Showing posts with label mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mythology. Show all posts

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Press Release: Realms of Possibility Published by Readers Magnet

A huge shout-out to Chloe Lopez and Readers Magnet for posting the article, the Realms of Possibility, about my multi-genre, multi-book Legacy Universe

Who doesn't love speaking about the speculative side of fiction? Or, science, fantasy, and horror? Any writer who writes in these genres understands their complexities and symbolism. 

In the Realms of Possibility, I discuss the Saint Trilogy, The Reality Hackers, and the Hode (Robin Hood) Trilogy. These stories maybe geared toward the paranormal aspects and supernatural forces within the framework of scifi, fantasy, and horror, but also check the romance box. What is a story without love? 

But do not fret, there are plenty of vampires, werewolves, and witches waiting in the wings of these novels. Mythology in the Legacy Universe is an important foundation to the entire book series. 

Immerse yourself in a universe built to engage the reader in the realms of possibility...

Remember to download the free Legacy Universe badges, bookmarks and postcards (on the individual book pages).  

Have a great and wonderful day!

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Ms. Mullan showcases her literary talents by publishing her creative writing. She has short stories and poems published in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. In addition, she writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan produces her own book cover designs for herself and others. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.

Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series.

With her education and experience in writing, DL Mullan shares her knowledge via her newsletters. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to one of her newsletters on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.



Sunday, June 18, 2023

No Artificial Intelligence Used in the Creation of Art or Books by DL Mullan

It is a sad day when technology becomes such a crutch that a writer has to draw a line in the sand.

Readers as well as other writers are questioning the usage of applications and programs that take control away from human integrity. 

For those readers in our audience who are interested in this topic, Undawnted does not utilize artificial intelligence, or A.I. in the creation of the art, poetry, or prose. If other writers wish to use this technology, that is for them to decide and let the readers know. As for the artist, author, and audio/visual creator, DL Mullan, she does not use products besides grammar and spell check applications. 

Rest assured that when you purchase a chapbook, book, art item, you are buying a human created product from history, mythology, human imagination/ingenuity, and the craft of storytelling.

Thank you for your continued support, 

Team Undawnted

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If you would like to fuel your imagination, then Subscribe to our monthly/quarterly newsletter!





This year's program is the: Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling.

Bring depth to your writing.

Join our Creative Tribe

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.

 

Friday, January 20, 2023

Hint of the Divine: Archetypes of Wolves and Werewolves

This year, Undawnted will be endeavoring into the in between spaces of mythological archetypes. 

A Novelist Idea Newsletter updates Undawnted's readership every month and quarter about our news, publications, events, parties, contests, movie nights, and seasonal reads program. 

What our newsletter adds is our commitment to advancing the realm of the imagination. For 2023, we are engaging with this modality by asking the question: how can we use archetypes to stimulate our creative juices and expand our inner innovation? 

Carl Jung believed that archetypes are our unconscious made manifest. Joseph Campbell believed that these archetypes transcend culture, as these ideas are the basic components of the human experience. This pattern in human evolution began with stories by the campfire, and morphed into oral histories, traditions, and myths that have shaped our existence today.

Myths help explain the unfathomable. Myths kept our ancestors safe from harm. Myths gave people a sense of congruity. 

This month A Novelist Idea Newsletter is discussing the wolf archetype, but more importantly we will delve into the in between spaces as well and play with the formulaic aspects of... 

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To read more and participate in our monthly projects, Subscribe to A Novelist Idea Newsletter.

Don't miss out on a chance to invest in yourself.

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Have a great and howling good day!

 

Sunday, September 18, 2022

What is Your Favorite Autumn Haunt?

Autumn Cider Seasonal Reads has poetry and prose for every spine-tingling moment of this haunted time of the year, and our selections keep growing. 

From paranormal activity, vampires, supernatural manhunts, to werewolf mythology, Undawnted wants to be the place readers would like to be. 

What's your favorite autumn haunt? 

Let us know on our social media feeds... comment, like, subscribe. 

We want to haunt you...err, with our publications! 

Team Undawnted

 

Monday, May 9, 2022

Undawnted's Exclusive: Legacy Universe Begins with The Story of Vigdis and Adalbrandir

What if you knew the true story of the gods and how these immortals came to Earth? Who would you tell? 

Vigdis discovered the reality of the ancient gods. She and her mortal lover, Adal, confronted the pantheon of liars, murderers, and thieves.  

This story is the mythological tale of how Vigdis and Adal became twin swords in the care of their son, Jacobous for an eternity. 

If you would like more information, please visit Undawnted's dedicated page for this publication: The Story of Vigdis and Adalbrandir.

This short story is available for purchase through our link to Lulu.com:

Download your copy of The Story of Vigdis and Adalbrandir (PDF).

 

*****

Join the Legacy

Undawnted has created its own fictional universe with a common foundation: Legacy. Legacy is a multi- generational, millennium secret organization. A series of novels will exist inside this universe. 

Legacy is a global crime-fighting unit dedicated to defending humanity against the  negative effects of supernatural forces. A paranormal law enforcement division, through specified taskforces within Legacy, sends special agents to investigate and halt activities against the mortal realm. All the while, the organization keeps humanity ignorant of its existence and the unseen forces behind the everyday curtain of normalcy.

When ghouls, goblins, magicians, sorcerers, werewolves, and the plethora of undead become rogue actors, who are you going to call?
The Special Agents with the Legacy Taskforce.

If there are paranormal problems, you can bet that one of their special agents has already been assigned to the task.

Nothing is what it seems.

Legacy special agents are what monsters fear.

 

For more information, visit Undawnted's dedicated page for the Legacy Universe.  



Thursday, March 17, 2022

Mythology is an Oral Tradition for Many Cultures in Our World, Not Just for Humans

Before there were tablets and parchment, humans passed down history in an oral fashion through storytelling (mythology) and music (poetry/bards). 

In our haste to be the top apex predator and maintain that crown, we forgot that humans are not the only intelligent life on the planet. To illustrate, Mother Earth is the most obvious intelligent life that we live on. Our own living guardian spaceship careening through a galaxy. Some people rant and rave about how people are the cause of this and that, but fail to give Mother Earth any credit whatsoever. She has survived cataclysmic events: asteroids that have cracked her crust, magnetic pole reversals, and hot magma on her surface for millions of years. Mother Earth gave us this bounty to use for our survival. If we screw it up, she will continue on. Promise. 

From what I understand, 500 nuclear detonations have been carried out after World War II. The Earth is still here. You are still here.

So why do humans keep running around screaming: me, Me, ME! Humans did this! Humans did that! It's the end of the world as we know it! Stop everything. We need to tax the air!

Well, immaturity. Without knowledge, wisdom, and discernment, a person cannot see beyond themselves and that is the true tragedy of living in a psychological bubble. That is why we must always seek out information. Most un-researched, un-studied, and un-sung data is often just gibber-jabber fed to us for our entertainment. Knowledge is messy. Wisdom is experiencing the world through that knowledge. Discernment is taking that knowledge and wisdom to create a better way to live. 

In humanity's quest to find their own discernment, we come to remember that we share this planet with other beings. I have lived with birds, dogs, and cats. Many humans have shared their lives with Mother Nature and her creatures. 

Have you ever thought how you are incorporated into an animal's life story? 

On March 16th, 2014, I became a part of a hummingbird's family story. A hummingbird made a nest high up in my gazebo to sit on her two little eggs. April 3rd, the eggs hatched. April 21st, baby hummingbird graduation day as they learned how to fly.

That is the data. The story is something different. The hummingbirds knew I existed and watched me every day. I interacted with my felines and greeted them. For over a month, I was this giant walking around the front patio. 

Graduation day turned into one for both of us to remember. I walked out of the house, and the babies were flying with their mother. One zoomed over to me. I offered my outstretched hand and open palm. The baby greeted me: see what I can do? I was so happy to see the babies hovering, but the one who came to me turned and zoomed too fast away. The baby hummingbird hit the patio wall and bounced around until the baby slammed onto the concrete floor.

I was stunned. I was, but not my feral cat, Irene. She snatched that baby into her mouth without hesitation. I stepped to Irene, pointed at her, and said: no, three times. She released the baby. I then grabbed the baby into my hand. The baby hummingbird was scared and confused. I petted the baby's head and spoke softly. I pushed over a chair, stood on it, and placed the baby back into the nest. 

I waited. After the coast was clear, the mother hummingbird returned and calmed her frightened baby down. I watched, but the two birds did not move until the next day. 

Without fanfare, the hummingbirds departed, never to return to their nest. The nest still sits empty. It awaits another fearless mother.

A nice story... for me to retell, but what about the hummingbirds? These small creatures can live 5 to 7 years. So 2014 plus 7, and the mother hummingbird is most likely deceased and so are her babies, who I befriended. The grand babies and their babies, well that is a different story. 

Every year from springtime through autumn, I hear hummingbird calls in my yard, especially by my kitchen window. I still receive visits. So the babies have communicated to their offspring about the giant who lives in the huge mushroom. 

To them, I am a character in their storytelling. Their oral tradition has passed down graduation day and how one of theirs was saved. I am now a living myth. 

How long will the story be passed down? Who knows? 

All I know is that every turn to the warmer seasons, I am greeted by the sweet tweets of hummingbirds, who are telling me as part of their ongoing living history.

The lesson here is that we must turn off the noise and get back to what is real. Turn off the news, sports, and entertainment. Is that real? 

Or, are we being fed a pseudo-reality in order to convince us of a mythology that someone else would like us to believe? What myths are being passed down to you?  What is being re-tolded? Re-imagined?

Not all mythology is taught to better humanity. Some stories we are told are created to control how we think. Do you know of any stories that we are not allowed to tell? Who we are not allowed to follow? Are these stories, fact and figures, relegated to the realm of forbidden knowledge? If so, why? And who determined what information, stories, and people are harmful to our mythology?

Maybe without the noise, we can read the classics and discern for ourselves which mythological stories makes us stronger. And which mythology creates the illusion of reality...

The hummingbirds can visit me anytime and see that I am real. 

Do you know what is real?

 

Have a great and wonderful day. 

 

Join Us April 2nd (new date)! Sign up now...


Monday, January 3, 2022

The Beginning of the Legacy Universe is All in the Mythology

One of the first fiction narratives in my Legacy Universe is The Story of Vigdis and Adalbrandir.

What if you knew the true story of the gods and how these immortals came to Earth? Who would you tell? 

Vigdis discovered the reality of the ancient gods. She and her mortal lover, Adal, confronted the pantheon of liars, murderers, and thieves.  

This story is the mythological tale of how Vigdis and Adal became twin swords in the care of their son, Jacobous for an eternity. 

I begin this journey in January 2022. I have the mythology mapped out. I know how it's supposed to go, but do I write the narrative like a modern-day tale, or write it like I was Homer? 

Maybe a little of both? 

I will let Vigdis and Adal tell me how they would like to be immortalized in script. 

After all, it is their story. 

Have a great and wonderful day.

 

Monday, December 27, 2021

Undawnted's DL Mullan is Now on GoodReads

Like to read and discuss your favorite books? 

That is what GoodReads does. DL Mullan has created an account and added her favorite authors. You may recognize some of her choices: Homer, Poe, Shelley, Austen, et al.  

She has also applied for an author's slot. We will let you know if GoodReads accepts her chapbooks. 

If you want to follow DL Mullan, then visit her GoodReads' profile

See you there!  





Saturday, November 20, 2021

Poll Time! Be A Part of the Writing Process, Your Selection Could be in Immortal Spellcaster

You can be a part of the writing process.

Help my character choose the Protection Amulet to give to his friend.

Out of the 6 choices, which would you wear? Or, give as a gift? Since they are all protection amulets, there is no wrong answer.

Comment/Like on their individual picture on DL Mullan's Facebook page
 
The choices are as follows: 





























































 
Poll ends 11/21 at 11:59pm, AZ Time
 
Have a happy and protective day!
 

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If you would like to be invited to more polls and prizes, then Subscribe to our newsletter! 

Undawnted's A Novelist Idea Newsletter gives our members popup/release parties, contests/prizes, early access, projects, certificate programs, plus Subscribers receive discounts at our Special Editions Store. Be sure you are a Subscriber for these Member's Only benefits!





Our writing program has monthly projects with a certificate for participants at year's end. Projects like: the Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling. 
 
Bring depth to your writing.  

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted. 
 



Friday, December 25, 2020

Welcome Sun Gods/Goddesses to Your New Life on the Hero's Journey

Today was the astrotheological day of resurrection. 

The day of the Winter Solstice the Earth begins its trek back to Spring. In ancient times, the sun looked like it stalled in the sky for three days. So that is where our mythologies (and religions) get the idea of dying and being resurrected on the third day. The narrative is prevalent in the stories of ole.

For instance, December 21st is the solstice. December 22nd, 23rd, 24th are the sun's immobile days (death). December 25th, the sun moves upward in the sky again and thus the sun (son) is resurrected. 

Every winter we go through our own personal hero mythology. This year, we again have been resurrected into our hero journey. We come out the other side and begin a new year. At this time, we make our resolutions, a blueprint, for the coming 365 days. 

So take some time and ponder the possibilities. You are on a hero's journey. You died, defeated death, and was resurrected. Your reward is a new year. You are living mythology. You are the hero. You are the god/goddess.

As an enlightened entity, what wisdom do you want to impart on the world? What are your goals? What is important to you? 

That is the mindset of a fiction writer creating their next protagonist, threshold to adventure, and positive story. 

Have a great and wonderful day. 

 

 

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

December 23rd: Today is the Last, Last Day of Your... Death?

You are living mythology and you don't even know you are doing it. 

Religions of the past and their current manifestations tell of a man born of a virgin who died and was resurrected.  

Mythology is why solstices are a little more exciting than equinoxes. Solstices are like we hit the edge (Earth's wobble) and at the last possible second, we are saved by someone yanking on our shirt collar.

The mythical aspects of this time of year, winter, is special too. Humans are connected to our Earth cycles from biology to religion. We are now in our death cycle. We will be in the winter season for 88 days and then spring will resurrect us.

For the mythology and literary aspects, December 21 of Winter Solstice is our annual death day. As religion mimics the natural cycles, the sun stays nearly unchanged in the sky for the next three days. That means December 22th, 23rd, 24th are our mythological death. We are Persephone. 

So on December 25th, the sun in the sky begins to move upward once again. That is how the ancient people knew that the Earth cycle was now on its way back to spring time, thus the resurrection. In a few days, everyone on Earth will be resurrected as was the sun gods of ole.

You are living mythology. You are living your death and will be resurrected. So how does it feel to be a sun god? 

Isn't mythology grand? 

 

Now how can you use mythology in your writing (literature)?

Hint: research Dionysus, Persephone, Osiris, Odin, Ganesha, Lemminkainen, Tammuz, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, Attis...

Then how can you use these gods' qualities in your character(s)? plot? 

Have a great and wonderful day. 






Friday, September 25, 2020

Fearless Workshop: Love and the Goddess

"This is a prime myth in this period of the Goddess as the redeemer, the one who goes in quest of the lost spouse or lover, and through her loyalty and descent into the realm of death, recovers him."

The myth of the goddess spans the length of human history. Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth delves into the importance of goddess mythology in the different cultures around the world. 

So how do you use the power of the goddess in your writing? 

In Undawnted's Autumn Cider Seasonal Reads, our Fearless Workshop is Lectures for Writers: The Power of Myth- Love and the Goddess. This writing exercise will help you on your way to using the goddess mythology in your writing.

Have a great and wonderful day!


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*Update: all workshops and special engagements have now been concluded, and new projects are now under Undawnted's Substack.

A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dreams in Classical Detail Accepted for Publication

For a Mythology inspired edition, my poem Dreams in Classical Detail was accepted! Unfortunately, this did not work out. 

But don't fret! A Poetry Slam Feature Film is coming on...

For more opportunities to read and review my creative works, please subscribe toUndawnted's YouTube Channel

Have a great and wonderful day! 
 
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Undawnted's YouTube Channel offers poetry shorts to full-fledged poetry feature films in our Poetry Slam section. This new playlist will give you more of the rhymes you crave.

Subscribe for more award-level poems written by DL Mullan.
 


Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Lectures for Writer's Workshops: The Power of Myth- Hero's Journey

Spring Dreams Lecture Series I
This seasons lectures are based on learning the foundation of literary works through myth-ology, the hero journey, and how ancient civil-izations used the art of storytelling.

*****

Where do our myths and legends come from?

"Well, there are two types of deed. One is the physical deed; the hero who has performed a war act or a physical act of heroism ñ saving a life, that’s a hero act. Giving himself, sacrificing himself to another. And the other kind is the spiritual hero, who has learned or found a mode of experiencing the supernormal range of human spiritual life, and then come back and communicated it. It’s a cycle, it’s a going and a return, that the hero cycle represents. 

But then this can be seen also in the simple initiation ritual, where a child has to give up his childhood and become an adult, has to die, you might say, to his infantile personality and psyche and come back as a self-responsible adult. It’s a fundamental experience that everyone has to undergo, where in our childhood for at least 14 years, and then to get out of that posture of dependency, psychological dependency, into one of psychological self-responsibility, requires a death and resurrection, and that is the basic motif of the hero journey, Leaving one condition, finding the source of life to bring you forth in a richer or more mature or other condition."

~Joseph Campbell, author of the Power of Myth 



Join Undawnted for her Special Engagements series of lectures, poetry, and writing workshops. 

Engage in your intellect...

Do we have that power? Can we create our own hero's journey? Be our own hero?

This writer's workshop will help you define the hero's journey through myth and creative exploration. Define your center and define yourself. 


Have a great and wonderful day.

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*Update: all workshops and special engagements have now been concluded, and new projects are now under Undawnted's Substack.

A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. This year, DL Mullan has begun sharing her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.





Monday, March 9, 2020

Plans in the Works for Lectures, Poetry, and Writing Workshops

Do you need a new writing challenge? Or, do you just want to learn about different facets of human culture to enhance your writing skills?

Undawnted is the place for you this year. 2020 is go time. Take your writing to the next level with my Special Engagements writer's series:
  • Writer's Workshops
  • Onomatopoetry 
  • Lectures for Writer's Workshops
Lectures, poetry, and creative writing come to life with these various workshops. 

Each quarter as part of my Seasonal Reads program, there will be enough reading, writing, and application of knowledge for a 10-week mini-course.

In the coming years, more will be added until the workshops become their own mini-certificate programs. 

More reveals coming soon... 

Happy Celtic Heritage Month!


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Please note: our poetry and prose writer's workshops have been moved to our Substack newsletter offerings:

Undawnted's A Novelist Idea Newsletter gives our members popup/release parties, contests/prizes, early access, projects, certificate programs, plus Subscribers receive discounts at our Special Editions Store. Be sure you are a Subscriber for these Member's Only benefits!





Our writing program has monthly projects with a certificate for participants at year's end. Projects like: the Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling. 
 
Bring depth to your writing.  

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.



Sunday, April 29, 2018

Hode: The Legend Lives Again has been Published!

Fans and Readers!

Great news. Hode: The Legend Lives Again is available on Lulu. To celebrate its release, my publisher Sonoran Dawn Studios is offering the PDF for FREE.

It's a Limited Time offer.

Get your copy of this exciting update to the old classic now!

Become a Fan. Leave great feedback! 


Monday, February 5, 2018

Artwork for the Hode Series Updated

The three book series for the new Robin Hood modern retelling called Hode has had its cover art updated. The bow is now pulled back into a firing position instead of remaining static.

Thank you, high school physical education class for a section on archery. The tactile information helped write scenes in this series. So support kinetic learning in your school system.

Hode: The Legend Lives Again is the first book in the series and will be out March 31st, 2018. 




Sunday, July 30, 2017

Reimagining Robin Hood for the 21st Century

That is a tall order!

I have always wanted to write a Robin Hood inspired story. There are a few revisions I would like to make to the old, tried and true mythologies of our modern age. Robin Hood is just one of them. 

I want to do some reimaging to the likes of Dorian Gray, The Raven, Pride and Prejudice, and Taming The Shrew to keep me busy for the next decade. 

This year the muse descended on Robin Hood. I have to take modern themes and ideas to formulate a new and exciting version no one has ever seen before.

So what is out there?

I do love the Kevin Costner version from the early 1990's. Funny how I took a noncredit script writing course through a community college at the same time that the film was released. The Hollywood screenwriter helped my classmates and I breakdown the scenes, characters, and story lines. I learned so much about storytelling during those six weeks than in any creative writing class I have ever taken.

So do not pass on noncredit courses! You might be happily surprised the knowledge you receive. 

When I was sketching out some dialogue for my take on the classic tale, the main character pretty much told me his story. Scene after scene, I could tell that this type of Robin Hood was going to be a mesh-mash of elements from the original story and a few others from external sources. 

I cannot wait to get it all finished. 

I hope I can keep up the momentum and get this origin story edited for an autumn release. 

As long as the characters keep writing the story themselves, I do not see why not. Stranger things have happened.   

Have a great and wonderful day.



Saturday, June 10, 2017

What is on Your Reading List?

Have the summer doldrums even if summer has not officially arrived yet? Why not add some fun in the sun with a summer reading list? 



I have many different types of materials for you to peruse. From the short but topical articles and essays in my nonfiction section to books of poetry. Enjoy a long form poem for a quick escape or an entire chapbook devoted to one motif. 


Begin your fearless journey into the imaginative, intellectual, and lyrical with a click of Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry.

Or... try your hand at all three.

Have a great and wonderful day. 



Saturday, October 1, 2016

On the Horizon of a Black Moon

Black Moons are the equivalent to a Blue Moon for New Moons. 

Confused? Don't be. Blue Moons are two Full Moons in a month or four in a seasonal cycle. Black Moons are two New Moons in the same vein. 

So how can we use these natural cycles in our stories? For supernatural or paranormal subplots? Since I will be working on a werewolf novel next, the mythology surrounding the moon has become late night reading. 

I have read about the phases, names, and astrologies of the moon from Celtic to Chinese. The moon as the Earth's only satellite has captured the human imagination for thousands of years. The only avenue left is to create a new mythos for a story that is not complacent, derivative, or juvenile. 

When my characters come alive in my head, I bet they will have a lot to say, but for now it's research time. Pass the gmo free bean chips! 

Have a great and wonderful day!



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