Skolion News

Icy Sedgwick shares her love of folklore and how it's enriched her creativity My love affair with folklore started with a small book from a Northumbrian castle. It was more of a pamphlet, really – a handful of pages in a cardboard cover, stapled at the spine. There was a whole series of them that I went on to collect. Each one contained tales of ghosts, fairies, monsters, and ghouls.  Heinous murders and bloody revenge stained some of the stories, while the others glittered with the promise of magic. Make no mistake, these were not the cute fairies of Disney, or the "wise Fae" so beloved of the Mind Body Spirit crowd. These were the fairies that struck bargains and made sure you read the small print. Perfect reading for a pre-teen, wouldn’t you think? Whether I've been conscious of it or not, folklore has rippled through many of the short stories and novels I've produced. Except my first western, but what are westerns if not modern myths?  But this post isn’t abo...

We would like to congratulate Skolion author Andrew Berac on the release of his dark fantasy novel A Sinister Radiance – a slowly unfolding tale that blends dark fantasy and mystery elements as we follow the doings of a mage named Kai.  After too many years locked away in a church-controlled thaumaturge, Kai has taken advantage of the chaos wrought by the caster rebellion to escape to the shadowed city of Falkirk. Starting a new life at thirty-one would be challenge enough, but being identified as a magic caster could get him killed. Then there’s his estranged family, less-than-spectacular love life, and the disturbing secrets Falkirk hides under its facade of staid respectability to contend with, before a human monster from his past surfaces… All that pales before the threat Kai inadvertently discovers thanks to a missing friend and a spur-of-the-moment lie. It’s madly dangerous to keep up the act, but his curiosity overrides the sensible part of his mind that’s screaming you coul...

Stuck with your writing? Cristy Zinn has five helpful tips to lift you out of the funk I’ve had to dust off my keyboard for this blog because it’s been so long since I last wrote. I have projects on the horizon but getting my head around them has been like trying to walk through quicksand. This is by far the worst writing rut I’ve ever experienced. I’m beginning to ask myself that question: am I a writer if I’m not writing anything? I’m sure I’m not the only writer in the world who has dealt with this so here’s my take on those seasons where you feel like you can’t write and what to do during those times (and FYI, this is totally me, talking to myself right now): 1. IF YOU CAN, PINPOINT THE WHY. For me it’s two-fold. Firstly, it’s been a rough end to the year with multiple personal and work-related dramas, but, secondly, it’s also been some of the most rewarding months creatively because as a children’s book illustrator I’m finally finding my space. I think part of my lack of drive to ...

Carrie Clevenger shares some tips for getting your little ones into books With all the reading programs out there to reward the kids for reading at school, I suppose there’s a need for an article like this. I’ll level with you: Our family are readers, kids included, so I asked my eleven year-old daughter for some help on this topic. She is the subject matter expert after all. Associate Favorite movies or TV series capture the minds of young and old alike. The good news is, sometimes that story doesn’t have to end with the credits. A lot of movies and shows have novelizations, which means your kids (or you) can stay in that world a little longer. There are also books that expand the lore. I’ll provide an example: Supernatural , the television show (does anyone actually have cable anymore?). I know they have a lot of fans out there, myself included. Did you know there have been a number of novels written in that universe? There has! Another example is the Marvel Universe, which began lif...

Xan van Rooyen shares how they pair music with writing Music has always been a huge part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are listening to Mozart with my grandfather or wiggling away to Elvis with my parents. I’ve dedicated my life to music, first with grandiose ideas of becoming a world-renowned flutist, and now as a music teacher for elementary school kids. The latter is far more rewarding, and enjoyable! I couldn’t imagine a day going by without music and I absolutely couldn’t imagine writing without it either! Music as Inspiration Music often serves as my muse. Sometimes it's the lyrics that get me, conjuring a certain emotion or even a whole scene in my head that plays out like a movie, which I inevitably end up incorporating into a story. I often seek inspiration from visual sources, scrolling through Pinterest, hoping to stumble upon something that speaks to me. Music videos prove doubly rich sources of inspiration, combining both visual and auditory stimuli, telling...

Icy Sedgwick shares some of the wisdom we can learn from a great master artist The United Kingdom has been spoiled for all things Leonardo da Vinci this year (2019). The genius inventor and painter died 500 years ago, in 1519. To celebrate, we had the 'Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing' exhibition. 200 drawings from the Queen's collection went on display around the country. The British Library are hosting the ‘Leonardo da Vinci: A Mind in Motion’ exhibition until 8 September 2019. We often think of da Vinci as an artist. Or an inventor. And we know about his many notebooks. But we don’t always think of him as a writer.  Still, he’s an inspiration to writers. Here are five lessons you can learn from da Vinci and the way he approached his work. And I’m a huge fan of the journaling. So, I’ve also included journal prompts to help you unpick your own writing habits. Be Multi Passionate Many associate da Vinci with Renaissance art, particularly in the form of the Mona Lisa. Y...