Tag Archives: aryneth

The Pacing of Plot.

As I plow forward in my desperate attempt to get this latest draft of Serpent in a Cage finished in time for a decent publication date, I find myself obsessing a little too much over certain details. I’ve been a trooper when it comes to pushing aside the doubts and striving forward, if only to finish the first draft and then worry about the details, but one of the issues has been weighing more prominently on my mind, and that is the topic of pace.

For me, especially with fantasy novels, the pacing of a book can make or break it. If a story moves too slow, I lose interest in it. Sometimes, though, a story throws so much at you so quickly that you never really feel a connection. It’s definitely the latter that I’m worried about in SiaC. I’m about four chapters into it, and, in the first three chapters, there’s an awful lot of encounters. Some of those encounters are about to swing back around and turn into bigger plot points, but I’m worried that it’s almost too much at once. Will readers find it irritating to have my characters encounter someone, move on, encounter something else, move on again for another encounter before some it starts to tie together? I hope not, and I’m thinking if it does feel like too much, I can always go back and slow the pace down in the revision, with some other perspectives or whatever else might seem fitting.

That’s just the thing, though, these encounters and how I have them set up all seem fitting. It’s hard to tell from my own perspective. I know a great deal of my inspiration and my wanting to write in the first place is based heavily in video games, mostly role-playing ones such as Final Fantasy and Baldur’s Gate, where encounters are basically imperative to moving the plot forward. But I know a common mistake a lot of authors make is to introduce too many players too quickly, and the wealth of personalities in SiaC has been a common criticism in previous drafts.

Do you find yourself distracted when an author has a fairly quick succession of events to throw at you? Do you wish they’d sometimes slow down? How often do you feel they slow down too much? Just some questions rolling around in my brain. I’m throwing in a chapter from a different perspective, happening in the other part of the book, before returning to the busier point-of-views, so maybe that will help. Although that could also just completely interrupt a perfectly good, steady pace with the others! It’s all such a balancing act and I hope I can just manage to get it right…

Art Nouveau and Aryneth.

One of the most notable after-effects of a trip to the Art Institute is that it never fails to inspire me to try my hand at art again. Now, writing has always been an obvious choice for me. I love it, I’m fairly good at it, I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. However, I’ve also dabbled a little bit in other artistic forays, including drawing and such…nothing much, but I like to think I have a decent enough hand.

Decent enough to produce my own cover art? Probably not. Then again, I’ve been wondering about that recently, in light of seeing some covers out there that easily make me think, “I could do that/better than that,” if I may be so bold. While I’ll most likely turn all my cover art to friends more capable, the thought of at least sketching a draft for them to go off of has crossed my mind, and, heck, maybe with a little work, I could make it good enough myself.

In considering the potential covers for Serpent in a Cage and subsequent Aryneth novels, an interesting thought came to mind. I want something a little unique and different, and, to this point, I had been considering just a really simple, stark design, much like the designs for the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. But that wouldn’t be very different, would it? I got to thinking that I’ve never really seen Art Nouveau style covers for much of anything, much less fantasy novels, and thought that would be such a cool design.

What do you think? I’m a huge fan of art nouveau, though I’ve never tried the style myself. Last night, after my foray into the Art Institute, I got out my pencils and papers, pulled up some reference images on my Kindle, and started to sketch a few potential designs for SiaC. The one I really took to still needs a lot of work, but I’m really stoked about this approach, the cover to SiaC featuring a stunning design with Auferrix and a serpent in a sweeping art nouveau style, not dissimilar from this image.

Do you think this design is a good move? Would you be intrigued by a fantasy cover in this style, or turned off? I know it’s becoming pretty popular to see all sorts of characters done up in art nouveau style (I even own a nouveau Samus Aran shirt). Is it too much of a fad, or is the style classic enough that it can rise above the current popularity? Any thoughts would be welcome. I thought of taking a picture of the sketch so far, but it’s no where near completion enough, I’m afraid.

The Second Asyentai: Let’s Get Political.

Last night, I realized that I’ve been reading an awful lot of political fantasy lately. I’ve got Melanie Rawn’s The Ruins of Ambrai for one, Terry Pratchett’s The Truth for another, and, most influential of all, George R. R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows, which is easily the most political of the Song of Ice and Fire books so far, as the game is changing and everyone’s rearranging their pieces, so to speak. Naturally, being the little writerly magpie that I am, my brain shifted gears and I seized the chance to start up my own political fantasy that I have been developing for a while but have yet to really attempt to put into paper.

Of course, my current Aryneth WIP, Serpent in a Cage, is a little bit political, but that series doesn’t really get to the level of ASoIaF until the later books. I wanted something with conflicting factions and convultuted internal plotting now, so I stepped a little further back in Arynethian history to the Second Asyentai (Locke and Auferrix and crew are the Third Asyentai). These are the unsuspecting chosen ones that were lead on a fate that caused them to bring about the Sealing of the Gods from the world, thus creating a period of turmoil and chaos until we pick things back up a couple thousand years later in SiaC. Sweet Bianca, revolutionary Launce, fierce Katarina, playful Tigaren, serene Seo, and an admittedly unnamed Apylo who we’ll just call mysterious wind up being thrown together as the worlds they knew dissolves around them and they change the entire fate of the planet in the meantime. Much like a ASoIaF book, the narratives will switch between these six strangers as their stories mesh and meld in a big net of intrigue, religion, and maybe even a little romance.

So, please to enjoy the following excerpt, the first page of the new project written last night. I’m really enjoying the tone and the approach so far, so thought on what you think and if you’re eager to see more would be appreciated:

         With her heart heavy and her shoulders sagging, the princess laid the rose down on the glossy surface of the closed casket. Her rose was to be the first of many, and she drew her hand back slowly, wishing to let her fingers linger but for the thorns. She dropped her hand, as well as her head, and sniffled back her tears. Another hand fell on her shoulder and squeeze.
         “Bianca.”
         Startled, she jumped, blinking into the realization that she was not standing over her father’s corpse but was sitting in a rumbling carriage with squeaking wheels instead. The hand on her shoulder belonged to her cousin, Ewyn, who leaned forward to smile at her and pointed her attention out the window. “Look. What a beautiful sunset.”
         The transition from dreams and memory to stark reality was jarring, causing her to stare blankly at Ewyn’s handsome face before she could turn her head away. A deep, angry blush heated her skin, and she hoped no one could notice it in the darkening cabin. It was little wonder they all thought her to be slow and a little bit stupid; they couldn’t truly understand how her thoughts plagued and distracted her constantly. She stared out the window without seeing anything, tightening a fist in her lap.
         “Sunset,” she noted mildly, frowning, the expression knotting in her eyebrows. “So soon? It will be practically midnight by the time we arrive.”
         “The innkeepers will still be most receptive all the same,” Ewyn assured her complacently, “have no worries. The road to Cenmich is long and the proprietors of the Golden Light are accustomed to welcoming their important guests at strange hours due to the journey. They will be pleased to welcome us, Birdie.”
         “I would be pleased not to trouble them,” Bianca stated, frowning at her cousin now in a light attempt to convince him. But she knew that she had lost all respect and conviction the moment someone called her by that little pet name. “If we keep on, we can reach Cenmich by morning all the same.”
         “Wouldn’t it be better to let the horses rest a while?” In the red twilight, Ewyn’s smile was condescending and, she thought, perhaps a little predatory. “That way, everyone will arrive in the village refreshed and ready. It would leave a dismal impression should we present ourselves road-worn and weary, Birdie.”

Not much, as I said, about a page, but I’m intending to compose much more today. I’ve got a good feeling about this one, so here’s to hoping for a steady drive as I continue it! Wish me luck!

Question Time!

So, I’ve seen this on a few blogs. No one tagged me for this, but I wanted to do it anyway. So there. It’s a collection of questions about you as a writer and your latest work in progress, so I thought I’d spend a little idle time and answer there, whether anyone’s interested or not. Because I love these things. Here we go!

What is the working title of your book?
Serpent in a Cage (potentially with The Asyentai Chronicles or The Age of Return involved in there, too)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Sometimes, when you’ve been working on a book for as long as I’ve been working on Serpent in a Cage, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when inspiration struck. The first draft, which was completely and entirely different and nothing like the current incarnation except for the presence of I think two characters (out of a very large cast!), was written when I was in sixth grade, but it was such a different tale then that I don’t even know if I could count it. But, in my mind, the world that SiaC opens up to the world started when I was ten years old, in a memory that’s as vivid with meaning as it is hazy with detail. I hold in my mind traipsing around Mission Creek Woodland Park in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, pretending to be characters from the DragonLance book series, when all of a sudden, the characters started to change a little and become slightly different, and they grew from there into the vast world of Aryneth…A world of my own, a world yet unknown, a world that has stuck with me ever since and hopefully will for a very, very long time.

What genre does your book fall under?
Serpent in a Cage is definitely a fantasy novel, which is still hard for me to unabashedly admit since college tried to get it through my head that genre fiction is bad. I’m tempted to talk about how it’s more character driven with fantastical elements, and that’s true, but, I’m going to put down my foot, toss back my head, and proclaim, “Yup. It’s fantasy. Deal with it.”

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Since the cast of Serpent in a Cage is so large, it would be hard to cast most of them, so I’ll stick with the three main ones. I know, visually, the only ones I have in mind for Locke Mandrake Battarack and Gilferen Allok are models who have questionable acting skills, though one of the Phelps twins could do a good run as Gilferen. For Auferrix Ferrore, I can’t help thinking Frida Pinto would be glorious if it turned out that we can rough her up a bit and make her more bad-ass.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A plot to save a captured princess should be easy enough, but the Battaracks are about to discover a world that goes much, much deeper than they would have ever expected.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published, baby! I always imagined myself trying to traditionally publish the Aryneth series, but now the thought is almost anathema, unless any publishers just happened to want to take it over because it’s doing so awesomely, lol, /dreaming.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The ‘first draft’ in its completed form took me probably about four years to write, from the time I sat down with the new approach and dedicated myself to finishing it. I believe it was completed sometime in 2009 or 2010, and I started to revise it in 2011, only to discover I wanted to completely rewrite it. I’m still working on the second draft, though it’s going quite well. These dates are mostly just guesses; I’m feeling too lazy to look into the actualities of it.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oof. That’s a tough one, since I try my best to keep myself from being comparable to other tales in this genre. I want it to be more like A Song of Ice and Fire, a big sweeping epic, but it’s not (yet). I suppose I could compare it to The Wheel of Time in that there’s the unlikely hero, the big prophesies, etc, etc, but again, I wanted to break the mold with Serpent in a Cage in that the first book is really a pretty simple tale, and it’s not a sweeping epic, though it will be…eventually. In that respect, I’d almost compare it to The Hobbit, in that it’s the little bit that starts up a much bigger thing later on. The style and the structure, though, I think, still lends an awful lot to the DragonLance books that originally inspired it so many years ago.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
You can tell that there have been a great many books to inspire me along this path, and that this book is a long time in the making. But if I had to attribute this book to any one source of inspiration, I would have to say my father. It was through his own love of books, passed down to his eager, starry-eyed daughter, that I was able to discover and embrace this incredible power to create. Thanks, Dad.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Besides the fact that it’s awesome? Aryneth to me is a complete world, fully realized and exceptionally detailed, and I should like to think that it’s a world people will enjoy getting lost in. The characters are all unique, but relateable, on several levels. They’re regular people, in a fantastical world, in an extraordinary situation. To me, that’s what fantasy is all about, and I really hope I’m able to accomplish that feeling of wonder and relateability through Serpent in a Cage and the subsequent epic to follow.

I’m not going to tag anyone for the questions because no one tagged me. I’ll just leave it to whoever wants to talk about their upcoming works to tackle if they so desire!

I am going to take a moment, though, to thank my newest subscribers, Chris Martin and Patti Niehoff! Thanks so much for following!

Character Interview: Locke Mandrake Battarack.

A little while ago, I proposed an idea that would spark up some interest in what’s intended to be my next WIP, Serpent in a Cage. Already, I’ve done a post talking about the geography of the world that SiaC kicks off, but I had mentioned character interviews on the blog where readers can also ask questions and learn more about the story and the world of Aryneth through them. The response was pretty good; a lot of people seemed interested, so this Friday, we’re giving it a shot. We’re starting out with one of the three main characters of Serpent in a Cage, Locke Mandrake Battarack. But before we get to Locke, let me tell you a little bit about him.


Is Marc-André Grondin dark and broody and (most importantly) cheek-bony enough for Locke Mandrake Battarack? I think so! All he lacks is the piercing blue eyes….

So, if you’re a certain age, you’ve probably heard of the Battaracks. If you’re a little younger, maybe you haven’t. In some opinions, the Battaracks were the scourge of Kyano; others found them to be heroes like from the tales of old, marauders traversing the continent from one end to the other, fighting the battles that others would not. Through the years, though, the numbers of the nomadic tribe of warriors began to dwindle; they still remained a significant force, but no where near the legends they were since their inception in the Age of Legend. Always contending with the forces of Gynnocota, Kyano’s largest city-state, one fateful night, the armies of Gynnocota slipped into the nearby Battarack camp and completely massacred what little was left of their factions.

Well, almost completely.

Through a deft maneuver, Lady Serene Battarack was able to entrust her young infant son, Locke, to Knolan Rszbeki, her husband’s right-hand man. Knolan was able to steal into the night with the child safely, as well as with another, Gilferen Allok, whose dying mother requested the man take her son as well. With everyone they knew dead from the bloody massacre, Knolan struggled to bring up two boys in the wilderness and rebuild a life for himself and the all but destroyed Battaracks.

It wasn’t an easy life, but Locke and Gilferen grew up to be quick and resourceful young men, creating a much diminished group of marauders in the spirit of their deceased forefathers. They traveled Kyano, scavenging for jobs and heists, making a meager living for themselves. Now that Locke is a full grown man, though, he’s turning his attention to calling up the glory of the Battaracks of old, to move beyond being mere theives and mercenaries, and rebuilding an empire. It will be a difficult task, though, and, with the addition of a new member, a mysterious Analisian by the name of Jaxson Devoii, the Battaracks are just about to embark on a truly new experience: traveling to the desert continent of Kassir in the hopes to garner prestige in a whole new land. We caught up with Locke the day before their ship was to sail toward this exciting new journey.

Hello, Locke! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us a little. You must be incredibly busy for such a big trip!

L: (he smiles tightly) Busy’s one word for it, I guess. It’s not that we have a whole lot of stuff to pack, though. Most of it’s just the cargo that we’re transporting, and preparing ourselves for how different Kassir will be. I’m not looking forward to the heat. Or the insects. Or the jungles. Or any of it, really.

Yikes. Isn’t there anything you are looking forward to?

L: (he shrugs, avoiding my eyes) Not really. I mean, the whole thing is Jaxson’s idea; if I had the choice, I’d have never taken a job like this, but Knolan insists that it will be good for us. I’m the leader of this group, so what I say should be paramount, but he’s so insistent on it! I guess we can try it and when it doesn’t work, I can reinstate at least a little bit of authority. He acts as though I’m still a boy no bigger than his hip, and that Jaxson is just the thing we need to turn the Battaracks around. But we don’t need Jaxson. We need to be heading toward Gynnocota, figure a way to strike at them in a way that’ll shake this whole continent.

Revenge?

L: (he shrugs again) Something like that. All I know is that the Battaracks have been a part of Kyanese history for longer than most people can remember. What in Hadesari’s Realm are we going to do in Kassir, besides fry our brains and contract some torturous tropical disease? It’s insane, but Knolan, as usual, won’t listen. I guess I’ll have to wait for the stubborn old goat to see it with his own eyes.

Now I feel odd wishing you luck, but I do hope it goes well for you, whatever the outcome. You never know. You could surprise yourself and be very successful in Kassir.

L: I could. But I doubt it. I think that’s something someone like Jaxson will never understand. I don’t even think Knolan understands it, either. But I feel connected to Kassir; I have a history here that runs deep in my blood, and whenever I think about the fact that I’m leaving it, I start to feel it. Right here. (his hand covers his chest) It aches. I just have a bad feeling about this, but I’ll see it through. I’m nearly positive that it’s going to fail, and, when it does, I’ll return and things can get back to the way they were. It isn’t as though I haven’t suffered through mishaps before.

Like what? What would you say was the most challenging thing you’ve faced in your life so far?

L: (he snorts) You mean besides the rigors of every day life? Of trying to ensure that you have food and shelter every day, when you’ve gone so many days without? Every single day is a challenge, L, but that doesn’t stop me. (he chuckles, a bit suddenly) Besides that, I guess the biggest challenge would just be that I’ve got to do it with Gilferen. I love the man as if he was my own brother, but he doesn’t make things easy. Do you realize how many villages we’re not allowed in anymore because of him? I’m pretty sure we could repopulate the Battaracks entirely just by going around and collecting all the bastards he’s put into the bellies of innkeeper’s daughters and milkmaids…

Your words say one thing, Locke, but your grin says something else entirely. I’m pretty sure Gilferen’s not the only one who’s had his hand in those sorts of dalliances.

L: Pretty sure, but you’d be wrong. That’s more Gilferen’s thing; I have other things on my mind.

Surely, there’s had to have been a few beauties to turn your head through all your years of traveling…

L: Of course. I’m not blind. But I’m afraid I lack the fervor in which Gilferen seems possessed. It doesn’t really bother me. There was one girl… (he drifts off, shakes his head) It doesn’t matter, though. I’ve yet to meet anyone that I’ve felt so strongly about to bring her into the Battarack fold. Maybe I’m too picky. If Gilferen had a say in it, we’d have a regular traveling harem. (a pause) If you talk to him, do not mention that. We don’t need to be giving him ideas of what we should be bringing back with us from Kassir.

Don’t worry, I won’t. But I will open up the questions to everyone else, if you don’t mind. Locke, thank you so much for taking the time. I know you’ve got a lot to do before you sail off into the Great Sea, but our audience might have a few questions of their own.

L: (he shrugs) Sure. Go ahead…

And so I open the floor to you, Dear Readers, if you’d like to ask our guest Locke Mandrake Battarack anything at all about himself, his life, and his world*. Before we get into that, I do have a new subscriber to mention, too! Thanks for joining us, Justin Zamora Rodriguez! Good to have you here!

*(General comments, as well as questions that Locke will answer directly, are welcome, too!)

Welcome to Aryneth.

For how absolutely essential and pivotal the world of Aryneth is to my writing and why I became a writer in the first place, it’s a little astonishing how little I talk about it here in this blog. I blame college for that; there was such a strong emphasis on avoiding genre fiction and embracing only hoity-toity contemporary prose that I started to shy away from the bright and vivid worlds I created in my youth to try a hand at more “serious” fiction. As a result, I abandoned too much talk about these fantastical worlds, though they were still held extremely close to my heart. Now that I’m working on finishing and publishing Serpent in a Cage, the book intended to launch the whole Aryneth sagas, it’s time to put on my hiking boots, strap on my backpack, and go journeying through this world again. And I’m bringing you with me.

This will be a series of posts exploring the world of Aryneth, and today’s post will take us through the rich geography of this world, which isn’t too dissimilar from that of our own. A large world, round in shape, made of mostly water and a few plops of land where a remarkable amount of life can blossom and grow. Depending on which lore you follow, some say that Aryneth was created in the image of Earth, even, as a sort of second Earth for a god who feared becoming obsolete and created his own haven. Six continents sit in the Great Ocean like jewels scattered, each with their own unique features, climates, cultures, and cities.

Glaceair: Pronounced Glah-see-air, the northernmost continent is a vast wilderness of ice and snow for most of the year; only the southernmost port cities are blessed to experience a thaw in the warmer summer months. Life in Glaceair is a hard one, and this makes the people who live there strong and durable. Travel between cities is rare, and most people live in walled fortresses and tightly knit communities, though there are large populations who have created civilizations beneath the tall, icy mountains that jut like shining spires from the frozen ground. It is said to be the land of the great tiger, a fierce and dexterous animal that can survive through the harsh winter months thanks to his cunning and his skill. Glaceair is said to be the land of the goddess Wintaer, the loving and nurturing soul with the ever cool and even temperament.

Kyano: Considered the westernmost of the middle continents, Kyano (KEE-ah-no) is a lush, vibrant land laced with rivers, lakes, and mountains. These waterways crisscross through the land like the very veins of the world. Despite the clear and evident borders these rivers and lakes can make, Kyano has always been a land ripe with war and contention. There are disputes for the possession of land and resources, as well as constant feuds between houses and alliances. There are many cities and villages peppering the countryside along the waterways, and Kyano is easily one of the most populated of the six continents. It is the land of the bat, who flies without seeing and works in the cover of night, much like the lords and ladies of Kyano work under the cover of their own machinations. The god most closely tied to this land is the goddess DiraSkyria, which reflects on the constant contention and destruction rippling throughout Kyano.

Laurasia: To the east of Kyano and the southeast of Glaceair lies Laurasia (Lore-ay-SHAH), called the Great Green Continent for its dense forests and wide grassy plains. Laurasia is considered to be one of the most peaceful lands of Aryneth, though some chalk that up to the mere fact that it isn’t as populated as some of the others and the cities are rather spread out. The Hall of the Majani is located in the great fields of Laurasia, and a great deal of farming villages are scattered throughout. It is the land of the hawk, a great, soaring bird that views everything from its lofty heights, descending only when necessary. The goddess associated with Laurasia is, of course, Aerella of the the wind, whose airy nature allows her to move with where the gusts take her.

Analisia: Considered the Jewel of Aryneth for all of its lush foliage and brilliant silks, Analisia (Ann-NAH-lis-see-ah) is the southeasternmost continent, a land of great mystery and beauty. The ancient race of the Reidvyn are said to have originated in Analisia, and this is one of the many reasons why a great spirituality has struck the hearts of most inhabitants of this land. Temples dot the landscape from the tall red cliffs of the eastern mountains to the lush valleys and lakes of the western slopes. It is a land that inspires in most people thoughts of meditation and calm, of brave warriors and an unbreakable code of honor among them. It is the land of art and beauty, home to the spider, who moves so deftly in spinning his web that one does not realize he is caught inside of it until he is already snared. It is also the land of the god Pryston, with his gift of the songs of nature and harmony.

Midacia: On the southwesternmost side of Aryneth lies another continent shrouded in mystery, but, while the mysteries of Analisia are of a great mystical nature, the veil over Midacia (Mid-AH-see-ah) is dark and chilling. Thick forests and dense swamps cover most of the land, while the southern tip is the rocky and inhospitable terrain of the Mekonese race. It is the sort of place that inspires a great deal of superstition and belief in powers well beyond our control. Some call it the Land of the Dead, and not merely because the god most closely associated with Midacia is Hadesari. The moods of its inhabitants are often mirrored in the morose mood of the place, hanging over it like a thick, dense fog. It is the land of the wolf, a restless, wandering creature that calls out to his kind in the night, always searching, always hungry.

Kassir: In the middle of the Great Sea between Midacia and Analisia lies Kassir (KAH-seer), the great Arynethian Desert continent. Though the land is ringed around the shoreline with thick, luscious jungles, the majority of Kassir exists in scorching sands and red rock mountains. Just because the sands are arid does not mean they are without life, especially for nomadic Ana’aek and Ssark tribes. The northern tip of Kassir is “cut off” by the great Red Divide, a wall of rock that opens in a single passage that divides the northern part with the southern, less civilized stretched of land. Considered strange and exotic by most of the other lands, Kassir is a harsh place where only the tough can survive. It is the land of the serpent, lithe and quick, easily hidden until it’s the right time to strike, and many attribute the fierce heat to Kassir’s association with the god Firae, all flames and fire.

Each Arynethian land has its good points and its downsides. Which one seems to call to you the most? Kassir is the setting of Serpent in a Cage, though two out of our three narrators are decidedly Kyanese. Their antagonism toward the land they’ve found themselves in and their desire to return home is one of the main driving points of the plot, while the third narrator decidedly has the heart of Kassir, and that’s the other driving force. The whole Asyentai Cycle is so heavily rooted in a sense of place and home: the Asyentai are supposed to be embodiments of the lands they are destined to rule, and so each of their characters are so inexplicably tied in to the various traits and cultures of their land, so a lot of love and care has been poured into developing this world into a rich, diverse planet of personalities and cultures. I hope it inspires my readers to want to pick up a book and stay in Aryneth for at least a little bit.

Brothers & Sisters.

As I was writing along in the first chapter of The Unknown Scourge yesterday, I realized something interesting. The story was originally conceived as a science fiction revolution type of story, heavily inspired by Final Fantasy VII, which I was playing heavily at the time I thought of the story. It was a tale about corruption in government, about the tragedy that can occur when we try to play gods and bastardize the potentials of science, and about the consequences of economic ruin and losing touch with the earth from which we sprang. Very typical post-apocalyptic sci fi themes. But I realized that underneath all that techno-sciencey-destruction babble, the story is really about family, especially brothers and sisters.

Spare with me for a little bit as I spend a post talking about characters you don’t know about yet (well, those of you who have read Bowlful of Bunnies might recognize a couple of these names). However, hopefully, this will make you want to know them.

So we have a lot of sets of siblings in The Unknown Scourge, both actual and from circumstance, and the first chapter actually has Tobias Gainswellow (you may know him from “Swing”) ruminating about how the relationship between twins Wolfe and Silver MacKlout (there’s another familiar one) reminds him of his brother, Trevor. Then I realized John Jacksonox was in that scene, too, and John also has a brother, but his relationship with Robb is estranged, and the two are actually working against each other. The next chapter introduces us to Maria, though we don’t discover that she’s the little sister of Vice President Redd Scarlett (she still hates me for that name) until a few chapters on, and theirs is another complex relationship between siblings.

And then there’s the more unconventional relationships: Adah (who is actually Wolfe and Silver’s sister) finding sisterhood with Aelah (the name thing was not intentional); Phantalia and the other creations of Dr. Yetomini’s laboratory, and the main focus around four individuals who wind up being genetically tied together and not even realizing it until a big secret is revealed. The more I thought about all these intricacies and relationships (especially when you start getting into how these groups interact with each other in a great big messy web), it really kind of blew my mind.

Maybe this was that key I was searching for to finally unlock the struggle between this book and myself since 1997, when I first started to develop it. Perhaps the sibling relationship, the idea of brothers and sisters and families, is that one theme that I’ve been waiting to realize to elevate beyond just a complex story about technology and science.

It should definitely be interesting to see if this really sparks things, having this new anchor of an angle to explore. Thanks for letting me muse.

RoW80 Update: May 2nd!

“‘A misunderstanding?’ the man barked with disdain. A rough laugh exploded from his mouth. ‘Ha! Because there are so many sticky-fingered pale Northerners in this city to confuse you with. You took the stone, and I want it back.’”

Things are starting to settle slightly back into order for me, though I know it’s going to be short lived. Tomorrow, I’ll be traipsing off to a midnight showing of The Avengers, which should be interesting considering I usually go to bed at ten. Thankfully, the showing is at Hollywood Boulevard, and so there will be booze. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of state I’m in on Friday…

But today, I settle in for my Round of Words in 80 Days update, things are going well. The extra time I’ve been taking to clean up this apartment has been well worth it and much needed, but I’m also doing a great job with my writerly and reading goals as well. Let’s have a look:

Serpent in a Cage: The fighty scene continues to make me wonder if I’m any good at fighty scenes. Probably not. Still forging forward, especially since I got the idea to write myself notes of things I’d like to see in SiaC once I get to typing it, and then I can work on developing those things that I feel would make the book a lot better, but that I usually don’t have the time or energy to add to the story “just right now.” Still, it’s coming along and doing okay. Page count: 67/120.

Bowlful of Bunnies:

I’ve got Betas reading through it, my cover artist sketching, and so it’s mostly a waiting game at this point. I considered going through with more edits, but I want to refresh my brain with a little bit of new stuff before one last go-through.

Book No. 0002: Okay, so….I have come up with an idea that might be a little bit crazy. A lot bit crazy, anyway, and I’m sure a lot of you are going to read this and stamp it as official L.S. Engler insanity. But I mentioned that I wanted to do a sort of NaNoWriMo thing for Book No. 0002 this year, and that I’ll just plug away at words for the month of May and see what I’ve got at the end of it. The problem was that I didn’t know what I wanted to write about yet. A few ideas were floating around in my head, but nothing really solidified itself. So I’ve decided….why not try to write around 1667 words per day on several different books and the one that sticks and develops the most will clearly be the winner? Now, I’m not going to be religious about this. This is mostly an “if I have time” pursuit, but I will be poking at at least one story a day for at least 1667 words. But I figure it could be a great way to test the waters on a lot of different potential books. Right now, I’m working on two, so, by the of the day, I know I’ll be happy with them each at 3334 word each.

I’m….pretty far at the moment on one, but the first one I started a couple of days ago is actually pretty good for the moment. I decided to “officially” start it yesterday, because it’s easier to track where I should be on any given story by just multiplying 1667 by whatever day of the month it is. I still think this is vaguely crazy. I’m not even sure it makes any sense. But I’m really excited to see if I pull it off, or if it just sort of falls to the wayside. Just think of all the new, rich material I’ll have composed if it does work!

The 100 Books Project: I’ve got one book finished in the wings, ready for review, and I’m 100 pages away from finishing the 700+ book for April. So this is going very, very well. I’m getting back into the habit of reading before bed, and that’s getting quite a lot of pages done! Books read: 15/100. (4/38 for this round)

Other Novels: Chapter One of To Cross a River of Blood opens with my main character tossing his cookies over the side of a ship. Awesome. I also found an old copy of a start to the book that follows TCaRoB, too, so I might start poking at that. Part of my brain is all, “FINISH JUST ONE BOOK OF THIS SERIES FIRST!” but most of my brain resoundingly answers it with, “AHAHA, NO.”

So, there you have it. A quick little look-see into how my goals are going. I talked to my dad on the phone today, and I mentioned Bowlful of Bunnies (we got on the topic of his broken Kindle and his new iPad for work), and he jokingly threw out that he’d have fifty bucks in it for me if I had it out by the end of June. I told him I planned on having it ready at the end of May, so I guess I’ll find out then if he’s going to let me hold it to him! Ha! Anyway, be sure to check out my fellow RoWers here and happy writing!

RoW80 Check-In: April 11th!

“With her hands folded demurely in front of her, she almost looked like some exotic doll on a shelf, but there was steel in her dark grey eyes.”

It’s Wednesday, which means time for another RoW80 check-in, but it doesn’t quite feel like my typical Wednesday. It hasn’t exactly been a typical week for me. I’ve got the weekend off to traipse off to ComicCon with some friends, which means the days I usually have off (Monday and Wednesday) are filled with what I’d be working on the weekend. So that means I haven’t had as much writing time as usual, so I haven’t made much headway on any of my goals since Sunday. Which is okay, because that’s how life goes and I’ll have some time this weekend instead, but it makes for a pretty boring update. But you’re going to get one anyway. Neener neener.

Bowlful of Bunnies: “Black Stones” is finished and I feel much better about it now, so it’s joined the line-up of finished stories. This morning, I made a breakthrough on the first Closing Lines challenge story and that should be finished soon to add to it. I’m still waiting to hear back from a few other pieces and I’ve been slacking off on contacting cover artists, but, for the most part, things are looking pretty good for the collection! Next week, I really want to start getting the heavy stuff worked out, contacting beta readers and getting a cover started. But not until after this weekend, omg. Stories completed: 11/20.

Serpent in a Cage: I managed to….finish one page of this piece since Sunday. ROCKSTAR! But, hey, every little bit counts, right? But I’ve just recently started the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire, which always leaves me salivating and wanting to work on my Aryneth stuff, so I’m sure this will pick up again soon. Page count: 63/100.

The 100 Books Project: As I’ve said in the past, there’s always time for reading. I’m almost finished with a book, so I plan to complete that before bed tonight, and then another will bite the dust and it’s time to pick up a new one. I swear, I think starting a new book is half of the reason finishing a different book is so exciting. Books read: 12/100. (1/38 for this round).

Other Novels: You can bet that if I haven’t had much time for BoB and SiaC that the other books haven’t really been touched.

Book No. 002: See above. Wah-wah-waaaaah.

And that’s all she wrote for this check-in. Sunday should be much more eventful. But have no fear. There are more RoW Updates to read here! Please swing by and offer support to my fellow RoWers as well. Until next time, cowboys. Happy writing!

And I of course have to take a moment to thank Jody and Moths to a Flame for following the blog! Welcome aboard, guys! Good to have you here.

The Raging Feminist.

Though it isn’t by any means a recent trend, the cult of the Raging Feminist has come to my attention a lot lately, mostly due to the recent love of A Song of Ice and Fire in my apartment right now. As a series with a good deal of sex, rape, whoring, abuse, etc, etc, etc (and, thank you, HBO, for the unrelenting nudity to help things along), it’s a field day for the Raging Feminist. Though my roommate and I are the self-proclaimed “worst feminists ever” (because we believe in true equality, that being girly or sexual is okay sometimes, and lovingly call each other demeaning names instead of more traditional greetings), I can see where these critics are coming from in pointing out that rape, abuse, and the demeaning of the role and the power of a woman is wrong. However, it baffles me how one can claim that books that have these sorts of things in them are necessarily promoting or glorifying them. To me, the whole point of all these terrible things (which also happen to men…no one is safe in a world like this) is that the world of Westros (or any other world in a series like that) is in a state of chaos, self-destruction, and decay, partly because of all these horrible things, this lack of respect and civil behavior, of these games being played and people becoming mere pawns on the greater scale of things. This is not a world we are meant to emulate; even the “good guys,” like Eddard Stark, have fatal flaws that lead to terrible things. In a way, it’s a cautionary tale, not a reflection on what we should strive for in society, unless what we’re striving for is a clusterfuck of political gains and personal vendettas and just being all-around terrible to each other.

But that’s just my opinion. I realize that much of George R.R. Martin’s world reflects our own, as well, even more reason to pay attention to the fact that these things are not good for the characters in this fantasy world, so they’re not good for reality, either. Good fantasy…and science fiction…and any genre, for that matter, reflects something in society that we can relate to. It holds a mirror to reality, and sometimes, we don’t like what we see, but that has more to do with the world around us or ourselves than it does the author or his creation itself.


Super-girly and still kick-ass. Image swiped from this forum.

I’ll be the first to admit that my Feminism radar might be a little off…but I’ll forever insist that it’s off in a good way. I was raised by my father, with two brothers; though my aunts, my mom, and later my stepmom were always around to help out, I never really had a female figure that I really latched on to. I was tomboyish in one way, running around the farm with my brothers, playing with all their Star Wars, He-Man, G.I. Joe trappings….but I also had a lot of the trappings of a girly childhood, too. I took great pride in my Barbie collection, the largest of all the girls I knew. Polly Pocket hung out with Mighty Max. When given the choice of working on the farm or upkeeping the house, I chose the household (because, I’m sorry, when given the choice between cooking or a barnful of calves with scours…I don’t think anyone could blame me). It’s true, there were more male characters in my life than female ones, but I never felt a lack of female aspirations, either. I had Princess Rosella, Princess Eilonway, Princess Leia and Gadget. I had Jasmine and Laurana and Tenel Ka. And The Babysitters Club, ha! I didn’t need a plethora of kick-ass females to look up to. I just needed ones who were exceptionally kick-ass, and those who didn’t fit the bill just fell under my radar as unworthy. And I could create my own, too. Sure, I was a ballerina, but I also listened to heavy metal. I was a cheerleader, but I was also the first female on our wrestling team and the first female tuba player at my small school. Just because I enjoyed these “trappings” of femininity did not reduce my ability to be a strong, powerful woman. It diversified me, and I suppose that’s my biggest gripe about the Raging Feminist who believes that just because pink is a pretty color that looks good on me, I must be a poor feminist. Just because I like men to be kind and gentlemanly and do little nice things for me and because I have a fondness for princesses does not make me weak and under the influence of the patriarchal rulings of our society.

This rant has a point, I promise. This delving into the Raging Feminist as of late naturally has me curious as to how that group will take to my own works and my own creations. It’s a little arrogant to believe it would make that much of a difference, perhaps, but it’s also a little upsetting to think about how I might be perceived. Because the Raging Feminist only confirms the theory that got me through college: if you look for something hard enough, you can find it, on the sheer power of your ability to bullshit and construct a convincing argument out of a few pieces. Artists and writers can easily construct anything they’d like out of just a few unsubstantial scraps. Will I, for example, be criticized for my choice to abbreviate my name and use that to write under? How often will it be assumed that I write by “L.S.” because it’s gender ambiguous, or, at the very least, it’s not obviously female and so it’s considered that it will sell better? I chose to write as L.S. Engler rather than Laura Engler or any other variation of name not because it hides my gender, but because it calls up the same cadence and feel of my favorite writers, C.S. Lewis. T.S. Eliot. Oh, but those are both men….there’s another one for the Raging Feminists, though it is honestly a purely aesthetic, rhythmic, poetic choice… I hate to think that, should Serpent in a Cage ever gain the popularity I wish for it, that the plight of Auferrix Ferrore and everything she does to rise through her throne is diminished merely because the person who rescued her from her bonds was a man. That I’m promoting misogyny because I have characters who rape and abuse or (God forbid) find women to be sexy. That I don’t support the strength of a woman because I have a character who is perfectly content in being a wife or a mother or falling in love with a man. That all the representations of a strong female will be overshadowed by the attempts to not just make a caricature out of my characters, but in the effort to reflect a real, solid world where things are not black and white, where there is feminine strength to be found in many characters, as well as feminine weakness. Where being girly can be just as noble as being kick-ass. Where there are bad things that happen and good things, and it’s much deeper than one interpretation.

Yes, Auferrix might need someone to help her escape. It could have easily have been another woman, but it just so happened to be a man. And then she stands up on her own two feet and take the throne that was rightfully hers. Does the fact that she had a man (several men, for that matter) to help her diminish her success? I certainly don’t think so, but it makes me a little sad to think that there are some people who would suggest that it does.

I’d also like to take a second to thank my latest followers for subscribing to the blog, karmicangel and GJ Scobie! Welcome aboard, guys! Great to have you along.