READ,WRITE & LIVE YOUR TRUTH

Month: July 2025

  • Fantasy Fiction and Real Life are the Same

    E.G. Kardos

    I’m certain that fantasy fiction and real life are inseparable.  First of all, I should say that real life is full of conflict, split-second decisions, emotional upheavals, villains, and monsters. Real life is about doom, redemption, joy, and sorrow. Loss, power, injustices, and morality are all part of real life.

    Unless you are completely unacquainted with fantasy fiction or movies, you will agree that fantasy fiction includes all the above and more.

    Thus, fantasy fiction and real life are one and the same.

    But some readers and critics say fantasy fiction is mere escapism. They want something “real”. Well, I’ll say it is a good escape as are other sub genres in fiction, but it is so much more than that. It is about real-life issues, but most time these real-life issues are displayed with more color and, perhaps, in a more satisfying way. There, I said it.

    It’s a Mirror

    Night fantasy image of mystic woman riding deer in magical forest illumination . Sublime Generative AI image .

    In fantasy fiction, writers use supernatural, whimsical, and bizarre settings primarily to reflect our lives and everything within them in a relatable and intriguing way.

    Dragons aren’t just creatures that spit fire; they symbolize something larger and sometimes more sinister. Other times they represent something entirely the opposite. The evil sorcerer isn’t just some strange outsider to ignore but represents the evil and injustices we should stand against. Living in 2025, we should be able to connect with, as well as look for such symbolism in fantasy fiction.

    Universal Themes

    If you’re human, you can relate to themes such as power, loss, social injustice, death, birth, love, and hope. Using symbolism the author shines a light on these themes as they are brought to life for the reader to ponder, but with some distance. This distance is what lies between the symbol and what it represents. It makes us think—to feel—rather than the representation being spelled out.

    This distance is powerful. 

    The reason readers keep coming back to fantasy and fiction of all sorts is that universal themes are the engine that propels not only a good story, but gives our lives substance.

    Here’s Why Fantasy Fiction Can Feel so Much Like Real Life

    Commentary of our world

    You may have heard the term “world-building”. Authors may design a fictional world to critique real-world social structures to include the political climate, the social focus and the internal landscape within the character to project a very human story.

    Sometimes these worlds depict oppression, rebellion, inequality, and other injustices. These fantastical worlds are thought-provoking and real.

    Belief Systems

    We all have them. The structures we need to build walls around our lives and to make sense of them. Hopefully, these walls have doors and arches so that we may pass through them and attempt to understand other belief systems that we don’t hold as our own.

    These structures are religions, politics, and various other associations we “need” or seek out in our lives. Fantasy fiction uses these structures that are near and dear to us to tell a story. Good versus evil comes to mind.

    Basic Human Emotions

    Fantasy stories are deeply embedded in the human experiences. Love and loss, trust and betrayal, ambition and indifference and the mere struggles we have getting from one point to another.

    The Characters

    Like in all fiction, fantasy fiction allows us to experience life through the eyes of a character that we have come to love, and by doing so, we feel for that character. Our empathy grows while reading fantasy fiction we become the hero of the journey. As our compassion grows we begin to understand and are open to others and their struggles beyond the fantasy workd and into the real world.

    Although fantasy fiction on the surface seems to many as pure escapism, it is so much more as it reflects our own lives and the world we live in. Like other types of fiction, the aim of the author is similar, but fantasy writers choose to use other ways to tell the story.

    Fantasy fiction and real life are the same. There is no way to get around that.

    Other posts about fantasy: Why Fantasy is. a Good Read, The Time We Have, From a Struggling Reader to a Writer of Fantasy, About Fantasy (category)

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

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  • How to Find Your Next Good Novel

    E.G. Kardos

    Because a novel is on the New York Times Best Sellers list, does this make it worth reading?  I’m not sure. Maybe. Yeah, the list has great books, but with the millions of novels “out there”, this is a very short list to choose from as there are literally millions that could be tagged as a good novel and worth a look.

    Maybe it’s time to consider lesser-known novels and begin to add more inventive ways to your next good novel search. Could it be time take a few more risks to find your next read? Frankly, the risk is minimal.

    Most “Best Sellers” Lists are Limited

    Something close to 4 million new books will be published in 2025 compared to about 2.7 million a decade ago, and only a mere 280,000 in 2005. Wow! Most truly great reads are buried.

    Close up of open books on table

    Although there are many estimates from a variety of sources on the number of published books, these figures could be off slightly–but not much. But one thing that is certain, they definitely reflect the growth in the publishing industry. If nothing else. it is safe to say that newly published books have grown by 15 times in the US over the last twenty-five years.

    Take a Risk and Treat Yourself to Something New and Different

    Instead of the old “best sellers” list and everyone’s lists on GoodReads and social media book groups, chart your own course. There’s more to a good novel than the same formulaic, refomatted story. Novels are personal and what one stranger may think is a great read may not be to you. The question should be what resonates with you and NOT what do others say you SHOULD be reading.

    I’ve noticed that online book groups, however, only promote the two percent of all books that make up about ninety-eight percent of all sales–the same old same old. That’s kind of boring.

    Using a few keywords that describe what you like to read, you could consider going to online to any/many online booksellers and use those keywords and see what comes up. I’m sure you will come up with some intereesting and intriguing possibilities. Plunk down $12.95 (a couple of lattes) and in a few days you’ve got something new to explore..

    This may be a “no brainer” but so is the same old same old we hear about all the time.

    Lots of Good Books but with Fewer Readers

    I have both traditionally and independently published books. I have learned from this journey that very few people read novels, but I still write them. But the stats are staggering.

    • Less than 40 percent of adults have read one novel in a given year.
    • More women read than men,
    • and those woman with a college degree, who earn a higher income and are under 50 years of age, read the most.

    Two Requests for Those Who Read Novels

    • Please encourage others to join you. If not you, who will?
    • Broaden your scope and take a risk on a novel that you discover, and then tell your friends about it–both those who read and those, sadly that don’t.

    If You’re Still Here…

    …then you are a reader and in all honesty, keep reading whatever you enjoy. But keep in mind, a good novel is waiting for you and it might not be what everyone else is reading. Take a chance for $12.95.

    More to enjoy: Writing Literary Fiction and What I’m Learning, Self Discovery Books – an Excerpt from Cutting of Harp Strings, Keep Reading , Why Read Fiction? 

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

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  • Bless the Poor: Pretty Timeless Subject if You Ask Me

    E.G. Kardos

    Nearly sixteen years ago (December 2008) I wrote Bless the Poor as a holiday story. It’s historic fiction about a legendary King. It’s not about a particular religion, but about how we should treat our fellow man. It is about how the powerful, and not so powerful, can help those less fortunate.

    Bless the Poor, although written a decade and a half ago about a king and a young boy who lived in an ancient world is timely and a reminder for us in 2025 that we can make a difference. As I learned from my mother as a young boy, everyone needs a helping hand from time to time. She was never a world leader but perhaps should have been.

    Bless the Poor, again has nothing to do with religion but all to do with how we treat each other around the world.

    Now that I’ve read it again, I think it is a good read for any and every month including December.

    Bless the Poor

    Based on the legend of Good King Wenceslas

    A millennium or so ago, a good man who happened to be the king of Bohemia uncharacteristically rose late the day after Christmas. But his Christmas day was like most others in the past, as he often devoted his time to sharing what he could with others.

    As was his custom, he gave his servants the day to themselves. One page, however, insisted on spending the day with the king as he marveled at his wisdom.

    As the morning began, the king spent his time in deep introspection and prayer. With great promise, the day began with golden rays of the sun sparkling on the newly fallen snow from Christmas night. But with each passing hour, the day grew bleaker, and the sky became gray. More snow fell. His chamber, though, was warm as his page made frequent visits to stoke the fire giving new life to the failing embers.

    The good king told his page, all of thirteen years of age, to rest by the fire he cared for.

    “Why do you tend to me when I have declared this day a time for rest and renewal?”

    “Why Sire, my faithfulness to you gives me comfort,” said the page.

    “You are not like the others,” said the good king.

    “You are a righteous man–forgive me, a righteous king, and I am where I should be as I am calmed by your spirit. I see what you do.”

    “And I see what you do. You’re a good lad,” said the king with a smile.

    The hours passed and after many discussions, the young page nodded off. The king closed his eyes and, too, fell asleep.

    The winds picked up in a menacing way and its howl was chilling. Coming out of his sleep, the king peered toward the window. The page was still curled in a ball on a bed of hay in front of the meager fire. The room was becoming dark as the beams of a full moon filled the room.

    Winter Blast A cold harsh wind during winter often carrying snow

    The erratic winds were laced with the sound of crunching snow just outside the walls. The king walked to the window. He first looked to the bright and ominous sky and saw a well-defined illuminated heavenly body that gave light. He then looked down and saw a fellow man.

    photo by Leisan

    He summoned his page.

    “Page, do you know this man? Who might he be?”

    “Sire, he is a mere peasant and lives outside the walls of the kingdom. The man comes out at night to gather the fallen twigs and branches to keep his family warm. He is a good man whom I met. He is from my village, and means no harm for his trespasses.”

    “Where is his dwelling?” the king asked gently.

    “He lives near the foot of the hills near St. Agnes’ fountain. It is a good league from here,” said the page.

    The king stroking his beard thought out loud, “That is an hour by foot on a good day.”

    Spinning on his heel, he turned, bent down, and looked in the eyes of the page. “Bring me meats and bring me wine. Gather pine logs too. Tonight, you and I will see him dine.” His eyes gleamed, and with a smile on his face, the page heard the king’s charge and began to assemble the gifts.

    They both loaded sacks of meats, breads, pine logs and a small gift and strapped them to their backs. They entered into the night’s foul cry. The wind was stiff, and the snow was clad by an icy crust, giving struggle to the most seasoned traveler. The wind tore at the bare-faced page as he pulled his collar up for warmth.

    An hour into their journey, the boy called out, “Sire, the moon now hides, and the wind is wicked. I am afraid. My body is paralyzed with cold and can go no further. Continue on your journey and leave me.”

     ” This is your journey, too my son.”

    With love in his heart, his words lifted the boy.

    “Mark my footsteps, my good boy, and tread them ever boldly. Step in my footprints and you’ll find that winter’s rage will diminish. With each step you take you will find your soul will warm; there is nothing you cannot do. Remember, son, just where we’re headed.”

    Without a hint of question, the page trod where the king’s newly formed steps were made. Heat came from the very prints where the good king had been.

    Not long after, they reached the peasant’s home and shared their bounty and their good spirit. They were invited to stay the night which they did. The family offered their beds, but the king, a humble man slept on a bed of hay. The boy curled up under a worn blanket near the fire.

    On the journey home the next morning, the king asked the boy, “Did you defeat the cold as we traveled last night because of my nobility and wealth?”

    Without thought, the boy spoke up, “I don’t think so.”

    “Why then?” The king nodded with delight waiting for the boy’s reply.

    “Because I followed you.”

    “Oh? Perhaps it is more than that. Think of it this way, we journeyed together with one purpose and one heart. Your generosity of spirit flowed forth. It was all you, my boy, all you.

    The boy looked to the king and smiled.

    The king said, “Remember, those like you, my good boy, who bless the poor, shall too find blessings.”

    December 21, 2008

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

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  • More Ways to Think About Character Development

    E.G. Kardos

    A reader must connect in some way with one or more of the main characters in a book for that reader to keep reading—next word, next paragraph, next page.

    As a writer, my hope is that the readers might think, that’s what I would think, too, if some jerk said that to me. Or I’ve always wanted to do that but never dared to. We might even think, I really like this guy—kinda reminds me of….

    Cropped portraits of group of people on multicolored background in neon light. Collage made of 7 models

    For me, character development is crucial as my books are character driven. So, first, I want to create characters that in some way resonate with me. If I am successful in doing this, the character has depth and just enough substance so that a reader can grab hold to something about that character that intrigues them as well. 

    Character Development Takes Some Probing

    By probing into and exploring what the character thinks and feels, it is only natural for me to feel connected to the character on a deeper level. During this process, I draw an endless stream of thoughts and feelings from within and use them like bricks to build the character.

    The joy of both reading and writing comes from the same place; a well-developed character.

    I’m convinced that this is what makes exceptional characters, and it is what most readers want when they choose to invest their time, and heart, into reading.

    In Reading, Writing, and Yes, in Real Life Too

    Unless you’ve fully immersed yourself in remote work or spend your days and nights only chatting with an AI without a soul on the internet, you meet people in everyday life. This is a good thing because we are social beings. When we meet others and spend just thirty seconds with them, our minds tend to race. We might focus on one word they say, zero in on their eyes or hair—or something physical. Sometimes, we learn more about that person than we want. We wonder if we will see them again or if we hope we never do. Is it fate or coincidence that this person has entered our lives? And what, if anything, do we want to do about it?

    In other words, we evaluate the person much like we evaluate characters in a book.

    I see, think, and feel a blend between reading, writing, and the “real” world. I want the characters I read about and those I write about to feel as real as the people who come into our lives, whether for a moment or a lifetime.

    Because I have written four novels and a book of seventeen short stories, I’ve created many characters. Some are more developed than others, but overall, they are all unique—they are individuals. I’ve crafted characters that, to me, seem so real that when I type the final period of a story, I immediately miss them as if they were living beings.

    When you read good fiction, don’t you feel the same? 

    If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy these: Writing Literary Fiction and What I’m Learning, Developing the Protagonist, Why Read Fiction.

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

    Latest Posts

    Most Viewed Posts

    All Posts

    Please notify me when you publish a new blog post.

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