I’ve been writing all my life, producing my first poem, about a broken alarm clock, when I was five — don’t ask, I have no idea.
I’ve been at it full-time since I was married 16 years ago (no, I don’t think there is a connection) and have written more than a score of books, most of them fiction, and most of them fantasy. When I was recently asked by someone unfamiar with my books which of them to start with, I gave the question some serious consideration and came up with a guide for other readers new to my work.
The worlds of Alma Alexander.
IF YOU LIKE HISTORICAL FANTASY…
You might start with “The Secrets of Jin-shei“, my most successful novel about an imperial China that never was and a remarkable sisterhood. It has been published in 13 languages, so far. After reading that book, you might want to go on to “Embers of Heaven“, a novel set in the same world 400 years later.
Or you could start with my newest novel, “Empress“, a love story set in an alternative Byzantine Empire that is loosely based on the historical figures of Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. “Empress” is a standalone so if you want to start there you can – however if you do pick up the other two I really do think they belong in THAT order. Just saying.
IF YOU”RE MISSING NOVELS A LA HARRY POTTER…
Than you might start with my young adult fantasy series, Worldweavers, something that has been called an antidote to HP withdrawal. My elevator pitch for the series is: “The girl who couldn’t do magic grows up to be the greatest mage of all time.”
In order, the four books of the series are: “Gift of the Unmage”, “Spellspam”, “Cybermage” and “Dawn of magic”.
And yes this IS a series, and the order is important And also, it’s marketed as YA but as with all my works it’s also for not-so-YA readers who like a decent story.
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST BOOKS I THINK I HAVE EVER WRITTEN…
Try The Were Chronicles, a young adult series that follows young shapeshifters forced to walk a tightrope through a web of peril and lies as their world disintegrates around them.
The three books in the series are “Random”, “Wolf”, and “Shifter”. And they really should be read in that order.
IF YOU WANT A CONTEMPORARY FANTASY …
What if you had married someone else? Had taken that job? Been born a man? if you were given a chance to live a different life, would you take it?
That is the question posed by “Midnight at Spanish Gardens”. One critic found the ending “…haunting. I still think about it.”
IF YOU WANT A FUNNY METAPHYSICAL SCIENCE FICTION STAND-ALONE…
Try AbductiCon, a novel that Hugo award winner Robert J. Sawyer calls “a fast-paced and laugh-out-loud funny treat for SF fans everywhere.”
IF YOU WANT HIGH FANTASY…
“Hidden Queen” and “Changer of Days” are your books. They’re harder to get now but worth the effort.
AND IF YOU LIKE SHORT STORIES…
If you have an e-reader and want some short stories to start with, you can go with “Weight of Worlds“.
You can find them all at my page on Amazon HERE
And please leave reviews!
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We are living in the future
One of these days we will just have to come to terms that we ARE already living in the future we have always been reading about.
I needed information the other day about the phase of the moon on a specific night more than a hundred years ago. I googled the date+phase of moon and had the information instantaneously.
Now I discover that I will soon be able to stick a device in my year that will automatically translate a foreign language into English. Shades of the Babelfish in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Our sense of wonder is getting frayed by everyday miracles.
Read the whole story HERE
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At Adweek, Maryann Yin gives us
Lengthy Books: INFOGRAPHIC
What’s the longest book you have ever read? The team at Cartridge Discount created an infographic examining “Famous Literature: Words by Numbers.”
See the whole infographic HERE
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Quote of the Day
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