In VOX LIT June 2018 :
IN THE FREE VOXLIT ON-LINE THIS MONTH:
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​This month we have return visits from Kyrian Lyndon, James Gault, Sherry Leclerc, John Dill, Zaheera Shaik Alli, Cherise Castle-Blugh, Andrea Lechner-Becker, Rob Burton and Keith Guernsey and we welcome our new contributor Richard O’Reilly.

In the News Section we interview author Ted Bun and tell you why the recent Royal Wedding was an object lesson for storytellers. Andrea and Kyrian let us into some author secrets and Cherise has some marketing advice for writers or anyone else. Keith talks about coping with bad news and James wonders if authors take themselves too seriously. For our satirical piece we offer a modern version of the legend of King Arthur.     

There’s a real international slant to our Book Reviews this month as James Gault and John Dill review books from a Finn, a Siera-Leonian, an Englishman writing about America, a Scot living in France and an Englishman living in China.

To add a bit of variety, we feature two video trailers for books in the Features Section. Our Poetry Page has poems from Zaheera and new contributor Richard. And if you thought Sherry was only a fantasy writer, you’ll find one of her poems there too. We’ve also included some useful internet links for poetry lovers.

The Writers’ Notes section explains why books can sometimes be boring and what you should do if they are.
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Finally, do check out the Contributor’s section and Contributors’ Bookshop where you’ll find links to their books, their Author pages and web sites.
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ARTICLES on other pages....

​James Gault turns the spotlight on Author Ted Bun

A writer's view of the Royal Wedding

Kyrian Lyndon on dealing with critics

Cherise Castle-Blugh tells us how to look after our customers 

Keith Guernsey's reaction to bad news 

SATIRE
EXCALIBUR DISARMAMENT

In the Great Hall of King Donald’s court, the magnificent jewel-encrusted sword Excalibur hung in pride of place. It had been both the source and symbol of power of the dynasty ever since King Arthur had retrieved it from the hand that had produced it from the depths of the lake. But, over the years, its value and importance had been eroded. And King Donald, a man driven by an ambition to restore his kingdom to its former glory, was worried.
He summonsed his latest magical acolyte, Merlin IV (He had fired the previous three Merlins for daring to talk back to him.)  
“The problem, Merlin, is that there are Excaliburs popping up all over the place. Every land seems to have deep, mysterious misty lakes. Already several have managed to unravel secret spells and call up spirits to produce a magic sword and bring it to the surface.”
Merlin IV fawned. (He wanted to hold on to his job.)  “This is true, O Great One, but none of them have ever wielded theirs in battle. None except us, of course.”
“Well, that was a long time ago. And our superior understanding gave us the right. We know that Excalibur is only to be drawn in defence of right, honour and chivalry, and we were right to deploy it in those troubled times. And, make no mistake, we will do so again, if ever the need arises.”
“Ah, Wisest of the Wise, how lucky the whole world is to have you to defend and protect it,” Merlin IV grovelled, determined not to make the same error as his three predecessors.
“A man has to do what a man has to do,” the King pronounced, with a Hollywood swagger of the shoulders. “But the problem is that, in far-off countries run by low-life gangsters and paranoiac priests, they are even now dredging deep waters and bringing up powerful weapons.”
“None to match the strength and wonder of yours, Most Powerful and Worthy Leader.” And Merlin IV emphasised his flattery by pointing with great flourish at the great sword on the wall.   
“Not yet, that is true! But who knows where the talents of their sorcerers will lead? They must be stopped!”
The Donald’s great fist thumped down on the great table with a great thump that reverberated all around the great hall. The King nodded with satisfaction: his greatness had been asserted.
 “How can we demand they give up their inferior armoury while we hold onto our own?” The Donald glowered, and worrying images of the queues at the labour office flashed in front to Merlin’s eyes. It was hard work remembering always to say the right thing. The wizened wizard quickly changed tack.
“Gold! Gold and treasure! We can tempt them with gold and treasure. We are a rich land, they are poor. Offer them some wealth. It shouldn’t take much. When you have nothing but water, half a glass of wine looks good.”
“Not a bad idea, Merlin. I’m glad I thought of it. But can we trust them?”
“O Immense Intellect, these are times of honesty and integrity. And we have the United Nations. No sovereign state would dare go back on its word.”
The Donald paused, almost as if he was thinking this over. “There is a problem. I fear that, when it comes to keeping your word, these other lands may be taking a lesson from us.”

 Contributed by  James Gault  

OPINION

   Is writing novels a serious profession?
 
Last month, for a bit of fun, I posted a rather tongue-in-cheek suggestion on a few authors’ Facebook Groups. It turned out to be a bit of an atomic bomb though. I am still recovering from the fall-out.
 
The basis of my suggestion was that writing stories is a child’s activity, and that we authors had a bit of a cheek really in taking ourselves seriously. The problem with this kind of wry, ironic comment is that it can be taken at face value, especially by authors who really do take themselves seriously.
 
As author William H Gould reminded me, ‘A skilled author can tell a story to even those who don't know them, that evokes strong emotions and makes them eager to hear more. Any writer who can accomplish that has earned the right to take themselves at least semi-seriously.’  And the writer Thomas Wythe pointed out that ‘writing is a form of art just like dance and painting’. Another author, Stephanie Jones was a little bit more equivocal:  ‘I don't take myself seriously at all, but I do take writers seriously. Storytelling and writing has so much power in a society’. So that was me told.
 
My castigation for casting doubt on the importance of the writing craft was pretty well unanimous, but not quite. Eleiren Bowen has a refreshing carefree attitude to her work. ‘Well, I don't take myself seriously at all! This entire project I'm working on is the biggest joke of my life’, she said. The trouble is, Eleiren, I can’t help feeling that, really, you are totally committed to your writing. So I can’t bring myself to take your comment too seriously.
 
Of course, I really believe myself that writing is a serious pursuit. But, at the same time, it’s something we should be enjoying as well. So my tip to all writers is: Lighten up! After all, we want our readers to enjoy our work, not to sit there reading our stuff and having a miserable time.
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​Contributed by  James Gault  

INSPIRED BY A BLOGGER

Sometimes writing blogs, Tweets and any other written contributions to the content in an oversaturated world can seem purposeless. But I wanted to share a story about the impact of a specific blog post…
 
A few years ago, I began writing Sixty Days Left. I would sporadically tell people about it and they would encourage me to continue. As I continued slow work on the manuscript through 2017, I began to tell more and more people about the premise. There’s a specific man on a plane that I’ll write about one day who squarely told me to quit my job and commit.
 
In December 2017, I read this post from Ann Handley, titled “12 Books that can help you Be a Better Writer and Storyteller“. In it she suggested E.B. White’s One Man’s Meat, a memoir. It struck me because Sixty Days is a fictional memoir and I had grown REALLY tired of the word “I” by that point in my writing. Needing something fresh to kick me out of my funk, I ordered One Man’s Meat and read a passage a day to get inspired. The inspiration led to more (and better) passages and ultimately….
 
By the end of December, my first draft was finished. A little over a month later, I had quit my job and committed full-time to editing, publishing and promoting my book. I very much doubt Ms. Handley anticipated having this type of impact on anyone reading her blog, but she did.
 
And so my point: In a world where the instant gratification of likes and retweets, or more squarely the lack thereof, may make you feel like your content hasn’t accomplished anything, just remember that somewhere out there it could be changing lives – even just one. Books and reading have that power – so keep it up!
 
And of course, thank you Ann. You should check out her book, Everybody Writes.

​Contributed by  Andrea Lechner-Becker
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