Schism Named Book of the Week by BookWorks!

Schism
The Battle for Darracia (Book 1) (Volume 1)

Profile photo of Michael Phillip Cash by Michael Phillip Cash

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? After the success of his first three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael is fulfilling a dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. Schism: The Battle for Darracia is the first book in a planned series.

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Reviews
"The writing is smooth and builds nicely; creating an engaging tale with a big bang ending that leaves you thankful it is the beginning of a series. Definitely recommended for fans of dystopian novels in want of a fast page-turning read." - The Children's Book Review

"This coming-of-age fantasy novel with a subtle sci-fi backdrop follows a half-breed prince who's forced to embrace his unique identity when his intolerant uncle - vehemently set against a looming peace accord between antagonistic races - attempts to usurp his father's throne...the briskly paced storyline features a cast of well-developed characters...Well-written...a solid foundation for what could be an excellent series." - Kirkus Review

"...a fast-paced novel that will appeal to lovers of science fiction and fantasy.  Set on an alien planet, this is a story about social equality and the struggles faced by those seeking great change....The author has crafted a complex society with a well-defined class system facing a political struggle for social equality. This is the first installment of a planned series, and Cash does a fine job laying the groundwork for future books. Schism is a quick, pleasurable read that is sure to entertain." - ForeWord Reviews

ForeWord Reviews

2013 Book of the Year Award
Finalist
Science Fiction
Winner 2nd Place for Science Fiction from Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013!

Michael Phillip Cash
Publication Date: 12/05/2013
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Binding Type: Paperback (print)
ISBN 13: 9781493572441
No. of Pages: 202
Profile Photo Michael Phillip Cash

About Michael Phillip Cash
Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. He’s written ten books including the best-selling Brood X, Stillwell, The Flip, The After House, The Hanging Tree, Witches Protection Program, Pokergeist and Battle for Darracia series. Michael’s books are on the Amazon best-seller list and have also won numerous awards. Additionally, he is a screenwriter with 14 specs under his belt. Michael resides on the North Shore of Long Island.

All books by Michael Phillip Cash



https://www.bookworks.com/book/schism/

Navigating Indieworld Interview with me, Michael Okon

Navigating Indieworld Interview with me, Michael Okon

Check out the interview with the link below

http://www.podfireradio.com/

Writing as Jazz, Jazz as Writing: Part 4 – Go Into The Story

This article is amazing! I hope you enjoy it!

Writing as Jazz, Jazz as Writing: Part 4

Words of writing wisdom gleaned from some jazz greats.

Because I have a musical background, I often think about writing through a variety of musical lenses.

Writing as classical music with its sonata form and three act structure.

Writing as rock music with its raw power of emotion.

Writing as country music with its love of character-driven stories.

Writing as hip hop with its embrace of the poetry of storytelling.

But if I had to choose one musical genre which best fits what we do as writers, it would be jazz.

Why? Because every time we sit down to write, we have to do two fundamental things:

• Write in the moment
• Improvise

Every scene exists in our present tense. We have to be right there with our characters to experience the story unfolding in ‘The Now’.

Every time a jazz musician performs live, they exist in the moment. They find the spark of creativity by playing off each other and giving themselves over to every second of the songs they perform.

Likewise whenever we sit down to write, no matter how much of the story we’ve figured out, we have to give room for spontaneity and to improvise when our characters veer over here or there.

So, too, jazz musicians whose lifeblood is improvisation, making it up as they go along, pushing the envelope, and testing each song in nightly performance.

That inspired me to do a series this week featuring quotes from some of the all-time great jazz players.

Today: Ella Fitzgerald.

I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996)

In the spirit of the quote from Ella Fitzgerald, let’s steal some wisdom from it. “I stole everything I ever heard.” Similarly we, as writers, can learn the craft — big and small parts — from other writers and their creative output.

Style, tone, pacing, scene construction, personality, feel, atmosphere, structure, character, dialogue, themes, tropes, memes, any time we read a story, listen to a poem, watch a movie, take in a play, we can ‘steal’ from the creators. And I think in the spirit of what Fitzgerald intended with her comment, most of that is unconscious ‘wisdom’, a kind of creative osmosis whereby what we learn settles in as an instinct.

“But mostly I stole from the horns.” What we can take from that is this: While we may benefit by being exposed to a wide variety of creative influences, at some point it behooves us to zero in on a few specific writers and/or stories which become a touchstone for us. Start wide, then narrow it down to the “horns”, those handful of writers or even one writer who resonate most clearly with where our creative impulses are taking us.

Bottom line, we learn from those who came before us, but eventually we should strive to find our own unique voice. Be so damn good at what we do as writers, others will steal from us!

For inspiration, here is Ella Fitzgerald in a haunting 1968 performance of the classic show tune “Summertime”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2bigf337aU

https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/writing-as-jazz-jazz-as-writing-part-4-8134f35c68a?platform=hootsuite