#guestpost - May 10 - #SupernaturalCreatures in Literature - L Diane Wolfe

Welcome!

Those of you who know me know I love my supernatural creatures, especially vampires. Today, L Diane Wolfe is going to educate us on supernatural creatures. People in times past and in the modern age, really do believe in these supernatural creatures and love to read about them. Exotic creatures such as the leviathan/behemoth, cockatrice, dragons, unicorns, satyrs, demons and others appear in the Bible, in books written by Job (the oldest in Scripture), Moses, King David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and even the apostle John mention them! 

Supernatural Creatures in Literature

 Denise asked me to cover supernatural creatures. You would be really surprised how many are out there. If you’re writing a supernatural tale, the sky really is the limit.

 

If you go to the Mythical Creatures Guide (http://mythicalcreaturesguide.com/list-of-mythical-creatures) you will be stunned. I had no idea there were so many! Everything from mermaids to dragons. Many of the Greek monsters were on the list, too.

 

According to Collins Dictionary (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/supernatural-creature) :

Supernatural creatures, forces, and events are believed by some people to exist or happen, although they are impossible according to scientific laws.

 

So, they can’t be proven, but people still believe. Or want to believe.

 

Technically, only two of my supernatural creatures are on any of those lists. But I can explain why the other two qualify.

 

The first book in the In Darkness series was The Vampire. Now, vampires are certainly a supernatural creature. The idea of vampirism has existed for centuries. The word itself first appeared in Europe around 1732. An eternal creature that feeds on blood has since cemented its place in our folklore.

 

The third book is The Werewolf, another supernatural being. Werewolves can be traced back almost 2000 years ago.  Those inflicted with lycanthropy can shapeshift into a wolf. Lycanthrope is an ancient Greek term, and it’s amazing how many words in various languages are related to werewolf.

 

Now, the second book, which was just released, is The Shark. There is no shark listed as a mythical or supernatural being. The closest is the Kraken. However, I made my shark a bit supernatural by giving him the gift of speech. Yes, Clarence the great white shark  from Australia can talk! There aren’t too many talking fish unless you count The Incredible Mr. Limpet or Jabberjaw.

 

The fourth book will be The Alien. While they can’t be proved, they don’t exactly fall under supernatural or paranormal. More science fiction. However, I came up with a way to make my alien more paranormal. A unique ability that can’t be proven by science. Which makes it paranormal.

 

I hope I’ve given you some ideas for other supernatural creatures and the resources to build them. And remember—any creature can be supernatural with the right touches.

A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

http://www.spunkonastick.net/ - Spunk On A Stick
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ - Insecure Writer’s Support Group

 

 

In Darkness: The Shark

By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Focused on her studies and duties at the aquarium, Jewels prefers her solitary life. Burned many times and short on trust, she has more in common with her aquatic friends than the people around her. But she never imagined coming face to face with a shark named Clarence…a shark who talks!

As their friendship grows, Jewels must overcome her deep set mistrust. There are dangers, both in the Australian ocean and on dry land. Can Jewels depend on the great white or will his animal nature betray her?

Romance/Paranormal - Fantasy/Paranormal - Fantasy/Romance
eBook ISBN 9781939844910 $3.99

Buy Links:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKTLKMG4
iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6444053123
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165956393
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844910
Scribed - https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844910&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63208820-in-darkness

 

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IWSG Anthologies

http://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2023/05/rapid-release-of-series.html

May 5

Australian Romance Readers

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May 10

Denise Covey

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May 12

Elizabeth Seckman

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May 15

Jemi Fraser

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#IWSG post - #Found #manuscript inspires me!

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A QUICK NOTE FOR BLOGSPOT BLOGGERS INTERESTED IN THE COMMENT DEBACLE WHICH MAY HIT A BLOG NEAR YOU.

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If you're not the patient type, stop reading and keep on using pop-up. 

Many blogspot blogs have had problems with replying to comments due to some Google messing around months ago and the only fix was to return to the old pop-up type comment where you have to do a roll-call of replies in several sessions - ugh - hate that. 

MY FIX:

- Go to Settings and change back to 'embedded' comments.

- To Reply individually to comments, hover over 'Reply'. It will be live, but not quite - wait for the cursor to show the 'hand'. 

- In a little while (this is where patience is required) you'll sing a song of joy when the little 'hand' shows up. (I go read blogs while I wait for this miraculous event).

- Click on Reply again and you can then reply individually. Woo hoo!

(You can't hurry the process but it works!) For me anyway. Check my comments! Just thought I'd share something I've discovered.

Hello there! Welcome to the May 3 IWSG  posting. 

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Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Diane Burton, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour!


Here's the May question. Remember, the question is optional!

May 3 question - When you are working on a story, what inspires you?

Well, this question should be easy to answer, but I found it difficult. Each story inspires in a different way. But I'll tell you something related. In 2013 I worked on a manuscript set in Fiji after spending 6 weeks housesitting for writer friend Nas Dean. 

Cover mocked up on Canva in 5 minutes.

After paying for a full manuscript assessment (and cringing at the results) I was given a romance writing mentor at the Romance Writers of Australia. It all got a bit too exhausting. I felt so insecure it was ridiculous. I couldn't even finish reading the comments from my ms assistants. Stop kidding yourself, Denise, you're no romance writer, I told myself. 

I didn't bin the story, but I left it wallowing on my computer - well, it got carried forward as I've bought 3 new laptops since then.

After telling a writer friend only recently that this manuscript was going nowhere, I was scrolling through my Kindle and by accident or design I started reading this story. Geez, I thought, this is pretty cool. Who wrote this? You guessed it, I was reading one of the iterations of my story I'd uploaded to Kindle years ago when I knew how to do that, LOL.

Long story short, I then hunted for the ms assessment and my mentor's Track Changes document. And voila! It wasn't as bad as I thought! 

I'm editing this baby while my cookery school novel settles. I'll publish both this year! Fijian Princess is my only ever pure romance - most of my work is women's fiction with romantic elements. The romance tropes are there - hero and heroine meet practically on the first page - told from both POVs - Romeo and Juliet story - happily ever after ending! So as soon as it's tidied up, it's off to a romance editor. Then we'll see ...

Feeling so insecure about my writing cost me ten years with this story! But it'll be much better with what I've learned since 2013!

- How about you? Ever come across an old manuscript and see some merit? 

Thanks for coming by! 

I'm heading off on a holiday, driving 1200 klm to North Queensland. I'll be by to comment when I can!

We at WEP are waiting for the winners to be chosen for Life is Beautiful. 

Next challenge in June -  COME WRITE FOR US!