Review – Engines of Liberty: Rebel Heart by Graham Bradley

Who had Harry Potter meets the American War for Independence on their “to read” list? Since I do not read alternate history very much, this book catching my eye is unusual. It took some convincing, but I managed to argue my brain into reading the first entrance in the Engines of Liberty trilogy* by Graham …

Need a New Read? Check the Inbox!

I don't usually talk about reviewing books and writing pieces over on Upstream Reviews here on my site. As Dean Koontz noted in his novel Relentless,* self-promotion takes a lot out of an author, and I can only do so much. But today's linked Upstream Reviews article has opportunities available for writers everywhere. Click the to …

Faith in Practice in Worldbuilding: How Do You Show a Religion in Action? Part 2

Part 2 of 5 in this series. Part 1 is here. There are – at most – three religions or subsets of a religion in the world today that do not include a sacrifice as part of their worship in their “pure” form, as far as I can find. Not a regular, day-to-day or week-to-week …

Snippet: Blood on the Wind

Excerpt from Debris. Letting out another sigh, he dropped lower and pumped his wings once. That was asking a lot, and he would need more help after a point. For now, he should swing by the Pool and double-check the water. If he was correct, it had properties he really needed to investigate – From the …

Snippet: Admit Nothing

Excerpt from Debris. Not that he would ever, EVER admit to anyone beyond a select few that he possessed the slightest bit of magic. Especially not when he was the runt of his litter, both parents dead protecting him from a predator, and with an older brother patrolling the border as a war continued practically on …

Bulletin: A New Series Takes Flight!

Let the bells ring out, readers! I have a book out for you! Strength has many facets…. Lost in thought, Ayar’s mind was on his invention that would allow premature griffin cubs to survive. He had no inkling he would rescue a creature that he suspected might be rational. Who would put one of their …

Forms of Conflict, Part 4: Man vs. Nature

We have discussed the definition of conflict and how to build it as well as three of the four forms of conflict: Man vs. Society, Man vs. Self, and Man vs. Man. There was an intermission to discuss some details pertinent to the first two conflict types. These pieces were inspired by a conversation I …

Reposted: Dominic’s 3 Laws of Using Religion in your Fiction Novel (+ Bonus Law)

Sorry, readers, but I ran out of energy and did not have a post prepared for today. In lieu of the next installment in this series on conflict, I have linked to a post on LegendFiction, a very interesting site with a lot to recommend it. The post is on the site owner's "3 Laws …

More Book Recommendations

I am back with another list of recommended books! Foxfier’s list of suggestions still has me thinking, readers. We are told that people do not read anymore, and to some degree, that might be true. But it is difficult to find any interesting novels to read these days. Unless you trust someone else’s recommendation or …

Bulletin: The Best of the Planetary Anthology Series is ALIVE!!!!

Whew! Apologies for the late alert, readers. It has been a bit of a zoo behind the scenes here at A Song of Joy. So many projects, so little time…. The Planetary Anthology Series, as many of you may know, became defunct last year as a print and ebook series. You can still purchase the …