Tag Archives: fantasy

Sharing the Reviews!

From multiple 5-star reviews:

“The several story lines were skillfully interwoven and while the story is targeted for younger folks there is enough depth and richness to satisfy adults.” (LibraryThing)  

“WOW! This is the first time I have read a novel by Ellis Nelson and it won’t be my last.” (LibraryThing)

“Down the Treacle Well is well-written, flows nicely, and is easy to read. It is also brilliantly clever—fun, funny, warmhearted, and wonderfully descriptive.” (Goodreads)

“The several story lines were skillfully interwoven and while the story is targeted for younger folks there is enough depth and richness to satisfy adults.” (Goodreads)

“It is, however, the injection of main characters with a 21st-Century sensibility that make it a story to recommend highly for modern readers who love fantasy, speculative fiction, or whimsical adventures.” (Goodreads)

” …Nelson reveals a darker side of Wonderland, one you get a glimpse of in the book and barely see at all in the Disney version. Friendly characters take on a more sinister feel as Nelson imbues them with plausible, but darker, traits and actions, and the more chaotic and dangerous characters are rounded out with unexpected rationality and even-handedness.” (Amazon)

“Author Ellis Nelson weaves the venerated Wonderland traditions with 21st century characters and ideas into a fun “what-happens-next” page turner.” (Amazon)

“…readers will enjoy this faithful and clever modern-day retelling of a children’s classic.” (Amazon)

 “It’s a historical novel wrapped in an adventure tied up with fantasy ribbons. This revisit to a children’s classic just might be a new classic itself.” (Amazon)

ORDER HERE: bit.ly/3roGX9f

SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE: Contact himalayaspencerellis@yahoo.com for more info!

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I Write Visionary Fiction- Who Knew?

Photo: Salvatore Di Giovanna (2008)

Photo: Salvatore Di Giovanna (2008)

I’ve always bristled at categorizing my writing although I recognize it’s important for marketing purposes. Writing for kids seemed natural because I always saw promise and openness in young people.  Adults can be very set in their identities, roles, and futures. Kids play with new ideas, try them out. The distinction between writing for older or younger kids also was easy. I like both age groups and have a tendency to jump from one to the other once I finish a given novel. Having to adapt to a different audience allows me an opportunity to play in different ways.

But then an agent or publisher wants to know sub-genre. What’s my sub-genre? Here’s where things get tough. Traditionally, my work would be lumped into fantasy or science fiction, sometimes paranormal. But is it?

Photo: Ole Anders Flatmo (2013)

Photo: Ole Anders Flatmo (2013)

This week I learned about a newly emerging genre called visionary fiction. According to the Visionary Fiction Alliance (VFA), this category of writing “embraces spiritual and esoteric wisdom, often from ancient sources, and makes it relevant to our modern life.” It does this without preaching to the reader. Furthermore, there is a strong emphasis on the growth of consciousness while often employing reincarnation, dreams, visions, and psychic abilities within the novel. Human characters in visionary fiction point to our limitless potential to transform and evolve.

I write visionary fiction. For more information on this genre and books which fall into it, visit the VFA by clicking on the link on the sidebar.

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PHILIP K DICK: MYSTIC

Philip K. Dick Portrait by Pete Welsch Washington, DC

Philip K. Dick
Portrait by Pete Welsch
Washington, DC

Most people know Philip K. Dick (PKD) by way of two main venues- either his science fiction novels or his movies (Minority Report, Blade Runner, etc). If fact, he is more famous now then he ever was in life. Such is the nature of being a visionary- the art world is rife with this. The thing I find fascinating about PKD though, is something most people have never heard about. PKD had many mystical experiences and he wrote about them.

His first encounter happened in Feb. 1974 and what followed would direct a line of inquiry for the rest of his life. After oral surgery and under the influence of sodium pentothal, he opened his door to a delivery girl who was wearing a gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a fish- an early Christian symbol. The sun glinted off the fish producing a pink beam. The resulting mystical experience involved an encounter with an intelligence which allowed PKD to receive wisdom and clairvoyant messages. Throughout Feb. and Mar., the experiences continued with visions and more encounters. At one point while in trance, PKD received detailed medical information about his son and a life-threatening condition. Rushing the baby to the hospital, doctors indeed confirmed the condition and saved the boy.

exegesis

In the years of exploration and searching that followed, PKD kept detailed journals, totaling some 9000 pages. Whittled down to 900 pages, Exegesis is a collection of his mystical experiences and the author’s attempts to make sense of what was happening to him. It makes for fascinating reading. There is real passion and honesty in his efforts to understand and deal with what was going on. On one hand, it’s very inspiring but on the other, it’s unsatisfying too. PKD never really accepts any one answer and scholars who view the material are also at a loss. What really happened to PKD during the period known as 2-3-74 (and after) and what did it mean?

PKD’s last novel was entitled The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. It is considered to be one of his best, and truly, it is a metaphysical work. Reading Exegesis and then Transmigration, the reader is encouraged to search for their own answers and fully engage the mind. Happy reading!

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Filed under Spiritual/Mysticism

PHILIP K. DICK- MYSTIC

Philip K. Dick Portrait by Pete Welsch Washington, DC

Philip K. Dick
Portrait by Pete Welsch
Washington, DC

Most people know Philip K. Dick (PKD) by way of two main venues- either his science fiction novels or his movies (Minority Report, Blade Runner, etc). If fact, he is more famous now then he ever was in life. Such is the nature of being a visionary- the art world is rife with this. The thing I find fascinating about PKD though, is something most people have never heard about. PKD had many mystical experiences and he wrote about them.

His first encounter happened in Feb. 1974 and what followed would direct a line of inquiry for the rest of his life. After oral surgery and under the influence of sodium pentothal, he opened his door to a delivery girl who was wearing a gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a fish- an early Christian symbol. The sun glinted off the fish producing a pink beam. The resulting mystical experience involved an encounter with an intelligence which allowed PKD to receive wisdom and clairvoyant messages. Throughout Feb. and Mar., the experiences continued with visions and more encounters. At one point while in trance, PKD received detailed medical information about his son and a life-threatening condition. Rushing the baby to the hospital, doctors indeed confirmed the condition and saved the boy.

exegesis

In the years of exploration and searching that followed, PKD kept detailed journals, totaling some 9000 pages. Whittled down to 900 pages, Exegesis is a collection of his mystical experiences and the author’s attempts to make sense of what was happening to him. It makes for fascinating reading. There is real passion and honesty in his efforts to understand and deal with what was going on. On one hand, it’s very inspiring but on the other, it’s unsatisfying too. PKD never really accepts any one answer and scholars who view the material are also at a loss. What really happened to PKD during the period known as 2-3-74 (and after) and what did it mean?

PKD’s last novel was entitled The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. It is considered to be one of his best, and truly, it is a metaphysical work. Reading Exegesis and then Transmigration, the reader is encouraged to search for their own answers and fully engage the mind. Happy reading!

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Filed under Spiritual/Mysticism