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Looking through Emerald Spectacles

Cover of Emerald Spectacles novel.

Emerald Spectacles (The Hidden History of Oz, Book Three) cover

Emerald Spectacles prevented Dorothy and her friends from seeing the Emerald City as it really was. In a sense, the Emerald Spectacles are a form of of humbug – a deception. However, this exciting novel gives the real power of the magic glasses – they prevent the wearer from seeing magic. The Emerald Spectacles that Dorothy and her friends wore were to protect them from any dark magic they might see in the Emerald City.

Why would they see dark magic? Ah, that’s an excellent question. It goes back to the foundation of the Hidden History of Oz series:

Oz is a magical land powered by human dreams. What is dreamed on Earth is filtered through the Emerald Engine to become magic in Oz. When a dreamer from Earth came to Oz, his dreams changed the land around him. One such dreamer was given the title of Wizard.  (more…)

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March 3, 2015 | Categories: Books | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Update to published novels

With the recent republishing of Books One and Two in The Hidden History of Oz series, I want to share a few things that have been added to each title.

Each book contains an Appendix, which contains several important pieces of information for the dedicated reader.

  • The Characters (referred to as The Players, a nod to Shakespeare). I have received comments on this addition. When a reader can’t keep all of the characters straight in her head, it is helpful to have a reference list.
  • Timeline. There is a lot of history referenced in each story. The timeline section details the events that happened and those referred to in the context of the novel.
  • Maps (where applicable). I like epic fantasy novels that include maps. It gives me a sense of wonder at the fantasy world.
  • Locations. There are some new places mentioned and visited in the context of each story. Just like the character list, having a list of the locations helps the reader remember. Plus, it will help when the inevitable wiki appears.
  • Sneak Preview. Including a glimpse at the next story does two things: One, it lets the reader know that there is another story coming, and Two, it creates a teaser for the reader to look forward to the next story. (This is very helpful in the case of cliffhangers, as I have learned.)
  • Guide for Parents. What makes my stories different? I claim that they are good for ages 10 and up. How does the parent know what is in the book, and if he or she wants their child reading this story? What can the parent talk about with the child? (This would work for reading groups also.) The Guide for Parents is also available on this website, for on-screen viewing or as a downloadable PDF. See the menu bar above.

Then there are the standard pages with the Author Bio, On the Web, Other Books by Author, but those are pretty standard in published novels anymore.

This Appendix is a labor of love from me, the author, to you, the reader. I want to show you that each story means something special in the greater world. I’m not going to give you the moral of the story, or tell you what to believe, but I am giving you the facts, and you can dream as you may.

Enjoy.

September 27, 2014 | Categories: Author's Vision, Writing | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment