ablaze); explain the cause. Is he inexperienced? Was there an outside factor/evil magic user that interfered? At the very least, your character should have a suspicion that can be confirmed or rejected later on. If your water-based magic user suddenly sprouts wings and shoots fire from his eyes—something never explored or mentioned previously—have a good, solid reason why. If you thoughtlessly throw around magic without rhyme or reason, it becomes simply that: thoughtless.

Know your price. In The Crown of Stones, magic is owned by one race, the Shinree, who are born with an addiction to casting. A Shinree can sense the energy, or aura, inside a stone. They have the ability to pull the aura inside themselves and direct the energy back out through their bodies. Actual written spells are used to focus their minds and shape the magic. Some are more adept and can cast with intention alone. The stones, while powerful, lack enough energy for the spells to be born. A measure is taken from the caster, weakening them or rendering them unconscious. More is taken from the caster’s environment. Plants, animals, people; whatever is nearby is at risk of being drained to the point of death. This is the Shinree’s magic-price.

My protagonist, Ian Troy, is a flawed, tortured man who has renounced his magical heritage. Throughout the book, he struggles to accept who and what he is, as well as his people’s place in society. I wanted his to be a difficult journey, a crucible to come into his own. Yet, with such a hefty price to keep him in check, I also needed a reason for him to keep casting.

If the price is high, set an equivalent reward. Immediately following a spell, the Shinree enter a brief state of euphoria. The larger the spell, the more energy they channel, and the longer they’ve gone without, the more intense the pleasure. This is what creates not only Ian’s internal conflict, but a conflict among the races that exist in his world.


Deprived of breath and awareness, I lay helpless and trembling in the mire, as my body became a furious cyclone of energy. It was unbearable. Yet, I was smiling. I’d surrendered myself into the grip of a well-trained whore and I was reveling in her touch, letting her do as she willed to me without regret.

Regret would come later, without fail. Now, I was magic-blind.

Ian learns more about his magic as the story moves forward. His range of spells and abilities grow. His knowledge of his people increases. This allows me some flexibility and permits the rules to evolve—but always within the same parameters.

A magic system can be complex, or simple. It can be unique, or share common elements with existing magical beliefs around the world. Be creative. Lay the groundwork. Set the rules. Have fun with it. The more thought you put into developing your system, and the more you understand it, the better it will come across in the story.

Someone once said to me: “Writing fantasy isn’t work. It isn’t real writing. You make everything up. There’s no rules, no research. If you write yourself into a corner just cast a spell and your problem’s solved. It’s magic. It doesn’t have to make sense.”

Thankfully, I knew better. Yes, you get to make stuff up, but you won’t sweep up anyone into the world you created if it isn’t believable. That takes research and rules—yes, you get to make some of those up, too. But your magic has to make sense. And that takes work.

When I was a teenager, the New Age movement was getting a lot of attention. I never knew anyone that was a part of it. There weren’t many crystal healers in the 80’s in the Kansas town where I grew up, at least few that would admit to it. Being a fan of anything with a supernatural flare and having an interest in rocks and minerals, I found it all very interesting. Many years later, when The Crown of Stones was born (inspired by a chunk of amethyst that sat on my bookshelf and the desire to create an atypical character—one who was made powerless by magic) I returned to my own roots to create the roots of my magic system.

I spent a good deal of time researching and taking notes on spiritualism, holistic health, crystal healing, astral projection, aura readings, and the like. At that time, my working title was The Amethyst Crown. As I learned more about the different gemstones and their properties, inspiration snuck in and my story idea expanded. Suddenly, I had multiple stones in my crown. Then I had multiple types of magic. It was time to trim the roots.

There are many different practices that can serve as a guide for inspiration. Wicca magic is nature-based. It involves invoking the five elements and ritual altars and tools. Shamanism involves the spirit world and reaching a state of ‘religious ecstasy’. Hoodoo, along with other spiritual and folk medicine, makes use of charms and potions often made with herbs and minerals. Crystal healing and magic draws on the energy generated by what have been called ‘natural batteries.’

Wanting to develop my own, unique system, I took snippets from multiple practices and beliefs (sticking with the ones I personally found most interesting) and blended them until I had an origin that fit with my story. I also had nine different types of Shinree magic users and thousands of different gemstones and minerals to make use of. The possibility for spells was endless. But I didn’t need to know what every stone would do ahead of time. I just needed to get down the basics and create the rest as the story evolved. Some of the spells would be positive, but I knew a lot of the magic worked by my characters would not be. So I took my research and twisted it.

In crystal healing, emerald can be used to alleviate hidden fears. A healer in The Crown of Stones might use it for that, but a soldier would manifest those fears and use them as a weapon against the enemy. Obsidian is said to shield a wearer against negative energy. My protagonist, Ian Troy, can use the energy, or aura, of the obsidian to cast a protective barrier that shields him from attack. The black stone is also known for stirring negative emotions and bringing them to the surface. As a soldier, a good deal of Ian’s magic is fueled by his aggression and emotions which, considering his circumstances, tend to be on the negative side.

Instead of entering a state of ‘religious ecstasy’ to practice magic as the shamans do, a measure of that comes to the Shinree while they are casting, and the bulk of it after as their reward.

The first book in The Crown of Stones trilogy, Magic-Price is set five hundred years after the fall of the Shinree Empire. Reduced to a slave race, Ian’s people have no society of their own. Much of their culture has been buried and forgotten. Throughout the story, as Ian learns about his magic so does the reader. In the second book, Magic-Scars, as Ian uncovers the lost practices of the ancient Shinree, I pull in some of the other aspects of my original research, including ceremonies and ritual tools. I will also bring a bit of alchemy into the mix in the form of potions and brews not known to the modern Shinree.

Building a foundation is necessary when creating a magic system. But it’s a launching point. You still need to make your magic believable. To do that, it has to make sense. In Making Magic part two, I’ll talk about the importance of setting rules for your magic system and share the ones I created for The Crown of Stones.