Category: Guest Post
author post
Myth, Legend and History: The Shaping of THE HEIR OF NIGHT
by - January 26th, 2012
When asked, I always describe The Heir of Night as “classic epic fantasy.” In part this is because it is a hero tale with the fate of the world, and perhaps even of all worlds, at stake. It’s a tale of adventure and magic and battles, of friendship and betrayal and love, of both individuals and a whole people under pressure: all the stuff in which the mythologies and legends that underpin our western culture—the Greek, the Norse and the Celtic, with a fair dash of side influence from the Egyptian and Babylonian—are steeped. The Heir of Night is not a retelling of any particular saga, but it definitely draws on the concerns that inform mythic stories, which are not simply war and hero journeys, but the conflicts surrounding power and the big questions of ethical and/or correct behaviour when tested. So in this sense, it is very much in the classic tradition that goes back well beyond The Lord of the Rings: to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Morte D’Arthur of the medieval era, and further back again, to Beowulf, Sigurd and Cuchulain, Achilles and Penthesilea, Jason and Medea.
But myth and legend are not the only influences I believe shape The Heir of Night’s style of epic fantasy. History also tends to be a major driver, with the classic model for epic worlds, from Middle Earth to Westeros, being primarily medieval. Although there are exceptions, such as the Troy of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Firebrand or the Greece of David Gemmell’s Lion of Macedon, the worlds, their politics and players, as well as weapons and technology are still historically based. The Heir of Night is set in an alternate world, one where the technology and society are fundamentally pre-industrial, although with hints that this might once have been otherwise. Culturally, the basic concept is western European—and other elements from history have definitely informed the story. These include the initial age of the central protagonists as discussed in my recent “The Evolution of Character” post, to the Derai people’s elitism and militarism (think of the Spartans) and the civil strife and prejudice against elements within their own society that has characterised their recent history. (You may take your historical pick of civil wars, from the Roman to the Spanish, as well as a plethora of religious and racial conflicts and discrimination, for source material here!) Read the rest of this entry »
author post
Taking it Home…
by - January 18th, 2012
Today sees the release (in the US and Canada) of my new digital short, “Something Wikkid This Way Comes,” I’m excited about this story for a number of reasons. There’s the fact I get to write about Moo, Shar, and Capitola, the girls of Triptych that you met in book three. They’re so much fun, and I really had a great time getting to know them better. I also got to experiment with form, having written this story in present tense in an attempt to give it a more immediate, noir feel.
But a big reason this story was so much fun is that it’s set in Borealis, Illinois.
Now, that probably means nothing to you, and if you’ve made the mistake of Googling it, you’ll discover Borealis does not exist. But Aurora, Illinois, does, and savvy readers may know that Aurora is where I grew up.
They’ll also notice that Borealis very, very closely resembles Aurora.
So why did I not call it Aurora? For me it was important to get a little psychic distance, both as a writer and as an urban fantasist. As a writer, I’m not recreating Aurora. If anything, I’m using Aurora as a vehicle for fantasy, which, as an urban fantasist, has to come first.
That said, rooting Borealis in Aurora gave me a firm grip on reality. After all, I know Aurora so well, and it was a very unique place to grow up. Racially, Aurora’s very diverse, and economically, it ranges from solidly working to middle class.
All of this made Borealis a perfect place to set the kind of fiction I wanted to write after Jane. First off, I wanted to show people that were like the people I grew up with, which means characters that aren’t all white. So I wanted to show more diversity in my fiction. And yet, at the same time, I grew up with just such a diverse group of friends, for whom race or class was not a primary issue, at least not as a group dynamic. At the same time, however, issues of gender, race, and class permeate all stratums of culture, simply because that’s what such issues do.
My goal, if I get to write more about these ladies, is to subtly explore some of these issues, under the guise of telling a rousing good story. As a PhD in literature and a professor, I talk and write a lot about these ideas, but my message doesn’t go very far. Meanwhile, “going far” is the real power of popular fiction. We have to tell good stories, but we also have an opportunity to inject those stories with a little bit of what we want to talk about, in terms of social issues. And yeah, those injections might need to be subtle, or slight, but that’s the beauty of pop culture. It’s popular.
Which means a little goes a very long way.
At the end of the day, I’d like to give my readers a little glimpse of the way I grew up–with a diverse group of friends who came together because we shared interests, and humor, and a certain bizarre sensibility. Our relationships, however, weren’t some made for TV movie, with a rousing message of racial and social equality. We were just people who liked each other, and didn’t let anything detract from that fact.
I think there’s power in that idea, and it’s a vision I’d love to share, pop fiction-style.
author post
The Evolution of Character: Malian of Night and the Heroic Tradition
by - January 12th, 2012
Recently I was asked, ‘what makes Malian, your main character in The Heir of Night unique in epic fantasy? And what makes a hero, anyway?’ My initial response was ‘aargh, the pressure’—not just of an example, but of encapsulating what is often the slow delicate process of character evolution. And Malian of Night’s character did evolve over many years, from long before I first put pen to paper: sometimes in small increments, occasionally in giant leaps. I have spoken elsewhere of the similar emergence of the Wall of Night world: from around the age of 10 I had a vision of a rugged, shadowy, wind-blasted environment, and the concept of a youthful female protagonist within that world developed at much the same time.
Although both the world and the character have evolved considerably from those first principles, the notion that Malian should initially be a youthful protagonist has remained unchanged. In this first book—of four in the series—she is thirteen, while Kalan, the second protagonist, is fourteen. Although this may seem young to us, thirteen and fourteen year olds have been regarded as adult or near adult through much of history (Shakespeare’s Juliet, for example, is fourteen; marriageable age at that time.) The age of these two central characters, at the cusp between childhood and adult responsibility, is one where—although not yet independent agents—most of us are making choices: about who we are, what beliefs and values we subscribe to, and whether we buy into the status quo or desire change. In the case of Malian and Kalan, these choices are not just personal but reflect the issues at stake in their wider society, known as the Derai—a people who believe they champion good, but are divided by prejudice, suspicion and fear. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
Why vaudeville for THE TROUPE?
by - January 9th, 2012
I’m going to level with you here: I kind of pulled the premise for my third novel out of my ass.
I can remember the moment quite clearly: it was late 2008, and I was driving down 15th street here in Austin, talking on the phone with my agent (yes, I was That Guy that day – for some reason most of my important publishing conversations happened to take place while driving back then). I was just in the finishing stages of signing my first contract with Orbit, and the subject of an “option” arose – an “option” being a fancy legal term for “first dibs,” in this case being first dibs on my third novel.
So this begged the question – did I have any ideas for a third novel?
I was completely new to the publishing world then (and I still am, pretty much), but I knew that I did not want to let any important publishing people down, and I definitely knew I didn’t want to look like a chump and say, “No, no, I have no ideas for a third novel, I am completely fresh out and you are all totally hosed and you should have never hitched your wagon to my star.” So, while sitting at a green light, I wondered what to say.
But the odd thing is, I did have an idea for a novel rattling around in my head.
I had read an article just that day about vaudeville. It had made the curious point that vaudeville was one of the first moments of American mass cultural cross-pollination: the rails opened up all theaters all across the country to touring acts, so people had the first chance to see things they’d never seen before.
And I remember thinking, “How interesting. It’d be fun to write about that.” Specifically, I thought it would be fun to write a little fairy story about vaudeville, one about art, creation, and the nature of perception. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Horror/Fantasy Connection
by - January 6th, 2012
“As a small child, I felt in my heart two contradictory feelings, the horror of life and the ecstasy of life.” — Baudelaire
In today’s world Fantasy fiction is split into many genres: Epic, High, Low, Heroic Urban, Suburban, Historical, Science, Weird, Dark…you’re likely to find any of these words in front of “Fantasy” these days. Many authors enjoy blending and “splicing” genres together, which can often lead to new sub-genres and even anti-genre approaches. There are two enduring genres that have always gone well together, seamlessly blending one into the other, and their combination continues to be a popular pairing.
Often Horror and Fantasy are lumped together like fraternal twins forced to wear the same plaid sweater. Many are the theories defining exactly what each one of the genres actually IS, and the closer you look at either, the more splintering you find, the more sub-genres, the more distinctions being made on the “microcosmic” level. Yet examples of Horror/Fantasy blends continue to amaze and terrify readers. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
The Spaces In-Between
by - January 5th, 2012
The word “liminal” comes from Latin word for “threshold.” Often it’s used to refer to in-between spaces, the murky shadows of society and institutions and expected norms. Doorways, graveyards, crossroads–these are all symbols for transformative thresholds and they show up in fiction over and over again.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this concept lately in regard to my own books. My stories are full of examples of the liminal. I have a soft spot for marginalized characters—mixed-bloods, down-and-out faery drag queens, Recreant mages, dozens of characters struggling to reconcile their desires with duty. These are characters on the fringe of polite society and I go back to them over and over.
I also utilize the concept of liminality in my settings and plots. In SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL (out this week), Sabina Kane goes into a liminal realm—aptly called “The Liminal”– that exists between our mundane reality and the magical underworld to fight her demons, both literal and figurative. It is only through interacting with liminal characters, exploring strange, new settings and being forced to explore the margins of her own psyche that she can truly transform. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Inspiration
by - January 4th, 2012
I’m proud to tell anyone who asks me about it that I write fantasy novels. The publication of SEVEN PRINCES represents many years of hard work, commitment and stubborn dedication to one man’s mad vision. Writers are obsessed with their ideas. They have to be.
I also write in the horror and sci-fi genres. Yet fantasy has always been my first love — specifically high fantasy, or epic fantasy, as some folks like to call it. Although the term dark fantasy is also one of which I’m rather fond. A lot of my favorite fantasies are indeed “dark,” and you will find some darkness in every fantasy — if only to provide contrast to the sweetness and light. The murkier the darkness, the brighter the light. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
Seven Days for SEVEN PRINCES: The Significance of the Number 7
by - January 2nd, 2012
There’s something strange about the number 7.
Something mystical. Something downright magical.
Looking back through history, literature, religion, and philosophy, one can see this number coming up again and again – usually with a significant aspect invoking holiness, mystery, power or prosperity.
A few examples:
- In Buddhist mythology the newborn Buddha took seven steps right after he was born, declaring “I alone am the World-Honored One.”
- In Christian mythology the Walls of Jericho fell seven days after seven priests marched around the city seven times with seven trumpets.
- In Islamic mythology there are seven heavens and seven hells. Read the rest of this entry »
author post
SEVEN PRINCES: It’s About Blood
by - December 19th, 2011
Seven Princes - released Jan 2012
So what’s your book about?
Is there any more difficult question for an author to answer? I know I have a hard time with this one. After spending so much time (often years) crafting a novel, living inside the souls of your characters, building the intricate world in which they live, overseeing the progress of an invented history and chronicling the fictional exploits of your literary “children”, it’s hard to encapsulate all the diverse threads of a novel into a single statement.
Yet the market demands a “hook” or “premise” on which any novel can hang its metaphorical hat. After all, if readers don’t know what to expect, why should they even buy the book? Blind faith? Hardly. Word of mouth? Well, that’s the best advertising you can get . . . but consider the irony. If you as the author don’t come up with a satisfying answer to “What’s your book about?” then your early readers and reviewers are going to do it FOR YOU. They’re going to summarize, encapsulate and foreshorten your Massive Undertaking of Artistic Purity to a description worthy of a sound-byte (or at least a Facebook update). So authors are better-off coming up with their own answer to this big question, rather than leaving it up to somebody else to explain.
All of this begs the question: “What is SEVEN PRINCES about?”
If you look at the cover text, SEVEN PRINCES is about war. “An age of legends. An age of heroes. An age of war.” Now that’s a great tag line. It’s engaging, evocative, and it rings with mythic resonance. Ready for more irony?
Here’s the thing: I never considered this book a “war novel” when I was writing it. Yet war itself is definitely one of the themes that drives the characters and the plot. Some characters want to prevent war—they know the red tragedy and the pointless slaughter that it brings—while others actively seek war to prove themselves, to avenge wrongs, or simply as a means of grabbing power. So the concept of war itself is definitely buried in there. There’s even a conversation at one point between two characters who argue about the essential nature of Man as a war-like being. Is Mankind capable of living in peace—true peace—for long? That’s a question that also lies at the heart of SEVEN PRINCES. So yeah, it’s about war. But it’s also about a lot more . . . Read the rest of this entry »
author post
The Hedgewitch Experiment
by - December 9th, 2011
I wrote The Hedgewitch Queen, let’s see, ]mumblemumble[ years ago, in a feverish haze. It started, as so many books do, with a character whispering in my ear. If not for a muddy skirt, a clear, cultured, decorous voice said, I would be dead like all the rest.
Dead…or worse, perhaps.
Of course I had to continue writing to find out what was “worse.” Arquitaine opened around me, and several drafts later (I think this was the book that cemented my faith in my long-suffering beta reader’s patience) I had a novel I was happy with. Well, as much as a writer is ever happy with a draft. We’re inveterate pickers. But I digress.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right time to release it. I was hip-deep in other series, and my editor and agent both agreed that dear Hedgie had to wait. I stuck out my lower lip, pouted a bit, and then got over it and cheerfully agreed. Of such moments are a career in publishing made.
Cut to years later, when my editor at Orbit called my agent. “Does Lili still have Hedgewitch? If so, there’s this opportunity. It’s an ebook-only release.” Read the rest of this entry »
