Here it is: the cover of my young adult fantasy novel A Wicked Kind of Dark.
Due to certain laws (and fair enough too), I’m not allowed to include Eminem’s Lose Yourself alongside this reveal, but feel free to play it. I’ve got the CD on repeat as I’m writing these words. Lose Yourself is one of my ‘go to’ songs …
Thank you Odyssey Books
1) If you’re going through hell, keep going – Winston Churchill
Thank goodness for Winston. This quote has inspired me through some tough times.
2) I can resist everything but temptation – Oscar Wilde
I love this quote. I thank Oscar’s genius every time I reach into the freezer for some chocolate ice-cream or push the snooze button on the alarm clock.
3) Always forgive your enemies: nothing annoys them so much – Oscar Wilde
Smile at the nasty wretch trying to upset your day. Thanks again, Oscar.
4) If you can dream it, you can do it – Walt Disney
And why not too!
5) I love deadlines, I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by – Douglas Adams
This is my ‘chill out’ quote when I’m stressed – nothing like a bit of humour to calm the nerves.
6) We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit – Aristotle
I blogged a few weeks ago about something similar – actions speak louder than words!
If I were a vampire, I would feed exclusively on the worst criminals society vomited up. Food supply is essential. I’ve never been to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, but Wikipedia says that there were 3164 murders there in 2011. With a population of 3.2 million, Caracas has both the population and crime rate to support a vampire. But would I really want to live there.
Sydney is too sunny – Australia is too sunny. Magic rings, sparkling skin and SPF 1000 + cannot prevent a true vampire from spontaneously combusting in sunlight. Although vampires are creatures of the night, there be day cities and there be night.
I like the idea of New York. It has a big population and plenty of night life. If I were a vampire, I’d stand Batman-like on top of New York’s skyscrapers, and instead of putting psychopathic killers behind bars, I’d eat them.
I like the idea of old world versus new world. Vampires suit the old world and London is one of the mighty European cities. I’d meander London’s cobbled streets at night wearing an expensive suit and a gold pocket-watch. People would know not to mess with the tall mysterious Englishman with pale skin and black pointed beard. I like Great Britain’s regional accents, and yet if I were a vampire, English would be my second language.
If I were a vampire, I’d live on the Venetian canals in a three-level apartment with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. Expensive paintings would line the walls and frescos would bring life to the high ceilings. My stone coffin would lie in a secret chamber beneath the apartment. I would have witnessed Beethoven and countless wars.
Yes! The Italian Dracula – romantic and passionate, ancient and wise.
Jonathan K Benton
Authors know this rule well: show, don’t tell. It’s an important rule, possibly the most important. Readers don’t appreciate being told what to think; they like to experience the novel through a series of vividly drawn scenes, scenarios and settings. What is not said, is often more powerful than what is said. ‘He spun across the polished floor, graceful as Nureyev’ means more to me than ‘He danced expertly’.
‘Actions speak louder than words’ holds a similar meaning. I could tell you that I’m a great dancer, but until you saw me dancing, my words wouldn’t mean much. Show don’t tell. I could claim to own a Ferrari, but wouldn’t it be better to turn up at your house driving one – if you like that kind of thing.
A short blog this week
Yours truly and truly yours.
Jonathan K Benton
Please note: I can’t dance like Nureyev, and I don’t own a Ferrari.