At warp speed
When I wrote the novel “Spellspam“, the second in my Worldweavers series, I was sure that the playful term which I had invented to describe spam which brought real and harmful magic spells into your inbox would be memorable, and perhaps even catch on in the SF and fantasy worlds. Alas, it didn’t.
But another word I invented did better. “Jin-shei bao“ means ‘sister of the heart’, a perfect description of the concept of a lifelong sisterhood that stands at the center of “The Secrets of Jin-shei”. When the book was first published, I got letters from readers who had embraced the term for their own sisters of the heart. Years later I still occasionally come across the term, including the time I saw it seamlessly used in a piece of “Firefly” fan fiction.
My current WIP, a ‘serious’ science fiction novel, offers more scope for inventive language and perhaps I’ll come up with something that catches on like H.G. Wells’ “time travelers”, or StarTrek’s “warp speed.” A girl can hope.
In the meantime, while you all wait impatiently for “A soul is like a starfish”, take look at some other words invented by writers HERE
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Not what you think
And in keeping with the caution “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means”, here are some words
Travesty
What you may think it means: a tragedy, an unfortunate event
What it actually means: a mockery; a parody.
Check all of them out HERE
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BTW, while we’re talking about language, I got this very nice compliment recently:
“I love Alma Alexander’s writing. I’ve spent hours talking about language with her on those infrequent occasions when we were on the same side of the continent, and reading one of her stories is like having one of those wonderful conversations about language, a beautiful and intense conversation that you walk away from realizing that you’ve learned something you didn’t know about yourself.” –Leigh Grossman, author of “The Green Lion” and “The Lost Daughters”, creator of “Sense of Wonder”
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Watch a novel come to life
As publishing evolves into uncertain new forms, I find that like most authors I need additional sources of income. If you would like to help me continue writing about wizards and Weres, Jin-shei sisters, and the dangers of First Contact, consider pitching in with a small monthly pledge at Patreon.
Becoming a patron at this time gives you the opportunity to watch me turn a sentence seen in a dream into a novel about alien life and human possibilities.
Get your front row seat HERE
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