From My Fantasy Writing Desk
Recently I entered Priestess of Ishana in a contest known as SPFBO, for Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog Off. I enjoy the community of blogger/reviewers who act as judges for the contest. They are enthusiastic supporters of fantasy writers. Entering the contest is a good excuse to get to know them better. For community, there’s a friendly FB group and ten dedicated fantasy blogs (links to all 10 in this cover contest post).
The contest starts with 300 entries. They randomly assign each of the 10 judges (or blogger groups) 30 of those books. After 5 months, those group judges offer up their one “best” from the 30. Last, those 10 get read by all the judges to determine the one winner. It takes a year. No breath-holding allowed.
In the process the bloggers write some great reviews (even of many non-winning entries). Those reviews have already started going up. My to-be-read list keeps growing.
My style of historical fantasy may or may not work for my particular judge. In the meantime, I’m hoping to make some new friends in the fantasy writing/reading world.
They start with a cover contest. These are the winners this year. (Not mine, sadly.) What do you think? I like the dragon.
Archaeology I Enjoyed
Norwegian Strategy Game
They unearthed Iron Age dice and game pieces in Norway. From the researcher at Bergen U Museum: “The gaming pieces were likely status objects obtained through contact with the Roman Empire. People who played games like this were local aristocracy or upper class. The game showed that you had the time, profits and ability to think strategically.” They date to A.D. 300, so positively modern compared to the games I studied when constructing my fictional ones. However, I developed the same theme of strategic thinking and games. They found only fragmentary remains in the context of a cremation burial. Click here for Archaeology Magazine “Iron Age Dice and Game Pieces Unearthed in Norway”
Earliest London Theater Excavated
The new discovery and excavation of London’s earliest theater, The Red Lion, provides a “missing link.” First they performed theater in the courtyards of inns and university halls focused on Biblical subject matter. Later theaters like the Globe performed secular plays such as Shakespeare.
The Red Lion started as a farmhouse. It went on to become a drinking establishment. Then the owners added a roofless, multi-level auditorium with stage. The plays performed there have been lost because they were unpublished. The guild of publishers may not have approved of the plays put on there, such as The Story of Sampson, which had Biblical themes that were “overly-visually portrayed.” That sounds risqué.
Authorities viewed theaters in England as controversial for many reasons. Theatre-goers were seen as “the worst sort” of “evil and disordered people” who skipped work “to mis-spend their time.” Furthermore, the theater was feared as a spreader of plague. Interesting, isn’t it? Click here for Independent “London’s oldest theatre discovered in East End excavation”