  Fantasy
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Time, you old gypsy man, will you not stay, put up your caravan just for one day?
~ Ralph Hodgson (British poet)
The world needs fantasy. It can be an escape from daily life, a means for finding the hero within, a landscape to inspire the imagination. Enter the world of Fantasy. In my newsletters you can expect thorough looks at different aspects of fantasy writing, and a publisher spotlight.
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Gypsies
Gypsies are known as a vagabond race, traveling from one place to another. Most fiction portrays them as having loose morals – thieves, lustful, and dishonest. But that is a generalization that truly only applies to a few, not the entire race. Gypsy women are actually very faithful to one man at a time. Of course some gypsies are thieves and tricksters, but you can find those in any culture.
Origin
The technical term for a gypsy is Roma. Originally the Roma came from India, which can be traced back through their language and culture. They were likely called "gypsy" first by Europeans that thought they came from Egypt. Now Romani can be found all over the world, but the majority in central and eastern Europe.
Culture
Their culture, trades, and language are passed down from one person to the next. Most do not read or write. Caravans are formed of related families. Each band is led by a kris, a tribunal leader who passes judgment based of their religious beliefs and customs.
A common feature of gypsies in fiction is their magic: fortune-telling, curses, and the like. The specific beliefs and cultures vary from group to group, as they have spread far and wide without a collective location. Most modern Roma have absorbed local religion and culture, so a modern gypsy curse would be unlikely. The traditional beliefs were centered on their Goddess Kali. Her symbol was a triangle. They believed in the power of curses, healing rituals, good luck charms, reincarnation, and purity taboos.
Transportation
The gypsy wagon is traditionally called a vardo. For a great site with pictures and floor plans of a modern vardo, visit http://www.enslin.com/rae/gypsy/wagon01.htm. The wagons are horse-drawn. Some modern day gypsies have switched to trucks and trailers.
Marriage
In the past, Romani typically married between the ages of 9 and 14. Marriage to an outsider was strongly discouraged. The ceremony consisted of joining hands in front of a chief or elder and promising to remain true to each other, or in other tribes simply jumping over a broomstick together in the presence of family.
Occupations
Romania are well-known for their musicians, dancers, and fortune-tellers. Drabardi is the term for a fortune-teller, though they only read fortunes for non-Roma. Other traditional occupations are metalworking, horse trading, and animal training and doctoring. As these skills aren't as needed in modern day, many Roma live in poverty.
Folklore
Gypsy tales, like most traditional fairy tales, are adult-oriented rather than childish. As the rest of their culture, these stories were shared orally. Francis Hindes Groom was a folklorist who immersed himself in Roma/Gypsy life. His book, Gypsy Folk Tales, consists of the stories he gathered during his experience. You can view it online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roma/gft/index.htm.
Fiction
Mulengro, by Charles de Lint, focuses on a modern day Rom living in Canada. It's a dark fantasy and delves deeply into Roma culture. Otherland, by Tad Williams, has gypsies in the form of nomads who disregard the borders of an advanced virtual reality cyberspace. Lloyd Alexander's Gypsy Rizka is about a half-gypsy girl awaiting the return of her Gypsy father. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy has a gyptian race who travel on boats instead of wagons.
Resources
 Wolchik, Sharon L. "Roma." World Book Online Reference Center. 2007. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar241070.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people
http://www.religioustolerance.org/roma.htm
** Image ID #1092573 Unavailable **
 Publisher Spotlight
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
Location: Canada
Website: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/
About: E-book publisher of mainly Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror; they just opened a Romance imprint as well. They only require electronic rights for eBook use; remaining rights are yours to sell elsewhere.
Guidelines:
 Send your submission to submissions@Double-Dragon-eBooks.com
 Manuscript in Arial or Times 12pt font, double spaced.
 Save in Rich Text Format (RTF) and send as attachment.
 Include your contact information, short synopsis, author's biography, photo (if available), and brief description of the book. Bio and photo for author's webpage on the site.
 Does accept previously published books.
Length: 40,000 words plus.
Payscale: As a smaller publisher, they do not pay an advance. Royalties is 30% of all net sales.
To see previously featured publishers, go to "Invalid Item" .
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Timelines of the Roma History:
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#1161964 by Not Available. |
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Story of a Roma man in WWII:
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#1159036 by Not Available. |
A gypsy inspired fantasy story:
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#982509 by Not Available. |
Some nonrelated fantasy reading:
| |  | Blood and Snow (13+)
A vampire attempts to attack a traveller, but it gets more than it bargained for. (GPs)
#1245153 by Oweyn |
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This item number is not valid.
#1266693 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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My next newsletter (June 27) will be a tribute to Lloyd Alexander.
Reader Comments
From Izkata :
AliceNgoreland: Often it is funky ones that really stick with you: Bilbo Baggins, Pixel, Wendy
Gonna take a random guess and say you've read Diadem? (Pixel being the false name of the guy from the most technologically advanced world)
Anyway, just wanted to comment that several of your example names for taverns actually caused the image of a creaky signpost in a rainstorm to pop into my head. That's a really good suggestion, and really good examples.
From everyone  :
Thanks alot for the tips on names. i think the best i've come up with was Dria. Basically the word "raid" mixed up. But the character in mind is supposed to be a Elven Ranger. i'm still working on it, though. Again.... thanks for the tips.
From Larone Mckinley :
Thank you for tips on INNS and Taverns. I will likely use them at some time in the future. Larone
From Ariella :
Cool! I never knew that. Thanks for establishing the difference between an inn and a tavern. This newsletter was very helpful. 
From likenion:
Interesting newsletter! It's a very good topic to speak about. I mean these are close to each other places, so it's best to point out their differences.
This gives me an idea for you as a newsletter series. How about dedicating newsletters about the buildings that are a must in the fantasy genre. You know what I mean: the king's castle, the evil tyran's lair, the mage's tower, the fair maiden's chamber and so. You can write about the necessary elements, the cliches, the musts and the don'ts and so on.
Thanks for the newsletter ideas.
From ryanpie:
Thanks for pointing this out, I didn't really know there was much of a difference between a tavern and an inn. The links are, as usual, great! Thanks again for teaching me so much!
From dusktildawn:
Emerald, I was so pleased to see two of our Young Adult novelists listed in your Editors Choice. As moderator of that forum, I'm just so proud and tickled pink. Thank you.
From zwisis:
Thank you, Emerald Enchantress, for such an informative newsletter. I had no idea about the differences between taverns and inns - amazing what those details can do for a story, and how they can be used.
From alicengoreland:
I always read this newsletter. Fantasy was the first books I ever fell in love with. I cherish many that I read in Jr. high and high school to this day. I still go back and journey among there words. I could hardly wait until my son was old enough to visit their pages.
Thank you for including my reworking of Puss n’ Boots in your newsletter. I am proud to see it listed.
From dogfreek21:
Thank you for the informative newsletter! I've never thought a lot about them, but taverns and inns are a pretty good part of a lot of fantasy stories. And the next newsletter you do sounds great! One of my favorite fantasy stories is "Gypsy Rivka" or "Rizka" or... okay, it's been awhile! It was written by Alexander Lloyd, and is awesome!
Yup, it was Lloyd Alexander. Thanks for mentioning his story so I could include it.
I try to find helpful topics, so I'm always happy to hear from readers who learned something. Thanks to everyone for the feedback!
Thank you for all the comments. Remember to leave feedback or ideas for future newsletters.
We editors love to hear from you!
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Fantasy: May 30, 2007 Issue [#1741]
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