A Vast World

Written by Karlissa J.

Why is it that in most fantasy stories, everyone speaks the same language?

Characters can cross the world - galaxy even - and still find that most people talk like them. While here on Earth, there are over 7,000 languages spoken!

Tales of the Diversity takes place in a world quite unlike our own. And yet, some things are familiar.

Shady businesses are built around taking advantage of the vulnerable.

Wars are fought over wealth, religion, land, and culture.

And communication with someone from across the world can be tough: because not everyone speaks the same language!

It’s into this world that Captain Ctzo sets sail with an ethnically diverse crew, urged on by a spiritual guide who promises his journey will change history.

Are you ready to discover what becomes of Ctzo?

Fantasy Books Part 1

Written by Karlissa J.

Searching for a new fantasy book to read? I’ve been reading a lot lately as I research for my upcoming book Christian Fantasy 101, mainly fantasy from Christian authors, but also a few secular works. So I’ve decided to do a series of posts highlighting a variety of fantasy books. Take a look, and you may discover your next reading adventure!

Written by Carrie Anne Noble, The Mermaid’s Sister follows young Clara as she wrestles with the reality that her sister, Maren, is transforming into a mermaid and will soon leave their family to live in the sea. On top of that, getting to the ocean will be no easy feat, and the more Maren transforms, the more desperately she needs the sea to survive.

The story is told in first person, allowing us a deeper glimpse into Clara's emotions as she wrestles with the ever-approaching departure of her sister. There's a romantic angle carried throughout the book, which seemed a little overdone to me, but many readers will probably enjoy that aspect. There are some dark moments and innuendos, meaning the book may not be ideal for children; however, nothing truly gritty or gory. The ending is sweet, and overall, I found the book to be a satisfying read.

The popular fantasy series Warriors follows the lives of wild and feral cats as they defend their borders, hunt for food, build families, and learn loyalty and honour. Written by a team of authors that go by the name Erin Hunter.

The Warriors authors have created an engaging world that feels both perfectly cat-based and very human. Characters meow, flick their tail, hiss, purr, and lick themselves. They also struggle with questions of right and wrong, desire friendship, fall in love, and seek spiritual guidance.

On that note: the cats are ancestor worshippers, and as the series progresses, their world’s spiritual laws are further revealed. I’ve found no mention of God (or gods). Fellow Christians may find this off-putting, but I still believe there are a lot of positives in this series.

This review is for the first three books in the series Tales of Goldstone Wood: Heartless, Veiled Rose, and Moonblood. The author is Anne Elizabeth Stengl.

Princess Una and her brother grow up next to the mysterious Goldstone Wood, daring each other to get as close as possible but never brave enough to enter. They seem a to be a typical girl and boy living in a typical kingdom… unaware of the enchantments and dangers that fill their world.

This series is beautifully written, with a well-developed and magical world. The story follows the journeys of multiple characters, each with their own motivations and personality. The second and third books, Veiled Rose and Moonblood, take place during and build upon the first book, Heartless, taking side characters and turning them into compelling protagonists.

I'm reviewing the first three books of The Sword of the Dragon: The Swords of the Six, Offspring, and Key of Living Fire. The author is Scott Appleton.

A terrible black dragon fights against a prince and his army. Unexpectedly, the prince is betrayed by all but one of his trusted warriors: he and his loyal friend are murdered. The white dragon, an ally to the prince, arrives too late to save him. Years later, the black dragon has since been imprisoned, but the white dragon knows the traitorous warriors must be brought to justice.

Appleton presents us with a fascinating world, described skillfully and vividly - tainted by great violence but overcome by even greater heroes. The core characters are well-crafted and deep, each with their own desires and emotions to drive them. And I enjoyed the inclusion of creatures invented by the author.

Of course, I have to include Tales of the Diversity!

Taking place on an island-covered world filled with diverse races and cultures, the story follows Captain Ctzo in his quest to compile a multi-racial crew, fight pirates, and discover new lands.

You can learn more about my books by clicking here!

Book Previews

Written by Karlissa J

Did you know I posted previews of my first four books to my blog? It was a long time ago, so I thought I’d repost the links here!

Click on each of the books to read the first few pages!

The Promise Released

Post by Karlissa J.

I’ve now received my copies of The Promise!

It’s been exciting, finally being able to share my first trilogy with my readers! And to honour the occasion, my husband set up a surprise celebration - complete with ice cream cake!

Adventurous Artists

The creatures and races in Tales of the Diversity are otherworldly. But with a little imagination, some brave artists have tackled the task of bringing them to life in pictures and models!

In my blog post “Looking Back: Art,” I shared some old concepts I drew for the creatures and characters; art I created before writing the books.

And in “Concept: Awareness,” I shared a sketch I created of Jakodi Jair.

I’ve held two art contests for Tales of the Diversity, and shared the amazing entries I received in “2020 Art Contest Winners” and “Art Contest 2 Winners.”

Art Contest 2 Winners

Thank you to all who participated in the art contest! I enjoyed each of the entries! But of course, there can only be two winners: Author’s Pick and Best Representing the Book!

For Author’s Pick: Daysha showed the concept of Exploration with a photo of Katia out exploring the woods.

And for Best Representing the Book: Ethan made a picture with the concept of Conversation, recreating a conversation between Tyzak and Black Night (from The Loss).

Congratulations to the winners! Prizes will be handed out in a week or two.

Again, thank you to all who participated! This was a fun contest to host!

Concept: Awareness

For my ‘entry’ for the art contest, I decided to do a simple sketch.

So… SPOILER WARNING!

In The Loss, Jair becomes aware of his insanity, and has to face it. Though maybe it isn’t a major plot point in that book, it is significant to me. I decided to represent his moment of awareness, adding a mirror to reflect what’s going on inside him: how he now sees his mind as cracked and broken.

You could say the concept represented is “Mental Illness.” However, I think of it more as “Awareness.” Throughout Tales of the Diversity, various characters become more aware of their weaknesses, who they are, and where they want their lives to go.

It’s a theme that continues into the third book, which I’m still busily writing.

The art contest is open for submissions until June 15th: create an art piece (it can be a photograph, painting, model, whatever!) representing a concept from Tales of the Diversity, and send it in to author@karlissaj.com.