Category Archives: Uncategorized

Finding a Balance: Cultural Appropriation and Under-representation

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

Writing fiction has lately become a bit of a minefield where, if you write about another culture, you risk charges of appropriation, and if you fail to include representatives of other cultures, then you are exclusionary. I have always operated … Continue reading →

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The Teen Apocalypse

Posted on December 3, 2014 by

A while back, I fell into conversation with another author, and we wondered about the trend in young adult literature toward the apocalypse:  so many popular teen titles are post-apocalyptic or dystopic (Hunger Games, Divergent).  On the one hand, there … Continue reading →

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Book Promotion: Nobody Cares about your Crazy Names (sorry!)

Posted on October 29, 2014 by

Once again, I have had the opportunity to read someone’s blurb for their fantasy novel.  You see these things all over the place–on advertising materials at conventions, on the back covers of books, on blogs or in emails asking you … Continue reading →

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Review: Home for the Holidays, discovering voice

Posted on October 3, 2014 by

Home for the Holidays by Randee Dawn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a local convention last year some time, and actually won this book when I attended her reading. I … Continue reading →

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The Fiction Reboot Presents: “Striking Research Gold” by D.B. Jackson

Posted on July 15, 2014 by

Originally posted on Fiction Reboot | Daily Dose:
Welcome back to the Fiction Reboot and the Daily Dose! Today, we are pleased to present the work of D.B. Jackson/David Coe–the Thieftaker Chronicles. One of my favorite things about this series, aside…

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The Uses of History: Inaccuracy and Injustice

Posted on June 4, 2014 by

One of my commenters on another post included the following: Kenneth Chase cites a book called “Teppo denrai” by Takehisa Udagawa who states: “If historical inaccuracy is ignored for the sake of the message then it is not clear what … Continue reading →

Posted in Elisha Barber, essays, fantasy, fiction, history, Uncategorized, writing, writing process | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ancient Dead: A Brief History of Barrows in England

Posted on May 21, 2014 by

One of the things I love about Ordnance Survey Maps is all the little details of history that pop out when you examine them. England features a high concentration of man-made structures, spanning thousands of years, and Ordnance Survey strives … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, fiction, history, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments