A.J. Calvin

Author of The Relics of War, The Caein Legacy, & Wraith and the Revolution

Am I Branching Out? Not Really.

Am I Branching Out? Not Really. Since the release of Wraith and the Revolution, I’ve been asked several times about the “shift” from fantasy to science-fiction in my writing, and each time, that question has caught me completely by surprise. The fact is, I haven’t “shifted” or “branched out” from fantasy at all. Sci-fi has […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Cultures and Society

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Cultures and Society Every character has a distinct culture and/or societal influence that influences their beliefs, actions, and thought processes. While some of my characters come from a background similar to my own, others showcase very different worldviews—and I find those are the most fun to write about. I’ll showcase a few […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: History

The Worldbuilder Diaries: History This probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed my blog or read my books, but I put a lot of time into developing the backstories of my fictional worlds. I have notebooks full of stuff, and some of it never makes it into the published pieces—but it’s […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Plant Life

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Plant Life I’ve always had a love for plants and nature, and I think that comes across in some of my stories. I wouldn’t say all of them, but there are enough to make a post about. And since it’s getting toward that time of year when I want to be outside […]

1st Person vs. 3rd Person: Choosing a Perspective

1st Person vs. 3rd Person: Choosing a Perspective The idea for this post was prompted by a recent review I got for Serpentus, in which the reviewer mentioned they don’t typically like 1st person POV books in fantasy (though they liked how I wrote mine, yay!), and went on to say that Serpentus needed to […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Languages and Communication

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Languages and Communication I wouldn’t say I have anything that unique in my stories by way of languages or communication methods, but I do have a couple things worth highlighting. Disclaimer: I’m not a linguist by any means, and while I know a tiny bit of Spanish, it’s not really enough to […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Fantastical Locations

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Fantastical Locations Last week I discussed the worlds I’ve created, but within those worlds are some pretty unique locations. Some are based on real-world places and are scientifically probable, while others… Let’s just say magic has a hand in some of my creations. Most of my readers have been following The Caein […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Magic Systems

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Magic Systems If you’re expecting detailed schematics or a breakdown of minutiae for every element of a magic system in this post, I’m sorry to say you’ll be disappointed. My current magic systems aren’t that involved… For me, to delve too deeply into how magic works shifts it away from the realm […]

The “Monsters” in my Stories

The “Monsters” in my Stories I’ve said this before, but I’ve never taken the time to write a dedicated post about it. The real monsters in my stories are the creepy, grotesque creatures that often come to mind when someone thinks of a monster. No, in my worlds, the monsters are all too often human. […]

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Food and Drink

The Worldbuilder Diaries: Food and Drink As someone who enjoys cooking/baking in real life, I have added some mentions of food into my books, and they’re not always the typical variety, either. I have several species featured that don’t have the typical human-style omnivore diet, and their food preferences also come up in my stories. […]

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