Happy Thanksgiving Day

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  Enjoy the rest of the long weekend.

I will keep you updated with anything that goes on about “Feather Spade”. However, there may be some changes in the blog; I have decided that this blog needs to take a more personal turn. I hope this change is for the better, and you can start enjoying this space again.

James Fenix

Happy Halloween!

 

Goblins and ghouls, spirits and fools, things that go bump in the night.  Things that raise hair are looming out there to bestow upon you quite a fright.  So do watch your back if the downed branches crack, and a rustling comes from the leaves.  And always beware, for there’s evil out there on the night of All Hallows Eve...

With that, I hope you all enjoy this macabre Sunday!

Remember, if you are out trick-or-treating, don’t get close to strangers. Those masks people wear are not always that far from who they really are inside.

Don’t forget to check out the Official James Fenix Fan Page, and don’t be afraid to drop off a comment sometime.

Until next time,

James Fenix

Halloween Is On Its Way, Are You Ready For It?

 

Hello everyone, this is your favorite author, James Fenix.

With the upcoming holiday (or show I say hallow-day ;D ) I thought it would be fun to explore the roots of Halloween a little further. As many of you may know, the holiday originated in Celtic territories (such as modern day Ireland and Scotland) and it was celebrated by Pagan Druids (pagan tribes). Slowly, the practice of this holiday began to spread across Europe, and then most of the world. Though it is a very well-known celebration, there are countries where this holiday is banned.

If you want to learn more about the history of Halloween please visit www.halloween.com, there you will find everything you need to know about Halloween. From history to safety tips. Yes, safety tips. It may be a lot of fun going out there in costumes, but always remember that just like this holiday has its dark side, so do other people. Sometimes the masks strangers wear are not that different from the way their soul looks.

Remember to be careful, don’t let your children run free, it does not matter if you know the neighborhood. Please, try not to eat too much candy (but don’t tell your dentist I said that, they love the business they get after this day; I would hate to their job away from them).

If you have any comments or questions remember you may submit them via the Official James Fenix Facebook Fan Page. If I am not in time to post another note before Halloween, I hope you all a happy treat-or-tricking, and remember, be safe.

Until next time,

 

James Fenix

Last Day of Midterms

 

Hello everyone,

Tomorrow will be a grandiose day! The last day of midterms for the 2010 Fall term… finally I get to rest (I hope…). This week I have zero energy, I’m typing in a somnambulistic fashion. I feel for those of you that still have essays coming up, I wish you all luck.

I’ll discuss Halloween (if I have time and energy) next week,

Until then,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

10/10/10 – Feel Lucky?

 

Hello everyone, enjoying October?

I don’t have a lot to report this week other than I’ve started working on Project 2, and though I have been terribly busy studying for Midterms, I’ve found the time to get lost in my imagination.

I am contemplating going on the road to do research for this project, so watch out, I might be coming to your town!

I would like you remind you and welcome you to drop me a message, give me a topic you would like me to discuss, comment – don’t be shy!

Remember to visit the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook and follow me there. My twitter account has not been set up yet, but expect it in the following weeks. The creation of the website has been delayed, until after my midterms (darn those midterms), once the website is set up I will add more information about Feather Spade and Project 2.

I will be back next week,

James Fenix

Welcome To October!

 

We are getting closer and closer to Halloween! According to my online representative and co-founding leader of the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society, we are:

“29 DAYS, 2 HOURS, 23 MINUTES, 45 SECONDS”

He’s very eager about it – as should we all be.

Announcements – regarding the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society

Today is the first official day of the Fenix Organization and we are very excited about it. The handbooks have been passed on to the current members. I encourage you to join the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society! If you can’t then at least register at the website (link at the end of this week’s blog), or join the Forums - Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society.

Literary-wise, I don’t have much to report. I have been taking my English and Creative Writing classes very seriously, I do this all for the sake of the book’s quality and for your sake as well, you want to read this book; I’m the only one that can publish this book.

Until next week, this is your author,

 

James Fenix

Sanctuary - Saints of Fenix

And Into Libra…

 

Anyone acquainted with the Zodiac? No, not the killer. I’m talking about Astrology, the study of the stars. Yes, I study astrology in my spare time. I like to think that the positioning of the stars do play a role in how we are, but only to a certain point. Who we are is up to us, not our genes or parents, but us. The reason why this week’s blog is called “Into Libra” is because starting September 23rd, we will be entering the house of Libra, the seventh zodiac sign.

I have a couple of announcements relating to the paranormal society, I urge you to join, the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society. I’m currently editing the content in the handbook for the group, and soon it will be distributed to its current members; after that, it’ll just be a short time before you may be able to join! Wouldn’t that be great? Working in your favorite author’s paranormal group?

The website has been finished, and it is 98% complete. There will be a couple of announcements some time this week, and that would be about it. When it comes to the applications to the public, they will not be released until the handbook has been approved by the senior members.

What about Feather Spade?

Still nothing, I am sending some more letters as October kicks into the calendar. I am doing everything I can with the little spare time I have, to promote the book and try to sell it to editors and agents. You have to remember that publishing is not something that happens overnight. It’s a process that takes a long time. How long? I don’t know, might be month, days, years… trust me, I’m not thrilled about it either.

As I wait for an agent to contact me, I’m starting an unforeseen project! Yes, I’m just as surprised as you are. I’ll keep you posted on that one as well.

I would like to hear from you all more often, please don’t be shy about sending in messages, whether they are comments here or just comments you paste on to the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook. I would like to hear from YOU and what you want me to discuss, later in this blog. Remember that this is where you come to get my perspective on things, well I want to give you my perspective on things you are interested in.

Until next week, I’m James Fenix, your author, remember to tell your friends about this blog and also click “Like” on the Official James Fenix Fan Page! (Yes, I’m still working on the website ;D).

Until next week!

Three Steps to Write an Essay

 

Don’t you just hate when a teacher asks you for a “five paragraph” essay? Or an essay with so many “words.” Limitations do not help your essay, so what makes a good essay? First, you have to think about how you relate to the essay prompt – stop thinking about what your teacher is asking for. No self respecting teacher will limit you to a certain amount of words, sentences, or paragraphs, but also remember that an essay can NOT be one long~ paragraph.

Remember to plan, always plan. Always. There are three stages to writing. And no, writing is not the most important one of them. The stages are:

• Pre-writing: planning is pivotal for the essay. You must first come up with a thesis statement, that is, in your own words, summarizing what you will be talking about throughout the essay, in other words, explaining your argument in one sentence. From the thesis statement you will start to gather ideas, you will list all the ideas, the things that you think relate to the prompt of the essay. You don’t have time to waste so just list all those ideas in a separate sheet of paper.
  
  After you are done listing those ideas, you will group them. Get the ones that may relate to each other; now with a cluster of ideas forming a group, which you will now proceed to organize logically. Once you are done organizing your group in the order in which you will discuss them in your essay, you will come up with a topic sentence which summarizes the paragraph; from that topic sentence you will have to find details which support that topic sentence (which in turn supports the thesis statement).
  
  The introduction of the essay must include the thesis statement; it must also sustain the attention of the audience. Your teacher might say that the thesis statement must grab the reader’s attention, but… if they’re reading your essay —even if it is the first sentence — that means you already have their attention, you just have to keep it.
  
  The conclusion of an essay must be clear, if the essay was very long you might want to point out the things that were discussed throughout the essay, but in essence, the conclusion must have a sense of closure. What does that mean? It means your audience should know that this is the end of your argument without you having to spell T-H-E E-N-D at the end of the paper.
  
  
• Writing: Ironically enough, this is the least important of all. Now that you have the structure of the essay planned out – remember that you don’t have time to be sitting around doing nothing, you might be timed to write this essay! – just write! Write as fast as you can, forget about errors for now, just write the body of the essay as fast as you can! Hurry before time’s up and you fail because you couldn’t finish!
  
  
• Revising: This is just as important as the pre-writing stage. I told you to write as fast as you could, to forget about errors along your ruthless path to finish this essay as quickly as possible. Now then, it’s time to go back and correct those mistakes. Yes, you still have to proof read your essay, and no it wouldn’t be easier to proof read as you write, you are being timed, you don’t have time. Leave revising for last.

 

So there you have it, three simple steps that will help you organize your ideas, help you make your essays more “anatomically” correct. And next time your teacher sets forth a limitation of words, lines, or paragraphs, just remember, they’re only human.

Until next week, this is your writer, James Fenix, reminding you to tell your friends about this blog! Remember to “like” the official James Fenix fan page! Also remember, if there’s a topic you want me to discuss, please comment in this space or leave your comments in the Facebook page, I will get all the messages you send there, trust me.

Until next week!

Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society

 

Hello everybody, just updating the blog with a quick announcement.

I know I’ve gone on and on about Paranormal Activity, and I know I have mentioned that I have a Paranormal Group. I have news regarding them, see I have finally constructed a website for the Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society, so if you wish to see some of my work, please register at the site and spread the word. I want you to know that I am also working on a website for this space.

I have not finished updating the content of the Saints of Fenix website, but I will let you know as soon as I do.  If you would like to take a look at the site simply click on “Saints of Fenix Paranormal Society” in the paragraph above. Next week we will discuss what makes a passable essay. Remember to tell your friends about your favorite author’s blog!

This is your writer,

James Fenix

The Paranormal

 

Ever since I was little, I was taught that there was a place where souls went after departing from the world of the living. I am sure that you have heard of a place, too; whether you have been told that the dead go to heaven or they go to hell, does not matter -- they simply “go”. Have you ever heard someone talking about ghost stories? Maybe in Halloween or when you go camping with your friends, when you sit around a camp fire to share incredibly terrifying stories about the girl that died in your house and you sometimes see through the corner of your eye when there is no one in the house? Yes, those stories. Have you heard of any in particular that has made you think that perhaps there is life after death?

I have seen my share of specters. I was born in a South-American country, Colombia. In third-world countries like those, faith is the most powerful element. I am not a religious or superstitious person, however I do like to fool myself into being a tad gullible, just to make the day seem more interesting – make that movie that is our lives, be a little more exciting. Faith is very respectful of the recently deceased, so it is only normal that there be many ceremonies for commemorating the dead.

In rural areas such as the one where I lived, there were many myths and legends, each had its own story and moral, but along with myths and legends, came speculation. Speculation of what, you ask? There were rumors about ghosts haunting house, or trying to send a message to their loved ones from the other side.

I previously mentioned that I am in charge of the Saints of Phoenix Paranormal Society. I founded the group in 2005, and during the past five years, I’ve had to disband and reform the group several times to renew the system we use, and to better organize ourselves. My experiences are limited to my home country and Florida, but I really wish that one day I may be able to travel around the world and visit famous haunted places.

While I am currently waiting for editors and literary agents to reply to my queries on Feather Spade I began to develop a story that is made up of many paranormal traits, maybe some day that story, which I have not finished writing yet, will stand next to Feather Spade in a bookshelf of a Barnes & Noble. Who knows what the future may hold for us, maybe your book will stand next to mine.

Have you ever had any paranormal experiences? Or have you heard any experiences your friends or relatives may have had? I am interested in reading about those, please share with us, either through the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook or by commenting here! Remember to tell your friends about this blog, whether they are aspiring authors or they just want something to entertain them. Also, you can follow my blog if you have a yahoo email account, or you can just follow the Fan Page by clicking the “Like” tab.

That is all for this week,

Your writer,

James Fenix

 

P.S. Check soon for the James Fenix webpage.

Visions of the Future

 

When someone asks you about your plans for the future, how do you respond? More importantly, what goes through your mind as the word future just hits you without a warning? What is your drive to achieve the goals you have set up for the future?

Whenever someone asks me about my future, I say, “I’ve seen it, not clearly, but I have, seems like the only thing I have to worry about is how I get there.” Cryptic answer, isn’t it? That’s exactly what I thought when I asked a tarot reading about my future. A lot of times we are under pressure to think about our future, whether it is from parents, or friends; teachers or…you (yes, there is no bigger pressure than that you put over your own shoulders).

Believe it or not, those questions can be quite stressful. You’ll start feeling frustrated because you think that you are letting a lot of people down “I said I would do” this and that “to” whoever. Other times you will feel disappointed that you have not done enough to reach the goal you have set for yourself. But the bottom line is, the only person you have to answer to is yourself, who cares what others want you to be. What do you want to be? Don’t think about the future for others, think about the future for you and when you feel disappointed with yourself, just remember that you are only human and there is only so much you can do before you start hearing a siren going off in your head warning you that there is a nervous breakdown coming up ahead. If you know you can do better, then push yourself to do better, continue walking that path and don’t be influenced by people that have given up on their lives.

Why am I sharing all this with you? Because I built this space to speak to you, tell you not just about my book, but to open my mind to you.

Once again, I beg of you not to feel bad about tripping while you walk towards those wonderful goals you all have set up. You just have to get up and keep on walking, and if you feel you can’t walk anymore, tell yourself that’s a lie and keep going; continue walking even if your body is screaming, begging you to stop. We all have to make sacrifices to reach our dreams, to get where we want to go.

To those of us that are just starting to feel tired from all that walking, remember to put more effort into it, don’t give up, crawl if you must, but continue! Let’s pursue those dreams, let’s seize the day and march down our paths with the assurance that all this work we have put into reaching those dreams, will be worth it once we get there.

About Feather Spade, I have not heard from agents in a couple of weeks, I still have some queries out and I’m waiting for September to mail out some more. There might be a new project in the works, but I will not go into anymore details. I’m only one man, can’t keep track of all the things that are in my mind. Reminds me that I need an organizer.

All right everyone, that’s it for today, I will continue to keep you posted on anything Feather Spade related. Tell your friends that if they need some advice, or they just want to venture into another’s mind, to pull up those browsers and check out my blog.

If you wish me to address a certain topic, or simply have any questions, please be kind enough to visit the Official James Fenix Fan Page in facebook. Until next week,

I’m your writer,

James Fenix

An August Return!

 

Welcome to August my loyal readers, please accept my apologies for the long absences. I would like to update that Feather Spade remains without an agent, the rejection letters have stopped landing in my mailbox and E-mail  inbox, which means that the rest of the queries will more than likely, take months to be replied or will never be replied. I keep hoping that the story grabs the attention of an agent. I would like to restate that I will not give up on this book as it is a priceless treasure, which I hold dear.

At this time I cannot make up my mind what topic for discussion, but a promise that later this week I will have something that will entertain, surprise, and delight you all.

Your Writer,

James Fenix

Another Absence

 

Hello my loyal readers,

I am very sorry I have not updated this space in two weeks, I’ve been busy, working and tending to my academic duties.

Feather Spade remains without an agent, I have a few replies (all of which are rejections ranging from a tiny note to two sentences). I keep hoping that I will soon find my agent, my guide, my partner throughout this journey.

I am sorry to inform that yours truly is in for another long absence starting this week. As I’ve previously mentioned, my economic status is not the best and therefore I’m lucky to be updating you guys once every two weeks. I continue to do my hardest to keep you engaged in this journey to publish Feather Spade.

I will do my best to keep you updated in the next few weeks as I believe I will have more queries answered during that time.

Thank you for being so patient with me,

Your Writer,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

Welcome to July,

 

Hello my followers, I have two sets of news; some good news and some not-so-good news. Whichever shall I give first?

Not-so-good News: So far I’ve been rejected by 3 agents, and one unconfirmed but certain rejection. That’s okay, though! I still have more than a dozen queries out (most snail mail so it could take a while) and one that I have not sent out because of my schedule.

Well James, what are the good news?

The good news is that I’m here (most likely) for another month. I’ve been working hard to keep going in this tough economy. I’m working even harder to keep Feather Spade alive. Don’t worry, Feather Spade will live longer than I.

I will continue to keep you posted, in the mean time, have a wonderful summer, enjoy July and for those of us in the United States, enjoy the Fourth of July weekend for me, please?

I’ll catch up with you guys later.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

Bad News

Hello my followers,

I'm afraid I must chime in with grim news. I do not speak about my life outside of Feather Spade all that much, but I must confess that I (like many others living in the United States at the moment) am suffering through this economic depression. I am afraid that soon I might have to cut down on the internet bill (yes, we might be separated for a while). I will keep you updated with whatever happens, just remember that I am trying my hardest to continue being your author and continue the journey to publish Feather Spade. I will not give up, not now, not ever. This seems to be another test of character I must face. If I have disappointed any of you, in any way, I apologize.

I will try to keep you updated. I'm sorry I didn't have better news.

Your author,

James Fenix

Sneak Peek at Feather Spade

 

Good day my faithful readers,

This last week, yours truly was stuck with dictionaries (for spell checking) and a red pen (which I don’t use those often) for correcting the mistakes on my, yet to be sent, query letter. The process of publishing is slow as I may have already explained, but we can never be too cautious. We want the agent or editor, we have chosen, to want to read the text we have worked so hard to put together and not squirm in pain with silly mistakes.

I have decided to give you a small peek at Feather Spade. Although it is only a small passage of a 98,800 word novel, I hope you enjoy it.

Robin felt as if he were completely vulnerable; as if he had no clothes, no hair, no skin, no muscles, no bones, no organs, no cells, and no soul. He felt as if he was nothing but an empty shell. His body became numb, and his mind was naught. He could have died that moment and he would not have been aware of it. He felt as if he had a hole through which the knowledge of his self was gushing out.

The above passage was an excerpt from Feather Spade’s Chapter Six: Twenty-One Years of Lies. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them, I enjoy seeing my work from the point of view of others.

I have to go back to that query I’ve been “decorating” with red ink. I will continue to keep you posted with the latest in this journey to publishing. Thank you for reading the words of this phoenix.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Searching for an Agent

Trying to find an agent is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. As some of you may know (because you know me personally) I started cruising the canal leading to publishing in 2007, which I had to stop because of health issues. Now 2010 seems to be the year I start getting things on track again. I’m sailing through that violent ocean of competition and harsh criticism; like before, I will not let the words of others put me down. In this industry, if you take everything personally, you’ll fail (it seems).

Just take it like a flyer on the street. You pick them up, but sometimes you never really look at them. They could be telling you what an awful person you are, but in the end, it’s just a flyer. Your work will be critiqued by these “flyers”. Just remember that they are just flyers. HOWEVER, (and this is the big “however”) if you notice that agents are pointing out the same thing or something similar, every time that you are rejected (besides the fact that your genre is just not what they represent) then you should take into consideration their overall idea of the reason they believe your work is not meant for them.

My first query is still in the process of polishing, and while I’m at it, I’m looking at more literary agencies, doing more research on the agent(s) that I plan to query. It is very nerve-wracking and what’s coming is even more stressful. What is it, you ask? The wait. Yes, the wait. Ladies and Gentlemen, waiting, the building suspense with every day that passes; I’m not looking forward to that part of publishing. But as frightening as it sounds, it is one of the most wonderful parts of this intense and long journey.

When you look back on it, after you get to publish, you will feel such a relief… I can’t wait until I’m at that point when I can look back at all this and say “man, I worked hard, and it was worth it.” I’m aware that all this work that I’m doing (researching agents, reading their blogs, looking for the titles and authors they represent and slowly painting a better image of them in my mind) is going to be rewarded more than I ever imagined. For now, I have to say adios. Good luck to you new authors on your journey and thank you my readers for following me.

I will continue to update this blog to keep you posted.

Thank you for following me in my journey.

Your writer,

James Fenix

On My Way…

Good day my loyal followers,

Today I would like to share with all of you the current status of my journey to published Feather Spade.

Before we get into that, you all have to know and understands the steps to getting published. As many of you know, publishing can go about various ways. One of them and certainly the easiest (yet, I think, also the most troublesome) would be self-publishing. Now why didn’t I choose to self-publish? First off, you need money to self-publish, second, for any profit you obtain you have to file a tax form (not a big fan of those…) and last, but certainly not least, because I wanted to work hard like my heroes and mentors in the business. I wanted to go out there and show the world that no matter how tough it was, I could demonstrate persistence and I could be patient. I have always been able to accomplish anything I set my mind focused on. No matter how hard it is.

I was also inspired by a great novelist and philosopher, Ayn Rand. Her quote “Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.” That made me realize that if I want to get published all I need is to take my first steps, down a new road, armed with nothing but my ideas. I have to go out there and find a way to publish Feather Spade. I’ll have to work harder than I ever have, but it will be worth it. When I look back, at all that I have done, I will feel accomplished at last.

Now, one of the first steps you should take before setting out to become a published author is to find a guide that fills you in, not only on what is happening in the publishing industry, but also advices you on how to present yourself before potential agents. So, how do we do that? My advice is to go out to Barnes & Noble (or if you prefer going online, Amazon.com) and buy a copy of “Writer’s Market: Guide to Getting Published”. This book will be your personal guide and advisor. It has different sections that explains all about publishing and the business. It is divided in different sections, so let’s say you are writing a non-fiction novel; there is a specific section in the book that will talk about publishing non-fiction. It will help you if you are planning to publish a: novel, short story, magazine article; whether it is fiction or non-fiction.

But how do we get an agent? I am going to be honest, getting an agent is not a walk in the park. You have to present yourself like a professional. Before skipping to Google.com and typing “literary agencies” consider the following:

1. You are (most likely) unpublished.

2. You have no idea how the publishing business works.

3. You don’t know what a query letter is.

First, pace yourself, you have all the time in the world to become published. You just need your trusty guide, serve yourself some coffee (preferably Colombian), and browse through the (next guide and advisor you should get your hands on) “Writer’s Market” – before we go on, let me just say that every year the book is updated to change and add publishers and literary agencies, so make sure that if you are starting your journey to getting published this year (that being 2010) you should look for “2010 Writer’s Market”. Now that we have covered that little tangent, we can browse through the pages of this book full of information on not only what makes a great query, but also what makes a well-written book proposal and synopsis.

Inside the pages of this book you will find the names of literary agencies and publishing houses (and what they are interested in representing and publishing). Each agent has his or her own preferences in which genre they would like to represent; so please don’t send an agent that is exclusively looking for short non-fiction what you think is the next Harry Potter.

I began my journey to publishing in early 2007. I queried many agents, some answered and some did not (the latter happens often, trust me you won’t hear a beep out of them). I had to stop in order to focus in my rising medical problems. It’s 2010 and I’m ready to begin my journey to publishing Feather Spade again.

My desk is teemed with rough drafts of query letters, open “Writer’s Market” books (all with several lines dyed with highlighter). The characters that make up the universe of Feather Spade sit beside me as I attempt to write a query to an agent that I have found (and I have researched thoroughly and have found he or she has a great interest in publishing what I have to offer). I’m still researching a couple more agencies, it’s only a matter of time before the first query letter flies out of my apartment in Miami to someone very important, to decide whether he or she will be the one that helps me bring you the adventure that is Feather Spade.

I will keep you updated, thanks for following me.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

Announcement

Hello everyone,


I have a short announcement, I will be updating the blog every now and then with the status of Feather Spade. I thought about maybe creating a video blog on a Youtube channel, but that was thwarted by “forces beyond my understanding” to say the least. Reason why I wanted to do a video blog was because I thought that you might want to meet the man behind the posts, the vessel where all these ideas are confined in. The blog will continue being the means of communication between this writer and his faithful readers. I’m doing all this because I want you to be part of my journey to publishing Feather Spade.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Stories & Myths

Good day to you all,

I thought today I should start introducing you to my ways and styles. In my spare time I dabble in myths of various cultures. I am very attracted to Greek and Japanese mythology, personally, I think, that’s where the essential ideas of the plots I’ve written come from. I have not had the time to take a gander at African myths, but I think that those and Australian Aboriginal myths are some of the most ambiguous myths. Ambiguous in the way that, you really have to try and be part of their culture to understand what they mean. I don’t know if you understand what I’m trying to say?

Before I get carried away and start babbling on about myths, I want to explain how I’ve managed to incorporate that into my stories.

The amazing thing is that I have become so shaped by the way our ancestors wrote stories -- in which they speculated about things they could not explain -- that I don’t know if it is subconsciously done or there is just an ethereal muse whispering in my ear, but if I trace back the names of some of the characters in Feather Spade and (not all of my characters have) an alias, they will be linked, the name and the alias, and I swear to you – I had no idea how these two completely different things were related to each other and what’s more, how they have roots in mythology!

I’ll be giving more examples that involve Feather Spade in due time. I believe that the relationship of an author and his audience is a lot like the beginning of a romantic relationship. They’re alike in the sense that you have to get to know the author’s style and essense, judge if you like them or you (somehow) relate to them, then slowly progress into a more serious commitment. In this particular case, that commitment is a following. Much like some of us follow J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter (and future projects) and how some others follow Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series.

Now back from that little tangent, let us continue on the topic of my stories and mythology. What I find amazing is how easily we can turn our imaginations into our little myths. If we look at some folkloric myths (i.e. Colombian myths and legends) we have little folk stories that are dark and mysterious and have this esoteric aura to them. These stories are usually very frightening, but there is always a moral. The fact that those myths and legends were created in order to reflect a moral upon us, shows us how the imagination of a person evolves by simply exploring an idea. To take a moral, like a skeleton, and dress it with tendons, muscles, veins, a skin, and bring it to life is a demonstration that the imagination is capable of an art that is beyond the understanding of most people. Only when you truly master that imagination – YOUR imagination, will you understand how your mind works, how you really see things, and how your creations reflect who you are.

Writing, like painting is an art. I have always said this to my colleagues and friends: Books are like paintings, because the pages of the text are the canvas and the words we use to describe the scenarios inside those books, are the colors splashed on the canvas; they both show us a picture of what we can only see with our mind’s eye.

Thank you for taking your time to read what I have to say, I promise that I will try my best not to disappoint you.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Who is James Fenix?

My name is (a pen name!) James Fenix.

I moved to Miami, Florida from Medellin, Colombia, eight years ago; I was ten years-old at the time. If you did the math correctly (which, if you didn’t, I’d be scared) you would see that I’m 18 years-old now and I can assure you that I am much more eloquent than I was back then.

I have suffered a lot, just like any other person. I like to learn from the past and I try not to forget it because forgetting it is just allowing it to let it occur again.

Like anyone else, I have a life with a very long story. We are all different worlds, and we all have different stories! I graduated from a public school in June of 2009 and I’m just starting out in a community college. I am the head and founder of a paranormal group going by the name of the Saints of Phoenix Paranormal Society. We have members all over the country, we have forum in which we discuss locations to investigate and discuss different types of hauntings.

I’m an avid reader; among my favorites is the Harry Potter series. I also enjoy the works by Ayn Rand and plays by Shakespeare (Macbeth, being my favorite play). J.K. Rowling is my hero (if you did not guess when I mentioned Harry Potter among my favorite books).

I'm a writer and I've finished first story. I'm currently trying to publish it. This book means everything to me. It is called the Feather Spade and I'll do anything for it. I ran role play forums since 2005, but I have decided that I need more time to focus on Feather Spade. I cannot write two things at once, and running a role play forum (for Harry Potter, Teen Titans, and Naruto) is already a very stressful job. Why stressful? I was not only running the forums, I was writing the plots for the members to participate in. After countless plots I decided that I was better off just focusing all that creative energy on Feather Spade.

I did obtain a lot of experience from writing plots and participating in many role play sessions. I like to think that I polished my skills as a writer there. It’s a great feeling knowing that you have others like me, who are writing their own stories and are polishing their skills through role play by writing fan fiction, writers willing to help each other in the pursuit of finding their own true style of writing.

I hope that you feel comfortable with me, James Fenix, as we swim through my mind, as we explore the cavern of ideas. I would like to share my stories with you and I hope that you and I can bond and share our realities.

My name is James Fenix and I want to be your writer.