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Leanne Pankuch Author

Leanne Pankuch Author

Tag Archives: fantasy maps

A Writer’s Adventures in Publishedland

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Posted by leannepankuch in Uncategorized

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clean ya fantasy, Dragon, Dragon's Truth, fantasy maps, Leanne Pankuch, pankuch, Writing fantasy, ya fantasy

Leanne at the Kids Read Book Festival in Poughkeepsie, NY

It’s a little over a month since Dragon’s Truth released. I want to sincerely thank my family, my friends, my readers, and my publisher for helping to successfully launch my first book into the world.

The initial two weeks were an absolute whirlwind–I spent a ridiculous amount of time on social media promoting the book, updating information, and responding to congratulations (rough, right?). We celebrated the launch on March 30 (my birthday!) in a couple of local venues, traveled to Los Angeles, and returned to the Hudson Valley just in time for the first ever Poughkeepsie Library District’s Kids Read Book Festival where I presented on the use of maps in the fantasy writing process, met dozens of dragon lovers, and gratefully sent signed copies of Dragon’s Truth home with readers.

As each subsequent week began, I thought the activity would become more manageable–but it really didn’t. And, as excited and grateful as I am to be fulfilling my dream of being a published author, I continue to hate to be away from writing. Storytelling is in my DNA. I have to create…

To survive, you must tell stories. – Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before

So, I need to do a better job of balancing my time between the business of being a published author and my need to live out my vocation as a writer (you have to actually write to be a writer…!) I’m devoting the next few weeks to getting myself back on track. Send mojo and perseverance my way, if you can. #amwriting

End Note: I’ve got two great local Dragon’s Truth events coming up! Check out my Events page for all the details. I’m also scheduling events for the 2019-2020 school year, so please reach out through the Contact Leanne tab if you are interested in scheduling an event for your group or class.

The Joy of Maps

21 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by leannepankuch in Uncategorized

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anne mcaffrey, Blueprint Studio, C.S. Lewis, Deryni, Dragon, Dragon's Truth, fantasy maps, Fincayra, Garth Nix, Katherine Kurtz, maps in books, Middle Earth, Narnia, Old Kingdom, pern, T.A. Barron, Terry Brooks, The Hobbit, Thror's Map, Tolkien, Writing fantasy

I’ve always loved maps.

Before Google and Mapquest and TomTom and Garmin, physical maps were a part of everyday life. They were more than just roll-up monstrosities hanging on classroom walls, antiques in museums, and decorative office or restaurant art.  

Back in the day, my ten-year-old self would unfold the paper travel map or open the road atlas in the back seat of the car during our family road trips. I’d watch for a sign indicating what town we were passing and then use my finger and the map key to calculate how far we were from our destination. I’d trace the distance we’d traveled and then the remaining journey, wondering about the towns we would pass through—bigger printed names meant more people and buildings.

I also remember the first time I saw a map in a book. It was Thror’s Map in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.  

Clip of Thror’s Map in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
The image above is from my old paperback copy of The Hobbit. Click to view the full map on the Tolkien Gateway.

The map was so cool–but tantalizingly uninformative. I couldn’t read the runes, and—aside from the Lonely Mountain, two rivers, and the Desolation of Smaug—the arrows all pointed to places and perils that lay off the map—Long Lake, Mirkwood’s spiders, Dale and the mysterious Withered Heath “whence came the Great Worms.” But the promise of the map pulled me into the story and brought me along on the adventure of discovering Tolkien’s amazing world.

After that, I frequently selected fantasy books because they had maps: C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, Katherine Kurtz’s Gwynedd, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, T.A. Barron’s Fincayra, Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom, and the Four Lands of Terry Brooks all came to life through masterful storytelling supported by intriguing maps.

My own novel, Dragon’s Truth (due out from Vinspire Publishing in March), will include a map. I was lucky enough to work with a very talented designer—Kara DeMaio at theblueprintstudio.com—to translate my vision and sketches into a truly fantastic map that will complement the text and help immerse my readers in Rhyan’s adventure.

Here’s a little peek at the map—subscribe to my News and Views page and follow me on Twitter – @talelady, Instagram – leannepan_author, and Facebook for information about upcoming give-a-aways that will include the map and Dragon’s Truth swag.

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After a two year journey with ALS, an amazing writer traveled on to a better place today. Farewell, @caiemmons ♡ You inspired and challenged me as a creator and as a human. I'm glad you are free from pain.
Spider condo on my first walk of the New Year.

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