Brock Meier releases a new short story
It has been a very long time (far too long!) since this blog has been updated, but Brock Meier has been at work on a number of fronts. The first news is that he is on the verge of releasing a brand new short story for his readers. In a matter of days, he will be posting his exciting story “The Ark and the Sword,” or otherwise known as the Legend of Gamilat and Gidua. Set in first-century Arabia/Nabataea (like his historical novel series, Waters In the Desert), he combines a recorded eyewitness account with a centuries-old legend (which may, in fact, be based on a true story). Brock has integrated both into a fast-paced, tragic tale of love and war, using his signature poetic and visually expressive prose. The story will be freely available to all subscribers of his newsletter. We’ll let you know when it happens!
Exciting summer giveaways
Brock has also been planning some serious fun for this summer. He will be producing at least two giveaways. The first will be an author-signed copy of his novel, The Stone Cutter. This first giveaway will primarily serve to get any bugs worked out of the giveaway apparatus, in preparation for the larger one to follow.
The second giveaway is being tentatively titled: “The Lost City Giveaway: Treasures from Ancient Petra.” The grand prize will include a diverse list of at least nine items—from a genuine 2000-year old Petra artifact, to one-of-a-kind replica Nabataean jewelry (and other replica artifacts not available anywhere else), with a total value of over $200. Anyone with an interest in ancient history and associated historical fiction will be able enter the contest. A single winner will be picked at random, and all entrants will receive a wonderful consolation prize.
Be on the lookout for updates concerning these giveaways!
Invited reading at North American conference
Near the end of June, the international group the Historical Novel Society is hosting its biennial North American conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference invited Brock to join four best-selling authors in performing readings from their historical novels. The readings will take place during the conference panel discussion “Immersive Worldbuilding” and will serve to illustrate exemplary use of the literary tool. While worldbuilding is often considered one of the key components of effective fantasy and science fiction, it is, likewise, critical for creating the fact-based stories of historical fiction.
A modern reader, surrounded and steeped in contemporary culture, often has little, if any, understanding of how people lived 50 years ago, let alone a few centuries or even millennia ago. The author of historical fiction, as well as being a writer, must also be part detective, archaeologist, historian, and enthusiast of all things old. They often spend more time and effort in detailed research of their story’s time and place, than actually putting words on the page. Without deep research, any worldbuilding will be shakey.
While the research should form a solid foundation for the story’s structure, the immersive worldbuilding is then the house built upon that foundation. The more detailed, vivid, and true the worldbuilding, the more immersive the story can become. The reader should be invited inside that structure, and allowed to inspect its walls, the oil paintings hanging on them, and to even sit down on the furniture and enjoy the soft luxury of its overstuffed silk cushions. But this built-world should never overshadow the story itself. It should be fully immersive, but not intrusive.
The story itself—the characters, their arcs, and the plot—are the living that goes on between the walls of the house. The house means nothing without someone inhabiting it. In order for the reader to be completely swept up in the story, all three aspects must be present and exemplary: the research, the worldbuilding, and the story.