Suddenly Sunday Sale!

It’s Sunday and what a great Sunday it has been!  To celebrate, Joseph Corsentino and Time of the Faeries is holding a one day only sale, ending on Monday.  All items except books and calendars are 15% off.

YEAH!

Come visit http://www.timeofthefaeries.com/store to grab your deal today.  Get beautiful faeries, angels, and vampire prints at 15% off.

Twilight and the Urban Fantasy Phenomenon

Twilight And The Urban Fantasy Phenomenon

Author: Andrew Hawnt

The huge success of the Twilight books, written by Stephanie Meyer, and the subsequent feature film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, has brought the Urban fantasy genre to the forefront of genre publishing. SF and fantasy purists may disapprove, but we must all appreciate the fact that Twilight, and things like Buffy before it, have been good for genre publishing as a whole. Why? Because series such as Twilight, Harry Potter and similar franchises are bringing more readers to the genres that spawned them. While these books may not be the best written or best plotted things on the market, they are opening up the minds of young readers to the realms of fantastic fiction in all its forms. Look at it this way: The Twilight books are finite, and once young readers have finished reading the series, they will look for similar titles to read until the next Twilight book comes along. These could be the dark fairy-tales of Neil Gaiman, the vampire hunter books of Laurel K Hamiltion, the varied urban fantasy of Kelley Armstrong, or the excellent vampire novels of S. Roit (aka Sherry Roit), such as the impeccable Paris Immortal. Many bookshops now contain a dedicated Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance section, and while SF and fantasy purists such as myself may have our issues with their contents, these books are bringing a new audience into an industry that desperately needs new readers. Some argue that this is not the case, with Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy readers sticking to similar titles once their favourite series comes to an end, but many of these people will move on to other titles as they mature and their tastes change. The paranormal and fantasy genres have always gained from the addition of popular movie tie-ins and movies themselves, and rather than being empty, vapid pieces of trash fiction, they are the doorway to a universe of wonder for new readers to discover. The same goes for movie and TV tie-in merchandise and tie-in novels from franchises such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Buffy and so on- they help strengthen the publishing industry by offering brand familiarity to people who may not usually read. Twilight has brought a number of young teenaged readers new icons in Edward and Bella, but there are so many other characters and stories for them to discover. See Twilight as a stepping stone to greater things, and welcome the new fans that stick around into the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror with open arms. About the Author:

Andrew is a renowned pop culture columnist for the STARSTORE blogs and movie merchandise site as well as being a globally published music journalist and SF writer. For the latest news on films, comics, movie and TV collectibles and more, check out===> http://starstoreblog.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Twilight And The Urban Fantasy Phenomenon

Dr. Sketchy, featuring Time of the Faeries, TONIGHT! in LA

Dr. Sketchy’s Los Angeles Session 007 is taking place at a new location in the NoHo Arts District. Cella Gallery boasts an inspiring calendar of art exhibitions and special events. Known for showcasing emerging and mid-career artists, as well as providing an inspiring space for artists to meet, Cella Gallery is a perfect venue for Dr. Sketchy’s Los Angeles’ first pop-up event.

Dr. Sketchy featuring Time of the Faeries, this Sunday

Come to a Dr. Sketchy event this Sunday in LA featuring us, Time of the Faeries, guest starring Joseph Corsentino and TOTF model Cristina, appearing here in these images.  Come network with fellow artists, illustrators, painters, and like-minded artistic individuals, have fun sketching a live model.  This event is 18 and over only as nude modeling is involved.

We did a mini Dr. Sketchy at Dragon*con with TOTF model Elizabeth Maxwell and it was a blast!  Hope you can come join us for the festivities here in Los Angeles.

If you prepay using PayPal, you will receive a special TOTF poster as a gift.

Dr. Sketchy’s Los Angeles Session 007 will be held at Cella Gallery on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The doors will open at 7:00 PM with poses starting shortly thereafter. Membership is $10 in advance via PayPal

Cella Gallery, 5229 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601

For information, please visit Dr. Sketchy’s website.

Faeries, Aliens by L. Christopher

Faeries, Aliens

Author: Larry Christopher

Tales of Otherworlds are almost universal in folklore and myth. There is not space to recount all of them, but today there has been a renewed interest in tales from the British Isles and Scandinavia, specifically those related to faeries, elves and other such Otherworldly creatures.

An interesting question to consider is whether these ancient tales were perhaps references to what modern philosophers and quantum physicists now call multidimensions, parallel worlds or possible worlds. These are all terms for the theory that reality is made of many dimensions, not all of them conforming to the same laws, especially in terms of time.

Faerie stories from the British Isles are of particular interest here, because they often specifically refer to the distortion of time that occurs when mortals interact with denizens of faerie. One of the most popular stories, from Ireland, is that of Oisin, a young man who falls in love with a faery woman, Niamh, and follows her to Tir Na Nog, the Land of Eternal Youth. Tir Na Nog is a fascinating topic of its own, as it is a place where time as we know it does not exist. Oisin, of course, is mortal, but has the choice of remaining in Tir Na Nog where he would become immune to the passage of time. As often occurs in such tales, he makes the mistake of returning to his native land, where he finds that hundreds of years have passed and everyone he knew are long dead.

Stories from other lands have similar themes. The Welsh version of Tir Na Nog is Annwn, which is featured in the Mabinogion collection of stories. The Norse have Valhalla, though this is less a parallel world and more like the Christian heaven, as it is a place where mortals go after dying a heroic death.

Yet another, more modern, version of time distortion occurs in stories (whether true or not) of alien abductions. These are often frightening experiences, though sometimes the aliens encountered are friendly. In many cases, a common feature is that when the person is fortunate enough to be returned to earth, a distortion of time has occurred. As with faerie stories, this time distortion can go either way -even much more or much less time has passed than the “victim” believed.

We can, of course, simply categorize all of these tales as just that -tales, based on superstition, imagination or just plain fabrication, perhaps with alcohol or drugs thrown in the mix. However, when we consider the enormous number of such tales that are similar in so many respects, we might just as likely consider that there may be something to them. Could there not be a myriad of realities, some of which, under certain conditions, overlap with our own?

Shamans have traditionally believed something similar. Shamanic journeying involves visits to other realities and interacting with spirits and beings who reside there. Another aspect of shamanism is the belief that the dream world is just as real as the waking world, and that we are actually “journeying” to these Otherworlds when dreaming. That is why we often encounter people in dreams who are deceased in “real life.”

It would be difficult, probably impossible, to prove in a rationalistic way that any of these tales or experiences represent actual shifts in reality or visits to Otherworlds. Those interested in pursuing this possibility, however, might do well to study folklore alongside some modern theories of philosophy and physics and consider the similarities.

About the Author:
For more about possible worlds and quantum physics, visit Possible Worlds Explore the elusive world of Faerie Realms

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Faeries, Aliens