It has truly been an honor and a blast working on The Rayatana Series (Liftoff and Nexus) by Tyrean Martinson. I love watching these characters grow and the stories take shape. There's action and adventure, mystery, budding romance, and nailing-biting moments. Oh, and let's not forget space, distant planets, and aliens (Tuigseach). Really, what's not to love? Amaya is a strong, young, Black woman caught up in a great adventure. I definitely have favorite characters, like Tanwen and Bay; two more tough women. I am looking forward to the next!
But first...check out Book 2: Nexus!
The Role of Food and Beverages in Fiction, Part
1
A Guest Post by Tyrean Martinson
Food and beverage are both necessary for life. We need them
to live. In fictional worlds, food and beverage show us our characters are
normal people who have needs like we do. However, food and beverage can fill
many different roles in fiction, in any genre.
Food and beverage offer familiar comfort for the readers
and for the characters. If a character has a favorite comfort food or beverage,
readers might relate more strongly with the character. This comfort food or
beverage could be anything: coffee, tea, vodka, milk, cookies, popcorn,
chocolate, pizza, Romulan Ale, or awak. The type of comfort food is going to
share some insight into your character’s life and deepen a reader’s
understanding of who they are.
The character might “always” indulge in special foods or
beverages at certain times of the day which can signal to the reader when the
character is in a certain mood, or when certain things might take place. The
comfort food ritual might even be interrupted by the antagonist or by
circumstances outside of the character’s control, and this might add to the
character’s dilemma in the novel.
Food can also be a shaping influence on a character.
Certain smells may remind him/her of childhood or certain memories. Imagine:
cotton candy, popcorn, apple pie, or cornbread. Do you have memories associated
with those? Characters might, too, and this deepens the characterization or
helps readers understand the background of your characters.
In The Rayatana
Series, Amaya is thrown into a war between alien races. Awak is a hot
beverage that seems like a blend of coffee and tea, with similar stimulating
properties. At first, she’s worried about drinking and eating alien substances,
but that dilemma is solved by the end of the first novel and awak is a comfort
beverage in the second.
This post is one of three about The Role of Food and Beverages in Fiction!
Next, we’ll look at The Role of Food and Beverage in Politics at H.R. Sinclair’s Blog and M.J. Fifield's blog.
BLURB: Amaya is supposed to bring peace to the galaxy. Which is
tough when she’s being held for crimes against the Neutral Zone. Her
imprisonment is on her own ship with her own crew. But close quarters create
tension.
Honestly, her role as Rayatana is a mess.
She may never get to use her powers for anything good. Not if her teacher continues to keep secrets, and not if her powers keep harming others. Putting her mother in a coma should put her in prison, but she has a mission. She wants to bring peace to her people. She needs to become the Rayatana.
Book Links:
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon AUS / Amazon Canada
Smashwords / Apple / Kobo
Nexus: The Rayatana Book 2 is available all online, retail, and all ebook platforms. Published by Tyrean Martinson with Wings of Light Publishing, LLC. Young Adult - Science Fiction/Adventure/Sweet Romance.
ISBN for Kindle: 978-1-7357695-5-4,ISBN for Paperback: 978-1-7357695-6-1, and ISBN for EPub: 978-1-7357695-7-8.
What Readers Are Saying About Nexus: The Rayatana, Book 2:
“This is a terrific read! The world-building is incredible with a fascinating array of characters, settings, and technology. All of that creates a wonderful backdrop for Amaya's powerful story. As the story opens, Amaya and her friends are facing a trial for violating the laws of the Neutral Zone. Amaya has to learn who to trust, who to listen to, and how to believe in herself. You'll find yourself caught up in the magic of the story in no time. A fabulous read!” - Jemi Fraser, Author and First Reviewer
Official Author Bio and Links:
Tyrean Martinson is a word hunter. She forages for words both sweet and tart in the South Sound of Washington State. An eclectic writer, she writes speculative fiction, contemporary and historical fiction, short scripts, devotions, writing books, song lyrics, and poetry. She has been a fencer (long ago), a kickboxer (for a short minute), and an action-movie fan. Tyrean is a life-long book lover, a Christ follower, and walker. Once upon a time, she was a Girl Scout who sang too loudly, and now she’s a podcaster and praise team member. Since childhood, her imagination has been swept away by fairy tales, science fiction, tales of overcoming the odds, and redemption arcs.
Tyrean’s Writing Spot Blog: https://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/
Tyrean’s Tales: https://tyreanstales.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyreanmartinson/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TyreanMartinson
Tyrean’s Tutoring Website Words Take Flight: https://words-take-flight.com/
Always have to mention that Romulan ale! Congratulations, Tyrean.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me, Chrys!
ReplyDeleteAnd, thank you, Alex. :)
You’re welcome, Tyrean. Any time!
DeleteGreat post Tyrean. The type of comfort food can tell us a lot about a character.
ReplyDeleteYes, it can! Thank you, Holly.
DeleteI'm not a big drinker, but I'd have to try the Romulan Ale if I had the chance!
ReplyDeleteI'm not either, but I feel the same because it was such a part of Star Trek.
DeleteCongrats on the release, Tyrean,.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI agree with you that food can tell us a lot about characters, and it can be an interesting part of world building. Congrats on your new book, Tyrean!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Tyrean! Food and drink say so much about a culture. I'd be curious to try some alien food. :D
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to make cornbread as a side to go with macaroni & cheese. That combo is totally comfort food for me.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release, Tyrean!
Food is definitely a way to reach your audience. Years ago, I preached a sermon in which I told the story of being a Boy Scout and stopping for a Paul's Place hot dog when going on a campout in Holly Shelter Swamp... I later learned that there were a half dozen families seen together in the grocery afterwards, buying hot dogs! The story got their attention, but not sure they understand the larger point (of which I'd have to go back to understand. Good points here and Congratulations, Tyrean.
ReplyDeletehttps://fromarockyhillside.com
I remember that when I read the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I noticed that the author included many descriptions of the food that the characters ate. She did it to highlight their poverty and also show how they tried to make the most out of their situation by appreciating the small pleasures that they could afford, like how Katie made coffee even though the kids rarely drank it or how Francie savors the small amount of candy she could buy with the money she earned from selling stuff she found on the street.
ReplyDelete