I’d like to give credit to my wife for coming up with the idea for this one. She made a comment recently after reading another batch of reviews that there are subtle themes that tend to repeat in the reactions of my readers. Some love the elements of faith and history that exist in my books. Others, though they enjoy my writing style, can’t imagine a world ruled by faith and so find my writing good but morally objectionable. She was quick to point out that it shouldn’t surprise people to learn that notions of faith would infiltrate the writings of a devout man any more than if she wrote a book, one would find elements of her Hispanic background in her writing.

Which brings me to my theme for this posting. Bernard of Chartres once said that we are like dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants (nanos gigantum humeris insidentes). I’ve always loved that quote. Isaac Newton put it this way, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulder of giants.” Every author I know has been inspired by someone who came before him. Every scientist makes the same claim too.

Terry Brooks said in a recent TED talk that he was inspired more by William Faulkner than by Tolkien. When I studied Shakespeare’s life, I came to learn that he was inspired by the Roman writer Ovid, which prompted me to read Ovid’s work and I began to see some of the themes and ideas which Shakespeare borrowed from him. One of my heroes is CS Lewis and I learned recently that he was inspired by George MacDonald. I downloaded The Princess of the Goblin for free on my Kindle and was amazed to see some striking similarities to Narnia.

My readers know that I love to collect quotes and Lewis has many which I enjoy. He once said: “Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” Amen to that! So many aspects of my books have been borrowed from other sources, yet woven together in such a way as to make them feel original. I make no claims to having an original thought. I merely try to write the kind of books and stories that I like to read.

Lewis also said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” It is so true, and I have found many of my inspirations from history, faith, and other authors who could combine them all in such a way as to kindle my imagination.

When I first read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, I was amazed at how he sewed together themes of faith and science and metaphysics. While he may profess to be an agnostic and an atheist, I still found his writing enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. Just because his religious views don’t match my own doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from him. We should not be afraid of thinking new thoughts or challenging assumptions we hold dear. But CS Lewis put it better: “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.”
So take it from me, a dwarf standing on the shoulder of giants. An author only brings part of the lunch to the picnic. We bring half of the sandwich. You, the reader, provide the other half (and no, I did not make up this analogy either…another nod to Terry Brooks’ TED talk). I’ve read comments that said my books were too much like Star Wars, too religious, too boring, too fast-paced, too reliant of a higher power, too short, too long, too predictable, too mysterious, and my personal favorite…too addicting. Guilty as charged on all counts! And that’s okay. Thank you for bringing your half of the sandwich with you when you read. I will always bring you my best ingredients.

To close with CS Lewis one last time, one of the many giants who I’m proud to have my work compared with, “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”

I recently saw a tweet by Kate Danley, one of my colleagues at 47North, author of The Woodcutter. It went like this: “Except for the soul crushing self doubt, being a writer is grand!”

That spoke to me because all authors experience that insidious soul-crushing force. I have followed several NY Times bestselling authors on Twitters and I hang out with enough authors on-line to have seen this theme pervasively. Authors aren’t the only ones who experience it, but it is pretty common among us.

I think it’s time we knock it off.

John Adams once said, “A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.” I’m pretty sure it’s the same for women as well. I’m guilty as charged. I love reading positive reviews from my readers. I don’t enjoy reading negative ones. But I’m grateful to receive both kinds. Each review marks a new connection with a reader. I don’t expect that my books will universally appeal to every intelligent human being.

There is research too that shows that negative emotions take longer to dispel than positive ones:

“Every time a business in the service industry creates a negative emotion in the mind of a customer or client, that individual will share his dissatisfaction with an average of ten people before the emotion dissipates. The same research shows that a person who is impressed with a service will share that positive emotion with an average of only three other people at most. Given this situation it’s obvious why negative news travels faster and farther than positive news.” (Success Unlimited, December 1982, Dwight Chapin)

Let’s face the facts. Reading a good review feels great. It’s a big boost to the self-esteem. Sadly, the feeling quickly wears off. Fortunately, it’s the same for the bad reviews too. Those negative feelings wear off too.

One of my creative writing instructors in college warned us all to “Beware the Ogre of Author Pride.” What he meant is that the desire to be esteemed and praised (what John Adams said) would override our ability to receive feedback and criticism and thus help us improve as writers.

My readers know that I collect quotes from the ages. Here are some of my favorite thoughts given by advisors to ancient Roman emperors (and may apply to NY Times bestselling authors as well.)

1. Plutarch said, “Neither blame or praise yourself.” Doesn’t matter if the review is 1-star or 5-star.
2. Ovid wrote, “We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.” Enough said Ogre!
3. Again from Plutarch: “Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.” We should read criticism even from the unworthy. There may be a nugget of truth in the criticism.
4. A favorite from Seneca: “Away with the world’s opinion of you—it’s always unsettled and divided.” So true!
5. Another from Seneca, and it applies to women as much as men: “You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.”

Since my books really started to sell this year, I’ve had many requests for advice from writers starting out on their writing journey. I’ll tell you what I’ve been telling them. My only advice  is to not listen to advice like mine. If you ask every writer, you will get his or her opinion. There is no secret sauce. There is no magic recipe. Some writers need a lot of time to write a book. Some need very little. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. Some have to write 1,000,000 words before they’ve had enough practice (that would be me). Some get it right after the first draft is done. Some writers say you have to edit-edit-edit. Others say you need to outline-outline-outline. None of that advice matters. The way you write will be unique to you. Write what you love. Set aside some time to do it regularly. And learn to banish that Ogre of author pride and accept feedback and criticism to improve.

Now get to work on that next chapter!

Next – I’m still gobsmacked by the results of February sales. I can’t release numbers, but I think we’ve exceeded all of our expectations. Shortly after the launch of Fireblood, it became the #1 bestselling fantasy book in the US on Amazon (which happens to be the biggest bookstore in the world). The Muirwood Trilogy held the top 3 spots in the UK for quite a while. As of now, well after a month since the launch, sales are still holding strong and I have four books in the top 20 bestsellers in the US and the UK. Surprisingly, Wretched of Muirwood has been holding its place quite steadily in the top 10. For a brief moment in time, I was in the top 100 authors and even landed, for a few minutes, ahead of JK Rowling.

I’m overwhelmed by what’s happened and have enjoyed meeting new readers (virtually, of course) from all over the world. I read each and every review left on Goodreads and Amazon. I love getting e-mails from fans and I do respond to them. The majority of comments have been fantastic and show there is truly a niche being met, as my editor David Pomerico dubbed it: “entry-point fantasy” – that enigmatic border between YA and adult.

I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go with 47North. I’m determined to make Book 2 of Whispers of Mirrowen even better. Not all the reviews have been stellar, nor was I expecting that. We all have opinions. Some of the less than positive ones, my wife and I affectionately call out as being from Mr or Mrs Pricklepants. I’m overwhelmed by the response to my books so far. Here’s to many more years and many untold stories left to tell.

Cheers!

Today is the launch day of my new book Fireblood. It is the first book in the Whispers from Mirrowen trilogy and I’m excited to be sharing it with you. This is a new experience for me and I’ll tell you why. It is the first series I’ve written with the help of a development editor and the full production staff of a publisher. There is a cool map, awesome cover art, and an audiobook version all at the same time.

This is a story that I developed many years ago and is finally seeing the light of day. While I was studying history at San Jose State, I was intrigued by the social and economic devastation caused by the Black Death and how it shaped European history. I conceived the idea of a series of civilizations which banded together to preserve and archive knowledge. They formed a great city in the middle of a lake to protect and preserve their cultures and history. I wrote a series of short stories for Deep Magic explaining the concept and solicited readers of the e-zine to contribute articles and stories fleshing it out. It was a shared world concept which we launched in 2004

Nine years later, I welcome you to the world of Kenatos and a perilous quest masterminded by a brilliant man bearing the stigma of a colossal failure. It is also the story of a persecuted race which can summon fire through their anger. They hold the power of the Fireblood.

Enjoy the ride!

http://www.amazon.com/Fireblood-Whispers-from-Mirrowen-ebook/dp/B008LWDHKO/

My dream of becoming a published author will be fulfilled with 47North’s re-launch of the Muirwood Trilogy tomorrow, January 15^th, and their subsequent launch of my newest book Fireblood on Feb 5^th. Some of you have been with me from the beginning. Some will start to learn this week about all the worlds I’ve created. Here are some quick ways to catch up:

• Why I write: read “A Manifesto on Virtue” (http://www.jeff-wheeler.com/?p=283). This one was published January 7, 2012 just ten days before my books started going viral through Kindle. Coincidence? Most likely…yes. I had also just joined the Kindle Direct Program and gave away Wretched of Muirwood as a freebie and had over 10,000 downloads in two days.
• How I became an author: read my Bio page here (http://www.jeff-wheeler.com/?page_id=358). It’s quite a story. It’s even a true story.
• Why do I tweet #Quotes from #Vizzini? I collect wisdom quotes and have for years. I’m always looking for new pearls which I can incorporate into my writing and, more importantly, improve myself. When I started my Twitter account (@muirwoodwheeler), I decided early on that I’d pass on the quotes from the ancients instead of tweeting about current events (except for a few topics like Star Wars). Why Vizzini? See this posting: http://www.jeff-wheeler.com/?p=340
• Do I really write one night a week? Yes. Sometimes the day of the week changes, but it’s consistently one night a week. I can write a complete chapter in about 2.5 hours. Does that mean I could write four chapters in a day if I wanted to? Not likely. With a full-time job, a wife and five kids, and a pretty demanding church responsibility, I have very little free time. I don’t watch TV (well, except for Phineas and Ferb re-runs). I only watch movies occasionally in the theater and only at home when doing laundry. When I write, I’m pretty much an example of what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as ‘flow’ (http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html ). The chapters come out pretty good the first time and I do tweak them, but not a lot of re-writing. I’m always world-building in my head, especially during my commute, and crafting the next chapters in advance so that when it’s writing time, I get ‘write’ to business (did I mention yet that I like puns?).
• Where did I learn to write? Though I’ve been writing since high school and took creative writing classes at San Jose State University, I feel I really learned the craft though publishing Deep Magic for four years. My friends and I created Deep Magic to help aspiring authors get published and were joined by many faithful and talented volunteers. I was tutored by some of the best in the genre and by my mentor, Sharon Kay Penman. I even interviewed George R.R. Martin before he was uber-famous (see October 2005 issue). http://www.scribd.com/deep_magic
• When did I go from being self-published to finding a publisher? I was discovered by 47North’s David Pomerico in April 2012. His e-mail changed everything. I talk about the transition in my blog posting: Why the publishing industry is like Downton Abbey (http://www.jeff-wheeler.com/?p=319)

What I love about Amazon Publishing is the vision they have of the future. Let me try and explain it this way. Like you, I love reading. I have a Kindle in my backpack, books on CD in my Honda Pilot, and several books on my nightstand. When I get really hooked on a series though, I want to bring it everywhere but I can’t. I got my Kindle Fire a year ago. After buying the Kindle version of a book, I can also buy the Audible version for just a few dollars more (much cheaper than buying the CDs). Then I can listen to the book and read it, and it will keep track of where I am as I go back and forth, reading or listening. That’s the magic of Whispersync. And it’s not just about the device. I have the Kindle and Audible apps on my smartphone so I can keep reading or listening when I get snatches of free time. Is any other company shaping the future this way? It’s brilliant.

So here we are — the arrival of launch day.

When I was a teenager, there was a scene from the movie Back to the Future where George McFly gets copies of his first book and exclaims to his son, “Like I’ve always told you, you put your mind to it, you can accomplish *anything*.” I think George McFly had it right. Holding the new copies in my hand tonight, I can hardly describe how it feels. It’s a dream come true.

Just want to welcome all to my imagination! I have plenty more books to write where these came from.

My first story that was ever published was “The Wishing Lantern.” It was a project from my creative writing class at San Jose State. Jerry Hannah was our instructor. I remember getting the idea over a weekend and spending a few hours on a Saturday pulling the whole thing together, writing it in one sitting. I loved how the moment just flowed, bringing the different ideas and characters together. There’s a wise and patient Ferzohg (eliminate every other letter and it spells f-r-o-g) named Hickem Tod and an ill-tempered Shimmer Faerie with a mouth full of insults called Estellionata (the name derived from Estella in Dickens’ Great Expectations, a favorite of mine). The characters practically wrote themselves. Add to that a riddle that no one could solve (not even Bilbo). After turning in the story to Mr Hannah, I remember getting it back, anxious to see his reaction. On top of the paper he wrote: “A+ you should publish this as a children’s story”

 During that semester, I was writing the first drafts of my novel Landmoor and set Wishing Lantern in that world. The Valg Mordain is a swamp in a region far away that I haven’t revealed yet. Of course, there are mention of the “Sorian” Mages and other nods as well. Back then, I used Elves. In fact, the original title of Landmoor was Elven Pride. I didn’t like it either.

I submitted Wishing Lantern to several publishers and magazines and received a host of rejection letters. But I still remember the delight when it was accepted for publishing by a regional literary newspaper in New York called The Advocate. They published it first. What a milestone.

After getting more rejections from publishers, I still desired to see it published as a children’s story and decided to try it myself. I was working night shift at Intel’s factory in Santa Clara at the time. One of my co-workers had a brother who was a fantasy artist, Randy Gallegos. One of my best friends, Jeremy, was the editor and layout guy. My other friend Brendon was our attorney. Together, we created our own publishing company, Amberlin Books. What a learning experience! We hired Randy as the artist, contracted with a printer on the east coast, and came out with our first hardcover book: The Wishing Lantern. Because of the glue they used for the cover, each copy warped visibly after they came out of the box. We had to ship it back, have the covers re-done, and then delivered back to us. What an ordeal!

The Wishing Lantern has only been available in that original hardcover since it was published in 1999.

Until now.

I’m pleased to announce, finally, a Kindle version. I still have all the original artwork on my computer and put together the layout myself. I did write a sequel to the story, many years ago, called The Ogre Tyrant. Perhaps if enough copies of the Kindle version sells, I can hire Randy Gallegos back to illustrate the sequel. We’ll see.

Enjoy! (Over the years, I have read it to many classrooms and no one has ever figured out the riddle. See if you can.)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wishing-Lantern-ebook/dp/B00AQQSV5Y/

One of the interesting things about Malaysia is the mingling of religions there. Our team did a walk through the historic Khoo Kongsi temple, showing the vast Chinese heritage in Penang. We also walked from there to Little India and ate some spicy samosa from a street vendor and then visited a Hindu temple. Further on, we entered the Moslem district and I was surprised to find this design in the middle of street throughout the district.

It’s the maston square from Muirwood and it was everywhere. I didn’t invent it, though I’ve used it in my books. It’s also referred to as the “Seal of Melchizedek” and you’ll find it throughout the world and in ancient mosaics.

I loved how the blending of religions was demonstrated in Penang. I also loved the food! Being half-way around the world, it was neat seeing how places exist with such rich traditions and legacies which have survived for centuries. Something I learned from the snake handler is definitely going into the book I’m writing now.  I’ve made some good progress on the sequel to FIREBLOOD, which I’m half-way through now, and was able to use the long flights to write a few more chapters. Traditions, mysteries, and symbolism—great stuff for a writer to dream about!

Last comment—regarding works that influence us. I learned this week, quite accidentally, that an author who I admire fell from grace this year after it was revealed he made up quotes from Bob Dylan. This is Jonah Lehrer, author of a favorite of mine (HOW WE DECIDE) and how his latest book INSPIRE was pulled from the shelves because of the doctored Dylan quotes. I admitted quite openly in my author’s notes for WRETCHED OF MUIRWOOD that I’m a collector of wisdom quotes throughout history and have used them liberally through all my books. I continue to do that in my writing and most of the quotes are hundreds of years old. I do keep track of which I use and where I got them from and have even challenged readers to figure them out. I’ve also been tweeting them, one by one, through my Twitter account (@muirwoodwheeler). It’s sad to see a writer fall victim to his own success and let down so many. I wish him well and hope he works his way back because the concepts in his book are really very insightful. On the off-chance that anyone thinks I’m trying to take credit for all the inter-chapter quotes in my books…I’m not. Much wiser people than me came up with the ideas first and I try and weave them together because they meant something to me and have hopefully made me a better person. I’m happy to pass them along to others.

While working on some content to include in my Amazon author page, I decided to write the story about how I became an author. It may be a little long, but I tried my best to tell just the important parts. I left out some fun things, like driving to San Francisco with Jeremy looking for first edition copies of Shannara books at used bookstores. You have to leave some stuff out, unfortunately. I’ll be including content from it on my Amazon page, but thought I would share the whole story here on my blog:

http://www.jeff-wheeler.com/?page_id=358

Enjoy!

I’m feeling very thoughtful and yes, giddy, as we’re three months away from the re-launch of the Muirwood Trilogy. According to Brilliance Audio, the actor for the audio book for the trilogy has been selected (Kate Rudd). I’m also expecting to see cover art for Wretched ”soon”. I’ve been hearing that word for several weeks. Soon. To quote Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Also, hit 99 reviews on Amazon for Wretched this week! Woo hoo!

August was just a busy month, but it also marks a major milestone. Near the end of the month, the 100,000^th copy of Muirwood was downloaded to someone’s Kindle. Not sure who that person was or exactly when it happened, but 100,000 is a big number considering last December it was less than one thousand. When starting down the trail of self-publishing, I figured that once I had a few thousand readers, a publishing company would find me. They did, and they’ve kept me busy this last month.

Basically, I have four books going through the production process of publishing simultaneously. Each book in the Muirwood Trilogy has been edited, removing all those pesky typos and dyslexic moments which have eluded me over the years. My favorite typo was “gravepine” (should have been ‘grapevine’). Not sure why I couldn’t see that after reading the manuscript so many times, but I am certainly grateful for the many editors who have been poring over the books and fixing those little flaws which drive me crazy and which I cannot, for some reason, spot on my own. For others looking to self-publish, I would highly recommend paying for professional editing services. That is my biggest regret.

I’ve also been working with a great editor (tip of the hat to Master Chris Cerasi) who has been the development editor for my new series, Whispers of Mirrowen. Book one, Fireblood, will launch in February. Working with a dev-editor was so helpful and interesting. Through all my creative writing classes, I was told to always trim-trim-trim. What surprised me about the feedback was the need to expand in certain places to develop some characters further and expand certain critical scenes. So it required some additional writing, but I am so pleased with Chris’ advice and input. Also, I’ve seen the initial cover designs for Fireblood which made me smile for about 36 hours straight. I’ll share the cover art for all the books as soon as I am able. 47North will be sending me some copies of the book and I would like to be able to hand some out to early readers. Stay tuned.

There is a lot to get done before the launches in January (Muirwood) and February (Mirrowen). But I am enjoying the process and excited about having my goal and dream fulfilled in 2013. To lucky reader of copy 100,000 – thank you, whoever you are! And thanks again to all the readers who post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading them and how they motivate me to continue writing, one night a week, one chapter a week. I’m already on chapter 12 of the new book. One step at a time!

After I got my Twitter account, I realized that it would be very difficult for me to come up with something pithy to say in 140 characters every day or so. That’s just not me, and I’m not sure anyone really cares about my opinions on celebrity self-embarassments or tragic news stories. If you do care, just ask and I’ll let you know.

As a writer, I do love a great turn of phrase and I admire other writers who craft thoughts in such a way that makes them sizzle with depth and meaning. I have been collecting quotes since 2006 and have gathered a treasure trove of wisdom (and sometimes wise-cracks) which I wouldn’t mind sharing, one tweet at a time. I’ve decided to name them Quotes from Vizzini after a favorite character from The Princess Bride.

(Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons…)

The first quote is my personal favorite, from a Roman writer named Ovid who lived during the time of Caesar Augustus. I discovered Ovid after watching a documentary on William Shakespeare and learned that he was a source of wit and wisdom for that great writer. (Tip of the hat):

“A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.” – Ovid

#Vizzini