Zachary Holbrook

Something that won't make sense unless you read the whole book... hmmmm.... (mild spoilers for Eye of the World, but the kind that will make it more interesting) Padan Fain, the peddler, has been tracking Rand, Mat and Perrin for years (why? You'll have to read the book) Nynaeve has a crush you haven't found about yet One character heroically sacrifices himself There's at least one way to use saidin without going mad (I've only read Eye of the World so far, there might be others revealed later in the series) One of the Emond's Field refugees falls under a curse and attacks Moraine Another one becomes a lighteyes (not because he bonds a shardblade) The consequences of all these things ripple past the climax of the first book and into the beginning of The Great Hunt (which I began last night and found riveting)

I just finished The Eye of the World and found it maddening. The worldbuilding is fantastic, but the plot's episodic, with no real stakes. The Dark One repeatedly rants about how doomed Rand is but never manages to harm him in any specific way. HOWEVER The Great Hunt gets off to an explosive start. Much, much better. The Eye of the World feels like backstory to the rest of the series. If I were to start over, I'd skip the first book entirely, maybe read a summary. But if the rest of the series is as interesting as the first 100 pages of The Great Hunt, Jordan has my attention.

I'm talking about my futile desire for originality.

Oh, ploof. *reads introductory post to that very long RP thread* Not only did he beat me to the emotions idea, but he also has ‘Paladins’ and ‘nectar’, terms I use to describe some of the magical going-ons in the last novel I drafted. At least his use of the terms seem to refer to something entirely different. ‘Siren’s Call’ worldbuilding is interesting. I might rework some of those ideas into my own universe.

Oh, wow, that's started a ton of ideas churning. Another one-- what if you burned emotions as fuel? Maybe you have strong feelings associated with a person, place or thing. You can power your magic by sacrificing your connection to that-- you'd either forget it entirely, or remember it only as bare facts, with no deeper meaning. This could force characters to make some agonizing choices. What if the protagonist could only accomplish his goal by sacrificing his connection to his wife? Or, a character who wants to burn all his emotions, forget the pain he's suffered... but then in order to power his magic he's forced to make new connections and open himself up to emotional wounding again? Maybe he intends to destroy those relationships, but realizes he'd rather live vulnerable and connected to others rather than powerful and alone? I have an entire character arc right there.

Yeah, changing magic based on perception is cool. BUT if I want to be different from Brandon, maybe I should make it relevant that perception DOESN’T matter. One idea I had was making future-telling work differently. Rather than seeing possible futures, you see certain key events that will happen in the future regardless of the choices you make. But the way in which that event comes about could be changed as a result of decision stemming from the future-sight

A few years ago, I read The Way of Kings, and my brain exploded. That was when I began to grow really passionate about writing-- I thought, "This is awesome. The world needs more books like it." I set about designing my own Cosmere-esque storytelling universe. But as happens when you're only fourteen and trying to plot out an entire career of writing, my early ideas were all rip-offs of Brandon. I wanted different magic systems, all governed by one framework-- which basically consisted of what I understood about the rules governing Investiture. Eventually I realized my 'mirror realm' was a slightly altered Shadesmar and that all my ideas for magic systems were based off the same principles Brandon uses. But I want to create a body of original work, not fan fiction. I gave up on developing a unifying theory of magic for my universe for a while and devoted myself to writing good stories. Now, with a novel draft and several shorter works under my belt, I want to return to the universe-level, to develop some ideas for my world as a whole and gain a better understanding of which stories I want to tell in it. I've brainstormed a couple of meta-principles: -Teleporting. Different magic systems use different fuels to make you vanish and instantly appear in another place. In order to teleport, however, you have to 'ride' along your emotional connection to another person. That is, the deeper your relationship with another, the more mutual love and understanding you have, the easier it is for you to teleport to that person's side, regardless of distance. -Colors. One magic system uses stained glass in various colors, another flower petals, but the colors have the same effect. Inverse colors are the opposite of each other, i.e, red increases energy, making objects warmer and people more eager to act, whereas blue decreases energy, dropping temperatures and making people calmer and more willing to think things through. What other unique ideas could be used to tie together several magic systems?

What is Adolin holding? At first I assumed it was his shardblade, but he's in Shadesmar.

As an author, I seek to emulate Sanderson's top-notch worldbuilding in my own settings, and use them to weave powerful stories of love and sacrifice, guilt and redemption. I'm currently looking for new readers to join me on my authorly journey. A woman resorts to drastic measures after her gift of healing fails to save her brother's life. That's the premise of my short story The Besouler, which I now offer for free as a reward for joining my email list. You can access it (along with my other free stories) at my website: https://authorzacharyholbrook.weebly.com If you join my list before August 7th, 2020, you'll be swept up in my campaign to connect more readers with my writing. I'm encouraging my fans to share my work with their friends, and offering to release exclusive rewards if we reach 50, 80, or 120 subscribers. I'll send out daily emails until the end of the campaign, at which point I'll revert to my typical routine of emailing only when I have some news or a polished gem of thought to share with you.

I like the idea of a world where anything solid can be valuable-- yet solid objects are relatively hard to come by. Also the idea of a civilization from the sky competing with a civilization unground. What limitations does the transmuting magic? Can they turn soot into food as easily as they can turn it into gold, or wood? Are certain materials better as bases to be transmuted than others?

The Domidium is my massive interconnected universe that started out as a rip-off of the cosmere three years ago and has gradually developed into something much more unique. My current novel WIP, The Lore of Yore, is set in the Domidium. I recently finished the second draft. My writing group just started reading the climax and are blessing me with comments both enthusiastic and helpful. If you want to follow my work, go to my website at authorzacharyholbrook.weebly.com and subscribe to my email list. Also, if you're reading this before 8:00 PM Sunday the 5th PST, you can read all my published stories for free through Havok magazine. Normally, Havok's archives are accessible only to members, but to celebrate the upcoming release of their third print anthology, the website has opened to all visitors for one weekend. Links to all nine of my stories that have been published in Season 3: Twine Man Returns After the End (sequel to The Endbringer) Foodpocalypse The Light Smuggler Milk Abduction Flight of the Fading Sorrow (prequel to Fire and Stone) Family Reunion One Rogue Android at a Time The Future Tree

Kerry Nietz's Amish Vampires in Space has an intriguing premise, but the whole 'vampire' thing felt tacked on. After reading, I decided to build something of my own off the idea of an Amish space colony. The result, Family Reunion, releases today at gohavok.com. If you've been around Havok, you know that for one day this story is free and open to all. At midnight, it vanishes into the archives, where you can only read it if you part with the $2 necessary to secure your membership in the Havok Horde. If you liked Family Reunion (or even if you hated it), let me know. What did you enjoy? What would you like to see more of in my future stories? If you really liked it, you can give me the greatest gift of a reader to an author: recommend the story to your friends. But you'll have to read it yourself first. Visit gohavok.com today and read Family Reunion.

My flash fiction Flight of the Fading Sorrow releases today through Havok. As with all Havok stories, it is available for free online for ONE DAY ONLY, after which it will disappear to the archives, accessible only to members of the Havok horde. So, if you'd like to spend a few minutes caught up in the struggles of social outcast helping refugees escape while hiding a secret from her fiancé, go to gohavok.com today. If you've read the story, tell me what you thought. What did you like? Dislike? What could I do better with future writing?

Aliens arrive on earth, seeking unusual prey.An eleven-year old must protect his family from danger.My latest flash fiction, Milk Abduction, releases today on through the e-zine Havok. As with all Havok stories, it will be free for one day only, after which a crocodile-shaped spaceship will capture it with its tractor beam and suck to the archives, accessible only to Havok members. If you enjoy Milk Abduction (or even if you hate it), feedback is welcome-- reply here or comment on Havok to tell me what I did well or how I could improve.

My flash fiction The Light Smuggler releases today through Havok. Like all Havok stories, it’s available for free for one day only, after which it will vanish into the archives, available to only the members of the Havok Horde. Visit gohavok.com today, and be swept away by a story of renewal that pierces a dark world.

A city under attack. An unorthodox defense. My flash fiction ‘Foodpocalypse’ releases today through Havok magazine. Today, and today only, you can read it for free at gohavok.com. After midnight, it’ll vanish through the portal to the archives, accessible only to Havok members. So, if you're in the mood to spend a few minutes in a world threatened by a leviathan that can only be defeated one way (or if you like laughing), read 'Foodpocalypse' now.

Also, the 'Singer Bridge Four' is mostly dead and were scorned by other singers even before the devastation at Kholinar. So Kaladin has a long way to go before being able to win the trust of the majority of the singers.

Wait, so is this plague dangerous? Or did the PureLakers just overreact and call it a plague even though no one died from it?

Fascinating. So the story of world as a whole could serve as a metaphor for the salvation of an individual soul? One of the ideas I had when I started writing is that I want to combine the incredible scope of Brandon's novels with a Biblical worldview. Brandon's work is amazing, and raises lots of important questions, but without an eternal perspective it falls short of providing an answer for those questions. Dalinar becomes a better person, Shallan learns to accept herself, Kaladin overcomes hardship and eventually regains his hope-- but if they're all just going to die anyway, do any of those things really matter? Realistically depicting the human experience is an important part of storytelling, but as a Christian author, I want to point my readers to hope beyond this life, to the salvation offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You have me intrigued. Have you published or are you planning on sharing any of your writing any time soon?

Wow, I love the idea behind cosmic hope! There is darkness, but the light is stronger. Cosmic Hope seems to focus more on the theme of your story, while Tribe Tech and Cyberlamp enhance the setting. I would describe my own writing as Cosmic Hope, with the added detail that the ultimate good is the omnipotent, everlasting God of all creation, and the greatest good we can receive is a relationship with Him.

True love. Dastardly plots. And the awesome power of twine. That is to say... I have a flash fiction releasing this Thursday, January 2, through the ezine Havok. If you'd like to be swept up on an adventure to a ranch far, far away, visit gohavok.com this Thursday. You'll have one day to read my story for free. Afterwards, it will vanish through the portal to the archives, accessible only to Havok's subscribers. Twine Man Returns is the eleventh flash fiction I've had published through Havok.

Funny, I've read lots of reviews of the Lightbringer series by people who liked the beginning better the ending. I had the exact opposite experience: The Black Prism held no appeal for me, but I enjoyed each book in the series better than the last. The Burning White had me more enthralled than any other non-Brandon fantasy book ever has.

The contrast between Skyward and Starsight provides an interesting example of Sanderson's Third Law of Magic, "Expand, don't add." Skyward focuses entirely on one culture, the humans of Detritus, and how their way of life has been shaped by the constant threat of extermination. Starsight, on the other hand, introduces a myriad of new alien races and cultures. It's imaginative and entertaining, but not nearly as compelling as the narrower focus of the first book. How do Skyward and Starsight compare in your opinion? Do you prefer the broader, more varied worldbuilding of the second, or the deeper, more focused world of the first?

The cat knows more than he's letting on. Also, what is up with Paul's sister? She looks like an honorspren.

The Lightbringer series: