PART I) 5 Ways in Which Real Life can Inspire Fantasy Worlds… BY SANDRA J YEARMAN

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Author Sandra Yearman will appear on the Books and Me Blog in a two part series. In her  first blog she tackles an unusual subject ‘Why Real Life Inspires her Fantasy Writing’… This is a short but amazing blog from Sandra, which I really enjoyed reading and moreover completely  identified with.

 I  have just begun my journey as a  fantasy writer and it’s people like Sandra who inspire. Ordinary people  can exist in fantasy worlds and still manage to stay afloat in  extraordinary situations.

Part II of  the blog next week will offer  insights into Sandra’s writing her The Warrior Series.

Life happens when you stand up  for what’s right and soldier own even when the chips are down… pick up a Sandra Yearman book to find out. Over to Sandra ….

The most common thing I hear from my loyal readers is that they usually don’t read fantasy novels. I have to smile when some of them sound surprised that they liked my books in the Warrior Series. I have to admit that years ago I would not have imagined that fantasy would be the genre I flourished in.

SANDRA YEARMAN

I) SEEING THE DEEPER LEVEL OF DARKNESS THAT EXISTS IN OUR WORLD   

People intrigue me. I love meeting people and learning about them. At one point in my life I thought I had been exposed to almost every facet of human existence then I joined the Army Reserves and later became a police officer. Both of these occupations exposed me to not only deeper levels of the mind but deeper levels of darkness in humans. And it was these occupations which led me to write fantasy. You don’t see the correlation? I will explain.

II) TAKING REAL LIFE SITUATIONS AND REAL LIFE HEROES AND PUTTING THEM IN FANTASY SITUATIONS  GIVES THE JADED READER A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. IT’S LIFE BUT FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE  

I am a person of action. Apathy is a word that is difficult for me to understand. Yes, we can blame a great deal on media desensitizing us but honestly, life is made of choices and we choose what we will turn a blind eye to as well as what we will stand up for. I write about these choices. I write about everyday heroes. I write about horror and hardship. I write about love, honor, acceptance and faith and I put my characters in a made-up world so that the readers will view these issues with new eyes.

III)CHARACTERS THAT READERS CAN  CONNECT WITH

My stories are character driven. I want the readers to connect with them so they accompany those characters on their journeys and agonize with them over their choices. I love developing characters and I love it, even more, when readers contact me to talk about specific characters.

WARRIOR SERIES 6

IV) FANTASY WORLD CREATION IS NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING UP STUFF. IT’S ABOUT CONSISTENCY AND GETTING YOUR FACTS RIGHT   

To say I am detailed about creating my world is an understatement. Writing a series is challenging in that one must maintain strict consistency of facts. I have a huge bookcase filled with binders of information I log for my stories. To me it is an honor when a reader tells me they felt like they were in the story with the characters.

WARRIOR SERIES 2

V) MONSTERS ARE REAL EVEN IN THE REAL WORLD. THEY INSPIRE MY FANTASY VILLAINS 

I have often been asked about how I create my villains and their heinous crimes. The answer is always the same; the personalities I create, the crimes are real. That answer draws mixed emotions since it is difficult for some people to realize there really are monsters in the world.

More about Sandra here,

  1. Amazon: com/author/sandrajyearman
  2. E-Mail: sjy@frontier.com
  3. Facebook: Sandra J Yearman/Seraphim Publishing
  4. Twitter: @sandrayearman
  5. Website: sandrajyearman.com

About The Author

Sandra J Yearman is a native of Wisconsin, where she currently resides. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Sandra was a member of the United States Army Reserves for over twenty years. She retired from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office in Madison Wisconsin as a sergeant.

Sandra is a cancer survivor. And it is on this journey that she says she found her voice and began to write. She established Seraphim Publishing LLC in 2008. Sandra has spent decades supporting and working with rescued domestic animals.

 

Published by loganivy

FIRST THINGS FIRST Simply put I am here because I love books... I am extremely passionate about stories especially those steeped in mythical folklore, ancient myths, and legends and suffused with the magic of unique realms and supernatural worlds. I believe there is an alternate universe where magic, mysticism, and wonder still exist, a world where no reality is impossible. Discovering ourselves is an ongoing journey. From reading the next logical step was writing. I am the author of ‘The Breach’, an upcoming supernatural fantasy.For when I write about these worlds I become a part of them and learn more about myself each day. A PEEK INTO MY SOUL I am a realist but at the same time also a dreamer. To me, reading is a window into the hearts of others . Writing is the window to my imagination drawing from my glimpses of the world around me. The beauty of writing lies in the mind’s eye – what we see, the way we interpret it and finally how we translate it to paper. HOW I VIEW MY CHARACTERS To me, every character is multi-dimensional. There is no mere black or white perspective to a character. If a person is strong, we have to delve into what contributed to making them that way? Similarly, what are the fears, likes and loves of a character. That is what makes each one of them unique. It makes them what they are. No character should be just a filler in a story. If a character is evil, why is he or she that way? If a male character is not the central focus of a story, if he is okay with the girl in his life taking center stage I don’t see him as weak. I think he is a great guy and the kind that any girl would be lucky to have in their lives. Looking for the prince who rescues you from the dragon or the lecherous villain should be passé. Real men may not have muscles but they have good hearts. I write about such princes, the guys who are also okay with the girl playing hero in their life, being rescued by them too. I love reading and writing about girls and women with flaws because all real women are that way. Not the most beautiful, not the bravest, not the thinnest nor the richest. They find strength in their family, in their love. My girls do not compete against men; only circumstances and the challenges they throw up. The men who support them, stand by them are the ones I like to read and write about. Through this blog I hope to share more about inspirational characters and the beauty and richness a book contains. MY INSPIRATION Is it possible to cherish and to love something all your life without really analyzing it or understanding why? ‘Stories’ fired my imagination since I was a child….it started with my father, who would spend thirty minutes each night weaving supernatural tales of troubled ghosts in a bid to awe, shock and above all bond with his daughters. He never realized and neither did I that he was also weaving those little quirks into my personality that later on in life would go ahead and set me apart. During class breaks in school, I would share the same tales with the class, now adding my own embellishments, peaks, and lows so as to hold their attention and leave them shouting for more. As my dad got busier and we got a little older the stories seemed to have trickled off but not before transferring that hook for the beginning, the narration, the mystery and the spectacular end. Books and Movies became my magical time machines capable of drawing, pulling, and holding me. Friends and colleagues would decide to read books or watch movies after I brought to life with words what I read or saw on screen. Even love came to me through books when the first time I met my husband we fell in love over a discussion on ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’. One day I realized what I should have known all along – Stories; they lived in my soul. I had worlds to create, people waiting to be brought to life and stories to share. So I share what I love.

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