Writing and speaking well have always been priorities in Soliman's short life. As student of Biology and a surveyor of life's simpler pleasures, Soliman prefers to escape this mortal realm in favor of those that stretch the imagination. He can be often found lost in wonder at the beauty of life's most basic components, while marveling at the complexities of the whole.
Inspired by the Inheritance Cycle, and an unforgettable dream, they decided to put pen to paper, creating the world of Erophel. They focus on the strength of will and how important a factor will can be in the face of conflict. Many aspects of their work draw from every day interactions with friends, family, and four legged companions.
As the reader may notice, the lead character is a young woman from humble beginnings. This reflects on Soliman's own life, where many of their mentors and closest friends are indeed women. Women with strong dreams and convictions. Women who grace every identity under the sun. The lead character draws from their characteristics, creating a literary force for readers to gravitate to. Soliman strives to create real and dimensional characters that are as complex as the average, emotion driven individual.
While not writing, they enjoy hoarding succulents and caring for five dogs of various ages. From one echeveria to several dozen jades, succulents hold beauty that only patience will reward. Keeping them safe from the dogs is another story, but, like children, the canines keep everyone around them on their toes. Characters themselves, they are a source of personalities found throughout Soliman's books.
Soliman currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
My name is Dee Fernan L. Soliman. I live in Colorado but I am originally from Hawaii. I was born and raised on the island of Oahu. I attended Catholic schools all through high school, then left the islands to attend Colorado State University. That's how I, along with my family, ended up residing in Colorado Springs. Despite what others may say, there really isn't anything more to my short life. I like to garden, read, acquaint myself with every animal possible, and when time permits, be creative. I dabble in all forms of traditional art, my favorite medium being colored pencils. But most recently I have gotten back into writing.
My only experience with writing, aside from completing assignments that I may or may not have had any interest in, was through a script. From about the age of 6, I have been on and off the stage. Some productions were huge and had much hoopla surrounding them. This included junior versions of Disney Classics and Broadway mainstays of musical theatre. I even participated in a performance workshop with Dean Pitchford as our high school alma mater performed "Footloose". But it was the most humble of productions that allowed me to see the world.
"Okinawa 1945" is a straight play set during closing months of WWII, that chronicles the hardships of nurses and their experiences treating Japanese soldiers. The play delves deeply into the cultural norms of the Japanese, and how national pride drove many of them, nurses included, to commit suicide as an alternative to being captured. This taught me the importance of research, and how powerful a single phrase could be when you truly understand the essence of behind it. The presentation of the work was incredibly simple, with minimal props and a nearly bare stage, forcing focus to our words. With such a somber subject matter, it was no wonder that our troupe was the most jovial participants of the Fringe Festival in 2009. Held every August in Edinburgh, Scotland, it is where "Okinawa 1945" made its international debut.
I have always had the desire to write, but I just didn't know what I would write about. My initial attempts at writing scripts always came off too cinematic to pull off on a stage, and soon I was reduced to writing only for a grade. Through that stagnation, and unbelievable stress, I had a dream. And I mean this in the most literal sense. I had a dream, a dream so vivid that I can recall elements of it to this day. It had every element I had been searching for in a book, complete with a female lead and a plot unlike many of the books that I have read to that day. Once I woke up, I wrote out some simple lore that outlined the foundation of the dream, and I was hooked. I took off in my writing. Soon, I had more than just lore - I had several chapters of a story that I was starting to take pride in. The going was slow, however, because unless distractions are far and few, I would backtrack and reread every single line, seeking perfection. That mindset ground my writing to a halt, as my thoughts could not flow as my eyes were searching for grammatical inconsistencies. Despite this, I firmly believe that with a little bit of help, I can find the time, space, and mindset to finish what I had started and present a world unlike anyone had ever seen (or read, because this is a novel idea after all)!
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With any donation, all participants in this campaign will be mentioned in along list of thank you's inside the book. I cannot stress enough how I would not be able to work on this project without your help!
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Erophel; a land where humans and fair folk alike harness the power of will to accomplish awe inspiring deeds.
Share Post on X Threads LinkedIn Embed| Science Fiction & Fantasy | |
| 100,000 words | |
| 25% complete | |
| 1 publisher interested |
"
The test was over. The Elder's acknowledged her skill. Terah had finally received their blessing to leave the village, giving her the freedom to hone her healing craft and learn the ways of the world. Her curiosity was insatiable; her amiable personality earning the trust of everyone she met. She quickly finds a friend in Ronne, a runaway rogue. With her new guide, Terah braves the wilderness of Erophel to find settlements unlike her own, and magic barely alive.
Ronne's unsavory past catches up with him, dragging him back into the dark underground of assassins and thieves. It is only then that a stalker reveals herself to the pair. A ranger of undeniable skill, she single handedly braves the den to bring the rogue back to light. By accident, her cowl falls, revealing her true nature: an elven warrior. Nearly forgotten by man, this single encounter gives Terah evidence that magic, though hidden, is thriving. But the return of the fair folk brings with it a grave warning. An old evil will soon return." (Synopsis in progress)
Erophel, as my world is called, is a land that focuses on the magic of willpower and the concept of equivalent exchange. It is very different from many works within the same genre as it relies heavily on the laws of physics that govern our own realm of understanding. Well known truths are dispersed throughout the work, creating a world like ours if we had access to magic. Complete with a diverse cast that blends the moralities of our world, I believe that I have created a tale that anyone can gravitate to. As an avid reader, I have found that young adult books have fallen into a familiar combination of tropes in an effort to sell to the current theme. I want to break that cycle and introduce a tale that not only gives a woman the lead role, but also stresses that she is not a damsel who needs rescuing.
As the child of a single mother, I was raised by a village of women. Throughout my lifetime, I have gravitated towards female mentors and have more women than men in my friendship circles. To say I understand women would be a complete fallacy, but I do desire to create a work that applauds the strength and diversity of the women in my life. I believe Erophel will be my first true contribution to that goal.
The Chapters (Written Thus Far)
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Valencia
Chapter 2 - The Test
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 - Trouble in Becketon
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - The Fair Folk Visit
Chapter 9 - Tulin Haven
Chapter 10 - Elven Rendezvous
Chapter 11 - Outpost
Chapter 12 - Emerald Forest
Chapter 13 - Corruption
Chapter 14 - The Fiefdom
The primary readership of this novel will focus on young adults, with elements that an older audience can appreciate. My book will be the type of fiction that any reader can relate to because it contains a unique coming of age tale. The complexity of the piece would allow readers to gain more insight into the story should they read between the lines, but still be light enough for the plot to drive the reader's interest to the conclusion with equal enjoyment.
Think "The Inheritance Cycle" meets "His Dark Materials Trilogy."
The initial marketing and promotion would be done solely through my personal Facebook page and Instagram followers. I've presented my work to several of my friends and all seem to be on board with me finishing the book so that they can read it in its entirety. It's funny to note how many have refused to read even outlines so as not to spoil the experience for themselves.
While marketing myself to them, I will also encourage them to share my project. This has great potential to blossom into thousands of individuals learning about my efforts and supporting my desire to see it finished.
To reward pre-orders, I have included packages that help me exercise my creativity flow while also giving my backers an opportunity to see themselves as an integral part of my creation. This incentive will help me not only finish my book, but also honor those who were so generous to donate to me.
The Harry Potter Series. The story of how an orphan boy who is the hero of a world he doesn't know and only he has the power to save it again. A relatively recent classic of the fantasy genre, this series gave readers insight into a world that lived alongside our Muggle reality. I myself love the series, as I am part of the generation that grew up anticipating the next book year after year. Erophel, on the other hand, will create a separate realm where magic exists. This would allow me to fully expand upon my vision of a fantasy realm. In addition, it will be stressed that all creatures have the capacity to perform "magic," mystic though it is perceived by those who have not tried. Where magic in the Harry Potter universe is driven by spells, the magic in my realm will be driven by will power. The stronger a person's convictions, the easier it is for them to perform magical tasks. This initially introduced form of magic, however, relies heavily on the concept of equivalent exchange. In the Wizarding World, anyone with a wand can perform spells, but ultimately free of charge. In Erophel, all magic has a price. To heal means to use one's life energy. To create fire means concentrating that will into a singular point.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The quest to destroy a single piece of jewelry before it consumes another soul. The LOTR world is expansive and contains some of the most recognizable elements of fantasy. It even expands upon a language spoken by many in the fan-base, Elvish. I do borrow from basics aspects of this series. But I want separate my work from the LOTR because I will focus more on the relationships between characters. Dialogue will be rich and lifelike, and hopefully encourage some input from the reader. There will skirmishes and grand panoramas to take into account, but huge lapses of back story are unnecessary because I put emphasis into naming. There is much more meaning in a few well selected and crafted words than adding exposition in the middle of the plot. And while I do not see myself taking the time to develop a unique language of my work, I do see the beauty in it, though I have left the reader to imagine a language themselves.
The Inheritance Cycle. One boy, one dragon, and a legacy reborn. This is one of my favorite series in the fantasy genre. It makes use of standard creatures but adds such a unique culture around each of the three (arguably four) species represented in the book. And to top it all off, this series also makes use of a unique language to tie multiple plot points together. But, unlike The Inheritance Cycle, my tale will not be focusing so much on the intricacies of combat. Like I mentioned before, as much as my work will be one of fantasy, I want to focus on the relationships between people, using additional details to add spice my base structure. In addition, there will be many more examples of fantastical creatures in my realm than are present in The Inheritance Cycle.
His Dark Materials Trilogy. Friends and foes, with daemon's in tow, braving the multiverse to bring peace to them all. This is one of the more in-depth modern fantasies I have read. It blends beautifully the Victorian Era of human history with elements of magic, universal travel, and religious undertones. The concept of daemons is a far more personalized form of familiars. My contribution to the fantasy genre mirrors many of the interactions that take place between daemons and people. They are a power to respected and represent a whole lot more than themselves. That being said, my tale will be taking place in a world far removed from our own, and set in a medieval time. The fair folk are nothing more than whimsy to many of its inhabitants, but as the story goes on, the reader will learn that such simplicity is not so. By separating from our world, I am allowed to re-imagine a time before modern technology that makes use of the magics that do exist within the realm.
The Chronicles of Narnia. In a world just beyond our reach, children are summoned to defend the land while learning lessons about themselves. I grew up rereading this series from beginning to end multiple times. It captured my idea of fantasy. Battles must be fought, and glory defended, but there was such complexity to each of the characters. Even the main protagonist Aslan had a reputation of hiding his truly fearsome side from the human visitors. Narnia is truly a world that will stir the imaginations of children for generations to come. Just like Narnia, I want to set my world apart, but also remove any connection to our realm entirely. I want to create a world from scratch and make it a stand alone universe just like C.S Lewis had. My work is much longer in writing style and form, but all that text will not be superfluous.
To garner the same respect as all these series is definitely a goal of mine, but this is truly a work of passion. I love writing, and I love fleshing out the ideas that make my story so unique yet so true to fantasy. To see the joy in someone else reading something I have worked on is all that would really matter to me. I am doing this for me, and hopefully you all will enjoy it.
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on May 17, 2016, 3:04 a.m.
I look forward to the complete product