The Rules of Magic

#1 There are two kinds of Magic: Creation Magic – the Magic of Making – and Old Magic – the Magic of Unmaking. Something made with Creation Magic can only be negated with Making. If the magic of Unmaking is used, a cataclysmic instability can occur. Think antimatter.

When I was little, I believed magic was real, and if I only knew how, I could access it. I thought Candy Land existed in the clouds, and little people lived and died inside the television. When a TV repairman came to our house I was upset because I thought he was removing all the cowboys and Indians that died during TV shows like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and the Lone Ranger.

I’ve outgrown those fantasies and left my belief in real magic behind, but I still believe in the reality of fantasy. How’s that for an oxymoron?

I love contemporary and dark fantasy, but not usually high fantasy. Although, I do really like Jason J. Nugent’s Curse of the Drakku series. I was lucky enough to beta read a couple of them, and then I had to buy one. Check him out.

Gatekeeper, Book 1: Kerrick Malone’s wife is salughtered by otherworldly spider creatures directed by a malevolent entity, Nadra. Kerrick must learn to control real Magic that can open portals to other worlds. He meets Arden McEwan, who, like him, possesses supernatural abilities. Kerrick and Arden must prevent Nadra from unleashing her hideous spider creatures on all the worlds.

In a previous blog post I recounted how the idea for Gatekeeper came from a friend’s dream. In my friend’s dream a woman appears in a lightning bolt. She is riding a horse and is wearing old fashioned clothing and a leather cloak. The horse thunders through driving rain and arrives at a tavern in the middle of nowhere.

My friend wondered if there was a story in this dream image, but she had no idea what any of it meant. I knew exactly what it meant. I knew who the woman was and the whole story behind her appearance. The entire novel flashed into my mind. It was about gateways between worlds and those who could operate them.

“Well,” my friend said, “if you want the idea, you can have it.”

Thus, Gatekeeper was conceived.

I had the story, but not the nitty-gritty, the most important of which was how magic works. I had to invent my own rules of Magic (with a capital M) to conform to my narrative.

Lyriel, a wizard, has come from her world to ours to save her newborn son from the clutches of Nadra, an evil wizard. Lyriel’s actions will have repercussions in both worlds and result in a life or death confrontation.

Chaos, a dark fantasy, the sequel to Gatekeeper, is available on Amazon.

Let me know what you think.