Fear Not The Year 2012

The year 2012 has finally risen from the mists of myth and will end in a cataclysmic rush toward doom. Or not.

The fabled Mayans had a calendar, a wonderfully accurate calendar that proves they:
a. were aliens sent to save us from ourselves
b. were an advanced race of Atlantans
c. are proof that humans have a wonderful capacity for creative and logical thought.

Try answer c.

The Mayans were brilliant, as were the ancient Greeks. Egyptians, Harrapans and Chinese. The calendar was created to define the Mayan’s cultural history and, like modern calendars, was never meant to be perpetual. Only one prophecy described the end of the world and it was written as a parable to warn against human greed and excess.

So, what should you do as December 12, 2012 draws close? Prepare for the holidays, celebrate solstice and like the Mayans thousands of years ago; buy a new calendar for 2013.

Hilary McLean is the author of the novel Fifth Sun: The Awakening. She combined the Mayan prophecy of  2012 , the light and dark of the old gods and a bunch of hapless mortals to explore the idea of what would happen if the world would end. She wishes to assure readers the world is quite safe for several more billion years, it was just fun to imagine! For more information, check out fifthsun.ca

Hammering at a Brick Wall

At what point does hammering at a brick wall need to be replaced with a change of route? I tried (really, really tried!) to make the first draft of Book #2 in the Fifth Sun trilogy work. I re-read, I tweaked, I edited, I changed fundamentals but I had to reach the conclusion that nope, it was completely hopeless. It was all action and no plot (much like certain blockbuster movies that I could name but nah, that would be mean) What I needed was a new direction.

Heroes and Monsters must tell the tale of the end of the world. My villain would not give my heroes a moment’s rest and he would be sneaky, devious and most of all, he would go for the throat. What is an Eagle (the good guy) to do? Fight back with fire and not go down meekly; he is fighting for the survival of all mankind after all. And what of my heroine, the ever uncertain Lord of the Dawn? Will she find her feet before the next hammer blow? I met many an awesome character in the first draft and I hope to find them all a place in the second draft alongside the key players; Alex and Andromeda, Henry and Peter.

Bear with me, dear reader! Now that I have cleared the brick wall, the road is clear and I hope to have the continuation of a great story in your hands this year!

Fifth Sun: The Awakening a Dark Fantasy novel about the Mayan prophecy of 2012. Available as an ebook and order on line.

For more information, visit www.fifthsun.ca or email me at fifthsun@telus.net

Fifth Sun: Heroes and Monsters

A new year brings new resolutions and the challenge of reaching our goals. My promise, not only to myself but to my readers is to complete and publish book number two in the Fifth Sun trilogy. It has been a challenge to keep my characters on track but I believe we have turned a corner and the manuscript is nearing completion. There is always the risk that I will find a fatal flaw that will grind the production to  halt; it has happened in the past. An author is probably their worst critic and most ardent fan.

Fifth Sun: Heroes and Monsters is the current working title for book number two. I confess that I like to see it in print and I like how it sounds. It has many layers of potential meaning. What is a hero and what is a monster? Is it perspective only or are their absolute traits that define both?  Hal Riggs, a Fifth Sun protagonist, is remarkably complex. This makes him intriguing to write, hopefully intriguing to read and, if I do say so myself, a bit of a bastard.

Fierce times demand fierce leaders and Hal Riggs is the Eagle. Heroes and Monsters indeed.

Appearance at Strathmore High School

Thank you very much to Mr. Sonstiby and the Creative Writing 25 class at Strathmore High School for their kind attention on October 4.  Our conversation ranged from the joys and trials of publishing a fiction novel, the creative process and the necessity of editing. It was an enjoyable afternoon sharing the craft of writing with those who enjoy its art.

For more information on the fantasy fiction novel Fifth Sun The Awakening, go to www.fifthsun.ca

Violence in Literature

Violence is an indisputable part of the human condition.

A lively family discussion on a warm August evening revealed a cross section of views ranging from the “it’s just not right” angle to the “the more the better” view.  (To clarify, this discussion was restricted to violence as seen / glorified in mainstream media and not shock violence, violence against children, women or animals.)

As a mother of two girls, I had always taken the traditional view that violence was morally wrong and we must shield our children from such truths. As my kids have grown and, on their own schedules, been exposed to more violence in movies, on television and in literature, my views have also matured. Violence is a part of our culture and always has existed.

The Aenid, written by Virgil nearly 2100 years ago is a classic epic poem with no holds barred violence; ships destroyed in storms sent by the gods, men slain in gory fashion, the sack of  the city of Troy and the sacrfice of many animals to appease various deities.  You can argue that Virgil was a Roman and the Romans revelled in mass violence as typified by the Circus Maximus. Yet, the Aenid was inspired by an even older epic, The Illiad by Homer. Even older are the tales of the Mesopotamian hero warrior king, Gilgamesh and he must contend with both natural and supernatural threats. Every culture across the globe in all of human history faced a premature death by disease, injury and often war. Their myths explained their reality.

Modern movies and books are not to blame for violence in our culture. The human propensity for violence  is an expression in our DNA that has been favoured by evolution and natural selection. Is it “right”? That is a moral question that is the debate but it is very much a part of our nature.

Hilary Mclean is the author of Fifth Sun: The Awakening, a dark fantasy novel that explores the fulfillment of a Mayan end of the world prophecy. As such, she is intellectually immersed in a violent fantasy world since she sincerly doubts the earth would end in a civilized fashion.

For more: www.fifthsun.ca

A Clayton Bye Review of Fifth Sun: The Awakening

I was honoured to have Fifth Sun: The Awakening reviewed by noted novelist Clayton Bye.  Mr. Bye was most generous in his review and I extend my gratitude for his time and consideration.

“Hilary McLean’s Fifth Sun: The Awakening is an interesting story of cataclysmic times caused by people who are but vessels of earth shattering powers, the humans who try to support them as best they can and the immortal King of Lies. Quite an epic and difficult first novel to write.”

For the complete review, please link to Clayton Bye at www.The Deepening.com.

For more information, check out www.fifthsun.ca

Super Heroes: Myth and Modern

What super power would you like to have? To fly? Mind powers such as telekinesis? The ability to talk to animals? A part of every person wishes for some kind of extaordinary talent that would set them apart from the rest of humanity and elevate our everyday drudgery to the heights of the immortals of myth.

Meta humans with super powers, such as those of our modern Superman, have their source in a very rich mythological past. Hercules and Perseus, the sons of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, were granted super strength or extraordinary fighting prowess in order for them to complete their quests. An even older figure, Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian warrior king, was the near perfect hero ideal of gifted fighter and talented statesman.

The gods of MesoAmerica were complicated. They were often mortals who earned a godlike status through heroic acts. The Hero Twins, Xbalanque and Hunapu, were sent on a sacred quest into the Underworld, a story that is inexorably linked to the famous Ball Game where the stakes were not mere trophies and bragging rights but life and death. Quetzalcoatlus, the Lord of the Dawn, was gifted with semi-divine status and was linked to the sacred Feathered Serpent. As a warrior king, he sacrificed himself to create the Fifth Sun and keep it safe from the clutches of the Lord of Chaos, Tzeltipoca.

Fifth Sun: The Awakening is a fantasy novel that brings the superheroes of Mesoamerica into the modern world in an immortal fight of light and dark, chaos and order.

For more information: www.fifthsun.ca

Goodreads Book Giveaway Update

Wow! I am honoured and flattered that 969 people put their names into the draw for a chance to win a signed copy of Fifth Sun: The Awakening. Books are on their way to the five lucky winners, all in the USA.  Thank you to everyone who expressed an interest in receiving a copy of Fifth Sun: The Awakening and thank you to the Goodreads team for allowing me this opportunity to share my novel with a new audience..

Destroying to Create

Fifth Sun is predominantly an Aztec legend. The four prior Suns, or incarnations of life on Earth, had been destroyed by the four elements; earth, wind, fire and water. The Lord of Chaos, Tzeltipoca and the Lord of the Wind, Quetzalcoatlus, were uneasy allies to maintain this world which is the Fifth and final Sun. When the balance is disrupted, the Fifth Sun, our current world, will be destroyed by cataclysmic earthquakes.

The Calendar Stone, an accurate solar calendar, was created to define the Aztec place in the universe and to account for their history. This calendar is set to terminate on December 12, 2012, an auspicious date that has created mountains of speculation about the end of the world.

Fifth Sun: The Awakening uses the legend of the demise of the Fifth Sun as a backdrop for the fantasy novel published by iUniverse.  For more information check out www.fifthsun.ca.

The Story of Feathered Serpent, Jaguar, Eagle

Stories of the gods that had first been told by the Olmec found life among the Maya and ultimately the Aztec. The Jaguar god was the Lord of the Night, the Guardian of the Underworld, death and resurrection. His potency was the symbol for the priest-ruler elites and they were often depicted under his protection. Under the Aztecs, the Jaguar was associated with Tzeltipoca, ‘Smoking Mirror’ and he was allied with his brother Quetzalcoatlus, ‘Feathered Serpent’, the Lord of the Morning Star and the Wind. They were charged with the creation of the Fifth Sun but ultimately were rivals over its final fate. The Eagle, the Lord of the Sky, was renowned for his bravery.

Elite warriors of the Aztecs were named after the Eagle and the Jaguar and their battle craft reflected their namesakes. The Eagle warrriors would attack at dawn in a sweeping assualt. The Jaguar warrior used stealth and surprise.

The trinity of the Feathered Serpent, the Jaguar and the Eagle is the basis for the novel Fifth Sun: The Awakening.

For more information: www.fifthsun.ca