Jan M. Hill

Tag: adventure

halloween fun

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays; second only to Christmas.  It’s the time of year that is so much fun!  Not because of spooky, scary things, but because it’s the universal Cos-Play!  I love watching all the kids (and adults) dressed up in their costumes.  Fairies, super heroes, princesses, knights, show characters, hobos, robots, cars, animals – you name it!  There’s a costume for it.  Some are store bought, some are homemade.  It doesn’t matter. They’re all fun!  My grandchildren use their costumes all year long; playing dress up and acting out (their idea) scenes of what they think their character would do.  It’s so much fun watching Mario interact with Mr. Potato Head!

Annese Does It Again Cover

MONSTERS! TRAPS! ADVENTURE! OH, MY!

With monsters being the season, it’s the perfect time to release Asteria: Annese Does It Again!  The adventure falls right in with the time of year.  The adventure brings danger, monsters, traps, and tension to the forefront of the season.  Annese Does It Again will be released October 30th on Amazon and Ingram Spark.  Be sure to ask your local bookstore to order a copy for you.

Want some activities to go along with the story?   Check out the Educator page on my website.

Keep an eye on my website, janmhill.com, for all the latest news about Asteria.  We’ll have a new trailer up soon for Annese Does It Again.

     As a writer, I’m constantly looking at settings and exploring scenes. What kind of story can I fit into this scene? Will this setting fit the storyline I’m working on?  Can I use this scene anywhere in a story?

Scene Exploration: Bridal Veil Falls

 

 

 

   For example: last week my sweet daughter-in-law took my mother and me to see Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. I had been there once before when the water was gushing much faster and fuller than it was this time. Utah had been going through a drought, and it showed in the water levels. Still, I thought of several scenarios with this waterfall. A ledge and a cave hidden by the falls (pretty standard). A water dragon that lives in the falls and comes out to scare away intruders. A city whose water supply comes from the falls. An evil wizard’s tower at the top, beyond view of the uppermost fall.

 

     I enjoyed the Rocky Mountains surrounding Salt Lake Valley a great deal. As I looked at them one night, I could see a dragon flying overhead in my mind. A quest party rising to meet the Yeti in the high cave. Priceless gems hidden beneath a rock above a ledge near the top. A hole that opens up on an unsuspecting hiker and drops him into an unknown world below the mountains. An alien city nestled in the small valley between mountains.

Scene Exploration: Provo Canyon Mountains
Scene Exploration: Secret Garden Tunnel

 

 

     Here’s another example. This is the Secret Garden tunnel at Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT. What kind of adventure could this lead to? Give me a few minutes staring at this, and I could probably come up with four to six new scenes. How about you?

     This entire (hidden) exercise led me to looking at a book on fantasy mapping this morning. It’s the kind of book that shows you how to draw a map for your game, story, or quest. That got me thinking of other things. Mountains, waterfalls, valleys, plains. Our world comprises so many environments that adventure could be anywhere! I grew up on the Jersey Shore. I love the ocean. Growing up, I often thought about mermaids, whales, talking fish, and being friends with a dolphin. Our environment—mountainous, plains, oceanic, urban, whatever – is often the same one used in our writing, but it doesn’t have to be.

     Look around you. Can you come up with small scenes of adventure where you are? I would love to hear some of them.

Join my newsletter for the latest happenings with Asteria: The Discovery and the soon to be released sequel.  

Last time we talked about places to go for inspiration – spiritually, physically, emotionally, or creatively.  We’re going to continue that discussion this week.

How about something a bit more serf?  Need a field?  A forest?  A quaint village?  Woodsy hillsides?  England and Ireland are two locations that can help you set the scene.  Portholland in Cornwall, England, connects the explorable hillsides with the relaxation of the beach.

Skellig Michael (Game of Thrones) in Portmagee, Ireland, offers quiet, spooky, threatening, and beautiful locations for inspiration and backdrops.

Tomb

 A wonderful Celtic backdrop can be found in Dingle Peninsula (Star Wars) in Ireland.  It’s the home of forests, taverns, museums, tombs, and lots of other sites to have fun in.

Looking for something more mysterious? 

Dark Hedges (Game of Thrones) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, forms the perfect canopy for your inspiration.  What can pop out here?  Fairies, monsters, elves, your best friend pulling a prank.  What do you think?  Search Pintrest under “Misty Forest” or “Spooky Forest” and see all the inspiration that comes up.

Misty Tunnel

This misty tunnel (Asteria: The Discovery Trailer) in Maquoketa State Park in Iowa could be the site for any number of adventures or inspirations.  Just image the things a person could find here.

How about horror or ghost stories?

 

Most counties have homes that are really old and in compromised conditions, like Bell Witch Farms in Adams, TN.

Bell Witch Farm
Turner Ingersoll Mansion

Not all haunted houses are dilapidated.  The Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, also known as The House of Seven Gables, in Salem, MA is in very good repair – and supposedly still haunted.  This is the house that Nathanel Hawthoren’s story was based on.  Both of these houses could inspire your imagination in many directions. 

For more spooky locations, check your library’s history section.  Or you can check out Pintrest.  Beartales.me is only one of the many pinners that posts images of old, boarded, dilapidated, or well-maintained haunted homes that can be the perfect setting for your mystery.

Can’t afford to take a long trip?  Check online for virtual tours.  While they won’t give you the sounds and smells, they can give you a feel for the area and a taste of the time periods.  Inspiration can be found an many places.

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  Asteria: The Discovery 

 Asteria came to mind way back in 2014.  My middle son was having issues reading.  I sat down and wrote an adventure for him.  It evolved into Asteria: The Discovery.

     What is it all about?  Jordon and Jeremy are your typical early teen best friends.  They enjoy the same things, finish each other’s thoughts, and think along the same lines.  While they have a few individual hobbies, they do almost everything together.  Easy to do when you live next door to each other.

     Jordon hadn’t been in the area long.  One rainy afternoon, he and Jeremy find a hidden laboratory in his basement.  In it, along with books, chemicals, test tubes, and the like, is a large journal telling them about a portal in some local caves.  Jeremy immediately recognizes the caves, but the one in question is blocked off with a saw horse and a warning.  The boys immediately plan to check it out.  Unfortunately, Jeremy’s little sister hears their plans and ends up joining them (either that or she tattles about where they’re really going to her mom).    The trio jump, slide and dodge their way down the washed out path to the cave the journal mentioned.  In the back of the cave, Annese accidentally finds the portal they were looking for.

     While checking out this new cave, Annese runs ahead while the boys are amazed at the rock formations and coloring built into the walls.  Annese’s scream brings them around in time to see Annese being carried off by a gigantic bird.  Oh, no!

     As they delve into this strange land, they find their faces in a book of prophecies.  These people were expecting them to save their land.  What the heck?  Join Jordon and Jeremy as they traverse the islands, make new friends and enemies, run for their lives, develop new talents, break a few laws, and try to figure out how to rescue Annese and get home.

Asteria: The Discovery

 


Available on Amazon