Sunday 9 August 2020

Genie Magic

 

My latest book is available for pre-order on Amazon! 

Mark of the Djinn is an urban fantasy romance chock full of magic and adventure, inspired by the stories of Aladdin and the Arabian Nights. It features Samira, a snarky pickpocket who has a strange ability to control the air, making her a super talented thief. And her nemesis Dhav, Prince of Ashfahaan, who doesn't trust her one bit but has to work with her to stop an ancient enemy from returning.

Prince of Persia meets Indiana Jones with a big splash of romantic tension - suitable for young adults and above.

Mark of the Djinn is scheduled for release on 31st August. But my newsletter subscribers can get their hands on a FREE review copy before then.

If you haven't already, please sign up to my newsletter for reviews/samples/giveaways. The form is at the bottom of the blog post, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Djinn or djinni, as any fantasy aficionado knows, is another word for 'genie'. They entered our lexicon with the popularity of tales from One Thousand And One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, which gave us the likes of Aladdin and Sinbad. 

Everyone will be familiar with the big blue genie from Disney's Aladdin, voiced by the late great Robin Williams. But who remembers these other magical lamp and bottle dwellers?

'Shazzan' was an American animated TV series that ran 1967-68. Shazzan was a genie who helped two kids who flew around on a magic camel. As you do.


'I Dream of Jeannie' was a romantic comedy series starring the gorgeous Barbara Eden as the eponymous Jeannie, a 2000 year old genie, and her master, an astronaut played by Larry Hagman. It ran for five seasons on NBC as a rival to ABC's Bewitched. Countless  arguments have been had about who would win a magical battle - Jeannie or Samantha?!

And my favourite...
This was my staple Saturday morning TV treat in the early seventies. Little known fact: the voice of Corey, the kid who finds Jeannie's bottle, was provided by Mark Hamill (AKA Luke Skywalker) in his first voice-acting job.

My genie is a little more sassy and streetwise than the ones above, but the inspiration for her obviously comes from my childhood! 

Mark of the Djinn is available for pre-order now. Click here to grab your copy. Thanks for your support!





Saturday 1 August 2020

Magical Beasts

Why do we love magical creatures so much?

Every country and every religion has its share of legendary beasts. Some of them are cross-cultural – dragons, or versions of dragons, turn up nearly everywhere. Human fascination with mythical creatures has persisted for centuries.

My love affair with magical animals started with Carbonel, a witch’s cat who could talk to you as long as you were holding the witch’s broom. Then there was Mr Tumnus in CS Lewis’s Narnia – a faun (part human, part goat) -  and the glorious Fledge, originally a cabby’s horse called Strawberry who was given wings by Aslan (a talking lion, obviously).

Maybe this is what we love about them. The ability to be more than just an ordinary creature. Maybe we all wish we could sprout wings or breathe fire. And maybe it also explains why we love vampires and werewolves so much.

Originally they were created as creatures of horror – let’s face it, Nosferatu was no-one’s idea of a romantic date. But they later morphed into love interests. These fantasy figures of terror became the heroes, not the villains. Even the less aesthetically-pleasing supernaturals have had a makeover of late. Terry Pratchett made an orc a hero in one of his last books, ‘Unseen Academicals’.

In writing, fantasy tends to go through trends. Maybe it’s witches and werewolves one year,  vampires and fae the next. But the fascination persists with creatures that are more powerful, more beautiful and more seductive than we are.

I’ve put fantastical beasts into all my books so far. My last book, Kingdom of Salt, was based on mermaids. My latest urban fantasy Mark of the Djinn is due out in August. It not only features a – the clue’s in the title – magical djinn (or genie), but there’s also another mythical creature which plays a small role. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s a legendary beast that fascinated me when I was a kid.

 If you want to get your hands on an advance copy of Mark of the Djinn, do sign up to my newsletter by clicking here.

 What are your favourite mythical creatures?