James M. Vargo Books

A path less traveled Nature can be ugly, beautiful, and interesting Go ahead...it isn't scary.  Not...one...bit Pictures are worth a thousand words, just getting them all out is the problem. As you know, my blog isn't so much about writing, but why I write what I write. Fantasy is all around you -- especially when you look for it. And it can take some doing, even a four-hour drive to south central Ohio, but places like the ones in these pictures are what writing is all about. It's what makes Andro Rhine love the forest, and that can lead to adventure...and it already has. Write on and read well. 

That's right, I said it. Steely Dan has no place on a fantasy blog, but when I took this picture at Tappan Lake, Ohio (a little ways west of Pittsburgh) I couldn't help thinking of the line: your everlasting summer, you can see it fading fast; so you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last... Dang, it's true, we all do that. It is August now and summer is fading right quick. At some point we learn to let go...usually when the October wind turns, then the switch comes on. We'll be ready. Right? And how does this pertain to writing?  I'll tell you. You better hold on to that piece of something that will last, because snowflakes might be falling, but if you are writing about summertime, it makes no difference -- those words better be dripping with swaying breezes and lemonade.  Happy writing, whatever the season.  

Sometimes it is a good thing to stop and let nature take its course. No matter what you are doing, get your head out of the sand, work, TV, or whatever, take a breath and smell the flowers. Created things are there for the taking, figuratively speaking, while we worry about our phones and gadgets. Just a break in the action can be enough to recharge and put life in perspective. It's a simple thing, like a walk, even in the backyard, to clear the mind, heart, soul. Makes for better writing too...

House Bayne -- Chapter Four, Book Two Seven syllables, 21 letters, and no spell check needed, (believe it!) compartmentalization is an important word for writers. Compartmentalization means, to divide into sections or categories .  Bland enough. But what I'm talking about is that divide between a writer's life and and their composition.  I once read a book on writing, I believe it was by Sol Stein, where the author stressed, if you write fiction and are merely retelling your life story, you are writing for self and not the reader. (autobiography aside)   I believe there is a fine line between writing for public appeal, and writing for me. Unless your story is intended for the mass-market Wal-Mart crowd, you want to balance the two. Even more, compartmentalizing enables you to write despite outside influences. I told you once how I wrote part of my book during a tropical storm in Florida, and in even worse times. I did not let these events affect the story, unless it...

Rilgirand Bridge {chapter 10, Book One} (okay, it's really in France...details, details) The $0.99   Kindle Sale is on!!!   This time both Part's One and Two.  The complete story can be yours on the cheap. I invite you to enjoy....just immerse yourself! As one reviewer wrote: This is a very good start by a new fantasy author. Those that like Epic Fantasy should give it a try...Kindle

Somewhere in the lull between work, television, and facing the computer, it's nice to see nature's way has few to compare. I imagine few books capture such a sight adequately as the shifting fronts on Ormond beach that June day. (well, maybe Genesis)  That's always the challenge: impart the feeling only nature can give. I think Tolkien did it very well, and even Jane Austen when she set up a chapter. I believe it requires a bit of patience and trusting in the words -- AND re-writing. Not every storyteller composes with nature's perspective in mind, but as you can see by the picture, what a setting for a fantastic chapter. Happy reading and writing...

I was pretty happy to see that Kindle sale of Book One the other day, because it had been a while. Just to think some stranger is reading my work is a dream come true, and it offers me a sense of responsibility. People want their money's worth, and time is money. I have to think my efforts, although not perfect, (hence the four-stars out of five) will be worth the time for fans of epic fantasy. It is when the non-fantasy reader enjoys my story that it really confirms I did something right. Maybe that is the lesson for newbie writers like me -- not everyone is going to like your story, but a surprising few others will. But even here it gets strange. I feel like that painter that paints, but his/her works rarely sell and sit in piles about their studio. People ask me how many books have sold, and I have to say, I don't really know. A bunch through Createspace; some through friends and family; and even those unusual sales my mom seems to dredge up from perfect strangers. I...