Tag: Urban Fantasy Page 3 of 43

On June 13, 2024

In Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Back on April 1st when this book was released, M.D. Presley stopped by to answer some questions about it, be sure to give that a read if you haven’t.

Rites of Passage

by M.D. Presley

DETAILS:
Series: The Inner Circle, #1
Publication Date: April 1, 2024
Format: eARC
Length: 352 pg.
Read Date: May 29-June 3, 2024

What’s Rites of Passage About?

Teenager Corbin James escapes from the cult he was (largely) raised in just as the FBI’s raid begins. Weeks, miles, and multiple states later, Corbin’s still running when he encounters someone who seems to know a lot about him. Too much for a random stranger to know.

This stranger (we later learn he’s called Mister) recruits/tricks/entices/entraps Corbin into joining him for a task. Mister and Corbin join up with some other members of the Inner Circle (a group of magicians found in most of the major cities in the U.S.) to hunt for a missing magician. Corbin has the magic ability to dowse—and for much more than water (although maybe he can find water, too, it never comes up)—he can find whoever and whatever he needs to.

Obviously, there’s something about the search for this particular missing person that is going to take a little more than one session with Corbin and his dowsing rod (or it’d be a short story, not a novel)—and Corbin’s introduction to the Inner Circle, to the reality that there are all sorts of people who can do magic, and all sorts of magic, and a world beyond his cult isn’t going to be easy for him. Or all that safe, either.

Worldbuilding, Magic System, and So On

Okay, you’d expect that someone who’s written books on worldbuilding would know what he’s doing when it comes to it (or at least, you’d hope he would). In this case, you’d be right—which doesn’t make it less impressive.

This very clearly takes place in a version of our world (joking references to “muggles” make that clear), and magic users are underground. But, as UF readers often see, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a strong culture of rules, mores, customs, and whatnot. There are essentially two ways that magicians organize themselves—in local associations or in a major association that covers the nation (it’s hard to explain briefly—think of a regional fast food chain and McDonald’s). Due to the circumstances around this novel’s events, we get a pretty good idea—but not exhaustive—about how they both function, are organized, and recruit members.

The variety of magic abilities is pretty great. The closest comparable series I can think of on this front is Jacka’s Alex Verus books. And I know this book only scratched the surface of that. It’s one that I can’t wait to explore in future books.

When it comes to The Dresden Files, The Hollows, or The Iron Druid (for example), by the end of the first book, you have a pretty solid understanding of how magic functions in their universes (even if that understanding will grow and expand over the course of the series). With Rites of Passage, we don’t get that. But you never have the impression that Presley’s making it up as he goes along. I have a vague understanding of how my smartphone works, but I know there’s a lot that I don’t understand—but I can use it and understand that it does work. The same thing goes for the magic here—I can see these people use it, and I understand that it does work. I don’t need to know all the ins and outs.

Some authors beat you over the head with the details (I’m not suggesting that Butcher, Harrison, or Hearne did that)—showing their work like it’s a math test. Presley doesn’t do that—he just shows it working and gives you a sense that there’s a methodology afoot. The reader will slowly (over a few books) piece it together—or not, because they really don’t care about the details—as we see more. Just knowing that there’s a structure is enough.

Is It Me?

Is it just me, or are there a lot of books being written lately about people escaping from cults? I’m not talking strict religious families/cultures—but out-and-out cults. Maybe I’m not seeing as many as I think I am and it just feels that way.

I’d say I’m starting to get tired of it—and I am—but Presley does such a good job of showing how Corbin’s life and thinking have been shaped by the cult, and how even after getting away from them (and how he did it)—he still reflexively thinks like a member. Sure, he’s skeptical about some of it, and can see through some of what the leader had done. But it’s not something you can just switch off, and Presley demonstrates that with skill. So, I’ll wait until the next time I come across this phenomenon to complain about it.

The Playlist

Presley has assured readers that once he gets enough online reviews for this book, he’ll release the playlist for this book. This playlist is going to be a doozy. At some point along the way, Corbin gets his hands on an enchanted iPod that helps him navigate the events of this novel. Given his sheltered upbringing he doesn’t recognize most of the songs it plays for him—he’ll give a description of some of the songs, so the reader can guess some/many/all of what he’s listening to (depending on the reader).

Getting this playlist will actually help round out your understanding of the book (it won’t be essential, but it’ll be a nice bonus)—and I’m pretty sure it’ll be fun to listen to, too.

So, what did I think about Rites of Passage?

I’ve talked about worldbuilding already, so what about the characters, arguably the most critical component in getting me (and other readers) to want to keep reading? Presley gives his readers a lot to here. It’d be easy to create a series with almost every magician we encounter in this book as the central character—and that’s not something I can say too often. Corbin is likely the best choice—the way he has to be introduced to this world and other forms of magic is a major plus, so any info-dumping for the reader has a natural outlet in teaching Corbin. But I can see myself really getting into at least a duology with every other magic user (including the villain of the piece).

While writing this post, I went back and read one of Presley’s answers to remind myself what character he mentioned here:

In screenwriting it’s understood that supporting characters are more fun to write because they can be over the top, since they’re not carrying the show. They can be outlandish and weird because not nearly as much is riding on them, which is why they have the freedom to become fan favorites. And I have a feeling that in Rites of Passage Kirin will be this character for me.

I’d forgotten to look for Kirin as I was reading to see if I could pick that up—it’s just as well that I did, so I can say that Kirin is this fan’s favorite. I’m also a bit relieved—we didn’t definitively say goodbye to Kirin here, but the way things ended, there was no guarantee we’d see her (or many other of the surviving characters) again. But knowing she’s got an arc that will be developed over several books helps build my own anticipation for further books (nothing against Corbin, but I knew we’d get more about him).

I’m not as enthusiastic about the plot as I am the other aspects of this novel. It’s not bad by any means—I was engaged and curious throughout. It wasn’t too hard to follow or anything else negative, either. I just think there was so much going on in establishing characters, the world, the magic, the associations, and so on that there wasn’t enough space left over for the story. Your results may vary, of course—but for me everything else overshadowed the story. I do fully expect that in future installments I won’t have this complaint as Presley has established enough here that he can focus more on the plot.

Regardless, I heartily encourage Urban Fantasy readers to try this. You’re not going to find your typical UF mainstays here, but you’re going to find a world that you’re going to want to spend more time in with characters you’re going to want to get to know better. This series has the potential to become a favorite.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion. A gamble on their part.

3.5 Stars
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BLOGIVERSARY REPOST: Blood Trade by Faith Hunter

On May 30, 2024

In Authors, F-J, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood, Urban Fantasy

To commemorate the 11th Blogiversary of The Irresponsible Reader, I’m reposting the first six books I blogged about this week.

Blood Trade by Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock, #6
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jane Yellowrock is slowly, but surely, becoming a real favorite of mine. In the beginning, she struck me as a fairly generic vampire hunter, with an obnoxious streak and a complicated ethnic/childhood background that was passed off as interesting. Nothing special, but good enough to keep reading.

But lately, I’ve found myself anticipating the next installment. Blood Trade resolved a few dangling plotlines from previous books, developed a couple more, and set the stage for at least 2-3 more books in the series. And while doing so, provided a story with good action, some nice twists, and some genuine heart.

I really, really liked the new characters introduced here — two former classmates of Jane’s back from her Christian school days and the child of one of those classmates. It was good to see Jane through the eyes of people that didn’t primarily know her as a vampire killer.

Jane’s relationship with Eli and the Kid grew in a positive way, and I really like the shape of their relationships, and hope they continue to develop in this fashion.

One thing I hope Hunter improves on — although I don’t see it happening — is the romance front. I couldn’t care less about Jane’s vacillating between various romantic (using the term as broadly as possible here) interests here. It’s tedious, Jane’s usually shown as little more than base desires, and constantly self-sabotaging. If there was some growth there, some change at least, I might feel differently. But Hunter shows no sign of moving off this point, and I bet I’m one of the few who don’t like it. So I need to continue to deal with it.

Time-Marked Warlock by Shamie Stovall: A Mulligan-Equipped PI

On April 22, 2024

In Book Tour, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Time-Marked Warlock

by Shami Stovall

DETAILS:
Series: Adair Finch, #1
Publication Date: June 2024 (or August, depending who you ask)
Format: e-ARC
Length: 402 pg.
Read Date: April 15-16, 2024

What’s Time-Marked Warlock About?

Until a few years ago, the names of warlocks Adair and Carter Finch were famous among the magic community. Private eyes who helped law enforcement as well as private clients dealing with cases large and small—they were pretty close to superheroes. Then they took that one job that put them against an opponent they weren’t ready for, things went wrong, and Carter died.

Adair’s magic couldn’t help. He couldn’t even track down everyone who was responsible, so he couldn’t get revenge. So…he went home and retreated from life. He became an asocial hermit, doing little more than existing.

Then one pre-dawn morning, a twelve-year-old girl pounds on his apartment door. Her mother always told her that if she was in real trouble to track down Adair or Carter Finch. They weren’t close friends by any means, but they did know each other—enough so that her name makes Finch pay attention. Bree’s mother was a witch and her father is a warlock, but not in the same league as Finch. Bree tells Finch that her mother has been murdered and her father kidnapped—and she needs his help to rescue her father and get justice for her mother.

Finch is not inclined to do anything but close the door on her face and get back to not interacting with anyone. But he can’t turn down her appeal—so he agrees to go to the crime scene (if only so he can determine that she misunderstood what she saw, and that her father actually was the murderer).

The scene isn’t what he expected—Bree might have been right. Also, the police detective on the scene knew Finch before he “retired” and neither really appreciated the other. Det. Jenner really rubs Finch the wrong way on the scene.

Between their less-than-pleasant interaction, Bree pulling on his heartstrings just right, and what Finch noticed at the scene of the crime, Finch decides to take the case, wrap it up quickly, and get back to wasting away as soon as he can.

Finch

Let’s get this out of the way real quick: Frequently reminded me of (James J.) Butcher’s Huntsman, Leslie Mayflower (and several other retired/depressed heroes, but Mayflower is most recent in my mind, so he gets name-dropped). Is he the Huntsman? No—he’s far less inclined to leave a trail of bodies in his wake.* for one thing. But he gives a similar vibe.

* We can argue some other time about how inclined Mayflower really is. Roll with it for now.

He’s clearly angry at himself. He’s reticent to put himself out there emotionally (or any other way). He’s not ready to let anyone else down again (assuming he really did). But something about Bree creates a crack in his defensive shell, and it’s great to see purpose emerge from where he’d trapped it down. He’s a different guy by the end of the book (probably like what he was years ago)—he’s not totally where he should be, but he’s on the road to recovery. As the series continues, i look forward to seeing how he grows/recovers.

Bree Blackstone

I don’t know how any UF reader is supposed to read her full name and not think of Harry Dresden. Maybe we’re supposed to—surely we are right?

Anyway…if Bree doesn’t melt your heart right off. If you’re not rooting for her to get the answers she seeks and maybe a touch of the retribution she longs for—and to save her dad…there’s something wrong with you—go listen to some Whos down in Whoville sing some Christmas songs until your heart is the right size.

She is so frightened by everything—there’s a real parallel to Finch there. But she’s determined to get the help she needs to save her dad and get the bad guy who killed her mom. And if Finch is the way to get both of those, she’ll get him to help her.

Naturally, along the way she picks up a pretty hefty case of hero-worship. Finch doesn’t see it for what it is right off—but he eventually does, and knows he’s not worthy. Watching him balance helping her, fending off (or trying to) her fangirling over him, and teaching her what she needs to know to be safe in the magic world is a great balancing act.

Bree is really well-conceived and executed by Stovall, and will become one of your favorite characters of the year.

Kullthantarrick the Sneak

Kull is a trickster spirit that Finch calls up to help with a little something along the way—she’s largely around for comic relief—but she also helps Bree to learn some things about the nature of magic, spirits, and the like that she hasn’t learned from her parents yet. Yes, her role is to help make worldbuilding infodumps entertaining. She’s well-used that way.

Any spirit of mischief—from Mercy Thompson’s Coyote to the Wizard in Rhyme’s Max to Al MacBharrais’s Buck, or…okay, I’m drawing a blank here—can be a lot of fun. You just set them loose to create havoc and sit back and watch. And Kull is great at that.

But that’s not all she is—she wants to be a human, she’s seen and done enough as a spirit, and she wants the human experience now. That adds a little depth to her—there’s also an affection that develops between her and Bree that adds even more shades of depth to what could’ve been a disposable character that ends up being so much more.

Really well done there.

The Magic System(s)

I don’t know how much to say here. This world has a handful of magic systems at play—there’s one for witches—like Bree’s mother and (presumably) her. There’s another one for warlocks—it’s similar and not necessarily mutually exclusive to the witch system. And there are some others, too.

One way that Finch uses his abilities (that other warlocks like Bree’s father can’t) is that he has some ability with time. It’s in the title, I feel I can give a vague description here. He’s constantly noting the time whenever anything happens. If he “marks” the time, within any 24-hour period he can return to the marked time—retaining the memories and knowledge gained, but getting to start over. Bree compares it to a save point in a video game.

This is brilliant—and so good to see in action. There’s part of me that wondered if it’d feel like a cheat—killing tension and so on. Or if it’d just be some Groundhog Day-riff good for comedy and that’s it. If you’ve ever played—or watched someone play—an intense video game with a save point, you know that’s not enough to keep someone from getting stressed out about almost dying/dying within the game. Sure they can take another try (or several), but the tension is still there. It works that way for this book (especially if it looks like Finch might not reset in time). And yes, there’s some weatherman Phil-esque humor, but not as much as other authors might have indulged in.

All in all, Stovall nailed this part of Urban Fantasy.

So, what did I think about Time-Marked Warlock?

Three great characters (not even counting the antagonists), an even better magic system, and a decent plot with a satisfying central villain. I don’t know what else to ask for in a UF novel.

The pacing was on-target—even when revisiting the same day or events over and over, Stovall was able to keep it fresh. She also knew when to say “they did X again” and when to show it. The action scenes worked well. The villain(s) were believable, had compelling motivations, and were enough of a threat to all involved to keep the reader’s interest.

There were supporting characters—including villain(s) that ended up not being as terrible as you might initially think—that were just as fully drawn, and you could generate a little sympathy for some of the people associated with the murder once you realized how they were being used, too.

There’s a good setup for further books in the series, too.

I really can’t think of much that Stovall could’ve done better—this scratched my UF itch, and I bet it’ll do the same for you, too. Keep your eyes peeled for the release and get your hands on this when you can.

4 Stars

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials—including the ARC—they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall

On April 22, 2024

In Book Tour, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Shami Stovall’s Time-Marked Warlock. In addition to this Spotlight, my post about the book will be coming along soon. Today is the beginning of the Tour, so check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours over the next week and change to see other people saying (probably) great things about the book. But for now, let’s learn a little bit about the book, shall we?

Book Details:

Title: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release date: June 2024
Length: 402 pages

About the Book:

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.

Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

Book Links:

Goodreads

About the Author:

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter/X ~ Facebook

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 52: Separation by R. T. Slaywood: The First Step

On April 18, 2024

The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 52: Separation

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #52
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: April 18, 2024

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.

He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.

Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down. One thing leads to another—Zero and Bonaduke’s magics don’t mix well (at least until they understand what each other can do?), and they end up in a video-game race against the squatters in a tricked-out version of Eric (the clerk’s) car. Note, I said video-game race, not a video-game-style race. They’re actually in one. When dumped back into reality, he’s surrounded by bruised and broken bodies (of people and cars). And then he gets into a supernatural fight and survives…just.

Or maybe not. But he gets better. And then his new…friends? Acquaintances? People who keep popping up in his life?…start explaining exactly what’s going on to him while they set up a new HQ and try to teach him about his abilities (and everyone tries to understand them) while they try to fund their further work.

What’s Separation About?

Before they get to the bicycle part, Bonaduke and co. need to get the book they went to steal out of Om’s hands. He’s clearly possessed by something. Or whatever is going on sure looks like a posession (it’s either a matter of perspective, or a distinction that we may get fleshed out later), so we’re going to go with that.

Whatever is (mostly) in control of Om tempts Bonaduke to cast his lot in with them. But, at a cost, he refuses and employs a gambit he’d been cooking for a while. It seems to work but before Bonaduke can enjoy the taste of victory, he’s told that was only step one to freeing Om.

So, what did I think about Separation?

I really wanted this episode to go longer, dividing up this part of the story is really grating.

That said, this was an effective installment and I’m eager to see what Step 2 will be. Don’t have much more to say than that–keep it coming.

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 51: Come Around by R. T. Slaywood: Bonaduke Gains a Friend

On April 16, 2024

The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 51: Come AroundAround

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #51
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: April 16, 2024

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.

He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.

Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down. One thing leads to another—Zero and Bonaduke’s magics don’t mix well (at least until they understand what each other can do?), and they end up in a video-game race against the squatters in a tricked-out version of Eric (the clerk’s) car. Note, I said video-game race, not a video-game-style race. They’re actually in one. When dumped back into reality, he’s surrounded by bruised and broken bodies (of people and cars). And then he gets into a supernatural fight and survives…just.

Or maybe not. But he gets better. And then his new…friends? Acquaintances? People who keep popping up in his life?…start explaining exactly what’s going on to him while they set up a new HQ and try to teach him about his abilities (and everyone tries to understand them) while they try to fund their further work.

What’s Come Around About?

So, we start off wrapping up the big action stuff from the last episode and then we rejoin things sometime later as Bonaduke regains consciousness (if you needed a hint how that action ended up). A good deal happened while he was unconscious and Om is not in good shape.

But the rest have come up with a solution so crazy that it…just…might…work. I’m not going to pretend it makes sense to me, but maybe when I see it in action. It involves a strange machine powered in part by Bonaduke on a bike. No, really.

So, what did I think about Come Around?

Is it too late to buy Slaywood a Grammarly subscription?

There’s some fun stuff here—I’m really not sure where he’s going with a lot of this, but whatever. The ride will keep us guessing.

A Few Quick Questions With…M.D. Presley

In A Few Quick Questions With...

On April 1, 2024

Today is Publication Day for Rites of Passage the first book in the Inner Circle Urban Fantasy series. Here’s a quick description:

Corbin James has never been so lost. Able to dowse since a kid, he’s adept at finding missing things. But after weeks on the run from the FBI, the teen’s luck has finally run dry.

Enter the enigmatic Mister with a tempting offer: find an enchanter who has disappeared inside the mysterious Harmon House. Recruited into a reluctant crew of motley magicians, Corbin only has days to navigate their shifting loyalties to earn his freedom by entering the Inner Circle.

Lucky for him he’s got his trusty dowsing rod, a defaced 50-cent piece, and enchanted iPod.

I’m really looking forward to reading this. In honor of Publication Day, I have a quick Q&A with the author, M.D. Presley. I had to come up with these questions before starting the book, which I’ve only done once before. I think it came out not-terribly-awkward. Either way, I enjoyed reading the answers and hope you will, too.

Why don’t you take a moment to introduce yourself to the readers, and tell us about your books in general, before hitting us with an elevator pitch for Rites of Passage?
Greetings, mortals. I am Matt, and I write as M. D. Presley. I’m a screenwriter by training, with a few shows and movies released in China, although I don’t speak a lick of Mandarin. Publishing is my outlet for the stories that I actually want to tell, which are not constrained by such paltry things as budgets or directors. Or censors.

Rites of Passage is an urban fantasy mystical murder mystery that’s miraculously not in the Dresden or Anita Blake molds. It’s a whodunnit involving a young dowser who’s pressed into finding an enchanter that’s gone missing in his own home. It harkens back to the non-noir mysteries from yesteryear, in that you could almost call it cozy if you only went by body count. But it’s got a little too much cosmic and body horror for that.

It’s my love letter to 90s Vertigo comics, where the urban fantasy is always just around the corner or hiding in the shadows, but is wonderous if you have the right set of eyes to see it. But it’s also strange and a little bit frightening.

Looking over your website, worldbuilding is something you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it—not only implementing it in two pretty distinct fictional worlds—but you’ve got some books about it geared for writers. Hopefully, I’m not asking you to say anything that makes buying one of those books moot here. But what are the big things that an author should think about before trying to create a fictional world—what are a couple of the big mistakes people tend to make as they learn the hard way how to do this?
I’ve spent a few hundred pages and many YouTube hours trying to sum up the idea of purposeful worldbuilding, so I’ll give one half-useful conceptual answer and one practical one.

Conceptually, practice the old Bruce Lee adage of use what works and discard the rest. I stand by a “tools not rules” approach, which means you should be open to learning everyone’s theories and techniques, and then distill the ones that work for you without ignoring what you’ve learned from the discarded bits. I’m personally a big top-down designer and cannot write by a bottom-up, discovery approach. However, I’ve studied those approaches and use them when they’re appropriate in my own writing.

Basically, worldbuilding is always a process in progress.

Practically, my biggest word of advice is to keep a bible of your world, characters, and plot. It doesn’t have to be terribly in-depth, but it’s good to have it all in one place. And if you do keep one with characters JOT DOWN THEIR PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS. Nothing is worse than combing through hundreds of pages of your own writing just to determine if your own creation is brown-haired or left-handed. Doing so is probably the fastest way to turn something you love into homework.

For you, at the end of the day—creating believable characters, worldbuilding, or the story—what’s harder? What’s more rewarding? What do your readers tend to react to the most?
It’s trite, but I’ve learned how characters, plot, and worldbuilding all need to balance and feed into one another. I was a big plot-proponent in my early days, and took a long time to understand I needed to spend equal time on the characters so the audience would actually want to know what happens to them in the plot. Worldbuilding is the same way in that it can be enchanting in terms of its details and scale, but it’s just window dressing without vibrant characters populating it. Mark JP Wolf points out that worlds can exist without stories, but stories cannot exist without worlds, which just underscores the symbiotic nature of the three of them.

At this stage in my career, I feel I have a pretty good balance on the three of them. Which means I should probably start focusing my attention on my wooden prose.

No matter how many books you have under your belt, as I understand, each novel/series tends to be a different experience than the one(s) before. What was the part what was the biggest surprise about the process of writing Rites of Passage? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”?
This sounds dumb after just saying I’m a top-down designer who focuses on plot, but Rites of Passages reiterated how much I need to know what happens in the story before I sit down to write it. Especially when it’s a mystery. Traditional plotting methods may tell you what needs to happen in the story for that beat to function, but I learned the hard way that I really need to design the villain’s plans and motivation ahead of time. If the villain’s plans don’t make sense from their perspective, then the story’s logic will eventually break down, no matter how well the plot holds together from the hero’s perspective.

I’ve taken this hard-won lesson to heart as I plot out the villains first in the sequel, and the process has sped up considerably.

Is there a particular supporting character that ended up becoming a favorite of yours? Do you ever start to wonder if a supporting character should’ve been the protagonist? Talk about them a little bit and how the reaction is different. What’s the key, for you, in writing a great supporting character, and how did that (if you can manage this without an essay) work with this particular character?
In screenwriting it’s understood that supporting characters are more fun to write because they can be over the top, since they’re not carrying the show. They can be outlandish and weird because not nearly as much is riding on them, which is why they have the freedom to become fan favorites. And I have a feeling that in Rites of Passage Kirin will be this character for me.

She’s a bit of a manic pixie dream girl in the first book, but that portrayal is also because we’re encountering her through the eyes of a young man. But she’s going to show up in many more of the books, and her character will get to show more facets throughout, both because she gets more screen time, and because the protagonist’s understanding of the world matures. In fact, I think she probably has a bigger arc than even the protagonist.

What’s next for M.D. Presley, author? Does that depend on the reaction to Rites of Passage or are you already neck deep in your next project or five?
I have material for about eight more books in this series, The Inner Circle, and am already at work on the second one. I’m juggling some screenwriting gigs with it, which is annoying since you never know when or if they’ll pop up to derail my writing momentum. On the worldbuilding front, I’m hoping to put together a free book detailing my method for understanding fantasy magic systems, which is currently scattered around on my website.

Thanks for your time and participation! I’m looking forward to seeing what Rites of Passage has to offer!

Hopefully by now, reader, you’re thinking you’d like to look into Presley’s work. Go check out his website, and show him the Release Day love and order Rites of Passage!
A Few Quick Questions

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 50: What Goes Around by R. T. Slaywood: Magical Attack Dogs Would Make Lousy Pets

On March 28, 2024

The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 50: What Goes Around

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #50
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: March 28, 2024

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.

He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.

Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down. One thing leads to another—Zero and Bonaduke’s magics don’t mix well (at least until they understand what each other can do?), and they end up in a video-game race against the squatters in a tricked-out version of Eric (the clerk’s) car. Note, I said video-game race, not a video-game-style race. They’re actually in one. When dumped back into reality, he’s surrounded by bruised and broken bodies (of people and cars). And then he gets into a supernatural fight and survives…just.

Or maybe not. But he gets better. And then his new…friends? Acquaintances? People who keep popping up in his life?…start explaining exactly what’s going on to him while they set up a new HQ and try to teach him about his abilities (and everyone tries to understand them) while they try to fund their further work.

What’s What Goes Around About?

The things that were going wrong with the heist continue to go wrong–this episode picks up with the dog attack and then things get worse. For all their power and ruthlessness, these dogs overwhelm them. (well, come close to it–the fact that the series has several episodes to go, you know this isn’t the end)

Things get worse, only for a quick reprieve. The group tries to make the best of the reprieve, but remember I used the word “quick” there. They’re out of the proverbial fire pan, but..

So, what did I think about What Goes Around?

You know, this wasn’t bad. Lots and lots of action. Not a whole lot of plot development–just a lot of magic and mayhem (and vicious dogs) flying around. Sometimes that’s enough.

It also means I don’t have a lot to say about this. Slaywood amped up the pace and the adrenaline and rode it well.

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 49: Light and Shadow by R. T. Slaywood: Well, that could’ve gone better

On March 15, 2024

The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 49: Light and Shadow