More of an Influence...

I read somewhere years ago that J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" was influenced by Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" or "The Ring Cycle".

I'm trying to complete some graphic novel series and YA fantasy novels that I was suppose to finish long ago, but alas, life happens.

So, Lloyd Alexander's "Prydain Chronicles" (5 volumes) is now on my list of what I what to read now. I'm using online purchasing to find the editions to match what I already have.
I also have a manga series to read. I need 8 volumes to not only complete the series but to finish the books.

I'm a huge YA book reader. I oftentimes prefer the genres within Young Adult rather than the stuff written for more "mature audiences".

What I like about the "Prydain Chronicles" is there is an introduction in each volume when Mr. Alexander speaks about the series on a whole. Because the series was written during the 1960s, the books have become classics as well as the last volume having won the Newbury. He mentioned that the ancient Celtic texts of the Mabinogion (the first parts coming from the Welsh) was a heavy influence to his "Prydain" series.

Author and artist interviews always interest me because I like to get a peek inside another creative type's head. It encourages and strengthens me when I learn about what influences others and how they bring that into being.

Writers that are artists/Artists that are writers...

When I posted on my Women of MFA Facebook page, it was a few sentences of four well-known writers that are/were also accomplished artists. In my readings, I have learned that many authors weren't just doodlers (as many are!), but actually talented illustrators, often illustrating their own work before it took off!

I may one day compile this list and showcase it in a proper setting, but for now, on this blog it shall be!

Shall we begin?

I have learned that such folks are rare.
When I asked if I could submit a cover for an e-zine, I could tell the editor was a bit skeptical. But afterwards, when my online story was going into the hard copy anthology, the same editor insisted that I also illustrate for my own story. He even bragged about me when he published his review on a well-known online newsletter!

Here's the link to the advertisement: Flayrah : Furry food for thought

Because "The Hobbit" is out in theatres (the next part, right?), I will mention Professor John Ronald Ruel Tolkien. He tops my list.
What? Wait! You didn't know what the J.R.R. stood for?

Tolkien's magnum opus "The Lord of the Rings" started life as bedtime stories for his children.
When it was first published, before the trilogy and the prequel went through their numerous reincarnations, Tolkien had illustrated both "Hobbit" and the covers to the other books. And I don't mean doodles, folks. Tolkien's covers, interiors and cartography (that's map-making) are so luscious, detailed and colorful, you wonder why the publishers (Ballantine and Del Rey at the time) didn't just go along with this.
Alas, many of us know that our author ideas for our books are hardly to never taken into account, so, if you can find these rare editions of Tolkien's artistic visions, KEEP THEM! Or, do a search engine of the images. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

On to my next post...

What's the BIG Idea? Part 1

The short story I'm tweaking has to do with my "Tabber the Red" milieu, where, on a fantasy world, upright cats live, worship, breathe and die in their own ways.

With research that has taken me, officially, two decades to create, the idea began as a novel, which, after several attempts, false starts, and poor planning, became a short story, and soon progressed to several shorts, six of which were published.

This next story comes from an ancient time in this world, and a prophecy with a weapon forged by a god.

My inspiration for this weapon ranges from Tolkien's time-honored Ring of Power, to Moorcock's Elric of Meldibone''s soul-devouring sword, Stormbringer, and the demonic dagger, whose name escapes me, from Hickman and Weis' Death Gate.

When library books weren't enough, I found the fabulous reference Dorling Kindersley pocket-size encyclopedia series. Starting with Cats...
With all the reading and obsession I have for many things feline, I learned about caracals, which led me to more research.
Armed with fascination for the Middle East and India and the TRUE "1001 Nights" *no Disney's Alladin, please*, I began to piece together my caracals' culture, their belief-systems, as well as creating their pantheon of gods.

What formulated started with a lynx boy and a weapon..

Early influences..

NOTE: Originally written on Dec. 29, 2009

At 6, 7, or 8, when I watched "Star Wars", the animated "Lord of the Rings" and "Watership Down", I didn't know, at the time, that it would foster my 4 biggest interests: Animation, SF, Fantasy, and Anthropomorphic.

All those 70s Disney nature movies, as well as the phenomenal "Wild America", and public TV nature shows, plus all those children books with talking animals, including Saturday early afternoon's "Storybook", would be the clincher that made me love writing and drawing animal characters.