This is a great winter season for geeking out on live-action anime, new fantasy series and movies

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I love the holiday season! Not just for the joy of family, friends, and the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, but also for the new tv series and moves that premiere this time of the year. We have movie releases (Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and tv series streaming (Cowboy Bebop, Hawkeye, The Wheel of Time) it is a great time to be a fantasy/sci-fi nerd.

The big issue with the remakes and adaptations is how accurate is it to the comic or book series. Take the live action Cowboy Bebop on Netflix. First and foremost, the look is incredible. Great casting and set design that is so accurate to the anime. Now, is it perfect . . . No, it’s not. They are changing how the story is presented to make it fit into the shortened Netflix series. Spike’s backstory with the Syndicate is mixed in with each episode, which suits me fine. The fighting scenes are as animated as in the anime, so is the comedy banter. It’s not as good as the original anime, but it’s still fun to watch.

On a more serious note, Robert Jordan’s epic The Wheel of Time was finally made into a tv series. It’s hard to imagine this series laid out logically as a TV series, and watching has proven that. Instead of teenagers, the five dragon candidates are young adults, and they changed how they get from their village to the White Tower. When you’re taking 14 books and putting them into a shortened series, it makes sense. It still flows good and is watchable to me. I can’t help but enjoy it because I love these books and seeing them come to life is a dream come true. It’s a lot like when Game of Thrones was brought to television. You can’t follow the exact dimensions of such a rich story, but if it remains true to the essence of the novels, then it’s worth watching.

Rosamund Pike is great as Moiraine in the series. She is commanding, fierce and dedicated to her cause. Her magic is so powerful, flowing from the one source in such a beautiful visual effect. The first battle scene against the Trolloc’s was intense. It’s great that Amazon is taking a chance on this series, and they’ve already confirmed season 2.

And now, Disney Plus is coming out with Hawkeye as part of its ongoing MCU television series. I can’t say I’m overly excited for this series. It just doesn’t excite me like Loki, Wandavision, What If, or Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I will watch it, though, because it helps set up the next set of series coming out in 2022.

Speaking of the MCU, we’ve gotten three films in less than four months. Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings was a great introduction to a new hero, and the Eternals reset the cosmic powers of the Marvel Universe. Both of these movies set up new powers and heroes in the MCU coming in the next phase. I mean, the Black Knight, Blade, and others are coming our way. Then we have Spider-Man: No Way Home which brings us into the multiverse by setting up Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. I think just bringing all the villains from the other Spider-Man movies completes the transition from the “Sony-verse” to the MCU. Plus, it brings together the Sinister Six for the first time and that is just freakin’ awesome to see!

The Spider-Man movie not only completes Tom Holland’s trilogy, but it sets up so much more. Will he finish his run as the webhead or just prepare for the New Avengers in the next phase? Maybe we’ll get to see Miles Morales for the first time in a live movie! The possibilities are there, but we’ll have to wait and see!

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, coming soon from Revolutionary Press; and The River of Souls novella, coming soon from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel are future installments of my current fantasy book series, coming soon.

As a writer, this has been my best month ever

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The headline says it all. As a writer, this has been my best month EVER! I had three book signing events, where I did better than expected with sales, meeting people, and more! Then, I signed two book deals with Curious Corvid Publishing and Revolutionary Press to publish two of my latest manuscripts, The River of Souls and Corsair and the Sky Pirates respectfully. Like I said, BEST MONTH EVER!

Between the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival, Southern Maryland Comic-Con, and 2nd Sundays Williamsburg Art and Music Festival, I’ve been meeting and talking to more people than ever before. After such a disappointing 2020, it’s such a thrill to actually being able to meet people in person than over a video chat.

It has been a long road since 2001 when I started writing my first novel, Forever Avalon, and then it wasn’t first published until 2009. To be able to not only talk about my books with people, face-to-face, but to see the interest on their faces when they pick up my book and read the synopsis was worth the long weekends away, the money invested into my second career, and the hours spent toiling away at these novels.

I really just want to thank my wife and my family for their love and support of my extended career. I wouldn’t be here without them. They are, and always will be, my inspirations as a writer. I have more stories I’m working on and I hope to have them out in short order, but that’s down the road. For now, I’, going to continue going out to these festivals and conventions to spread the word.

And if I don’t get to say it, I hope all of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, coming soon from Revolutionary Press; and The River of Souls novella, coming soon from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel are future installments of my current fantasy book series, coming soon.

The cost of being an independent author adds up

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I think that what has to be the worst aspect of being an independent author is the financial cost associated with it. From paying for an editor, cover artists, publishing, marketing, ARC readers, convention fees, and more, the costs add up quickly. A self-published author with usually spend more than they make in book sales. It’s not an easy proposition for many of us.

Additionally, there is the many other expenses from travel, cost of equipment and software, subscriptions, and more. It can become quite staggering. I think that in the past 12 years, I spent around $15,000 and, four books later, made less than $1,000. I can honestly say that some of these expenses are my fault, mistakes made early by a novice author. I went with “vanity” publishing that cost more than I needed to spend and, in return, got less than expected results. There are so many options for an author to publish with minimal cost. You can publish on numerous publishing websites for FREE, with templates for interiors and covers, with varied success. if you want to up your game, you are going to need to pay for some things to make your book better.

Same goes for marketing. When I started using social media, I got hammered with paid book reviews, social media companies, and other “phishing” expeditions. I learned a lot from those experiences. Even big companies can spam you too. In 2014, I decided to participate in a “Pitchfest” to learn about and then attempt to pitch my novel to movie/television people. I spent about $4K on travel and hotel (it was in NYC) and the event itself. It was an interesting experience but, in the end, nothing came out of it. Not blaming the organizers, I guess I didn’t sell it well enough, but it was still an expense that fell flat.

This seems to be a recurring theme amongst self-published authors. I talked to a few recently at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival. One author was focused on just his books, working with a broken canopy and no real promotional materials. And here I was, with a brand new canopy I just bought and a couple hundred dollars worth of bookmarks, stickers and posters. It was my first festival and I went overboard. Now, in the end, I sold more books at this one event than I ever did before. It was the first positive book signing/event I participated in my 12 years of doing this. I would normally sell from 1-5 books, but this was extraordinary.

After my success at that event, I bought an additional placard with a tripod to give a big “spotlight” on my books. Add to that, the additional copies of my books I bought to add to my inventory. Yes, the money I made went right back into my next event. That seems to be the infinite cycle for self-published, independent authors. As much as it can be a financial pain in the wallet, the old adage “you have to spend money to make money” comes into mind. No, I don’t mean going deep, deep into debt, but there is a cost associated with everything you need as an up and coming author.

Granted, I’m not doing this to me a multi-millionaire . . . No really, I’m not. I love telling stories, I love writing stories, so sharing them is the most logical thing to do. Would I like to do this as a full-time job and spend my days writing instead of working from my office, absolutely. Who wouldn’t? For now, this is what works for me. I know that going to events like comic-cons, book festivals, and craft fairs will help build up my readers.

You have to be prepared for the cost if you have the desire to take a stab as an author, but time and money are not on your side. It is the desire to fight through for the chance, just a chance, at being a successful author.

NOTE TO READERS: Do I consider book sales = money = success? No . . . To me, book sales = people who’ve read my books. That makes me feel good as an author. The money helps me write more books, that’s all!

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, coming soon from Revolutionary Press; and The River of Souls novella, coming soon from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel are future installments of my current fantasy book series, coming soon.

These authors should be required reading for any up and coming fantasy author

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The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock

This may be a bit cliché of me to say, but there are some authors I would consider required reading for anyone wanting to step into it as a fantasy author. Sure, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey and Terry Brooks are names everyone is familiar with. These stories are the “bread and butter” of any fantasy author. They provide the basis for what we write and the stories we develop, but there are some others you need to consider (in my opinion) to make you well rounded. Please remember, these are my opinion and I may miss some of your favorite fantasy authors. So please, add your own to the comments!

I’ll start out with my all-time favorite fantasy author and the person who inspired me to be a writer myself. Michael Moorcock, author of the Elric of Melnibone saga, is one of the best fantasy authors on par with Tolkien and others. His world-building is amazing, something I’ve never read before. The mythology of the Lords of Order and Chaos, the Eternal Champion, and more are terrifying to say the least. His stories span centuries, millennia even, and yet they flow together in such perfect harmony. It’s not your basic Dungeons & Dragons type of story, but unique in every sense of the word, from magic to mythos.

Elric is the perfect anti-hero, doing whatever must be done to in order to survive and defeat his enemies. He sacrifices friend and foe and its such a sad, solitary life, and you feel for him, every step of the way. All of his characters, from Elric to Cymoril, Yyrkoon, Moonglum and Rackhir are deeply intertwined and carefully written. I adore his wistful yet colorful descriptions of people, places and events. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate and Stormbringer will always be my two favorite novels of this series, because the Seas of Fate introduces the concept of the Eternal Champions to the reader and Stormbringer brings the series to a close like I’ve never read before. It’s a shame that Elric still hasn’t made it to the silver screen, and he would shine amongst fantasy epics.

The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin

Next up is Ursula K. Le Guin and the Earthsea saga. She is both a fantasy and science fiction writer, but I’m focusing on her fantasy epic here. It’s interesting to note that Le Guin meant for A Wizard of Earthsea to be a standalone novel, but then she wrote The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore after discovering loose ends in her first book. I think this is a great example of what plagues fantasy writers when it comes to a single story or a series, and she handled it brilliantly. Then it took her nearly 20 years to write what is considered my many as the second trilogy in the Earthsea cycle.

This demonstrates the patience she had as a writer to properly flush out the story, something many of us (me included) don’t do with our own writing. What I love about her story is the fact that she didn’t plop it down into your standard “middle ages fantasy” where the characters are all white. She went out of her way to differentiate the races of Earthsea into something unique and different, especially for a novel written in 1968. That’s the beauty of Le Guin in all her writings. She does not stick to the boundaries of race, sex, color, creed, or religion in her stories, always outside the norms. She is a must read for just that fact alone.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones

The next one might seem a bit unusual but its Diana Wynn Jones, author of the classic Howl’s Moving Castle. Yes, we all know about it from the beautiful and inspiring Hayao Miyazaki film, but have you read the book? It is completely different from the movie and just as inspiring. I read the series after I saw the movie and I wish I had done the reverse. Her writing style reminds me a lot of Frank L. Baum and his Oz stories, tales with such frivolity and backwards talking that its just fun to read to try to get into the mind of the writer. The other great thing about her is that she has been an inspiration to many great fantasy writers of our time, including J.K. Rowling, Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman. She is an award-winning children’s author and yet her stories are beloved by all. Her books are a lot like Harry Potter in that she brings magic into our regular world and makes it a part of everyday life. It’s a joy to read her stories and be inspired in my own.

The Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Lastly, I would like to mention R.A. Salvatore . . . Yes, he’s not one of the more well known fantasy authors, but he’s one of my favorites because of his attention to detail in writing novels based on Dungeons and Dragons. As a teenager and young adult, I played D&D religiously, and reading these novels kept me in the game when I wasn’t playing. His books were especially provocative on different levels. I think he was responsible for taking the Drow Elf from a regular villain (in the game) to a hero in his Dark Elf Trilogy. Drizzt Do’Urden became so popular as a supporting character in his first book, Icewind, that he moved him to main character for his next three books. The other thing I love about Salvatore is he was once just like many of the independently published fantasy authors I collaborate and communicate with on social media. He worked as a bouncer, writing his fantasy stories in his spare time until he was picked up by TSR to write for the D&D Forgotten Realms novels. His publishing story gives me, and others like me, hope for own stories.

As I said at the beginning, these are some of my favorite fantasy writers that truly inspired me in my own stories as a writer, along with many of the classic and legendary authors of the fantasy genre. Let me know your thoughts or add your favorites in the comments.

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

The Last Magus joins The Outlander War as a 2021 Firebird Book Award winner

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The Outlander War: Book 3 of the Forever Avalon Series, second-place winner in Fantasy, and The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, first-place winner in Steampunk, for the 2021 Firebird Book Awards, sponsored by Speak-up Talk Radio.

The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart was just named as a 2021 Firebird Book Award winner, first place in the Steampunk category. The Firebird Book Awards are sponsored by Speak Up Talk Radio. This is my second book to be recognized by these annual awards. In April, The Outlander War earned second place for fantasy from the Firebird Book Awards.

“Book contests are a proven way to tell the world that you have taken the time and effort to submit your work to scrutiny. An award seal on a book opens doors to interviews, press coverage, and lends additional credibility to writing and artistic careers, and dare we say–can increase sales.

“We chose the firebird to symbolize the award because the firebird is known as a magical helper and is believed to drop pearls from its beak when passing over peasant villages, to give the poor something to trade for food and other necessities. We hope, in some small way, that we too can help others via the donation aspect of these book awards.

“At Speak Up Talk Radio, our mantra has always been this: Speak Up–your words can change the world. You never know how your words affect those you may never meet. And to help you become a magical helper, like the mighty firebird who drops pearls, your entry fee is used as a tax deductible charitable donation to brighten the rooms of women and children in homeless shelters.

“All entry donations fund Enchanted Makeovers 501(c)3 women and children’s long term shelters renovation and transformation project, naming you as the donor.”

Marcus Gideon awoke at the crossroads outside the border town of Armändis. Lost, with no memory of his past life, he was left for dead by brigands… Stabbed through the heart. His life was saved by a blacksmith’s kindness who replaced his damaged heart with a mechanical, magical miracle—a clockwork heart. The gears turned, the motor spun, and his heart was beating again, powered by his magical energy.

Gideon was alive, but his savior was no ordinary blacksmith. Henry Botàn was a Magus, hiding out in Armändis to protect the weapons within his magical armory. The swords, spears, and other-worldly artifacts were potent in their rights, some cursed and even forbidden to wield. His responsibility was to protect these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, but he was old and past his prime. He needed an apprentice, and Marcus Gideon may be the one he waited all these years.

Now begins a new adventure, as Gideon searches for clues to his past, looking ahead toward his future in Attlain as THE LAST MAGUS. The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available as a book or ebook from Lulu and other booksellers.!

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

Download a FREE audiobook today

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You can download a FREE audiobook of my fantasy book Forever Avalon, available on Audible! Narrated by voice artist Traci Odom, Forever Avalon is a journey to an island beyond time and space, a place of eternal magic where the descendants of King Arthur rule over Elves, Dwarves, dragons and more! Follow the adventures of a modern family, stranded on Avalon after surviving a storm at sea. As Outlanders, they are hunted and hounded across the enchanted isle. Only the Gil-Gamesh, Knight Eternal and Champion of Avalon, steps up to protect them from the machinations of sorcerer Kraven Darkholm.

All you have to do is comment on any of my blog posts and follow my blog . . . It’s that easy. I’ll send you a code to download your FREE audiobook from Audible and you can listen to the adventure and fantasy of Forever Avalon!

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

First book fair went great, now on to November

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Me and my table set-up at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival, Oct. 2, 2021.

I had a great time at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival last weekend! I met other wonderful indie authors and introduced many new fans to the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and my new fantasy read, The Last Magus. I signed many copies of all four books and, even those who didn’t buy one, I spoke to them about my novels and where to find them. A couple of people were more interested in ebooks or audiobooks (for convenience) and I was happy to accommodate them as well.

This was my first book festival EVER so I learned a lot from my experience; about what to bring, table set-up, formulating my pitch to potential readers, and even what pen to use when signing my books. My steampunk attire went over well, catching the attention of many passersby’s, just as I intended. Overall, I would chalk this up as a success and ready for my next one.

So, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be attending the Southern Maryland Comic-Con on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Capital Clubhouse in Waldorf, Maryland, from 10am to 4pm. The convention is operated by Nerd Street USA who says, “Our cons are a celebration of comics, toys, TV, film, art, cosplay, games, and all things nerdy. If you’re a fan of Batman, the Avengers, Doctor Who, Star Wars, LEGO, Disney, Star Trek, the Walking Dead, Power Rangers, Game of Thrones, etc., you’ll probably fit right in at our events!!” So, I’m a shoe-in for this con!

You can purchase tickets for the convention from their ticketing website, https://www.nerdstreetusa.com.

And that will be a busy weekend, because the very next day, I will be attending the 2nd Sundays Arts and Music Festival on Sunday, Nov. 14 (400 & 500 blocks of Prince George Street and 100 & 200 Blocks of N Boundary Streets) near Colonial Williamsburg’s Merchants Square from 11am to 4pm. This is a street fair of over 100 unique artisans, musicians, street performers and food vendors in 5 Blocks along N Boundary Street & Scotland Street in Williamsburg, VA on the 2nd Sunday of each Month (March- December)!

I am trying to schedule and set-up events at least once a month so please keep an eye on my Events calendar for these scheduled appearances.

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

Star Wars and anime is something we’ve all been waiting for and “Visions” does it flawlessly

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I just binge watched all ten episodes of Star Wars: Visions on Disney+. Couldn’t help it because they were just that good! Not only was I impressed with the visuals and the stories, but I even recognized some of the voice actors from my favorite anime shows. This was a match made in heaven with new content that brought me the Star Wars universe in a completely new light. The anime style differed from each episode, and the stories were completely different too. In fact, I even think they changed some canon with this anime series (I’ll explain later). In any case, I was completely enthralled by this series and I hope they do more of them in the future.

Similar to the Animatrix short stories that came out around the same time as The Matrix: Revolutions movie, Star War: Visions brought anime storytelling to the popular universe of the Jedi and the Sith, which makes sense since the look of these force users have a Japanese-vibe to them. According to Kathleen Kennedy, “Star Wars: Visions will be a series of animated short films celebrating the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best anime creators. This anthology collection will bring ten fantastic visions from several of the leading Japanese anime studios, offering a fresh and diverse cultural perspective to Star Wars.”

For the most part, these shorts focused on the constant war between the Jedi and the Sith, with one exception, and that’s what many Star Wars fans look for in storylines. I mean, even The Mandalorian TV series focused on “The Child” and the Jedi. There’s nothing wrong with that but honestly, I thought there would be more diverse content. The one episode that didn’t go that route was Tatooine Rhapsody. Gotta love a Padawan escaping Order 66 by becoming a rock star with a droid guitarist, tri-bodied drummer and a Jabba family outcast on bass (nose ring and all). That was awesome!

My favorite had to be The Duel because it felt like an old Japanese samurai film but with aliens and lightsabers. The rogue Sith hunting down other Sith was a shocker, which made it even more enjoyable. Plus, the R2 unit wearing a straw hat was totally in character for this anime. The changes I mentioned to canon (which every Star Wars nerd swears by) was in the episode The Ninth Jedi. The “saber smith” (love that name) said that the kyber crystal projects the color of the lightsaber depending on the force users will and abilities. Hence, in this episode, when the Sith wielded the lightsabers, they were all red. However, previously we were told that each crystal has its own color and when a Sith kills for the first time and the kyber crystal is soaked in blood, it becomes a red lightsaber. So, in essence, Star Wars: Visions has changed canon to the Star Wars universe.

Speaking of lightsabers, all ten episodes had different versions of the legendary weapon. Some looked like they do in the movies while others looked like a katana or bladed-version of a lightsaber. There was even an spinning umbrella lightsaber . . . Talk about deadly! The style of animation differed in each episode, but you tell the anime influence from the stylized drawing of the characters to the way they animated it all together. I mean, The Twins reminded me of Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill while TO-B1 had the style of Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo. It made each episode unique as they told their story.

I hope that this is the first in anime storytelling from the Star Wars universe. I want to see more! These are definitely ones to watch.

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.

Follow jenniereads.com for great book reviews, like the one for The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart

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I am from a small town in northern New Jersey called Phillipsburg. Our little town sits on the shores of the Delaware River, right across from Easton, Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley. Our claim to fame is our high school football team, always ranked top in the state of New Jersey (“I bleed garnet and gray!”) and our high school football rivalry with our neighbor across the river in Easton High School. That rivalry has been going on since 1905 and we fight it out on the gridiron every Thanksgiving. It’s a Stateliner tradition!

I have a good friend from Phillipsburg, Jennie Rosenblum, who is an online book reviewer (jenniereads.com) and she has been a wonderful supporter in my literary career as an independent author. Jennie gives comprehensive and honest book reviews of a variety of genres. If you’re looking for a good book to read, check out Jennie’s blog and I know you’ll find a something worth your while.

Add to that list my latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart. Jennie surprised me this past week when she posted her review. You can read her entire review HERE, but this is the highlight for me . . .

“Magic, Fantasy, and Steampunk all rolled into one very enjoyable adventure story.  I have read other books by this author and he always pulls me in with incredible covers and beautifully laid out interiors of his books.  When an author takes this much care, I’m already into the story before the first line.  Oh, did I also mention that the main character has lost all memory of who he is or what his life was before we see him on that very first page?”

Jennie Rosenblum, jenniereads.com

Plan to visit the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival and West Virginia Book Festival in October

I have two upcoming events to mention here! I will be signing and selling my novels at the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival on Saturday, October 2, from 10am to 4pm at Riverfront Park on Sophia Street in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is my first book festival EVER so I’m looking forward to attending!

Their mission is to provide a venue for local authors, graphic novelists, publishers, book artists to market their work, and to foster an interest in reading, writing, and literature. By bringing writers and readers together to promote indie authors and creators in the community to inspire the next generation of writers. Visit fredbookfest.com for more information.

UPDATE: The 2021 West Virginia Book Festival has been cancelled, at least for in-person events. Due to COVID concerns, the festival is now virtual so I will not be attending. The pain of COVID for independent authors continues…

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers. Get ready for The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series, coming soon, and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates.