2024 COVERS

2024 covers

Welcome to the Dark Side!

We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Thursday 4 April 2013

Magic Thursday...Fandom, manspiration and food for the muse.

It won't surprise any of you to know, that most authors are also fans. Every female author buddy I have has a list of male 'manspirations' she uses to wet her literary muse.

It will also not come as any surprise what-so-ever to any who know me, that recently I went to Oz Comic Con in Perth, and met one of my dream manspirations - Jason Momoa, who particularly came to my attention as the brutal but sublimely gorgeous Khal Drogo, in Season One of  HBO's Game Of Thrones.

Aside from the horrific cues for very nearly everything (I still maintain it was worth it), ComiCon was an absolute blast. If it is in Perth again next year - I'll go again, though next time sans dutiful husband (bless him people, he's really a saint) and my excitable children.

I love all things ComiCon, from the Star Wars and Trekky fans to the unusual and sometimes disturbing costumes other fans came dressed in. Seriously.

Prior to meeting Jason Momoa, I wondered if the 'real' man would meet my expectations in regards to the the muse he provides in my mind and writing... the short answer... HELL YES.

Long answer... unsurprisingly perhaps, in reality, he actually provided a much more 'real' inspiration. As a writer I watch people and see how faces shift and change, how they move etc. So let me tell you it was absolutely fascinating to see a man who I'd envisioned as the barbarian Conan and Khal Drogo, sitting, waiting for fans, looking slightly bored, bemused, surprised, and pleased. I also experienced how it felt to look up at a man such as this, and feel 'wow' he's actually looking down at me. He really is rather large, and a nice man to boot. So as far as finding my muse diminished by meeting him, no, that certainly has not happened.

I am also, unsurprisingly a massive fan of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, on which Game of Thrones is based. I would very like to meet him one day and hear about he manages to plan and plot the level of complexity into his books. As a dedicated fan, I am religiously devouring each book, though I've got to say as much as I love this series every book leaves me devastated as yet another of my favourite characters bites the dust.

As a final thought, I will leave you with my manspiration video, it shows some of the programs of which I am a big fan! I made it about a week ago, after watching the historical one at the ARRC in Brisbane earlier in March. The footage is sourced from Game of Thrones, Spartacus, Supernatural and Primeval.

 On that note, I'd love to know you are a massive fan of. Is there writer, manspiration or other type of inspiration that lights your creative mind?

Have a Magic Thursday!

Nicola  :)




2 comments:

  1. Oooh, manspiration!!! Sorry you were saying?

    Oh, right. I just love the look on your face, Nicola, in that photo.

    BTW - I'm just about to start book 4 of A Song of Ice and Fire.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL I tell you, my smile couldn't have got any bigger Eleni!
    At the Melborne Oz Comicon Westley from the Princess Bride is going to be there... temptation, thy name is Manspiration...
    BTWI'm onto a Dance with Dragons - The Dragon's seem to be growing a little wild!!! Seriously I'm devastated afresh every single book! Keeps me hooked though!

    ReplyDelete

check out all our books on our dsdu-books shelf:
DarkSide DownUnder's book lists (dsdu-books shelf)