The story begins in Night City. A boy named Leo stumbles upon a strange phenomenon while walking through the muddy streets. When he goes home that night, he meets Verdon—a green robot who calls himself the last eeclaimer of the Earth. Verdon tells Leo the world is falling out of balance and that he must continue the cycle of renewal. Armed with nothing but determination and a bag for cans, Leo begins collecting and recycling—but can one kid really change the world? Read more

Write your legend, draw your destiny, and take flight! The legend starts with you!Do you love to draw or write? Do you have your very own dragon stories to tell? In this official Wings of Fire journal, you'll design awesome characters, imagine new adventures, and forge YOUR fantasy world!With examples from Wings of Fire graphic artist Mike Holmes, Tui T. Sutherland guides you through the #1 New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series in a more interactive and exciting way than ever before.Spread your wings with your very own graphic story creation! Read more

There’s more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, multi-dimensional characters, fantasy author Deborah Chester guides novices and intermediate writers through a step-by-step process of story construction. Whether offering tips on how to test a plot premise or survive what she calls the dark dismal middle, Chester shares the techniques she uses in writing her own novels. Examples drawn from both traditional and urban fantasy illustrate her nuts-and-bolts approach to elemental story design.With a foreword by New York Times best-selling author Jim Butcher, who studied writing in Chester’s classes at the University of Oklahoma, The fantasy fiction formula delivers a practical, proven approach to writing fantasy like a pro. Read more

Discover Deify, a captivating creative writing RPG based on mythology from around the world. Create your own deity, molding new gods and their fate from inception to demise. Manage divine resources like domains, epithets, and mortal champions, and navigate written prompts with a tarot deck (not included). Stunning art from illustrator Maia Trewartha will inspire you to visualize unique deities born from gameplay rules, and beautifully designed player sheets and notebook pages will help you capture your journey. As your story unfolds, embrace the enigmatic world beyond worship—will you be merciful or vengeful, benevolent or cruel? The choice is yours, shaped by the cards' will. Dive into Deify for an immersive experience unlike any other! A magnificently illustrated hardcover with gold foil details. Read more

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Want to craft a rich, epic fantasy world but aren’t sure where to start? Need guidance on creating complex civilisations, deep cultures, and powerful story elements?How to Make Myths and Mountains breaks the process down into easy-to-follow steps. By completing a series of creative prompts, this book will guide you through building a vast and elaborate world.This workbook will help you to:Craft a believable and immersive epic fantasy settingHit the genre markers your readers will be looking forUse worldbuilding to enhance the adventure and spirit in your storyDevelop a world that grows with the characters journeying through itMaster the art of worldbuilding for epic fantasy with prompts that deepen your understanding and sharpen your skills. Learn how to shape wide, intricate worlds filled with legends and tales that stand the test of time.Get How to Write Myths and Mountains today, and start building the epic setting your story deserves. Read more

Following the immense success of Volume Iwith over 35,000 copies sold, On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume II brings a host of new topics to table in even more detail and depth. Writing advice tends to be full of 'rules' and 'tips' which are either too broad to be helpful or outright wrong. Aimed at specific, applicable, and practical discussions, from writing fight scenes to first-person narration to hard and soft worldbuilding, Volume IIis a 'must have'.On Writing Fight ScenesHandling PacingMentor CharactersPositive Arcs and Redemption ArcsPower Escalation in a Magic SystemFlashbacks and BackstoryCivil WarsFirst-person NarrationDark LordsOn WorldbuildingFantasy and Alien RacesWorld HistoriesMonarchiesPlace NamesClass, Wealth, and PowerHow Class Systems are MaintainedHow Class Systems CollapseCities and TownsHard versus Soft Worldbuilding Read more

This collection of more than twenty-five critical essays, speeches, and biographical pieces chosen by Diana Wynne Jones before her death in 2011 is essential reading for the author's many fans and for students and teachers of the fantasy genre and creative writing in general. The volume includes insightful literary criticism alongside autobiographical anecdotes, revelations about the origins of the author's books, and reflections about the life of an author and the value of writing for young people. Reflections features the author's final interview, a foreword by award-winning author Neil Gaiman, and an introduction by Charlie Butler, a senior lecturer in English at the University of West England in Bristol. Read more

📚 Unlock Your Writing Destiny: 📚Prepare to embark on a journey that will transform your writing dreams into reality. In the crowded realm of fiction writing guides, one star shines brighter than the rest - Fiction Writing 101. This isn't just a book; it's your literary passport to success.🖋️ Craft Worlds with Words: 🖋️Inside these pages, you'll discover the ancient art of storytelling, masterfully distilled for modern authors. Craft intricate plots that twist and turn, breathe life into characters that readers will cherish, and build worlds that ignite the imagination. Your stories will leap from the page and into the hearts of your readers.🎭 From Novice to Maestro: 🎭Whether you're a budding novelist or a seasoned wordsmith, this guide is your trusted companion. It navigates you through the tumultuous seas of storytelling, transforming you into a literary maestro. Say goodbye to writer's block and hello to inspired creation.🌄 Paint with Your Words: 🌄Words are your palette, and the page is your canvas. Fiction Writing 101 unveils the secrets to crafting prose that evokes emotions, vivid settings that transport readers, and dialogue that crackles with life. Your writing will be a work of art, leaving readers hungry for more.🧙♂️ Conquer the Dragon of Doubt: 🧙♂️Release yourself from the clutches of self-doubt and perfectionism. This book empowers you to recognize when your story is ready to fly, freeing you from endless cycles of revision. Your creativity will flow, unhindered and unstoppable.📝 Exercises to Hone Your Craft: 📝Fiction Writing 101 isn't just a guide; it's your writing dojo. Engage in powerful exercises that sharpen your skills. Vanquish redundancies, sculpt unforgettable characters, and conjure tales that will captivate readers.📖 Read Like a Reader, Edit Like an Editor: 📖Become a master of dual perspectives. Immerse yourself in stories as a reader, then transform into an eagle-eyed editor. This dance between creativity and precision is the hallmark of great storytelling, and this book is your guide.🚀 Soar Beyond Your Imagination: 🚀Your dreams of literary greatness are within reach. Harness storytelling techniques and copywriting wizardry that set your work apart. Unleash your creativity, and watch your writing soar beyond your wildest imagination.🌟 Why Choose This Literary Odyssey? 🌟In a crowded arena of writing guides, Fiction Writing 101 stands tall as a beacon of inspiration and wisdom. It's not just a book; it's your ticket to crafting stories that will enthrall, entertain, and endure.Are you ready to embark on this extraordinary adventure and transform into the writer you were born to be? Fiction Writing 101 awaits. Your literary destiny beckons. Purchase your copy now and let your stories captivate the world. Read more

Writing guides are often full of 'tips' and 'tricks' either too broad to be useful, so specific they don't apply, or frustratingly vague. The On Writing and Worldbuilding series is here to change that. Volume III covers a whole new array of topics with applicable, clear, and practical discussions, be it writing character descriptions, compelling dialogue, or worldbuilding cities and towns for your world. While written with an edge for science fiction and fantasy, the help found in this book applies to all genres. Volume III stands entirely independent of the first two volumes with entirely new discussions.With all this and more, On Writing and Worldbuilding is a 'must have'.ON WRITINGCharacter descriptionsDeath scenesDialogueSubtext in dialogueDarkest hoursPlot armourEnvironmental descriptionsElemental magic systemsAntiheroesParagon heroesON WORLDBUILDINGDeath and the afterlifeCities across the agesMountainsIsland civilisationsFallen civilisations Read more

Children’s Books in Children’s Hands: A Brief Introduction to Their Literature familiarizes current and future teachers with the best and most recent books for children. The renowned author team presents richly illustrated, practical ideas for sharing literature with children as a source of enjoyment and inspiration that will last them all their lives. This authoritative, captivating, and popular guide establishes a roadmap for understanding the world of children’s literature, including its writers, illustrators, editors, and critics, while also providing a strong emphasis on books from many cultural groups. The 6th Edition now includes full color illustrations and art, newer title annotations, new teaching ideas, coverage of shifting changes in genres, and thorough coverage of multicultural and international books. Read more

Overwhelmed by creating fantasy worlds?Lost in your world? Unsure where to go next?30 Days of Worldbuilding breaks the task into manageable chunks. By following 30 creative prompts, this book will guide you from idea, to full world.This workbook will help you to:Break the epic task of worldbuilding into easy stepsBuild a full and complete world with prompts you may not have thought ofTie your worldbuilding into your story to increase tension and conflictBring your worldbuilding back to your characters to get your readers hookedBy completing just one prompt each day, you can have a fully created fantasy world in a month. You will also have an invaluable book of worldbuilding notes to keep beside you as you write.Get 30 Days of Worldbuilding today, and stop getting lost in your world.This new edition is packed with more comprehensive prompts, more ideas, tips, and inspiration, as well as tables to complete and specific questions to answer. Available as both an ebook Guidebook and a paperback Workbook with space for answering each prompt. Read more

The final collection of fiction and essays by the most celebrated science fiction author of all time—including the Hugo Award–winning story “Gold.”Isaac Asimov is widely considered both the inventor of science fiction as well as the genre’s greatest practitioner. This wide-ranging collection is the final and crowning achievement of his fifty-year career as a writer. It includes an introduction by the renowned science fiction author Orson Scott Card.The first section contains stories that range from the humorous to the profound, at the heart of which is the title story, “Gold,” a moving and revealing drama about a writer who gambles everything on a chance at immortality: a gamble Asimov himself made—and won. The second section contains the grand master’s ruminations on the SF genre itself. And the final section is comprised of Asimov’s thoughts on the craft and writing of science fiction. Read more

The Empire's harvest has come due, and the survivors of the fall of Earth are determined to ensure that the Imperials reap exactly what they have sown. With the monstrous powers of the Imperial Fleet, the Drasin swarm, the Terran survivors and their allies all coming together for a final confrontation... only one thing is certain about the aftermath.The Galaxy will not be the same when the dust finally clears. Read more

La edición conmemorativa del 50 aniversario de Rayuela incluye la historia de la creación de la novela contada a través de las cartas de Julio Cortázar«Contranovela», «crónica de una locura», «el agujero negro de un enorme embudo», «un feroz sacudón por las solapas», «un grito de alerta», «una especie de bomba atómica», «una llamada al desorden necesario», «una gigantesca humorada», «un balbuceo»... Con estas y otras expresiones se aludió a Rayuela, la novela que Julio Cortázar comenzó a soñar en 1958, se publicó en 1963 y a partir de entonces cambió la historia de la literatura y agitó la vida de miles de jóvenes en todo el mundo.Plena de ambición literaria y vital, renovadora de las herramientas narrativas, destructora de lo establecido y buscadora de la raíz de la poesía, durante todas estas décadas Rayuela siguió siendo leída con curiosidad, asombro, interés o devoción.La crítica ha dicho... «Ningún otro escritor dio al juego la dignidad literaria que Cortázar, ni hizo del juego un instrumento de creación y exploración artística tan dúctil y provechoso. La obra de Cortázar abrió puertas inéditas.» Mario Vargas Llosa«Si no hay una voluntad de lenguaje en una novela en América Latina, para mí esa novela no existe. Yo creo que la hay en Cortázar, que para mí es casi un Bolívar de la literatura latinoamericana. Es un hombre que nos ha liberado, que nos ha dicho que se puede hacer todo.».-Carlos Fuentes«Prosa hecha de aire, sin peso ni cuerpo pero que sopla con ímpetuy levanta en nuestras mentes bandadas de imágenes y visiones, vaso comunicante entre los ritmos callejeros de la ciudad y el soliloquio del poeta.».-Octavio Paz«Cortázar es el mejor.».-Roberto Bolaño«Su fundación de apertura es otra Rayuela, un libro que es la misma novela, pero que empieza al cerrar este libro.».-Julio Ortega«Cortázar nos ha dejado una obra tal vez inconclusa pero tan bella e indestructible como su recuerdo.».-Gabriel García Márquez ENGLISH DESCRIPTION "Counternovel," "chronicle of madness," "the black hole in an enormous funnel," "a shout of alert," "a type of atomic bomb," "a call to necessary disorder," "an immense cloud of smoke." These are just some of the expressions that have been used to refer to Rayuela, the novel Julio Cortázar began to dream up in 1958 and published in 1963, Rayuela's arrival had a profound impact on the cultural scene of its time, jolted readers worldwide, and triggered a true revolution in Spanish-language fiction changing the course of literature. Even after five decades, it is avidly read by new and devoted fans. Brimming with literary ambition and vitality, Rayuela reformed narrative tools, destroyed established paradigms and searched for the origins of poetry. For its fiftieth anniversary, Alfaguara is publishing this limited commemorative edition that includes an appendix where Cortázar himself tells the story of the book. Read more

Writing advice tends to be full of 'rules' and 'tips' which are either too broad to be helpful or outright wrong. In On Writing and Worldbuilding, we will discuss specific and applicable ideas to consider, from effective methods of delivering exposition and foreshadowing, to how communication, commerce, and control play into the fall of an empire.ON WRITINGPart I: ProloguesPart II: The First ChapterPart III: The Exposition ProblemPart IV: ForeshadowingPart V: Villain MotivationPart VI: Hero-Villain RelationshipsPart VII: Final BattlesPart VIII: The Chosen OnePart IX: Hard Magic SystemsPart X: Soft Magic SystemsPart XI: Magic Systems and StorytellingON WORLDBUILDINGPart XII: Polytheistic ReligionsPart XIII: Hidden Magical WorldsPart XIV: How Empires RisePart XV: How Empires WorkPart XVI: How Empires FallEXCLUSIVE CONTENTPart XVII: How I Plan a NovelDozens of side notes and extra thoughts on all the wonderful stories we discuss Read more

Want to create a magic system for your world, but don’t know where to start?Need help building religions and belief structures that feel real?From Sanctity to Sorcery breaks the process down into easy-to-follow steps. By completing a series of creative prompts, this book will guide you from side-show trickster to all-powerful sorcerer.This workbook will help you to:Create a magic system your readers can truly believe inBuild belief structures that feel ancient and organicUse magic and religion to raise the stakes and increase tensionCreate an immersive experience for your readers with powerful worldbuildingWork your way through prompts designed to fully integrate beliefs and magic into your worldbuilding. Learn how to create wizardry and wonder to raise your characters up, or to crush them down.Get From Sanctity to Sorcery today, and become a master of magic and marvel.Available as both an ebook Guidebook and a paperback Workbook with space for answering each prompt. Read more

He's not a shadehunter. He's the Shadehunter. The only one who does what he does. And the world needs him now more than ever.Hunting shades is hard enough, but when entire cities suddenly go missing, Mathus the Shadehunter has his hands full trying to put the pieces together. He races against time, trying to stop imminent destruction while fighting gunslinging assassins, traitorous allies, and shadowy creatures from the Netherworld. And the key to his plan: an impossible heist with a motley crew:The Pickpocket, desperately working to stay ahead of her mistakes.The Con, able to get anything in the world, except the one thing she truly wants.The retired Professor, trying (and failing) to stay out of all the trouble.And, finally, the Sharpshooter, who only wants to do the right thing. Whatever that means.Outnumbered and running out of time, can this crew pull together a job before the forces of darkness destroy the world as they know it?Other books by Luke Beckstrand:Obscurum: the Dark City. When a resilient young street urchin named Kathryn is dragged off by a shadowy angel, she is thrown into the middle of an ancient struggle between light and darkness. Her one desire: protect her little sister. But that desire begins to overlap with Kathryn's need to save the world as she discovers mysterious allies, dangerous enemies, and her own powerful ability to control the shadows themselves.The Outlanders of Northost is a series of 12 novellas, with each book averaging only 130 pages. The story follows Covlan the Outlander, who bites off more than he expected when he agrees to help a young woman named Gwenevere with what appears to be a simple task. With a plethora of dastardly villains, an intricate and exciting magic system, and the fate of the world in the balance, this is an action-packed, explosive series that you won't want to miss! Read more

Do you envision celestial cities in distant, fantastic worlds? Do you dream of mythical beasts and gallant quests in exotic kingdoms? If you have ever wanted to write the next great fantasy or science fiction story, this all-in-one comprehensive book will show you how. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction is full of advice from master authors offering definitive instructions on world building, character creation, and storytelling in the many styles and possibilities available to writers of speculative fiction.Combining two Writer's Digest classics, Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy and The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference, along with two new selections from award-winning science fiction and fantasy authors Philip Athans and Jay Lake, this new book provides the best of all worlds. You'll discover:   • How to build, populate, and dramatize fantastic new worlds.   • How to develop dynamic and meaningful themes that will expand the cannon of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling.   • Exciting subgenres such as steampunk, as well as new developments in the sci-fi and fantasy genres.   • How to imbue your tales with historically accurate information about world cultures, legends, folklore, and religions.   • Detailed descriptions of magic rituals, fantastic weapons of war, clothing and armor, and otherworldly beasts such as orcs, giants, elves, and more.   • How societies, villages, and castles were constructed and operate on a day-to-day basis.   • Astounding methods of interstellar travel, the rules of starflight, and the realities and myths of scientific exploration.   • How to generate new ideas and graft them to the most popular themes and plot devices in sci-fi and fantasy writing. The boundaries of your imagination are infinite, but to create credible and thrilling fiction, you must ground your stories in rules, facts, and accurate ideas. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction will guide you through the complex and compelling universe of fantasy and science fiction writing and help you unleash your stories on the next generation of readers and fans. Read more

Everything You Need To Fully Develop An Unforgettable Character!Take your storytelling to new heights with The Complete Character Development Workbook. Whether you're writing a novel, screenplay, or short story, this workbook is packed with focused prompts and exercises designed to help you create a fully realized, engaging character that leaps off the page.Questions, prompts and exercises covering:Identity & Background: Craft your character’s core, from their name to their personal history.Appearance: Define their physical traits, style, and unique features that make them stand out.Personality Traits: Delve into their strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and fears to create emotional depth.Motivations & Goals: Discover what drives your character and how their desires shape their actions and decisions.Social Life: Uncover how they interact with others, from close friends to society at large, adding richness to their relationships.Beliefs & Morality: Explore their ethical compass, values, and what lines they will or won’t cross.Fears & Weaknesses: Expose their deepest insecurities and vulnerabilities for a more compelling narrative.Abilities & Skills: Investigate their unique talents, skills, or magical abilities, adding layers to their expertise or combat prowess.Conflict & Struggles: Dive deep into the internal and external challenges that define their journey.Secrets & Revelations: Unravel hidden secrets or key moments that shape their character arc.Why You Need This Workbook:Unlock Creativity: Transform a basic character into a multi-dimensional, realistic personality.Stay Focused: Structured prompts guide you through every aspect of your character’s development.Adaptable for Any Genre: Perfect for crafting memorable protagonists or antagonists in any type of story, from fantasy to drama.Start building your unforgettable character today with The Complete Character Development Workbook: Solo Edition! Get your copy now! Read more