Penyanyi : Guest - Rowan Malloy
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Guest - Rowan Malloy
Good morning! I'm traveling to Kentucky today but I'm leaving you with author Rowan Malloy, who will be talking about magic, the different kinds of it and his lifelong fascination with it. He's got a giveaway too, for two Star-Crossed readers, so make sure to follow his directions. Enjoy!
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The Return of
Magic
Starting with
legends and fairy tales that date back to the earliest days of our culture,
magic has always been an important part of our stories. In more recent times
stories involving magic have come to be called fantasy, while stories involving
technical wizardry are classified as sci-fi. It’s all magic to me.
Either way, a
vast range of stories featuring unusual powers or capacities, and the people
who seek to wield those powers and capacities are an inextricable part of our
culture. It seems magic fell out of literary fashion for a while, but I think
it's back now, stronger than ever.
When I was a
boy we had a book of fairy tales full of magic. There were quests, curses,
talismans, kidnappings, fools playing with forces they didn't understand (and
weren't worthy of) and of course evil sorcerers and witches.
I remember one
story in particular where the wicked witch’s house stood on chicken legs, and
the only way to get into the house was to know the magical phrase that made the
chicken legs bend to bring the door to ground level. That same idea, of course,
is what made Ali Baba such an interesting story.
As I began
writing my own stories I discovered there were rules to using magic, and as an
author I had to honor those rules if the story was going to satisfy a
thoughtful reader.
I didn't have
to go deep into the mechanics of magic or spell-work—after all, how much do you
really need to know about the way your cable recorder works, allowing you to
watch one show while recording another? If your story is about an electronics
technician maybe that level of technical detail is important, but if your story
is about a person who simply records favorite tv shows, maybe not so much.
The first rule
is that the power of magic must be respected. This is the entire message of the
story the Sorcerer's Apprentice featured in the old Disney movie Fantasia. If
magic is disrespected or violated, there is a price to pay. (As an aside, this
would be an interesting premise, it seems to me, for a story about respect for
the magic of nature and the environmental price paid by those who disrespect
it.)
The second
rule is that the power of magic must have limitations. If magic can accomplish
anything at any time, under any circumstances, there is no story because there
is no challenge. If a story features an omnipotent hero, there had better be an
equally omnipotent villain waiting for him in that castle up ahead!
There are all
kinds of ways that magic is limited in popular stories, and the limitations are
as interesting as the magic itself.
Shifter
stories might use the phases of the moon to limit the power of magic that
appears in them. Further, it might be that the shifter character only has
magical attributes while in his or her alternate form.
Wiccan
tradition is full of practices specific to the phases of the moon, seasons, and
activities. Both logically and energetically, it would be foolish to perform a
ceremony of harvest at a time when the seeds are not yet planted. As they say
in stand-up comedy, timing is everything.
Other
limitations might be that power resides in a ring or other talisman, and must
be worn by the caster. Or certain spells can only be worked in particular
geographical places, or under certain temporary planetary alignments.
In Blood
Royal, I imagined a parallel world where magic was the principal technology
that made everything work. The limitation I devised was that this world was
ruled by a genetic strain of people who were impervious to magic.
In the story,
even the most powerful and ambitious magicians could remember the political
chaos created by unchecked magic, and therefore accepted the harsh governance
of this race who could not be magically manipulated. (This also helped set up
the central conflict, because love between a magician and a member of the
ruling class was forbidden in order to maintain the genetic purity of the royal
resistance to magic.)
Finally, and
this is not a rule universally acknowledged, I believe that magic must have
significance to the story besides being a cool way to have things happen. What
is the magic for? Is it the luxury of an effete ruling class, or is it the
secret power of a simple agrarian culture? What social force does the use of
magic represent? I could go on, but I'd better not!
These rules
don't limit an author’s creativity in any way, as far as I can see, but rather
pose important puzzles for the author to solve before he or she can
successfully call on the power of magic. The solution then says something about
the author's creativity and world view.
So why use
magic in a romance at all? That's an easy question for me to answer: love is
the ultimate magic. Love is capable of overcoming impossible odds, enduring
unbearable catastrophe, and holding true through the most painful separation.
My belief is that we understand magic precisely because we experience love.
Without
belaboring the point, we can apply these same ruled to love. Love must be
respected. It has limitations, and it certainly has significance to any story
beyond being a way to explain why people behave as they do.
If an author
handles love and magic with understanding and respect, I believe the story that
she or he writes will be powerful, nourishing and downright fun to open-hearted
readers.
What do you think? Does this make sense to you? I’d love it if you
left a comment (please leave your email addy so Rowan can contact you), and I’ll be giving away electronic copies of Blood Royal to two
commenters selected on May 20th by my randomizer.
- An unwilling princess caught between feuding clans
- A ruthless queen's deadly web
- Forbidden love in a world built on magic and murder
Struggling artist Eva Milaras resented getting stuffed into a
magic limo by a wizard who calls her names like “Serenissima” and “Highness,”
even if he was heart-stopping handsome. Never mind that he’d just saved her
life in the bomb blast at Budget Foods. Even though Talak claimed she would be
safer in his world of magic, it looked like staying alive was going to be a
challenge.
Prisoner of an aristocratic destiny she didn’t know about and
doesn't want, Eva must survive the deadly ambitions of her new-found
relatives—as well as all their enemies—as they maneuver for advantage in a
murderous royal court.
Talak knows the rules—Eva must marry a man from the royal
bloodline in spite of his love for her. Together they battle intrigue and
betrayal, but finally are forced to choose between letting go of each other…or
certain death for treason. That's a choice Eva refuses to make...
===
Blood Royal is a finalist in the Fantasy, Futuristic and
Paranormal category of the 2013 Abalone Awards, sponsored by the Cultural,
Interracial, and Multicultural Special Interest Chapter of RWA.
===
Buy links:
About Rowan Malloy
Rowan
Malloy can't help what he writes – stories rising from the between places, the
mystical overlapping of the worlds of matter and spirit, and the eldritch
beauty that dwells there. He's in love with adventure and magic, loves plunging
into stories full of both, and wants to take you along. Mostly he's in love
with love, and believes deeply in the power of love to overcome any challenge.
He’s known it in his own life, and seen it in the lives of many others.
In
addition to his written work which includes novels, essays, poetry and short
stories, he's served since 2008 as one of the final round judges in the Queer
Foundation’s annual National High School Seniors Essay Contest. Its goal is to
promote effective writing by queer youth, where finalists are selected from
schools across the United States by members of the National Council of Teachers
of English.
Happily
ensorcelled by music, subtle energy healing, and the wonders of nature, he
lives with his very patient husband in southern Florida, surrounded by friends
and family, orchids and giant hibiscus that take his breath away every morning.
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-- Dear Readers,
Fascinating post from Rowan, no? And his book sounds very interesting. Make sure you leave a comment with your email addy so he can contact you if your name if drawn for the prize.
Good luck and have a Blessed Day!
Lynda
PS - I've started a new newsletter group and I'd love it if you subscribed. Just click on the link below to go straight to the form.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LyndaKScott
Fascinating post from Rowan, no? And his book sounds very interesting. Make sure you leave a comment with your email addy so he can contact you if your name if drawn for the prize.
Good luck and have a Blessed Day!
Lynda
PS - I've started a new newsletter group and I'd love it if you subscribed. Just click on the link below to go straight to the form.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LyndaKScott
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynda-K-Scott/201599553208653
Newsletter http://eepurl.com/yWgdv
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9 Responses to "Guest - Rowan Malloy"
Hi Rowan! Thanks for joining us today. Your book sounds very interesting! I'm sure whoever wins your giveaway will enjoy it.
Lynda
Thanks, Lynda - a pleasure to be here. Right now you're a sure bet to win two copies of Blood Royal... :)
Anyone want to give her a little competition?
Intriguing premise for the book
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thanks, BN! I had a lot of fun developing it, and it gave me a lot to work with.
Rowan, I really like your explanation of the rules of magic--including the one that magic in a novel has to be more than decoration. Clear, simple, and important.
And now I want to read Blood Royal :)
Great blog and great premise. I don't care what the rules are in a given world as long as those rules are followed. If they are broken, the price better be pretty severe.
One of the reasons I love Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series because of the different ways magic is treated by the different people in the world she created--some hate it, some forbid it, some use it everyday, and some use it as a science.
Thanks, Mary! I hasten to add that these aren't "rules" with a capital "R" in every story, but they are rules that I feel obliged to honor.
I think they are also congruent to the structure of the Hero's Journey, but I'd better save that for another post...
I agree, Alexis. And thanks for adding that.
However magic is set up, it has to be handled consistently throughout the story.
As an aside, I devoured Lackey's "Magic" series when it came out. Powerful and poetic. And ground-breaking, to my way of thinking.
And the winners are...
How could I pick only two from the three valiant souls who commented? I couldn't even fire up the old randomizer to try.
So BN, Mary and Alexis, you each win a copy for your interest. I truly hope you enjoy the story, magic with rules and all... :)
Let me know at what format you'd like, and where to send. I can offer you .mobi, .epub, and .pdf.
Thanks for being good sports, and thank you Lynda and Star-Crossed Romance for being so welcoming!
Rowan
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