Archive for June, 2011

A New Arrival

Well, it’s been a little quiet on the Tapestry front but very busy at the Neff household. On Wednesday, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. Charles Raymond Neff is now on the scene – 21 inches and almost 8lbs. of swaddled fury. Mom and Dad couldn’t be . . .

Learn More

Creating Compelling Villains

In the fantasy genre, heroes enjoy the spotlight, but villains inevitably steal the show. A compelling villain can terrorize, dominate, and even seduce our sensibilities as they lurk in the background or emerge to play havoc with the narrative. Let’s be honest – the Joker is much more intriguing than Batman. Without . . .

Learn More

The Perils of Playing with Magic

It sounds like an oxymoron, but I really do strive for “plausible fantasy”. I want the characters to seem real, the emotions to seem real, and for the world to hang together logically. Magic can stimulate our imaginations, but it can also threaten a fantasy story’s plausibility if the author isn’t careful . . .

Learn More