Rain Falls on Malora

Rain Falls on Malora is now out, in both ebook and paperback.

This short story collection spans the entirety of The Malora Octet, from Mirren Kelta's story halfway through the Mayfly Requiem timeline to Sora Thula's story sixty years after Arrow of Entropy. Rain Falls on Malora expands the narratives of established characters such as Lucienus, Solace, Rabbit, and Vutan, as well as introduces new characters, including two of Bethel's children from the millenniums between Shadows of Absolution and Sand into Glass. I don't recommend reading any stories that correspond to books you haven't read yet because there is a lot of revealing information within them, both spoilers for the books and connections or events that were always in my notes but didn't make it into the final versions of the books.

I've also included character illustrations (color in the ebook, b&w in the print), and a selection of appendices that includes a Volle-Common translation dictionary and family trees (incomplete because one particular character shows up in multiple locations and makes it difficult to draw the trees by hand).

I started working on The Malora Octet in 2003, when I had an unexpected burst of inspiration between my junior and senior years of college and wrote the first half of The Crystal Lattice. I didn't finish that first draft for several years, but when I did, I knew I had to write more. Although I don't think I'll ever truly leave the first world I created, I think I'm finally done writing in it.

Whose Story is This, Anyway?

My Maloran imaginary friends are still bouncing around my mind, especially when I sleep. My narrators aren't typically my favorite characters in the books, but they certainly are the loudest. Four of the books are told in first person, one is mixed first and third because Isen is relating Bethel's side of the story in addition to her own, and the six perspectives in the Echoes of Oblivion trilogy are third person.

Mayfly Requiem 

Lani - Mayfly is Lani's journal, a confession of over 2,500 years of his history. He is a fallen Aulor, a biologically immortal Time Child who both observed and participated in the rises and falls of the continent of Malora over his lifetime. He is the twin brother of the Aulor Dia and the son of Aucra and Eryagloris, Time and Stars. Lani is a romantic poet at heart and his narrative style reflects that.

Echoes of Oblivion trilogy

The Abyssal Night, Shards of Chaos, The Shattered Veil

Sevilen Achara - Sevilen is the younger brother of Rastaban Eryaucra, the tyrannical King of Ganebra. He begins the trilogy as a bookish eighteen year old and soon finds himself in a position of apparent power he can't escape from. He is gifted in both linguistics and swordsmanship, is fiercely protective of the people he loves, and is still trying to figure out how to deal with his narcolepsy.

Rhodren Briarwind - Rhodren is also eighteen at the beginning of the trilogy. He grew up in the green city of Heren, Maritor, and is the only child of a baker named Sharo Briarwind. He is finicky and often self-centered, but he occasionally also manages to be charismatic and compassionate. He has auditory-tactile synesthesia, a sensory quirk that is strange to everyone else even though it is his normal.

Ember - Ember is a Geophorian fire priest from the temple city of Reedwater, Anor. She begins the trilogy at age twenty-three. Like most fire priests, she is impulsive and destructive, but her inferno soul is cooled and balanced by her wind priest husband, Moth. She was found abandoned in the swamp as a newborn so has no knowledge of her parentage.

Lirit Narsimor - Lirit is the ten year old daughter of Lucienus Narsimor, a member of the King's Council. Her family belongs to Ganebra's privileged ruling class. She is an aspiring stage actress who, like all members of her social class, was taught to blindly revere and obey the King.

Tikaari Starsinger - Tikaari is a Tenjeri, the race of fox-like people who mostly live in the northern regions of the world. She is the mate of Seya and the mother of Miya, Theta, and Saruza. The Tenjeri were inspired by the Japanese kitsune.

Aridani Eryaucra - I won't give much away about Aridani since his perspective doesn't begin until Shards of Chaos. He's a scatterbrained dreamer with an interesting magical ability, and his point of view offers a new perspective on Rastaban.

Shadows of Absolution

Isen Layel - Isen is a ranger of the Baku, a post-cataclysmic community of mountain dwellers founded by the earth priests Thora Achara and Onyx. She is the daughter of ranger Lusa Layel and earthworker Zoli Achara. At the onset of her story, Isen is drowning in a fathomless ocean of depression after losing the man she loved. She is a strong, intelligent young woman whose talent for wilderness survival piques the interest of the Aulor, Bethel.

Bethel Masiona - As far as Aulors go, Bethel is a young one, just over 100 years old. He survived the cataclysm sixty years prior and is now watching his children and his friends grow old and die while he remains physically around thirty. He has spent the years since the fall on a quest to find any remaining Tenjeri survivors and is now collecting a small group of people to take across the ocean and into the wilderness of a new continent in pursuit of the legendary Tenjeri city of Trieskel. Bethel's lingering regrets are busy trying to drag his sanity into the Abyss.

Sand into Glass

Arden Masiona - We meet Arden about 7,800 years after the Fall of Ganebra, when the humans of Malora (now called Melor) have split into multiple races due to Aulor/Elemental interference and isolation. The youngest child of the Aulor Bethel Masiona is a gifted materials scientist with an explosive rage that has now landed him in a Drey prison awaiting trial for a murder he isn't certain he committed. Arden's mother is an Efi, a member of the race of long-lived forest guardians who live mostly in the western wilderness of the continent, and Arden's Aulor blood gives him additional longevity, so he is 407 years old when his story begins.

The Crystal Lattice 

Tesji Brier (Thula) - Tesji is a young half-Efi elementalist mage who was raised by his eccentric, reclusive grandfather Janakei Brier in the Efilon Wilderness village of Tiponia. He is both charismatic and socially awkward, a combination that renders him an outcast as a child and eventually leads to a career as a bard as he travels across Melor in pursuit of the locations that haunt his dreams and nightmares. Tesji is the eldest of my novel-dwelling imaginary friends since I wrote his story first, so he's quite special to me despite his excessive alliteration and tendency to exaggerate.

Arrow of Entropy

Zella Thula - Shy, serious, analytical light mage Zella is a contrast to her often-flamboyant father, Tesji, and her outgoing siblings, Sora and Ellis. After Bethel refuses to take her on as an Emergent student, she ends up under the guidance of Rassa, an Aulor whose ancient curse was broken forty-two years earlier. Zella loves physics, reading, and music, and she's much stronger than she believes she is.

My short story narrators can be found here.

...and, now here's a little teaser narrator from what will be my next book, which is set in Northeastern Michigan in the late 1990s. I don't have a title for this book yet, but it will come to me eventually. I'll let this narrator do their own introduction.

Casey Tallis - "I'm not one of the cool kids. I'm not a goth or a jock or one of the pretty ones. I'll never be popular. I'm the dork who plays trombone in the marching band and is two years ahead of everyone else in math. I have Science Olympiad medals on my bedroom wall, hanging off a hook I made in the blacksmithing shop at a Renaissance Festival. I watch The X-Files and Star Trek: Voyager instead of Friends and I still miss SeaQuest. I don't like pop music and I spend my weekends either reading or playing Dungeons & Dragons with the other dorks. I once fell out of a pine tree and sprained my ankle while pretending to be a halfling rogue. I don't want to be one of the cool kids. I want to be me. I won't apologize for being me."

Short Stories from Malora

Arrow of Entropy is in the hands of beta readers, so I'm waiting for them to dissect and shred my weird little upside down story. (Update: I published this baby in August, 2015.) I guess my brain isn't ready to completely move on yet. I'm backtracking because I have all these little characters and bits of history that didn't make it into my books because there wasn't an appropriate place for them. They are now becoming short stories, which I will eventually amass into a collection titled Rain Falls on Malora. I have some concrete ideas for these stories, and I expect others to pop out of nowhere and demand to be written, like the one I wrote about Aunfrey.

I'd love to hear reader ideas. Who or what would you like to read more about? I'll list what I already have completed, conceptualized, and requested below, broken down by era (though some of them are between books instead of during). I'll edit the list as I think of or write more.

List updated 9/3/17

Mayfly Reqiuem
Nova - reader suggestion
Mirren Kelta - early High Commander of the Ganebran Army immediately following the Mage Wars.  (story completed)
Delora Faradel Narsimor - Lucienus's mother, just before they met Lani. (story completed)
Ariana Achara - this little vignette is directed toward three-year-old Rassa. (story completed)

The Abyssal Night
Aunfrey Tasarian Aloret - Sevilen's wet nurse and primary caregiver during his first couple years of life. (story completed)
Summer Aulani -Tempo's wife in Cascades. She never made a physical appearance in the books but she was mentioned in Shadows of Absolution (story completed and yikes, this one is devastating)
Rain - The Geophorian weather priest meets with Dawn in a Ganebran border city. (story completed)
Sharo Briarwind - Sharo and young Rhodren are visited by two other members of the Briarwind family (story completed)
Rastaban Eryaucra - three journal entries from when he was 17-19, attempts at getting his thoughts out of his head so he could dispose of them. (story completed)
Mirazen Keltau - Moth was 15 when his father came to see him in Reedwater, Anor. (story completed)

Shards of Chaos
Aurelien Dirus - age 14, hiding from Geophorian hunters in Rimara. (story complete)

The Shattered Veil
Solace Achara - about a year after The Shattered Veil. (story completed)

pre-Shadows of Absolution
Maple Briarwind - Rabbit's wife, one of the founders of Efilon (in progress)
Holly Thula - reader suggestion
Zoli Achara - Zoli and his mother, Thora, search for hope in a wasteland. (Story Completed)

Interlude
Ulali Masiona - halfway between Shadows of Absolution and Sand into Glass, Ulali travels into the wastelands, to Corvus Rift far beyond the northern peaks of Gainai, in search of her father, Bethel. (story completed)
Laira Masiona - Bethel's half-Toli daughter ends up in places she didn't expect while learning to control her magical ability (story completed)

Sand into Glass
Sonara Masiona - this one was a reader request. Out of Arden's three half-Mero siblings, Sonara is the one I revealed the least about even though she ended up having a vital role in his story.
Azfadel Thula - I'm thinking either around the time when he leaves Tiponia to go to Vanora or his early friendship with Arden.

The Crystal Lattice
Bralt Achay
Lorena & Valosa Masiona - Theron's wife and youngest daughter
Exi Achay's emergence - Exi has a connection to Bralt and Terali, but I'll let you guys learn about it in Arrow. Her emergence would have taken place during the Lattice era, so that's why I stuck it here instead of under Arrow. (story completed)

Arrow of Entropy
I won't detail these since not many people have read Arrow yet...
Senna and Varadi
Eliani Gira  -  Vutan's exile from Stixa (story completed)
The Liefen coup
Saskia and Cantha - this one would be post-series and would go into Inga culture in a little more detail.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any ideas for me.

I also recently wrote a totally-unrelated short story that I submitted for consideration in a Halloween anthology. My beta readers loved it so if it doesn't get picked, I'll post it here on my blog. (Update: "They" was chosen for the anthology, Trick or Treat: A Collection of Spooky Stories, which can be found on Amazon in both e-book and paperback editions)

Giveaway Time!

Don't you love the mystery a never-before-opened book offers? Those crisp pages have the potential to take you anywhere with anyone and all you have to do is read them, no travel reservations required.

I have five signed copies of Shadows of Absolution to give five lucky readers on Goodreads! This is my favorite book so far in the series, but it has been read the least so I'm trying to find good homes and a little love for it. Shadows falls fifth in the Malora series, but it works well as a stand-alone book so it isn't necessary to read the first four (Mayfly Requiem and the Echoes of Oblivion trilogy) to appreciate it.

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Shadows of Absolution
     
     

          by Courtney M. Privett
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends August 21, 2013.
         
         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         
     
   
   

      Enter to win

Home

(This essential oil recipe was originally posted on my vegan recipe blog.)

While I was waiting for some rice to cook I had the urge to mix an essential oil blend that approximates the smell of the Michigan forest I spent most of my childhood in. Some of the scents I added aren't actually found in those woods, but they balanced the scents that were found there to create something invoking memories of of my little world of forts and wandering. It has inspired a little creativity for me, so I think I'll be using it in a diffuser while I work on Sand into Glass. It summons a bit of my childhood, but it also is how I imagine Bethel's Yolane Forest smelling. This is a sensory piece of both Arden's youth and Bethel's exile.

I often use physical props as inspiration while working on my books. I created a runestone set to help me through Shadows of Absolution. Sand into Glass got a set of divination cards that are used by Counselor Corundum and now I have a second sense to add to the visual. I'll have to create a blend that's a little more fiery for Arrow of Entropy.

"Home" Essential Oil Blend

40 drops lavender
25 drops cedarwood
15 drops clary sage
10 drops fir needle
10 drops frankincense
2 drops pine

Mix all essential oils in a 5ml glass vial. Use with a carrier oil in a diffuser when you want to be transported to a northern forest.

Smashing!

It took me four days, but I finally have reformatted all five books and uploaded them onto Smashwords. I've been meaning to do this ever since my KDP Select expired, but ran into a string of illnesses and a lack of energy. The books are currently pending review for the premium catalog, so hopefully they'll pass all the formatting requirements and be available at other retailers soon. For now, you can buy the ebooks at either Amazon or Smashwords and the print copies at either Amazon or CreateSpace.

Ebooks on Amazon:

Mayfly Requiem

The Abyssal Night

Shards of Chaos

The Shattered Veil
Shadows of Absolution

Ebooks on Smashwords:
Mayfly Requiem

The Abyssal Night
Shards of Chaos
The Shattered Veil
Shadows of Absolution

So, what's next? Well, a couple of things. I ordered a couple paperback copies of one of the books to run another Goodreads giveaway. It starts on the 19th, so  watch out for that. I also made up some nice little business cards to hand to all the random people I speak to in random places about my books. Those should be in my hands soon. Mostly, though, I just need to get over this infernal cold so I can finish writing Sand into Glass. I hope it doesn't break my laptop again. I also have been working on my vegan cooking blog a bit.

Order and Chaos

I am often asked the intended reading order for my series. Some people choose to read Mayfly Requiem first, but frankly, it can be a little difficult if they haven't read the trilogy first. Lani is a narrator with a lot on his mind and a sometimes-archaic vocabulary. When you've read the trilogy first, it is easier to see how the history and characters fit together in the overall scope of the world. The series is still enjoyable when read out of order (except the trilogy, which wouldn't make sense out of order), but your perception of them may be altered.

None of my books fit neatly into the epic fantasy genre. There are no dragons, vampires, elves, or werewolves, no absolute good or evil. I merge elements of philosophy, dystopia, and superhero fantasy with memoirs, adventures, and hostile takeovers by ambitious leaders. I create my own creatures such as the winged scavenger rychan, the forest guardian ketrow, the jungle-dwelling aerfen, and the civilized and fox-like Tenjeri.

The recommended order of reading is as follows:

1. The Abyssal Night (Echoes of Oblivion #1)

2. Shards of Chaos (Echoes of Oblivion #2)

3. The Shattered Veil (Echoes of Oblivion #3)

4. Mayfly Requiem

5. Shadows of Absolution

The Echoes of Oblivion trilogy is the story of two brothers, one whose ambition may destroy the world and the other who has always been caught in a shadow but still searches for a light. Meanwhile, the Geophorians, a culture of priests with superhero-like powers, is being systematically exterminated because of a culture of fear created by the older brother and his ancestors.

Mayfly Requiem is the prequel to the trilogy and reveals several intersecting characters and historical events (the creation of Ganebra, the Mage Wars, and meetings with younger versions of Lucienus, Tordian, and Faraban). It is the confession of a fallen immortal named Lani, a Time Child sent to Malora along with his twin to act as a sentinel for the Elements. Since this book covers 2,500 years of Lani's history, it can be a bit unwieldy, but it is much more manageable when viewed as a series of short stories, each depicting a different era in Lani's life.

Shadows of Absolution takes place about sixty years after The Shattered Veil. It is the story of a young woman who thinks she has nothing left to live for and how the Time Child Bethel helps her find a purpose. I describe it as a post-apocalyptic epic fantasy adventure and occasional coming-of-age love story. The love story aspect is quite unconventional, but I'll let you discover why on your own.

I have three more books in various stages of writing and planning to follow the first five. They make up a loose trilogy spanning 4,500-5,100 years after the original five books and the first should be out in 2013. Each book is told by a different character in three consecutive generations of post-human Malora, now called Melor. The first is told by the glassmaker Arden, the troubled youngest son of Bethel. The second is told by Tesji, an awkward elemental mage on an adventure while his dreams call for destruction. The third is told by the reclusive light mage Zella as Oblivion begins to wake.

The work-in-progress Emergence trilogy is:

1. Sand into Glass

2. The Crystal Lattice

3. Arrow of Entropy

I'll leave you with that for now. My laptop is in need of repair for a loose power jack so I'm about to be briefly sidelined again.

Free to Good Homes

Because this too-warm autumn air is making me a little bit crazy and my readers are awesome, I've decided to run a pair of books as free promos this week. Shadows of Absolution and Mayfly Requiem will both be free to download Wednesday through Friday, October 24-26! So, download them, read them, and leave me a review on Goodreads or Amazon to let me know what you think. I've been neglecting my wordy babies in favor of a teething human baby lately so I could use a favorable kick to get me back on track.

 

The Web

The Web is the deity hierarchy of the Malora universe. There are fourteen primary Elements and many minor ones. Humans cannot see or interact with most of the Elements, but Tenjeri and some members of the Aulor-descended races can.

A note on Elemental merging: It would seem the Elements are inbred, and in a way, they are. This is often found in world mythology. 

“The Elements of the Web are not people, Velocity,” Verity explained. “They are Elements and merging for them is like creating new colors by blending paints and pigments. Inquisitive child, there is nothing sinister about that when it pertains to the immortal Elements." - from Mayfly Requiem

The Web

Eryagloris (Stars) - One of the center points of the Web, Eryagloris is thought of by Lani as more paternal and caring than the other Elements, possibly because he spends more time watching humans than the others. He manifests as a pale man with indigo hair and eyes. Temple city is Starfall.

Aucra (Time) - Eryagloris' mate is constant and unforgiving. She holds grudges for eternity and occasionally plays games involving mortals. She manifests as a young woman with red hair and gold-flecked blue eyes. Like Lani, her voice is rhythmic and verging on monotonous. She is often seen not as Eryagloris' equal, but above him and at the very center of the Web. Temple city is Meridian.

Omalara (Ocean) - Daughter of Aucra and Eryagloris. She is as turbulent and changing as her element, and can slip from kindly to raging in response to a touch of wind or cloud that is not to her liking. She often chooses to manifest as a water-toned Watersinger. Patron Element of the Mero and all mariners. Temple city is Wavecrest.

Aumua (Desert) - Son of Aucra and Eryagloris. Arden Masiona describes him as "Aumua crept into my mind like lingering sand after a swim in the ocean." Aumua brings a cloud of sand with him wherever he ventures and can transcend space in a similar manner to the Aulor Bethel. He is the patron of glassmakers, and has taken several mortals on as his apprentices. He is the creator of Dunewind and the Vin people, is the co-creator of the Thulan, and has a tenuous alliance with the Marglor (sand spirits). He manifests as a sandy-haired, tan-eyed man who cannot escape his cloud of dust and sand. Temple city is Dunewind.

Rima (Sky) - The androgynous child of Aucra and Eryagloris can become male, female, or anywhere in between depending on mood. Rima manifests as a slight person with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Rima's Kiedran equivalent is Palas. Temple city is Skyspire.

Affaji (Tundra) - Son of Aumua and Omalara. Affaji generally dislikes humans and holds a great hatred for Rassa, but he greatly respects Bethel. He created the Tenjeri and is able to interact with them, and later with the Masai. He employs winged wolves (Grikashk). He manifests as a tall Tenjeri with white hair and silver eyes, and the sound of bells follows him. Temple cities are Northwinds on Malora and Trieskel on Rikulon.

Velatari (Rain) - The son of Rima and Omalara is universally described as "boring" by anyone he has come into contact with. However, he is the focus of the epic poem Sing to Samiaya, the most acclaimed piece of Tenjeri literature in the world. He has been referred to many times in the Malora Series, but has yet to make a physical appearance. Temple city is Palmshore in the southern rainforests of Kira.

Maldalo (Plains) - Also known as "The Lifegiver", Maldalo is the daughter of Aumua and Rima. She is the bringer of the harvest and the patron Element of the nation of Maritor. She manifests as a human woman with golden hair, rich brown skin, and blue eyes, hearkening to the wheat, the soil, and the sky. She often walks the fields of Maritor, unseen by humans. Temple city is Fruithill.

Samiaya (Aurora) - Daughter of Rima and Eryagloris. Samiaya is beautiful, but elusive and inaccessible to many who prefer a warmer climate. She manifests as a teenager with bright, color-shifting hair. Temple city is Icelight.

Aksuvian (Mountains) - Son of Rima and Maldalo. Aksuvian is gruff in manner, but generally harmless unless you venture too close. He manifests as a middle-aged gentleman with gray hair and eyes. Patron Element of the Baku and the Drey. Temple city is Nighthollow.

Faloway (Forest) - Daughter of Maldalo and Velatari, twin to Sepitira. Faloway walks the forest much like Maldalo wanders the plains. She is jealous and unforgiving of those who maim her trees. She harbors a long-standing feud with Affaji. She has not yet made a physical appearance in the Malora Series. She is the patron Element of the Efi. Temple city is Moonhaven.

Sepitira (Wetlands) - Daughter of Maldalo and Velatara, twin to Faloway. Patron Element of the delta country of Anor. She has not appeared in the Malora series. Temple city is Reedwater.

Metalis (Rivers) - Daughter of Aksuvian and Maldalo. Metalis deeply loathes Bethel and advocates his death. She has not yet made a physical appearance in the Malora Series. Temple city is Riverbottom.

Uadiamore (Sound) - Son of Velatari and Samiaya. Uadiamore manifests as a chestnut-haired, dark-eyed young man (not the silver-complected infant depicted in Sing to Samiaya). Like Affaji, the sound of bells follows him. Temple city is Cascades.

Outliers

Paradox - No one is sure where Paradox came from. He is a mate of Rima and has been imprisoned by Aucra for many eons.

Kairen (Metamorphosis) - The androgynous trickster child of Rima and Paradox. Kairen usually manifests as a color-shifting creature vaguely reminiscent of an owl, but has been known to take human form to procreate with humans. Kairen makes a game of influencing people and even Aulors to do things they normally wouldn't. He is often imprisoned by Aucra, but just as often escapes or survives his own execution.

Taiga (Boreal Forest) - Son of Faloway and Affaji. Patron Element of the Masai following his release from Aucra's Elemental prison. Affaji claimed there are over thirty Elements on the Web, but little has been revealed of the outliers beyond the core fourteen.

Sebelra (Oblivion) - The sleeping abyss is the counterpart of Eryagloris and Aucra, the void between the stars. He sleeps on unaware of his own existence while the universe grows and shifts around him. Sebelra is the only thing Aucra truly fears, especially now that he is on the edge of waking from his calm dream world. Bethel long-believed that Oblivion's soul lived in Rassa, but Affaji confirmed Bethel's assumption as an error, so the abyss still sleeps for now. When Oblivion wakes, the universe will know.

Laatulya (Redemption) - this fallen Aulor is the guardian of the Evergreen Abyss, the underworld that receives the souls of the damned upon their deaths. Laatulya appears as a heavily scarred young man in a ragged robe. His physical condition depends on how recently Aucra has repaired him. He is frequently abused by Aucra to the point where many of his senses are stripped away, but his mind is still mostly intact. He is tasked to relive the crimes of the damned along with them, but he has never been very good at his job.

Aspects

Aulors - Time Children, the human-like offspring of Aucra and Eryagloris. They are the sentinels of the Web, sent to the world in human form to watch and interpret between cyclic cataclysms. As of the beginning of Arrow of Entropy, six Aulors have been named. They exist only in pairs, and are biologically immortal, locked in time as young adults.

Morazend - Wind spirits, volatile and vicious. "The Morazend are infinite in number, the zephyrs on the wind. They are the ones who howl through the trees and against the windows during storms. We shall not invoke them either, for they are volatile and wrathful." - from Mayfly Requiem. There is one example in the series of a Morazend soul in human form.

Thulan - The Phoenix is believed to be the offspring of Eryagloris and Aumua. Only one exists at a time and the Thulan can be born into any sentient race. Examples have existed all across history and have been included as characters or referenced in every book of the Malora Series. Upon a great upheaval, altruistic action, or turning of events, the Thulan becomes self-aware and transcends into an elemental form. The Thulan dies in this form and is born again in a new body. The Thulan's primary responsibility is to illuminate the world, either through destruction or through bringing light, depending on what is needed.

Velador - "The Velador are the children of water, a trio of many-fanged creatures concocted by Omalara, Velatari, and Metalis to avenge any who might unjustly fall dead into the waters of the world." - from Mayfly Requiem

Dacibrega

I've been sketching a couple of my characters over the past several days. I wasn't sure where this one was going at first, but I soon found myself staring at the troubled, androgynous Dacibrega. Daci is a twenty-six year old mage Bethel rescued in Amanor six years before the start of Shadows of Absolution. However, Bethel was not prepared for the reality that Dacibrega never wanted to be rescued. He was a willing sacrifice, and never considered the possibility of a life beyond his twentieth birthday.

Dacibrega

When he finally emerged, he was a different person. Dacibrega was his new name, and metal, especially mercury, was his element. He was not so different from the Aulor – ever changing, never staying in the same form for too long. He was a shifter before he emerged, but after, Dacibrega no longer had control over his transitions. Dacibrega was as trapped by his own form as the Aulor was, and that reality alone was enough to lessen some of the Kiedran's bitterness. The Kiedra were abandon at their very cores. Maybe Dacibrega would eventually learn to cling to something other than his undue hatred for the Aulor.

from Shadows of Absolution

Character Interview: Holly Thula

I've been wanting to interview another Shadows of Absolution character for a while, but it's a challenge to interview one of the four main characters without revealing too much of the story, because their pasts are so tied to their presents and the plot. I was originally planning to interview Dacibrega, but he's shy and doesn't like to talk about his transitions so he refused to speak with me. When Dacibrega declined, Holly Thula decided to entertain me instead. He's always been rather talkative, so I actually prefer his chattering to Dacibrega's short answers and stunned silence.

Good afternoon, Holly. I find you fascinating and I'm glad you decided to join me. First of all, could you tell me a little about yourself?
I was born in Efilon fifty years ago. Don't look at me like that. I've been told I look more like early twenties, but don't let my looks fool you. Everyone in my family ages slowly. Not just ages, matures. We take a little too long to learn how to do anything when we're kids. Sets us up for a casual life, really, if you're not like me. I hope you forgive me for not shaking your hand. I can't touch anyone. Suck the energy right out of them, you know? Can't help it, can't control it, just something nasty I was born with and it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. I'm kind of the personification of Despair. It sucks, but I can't do anything about it so I just had to learn to live with it so it didn't break me down.

You come from an interesting family, don't you? What are they like?
Well, my father's the former Crown Prince of Ganebra, you know before it fell. Aridani Thula. He founded Efilon after the fall, but he's kind of irrelevant now. Don't tell him I told you that. He's my opposite and kind of my balance, so he could withstand my touch longer than anyone else except for his father, Bethel. Bethel's an Aulor, a Time Child, and doesn't look much older than me even though he's a hundred or something. He's great and I've been travelling with him for a little while because he's the only one left who isn't afraid of me. My mom was named Lore Naron. I look more like her, blond hair, light eyes. She had a memory talent, never forgot anything she heard. I'm the youngest of five kids. I have three sisters - Haven, Lavender, and Willow - and a brother, Sage. We're not exactly fond of each other. I think they're resentful of my existence, because everything went to the abyss when I was born. I have two aunts and a bunch of cousins on my father's side, but I only met some of them a couple of times when I was a kid. My mom didn't have any siblings and her parents died in the fall, so my family is a little unbalanced.

You must have had a difficult childhood since you were unable to touch anyone.
Very. It was frustrating and lonely. Little kids don't know about personal space, and it took a lot of scolding to convince me not to touch people. I wasn't allowed to go to school or parties, and barely even allowed out of the house. My siblings made a game of telling me how much I screwed up their lives. My parents were great, but they couldn't hide their sorrow. Just their Despair. I think you've noticed you feel a little melancholy this close to me? Sorry about that. I'm not doing it consciously and I'm keeping as much of it drawn into myself as possible so it doesn't make you feel worse. Well, everyone else can feel it, too, and the whole town was afraid of me. They were always looking for an excuse to exile me, and I finally gave them one when I was forty-seven.

What happened when you were forty-seven?
My mom died. She had been a little ill most of her life, at least since I was born, but she lived to be a respectable age. Of course it was all my fault and I still have nightmares about her reaching forward to kiss me. The Efilon council immediately voted to exile me. My dad was the only dissenter, but no one really listened to him anymore so it didn't matter that he defended me. Well, it mattered to me, but not to anyone else. I knew I needed to leave, so I would have gone even if they didn't force me to.

Where did you go after you were exiled from Efilon?
East to Ara and the island of Liefen. I visited my Aunt Solace to see if I could join her Mero, but she couldn't come near me and was afraid of me. Her council voted to get me as far away as possible. There was one person who voted to let me join them, but I don't know who it was. Anyway, they were nice enough to give me a little boat, so I followed Bethel's energy pattern and met him on an island off southern Rikulon. He took me in, so I've been living on his boat, the Chulanlir, with him, Dacibrega, and until recently, Saruza. I like it. It's peaceful, no one glares at me except Daci, and the water gives me most of the energy I need. Turns out, I die if I don't absorb enough external energy, but the scavengers try to eat me first and then I end up eating them and living. I can consume moving water so being on the ocean helps and it dampens my aura drastically.

Is Bethel afraid of you like everyone else seems to be?
If he is, he hides it well. He can touch me a little still, because he is way stronger than everyone else and has a little energy to spare for me. He's been trying to teach me how to control my talent, but we're failing so far. We have time. We've just been sailing around gathering evidence to see if there are any Tenjeri left in the world. Haven't found any living Tenjeri so far. Saruza was probably the last, but Bethel wants to be sure of that. I think he's too busy internally panicking about his kids growing old and dying to think about being afraid of me. And the voices... I know he talks to people who aren't there, people I can't see. Ghosts or whatever, but it's creepy, and since he's and Aulor, I don't know if he's insane or actually talking to someone.

Do you have any hobbies?
Sure, have to pass the years somehow. I am a pretty good musician and composer. My dad was a musical prodigy, and I guess I inherited some of that. I paint, knit, crochet, and sew. Useful and necessary when you have to make or repair everything yourself. I'm the cook for the Chulanlir. Daci hates that. My father's people are all vegetarians because they're going for this whole nature guardian, non-violent approach to the new world. Bethel's been vegetarian since he was a kid, too. Saruza used to cook meat for Daci, but since she's gone now, he's stuck with my food. He's too stubborn to learn how to cook on his own, so he just complains to me about it.

So you don't get along with Dacibrega?
Oh, I do, as long as I keep a sense of humor about him. He's gotten better even in the months since I met him. I think he's trying to prove to me that he's not useless. Failing, but the effort is worthwhile. He takes me way too seriously and gets confused about my jokes. I like him, though. He's a resilient little thing, coming through what he did and still working on undoing the damage his own people did to him.

What is your greatest fear?
Accidentally killing someone I love. And, my problem getting so big that no amount of energy can sustain me, but the scavengers keep dropping by to keep me alive. I know I'm getting worse, so it's possible. I don't want to hurt anyone.

What is your greatest dream?
It's so simple, so mundane to everyone but me. I want to touch someone without hurting them. I want to know what real physical contact feels like without the threat of my soul interfering. A kiss and a cuddle in front of a fire on a cold winter night. Just an impossible dream. I'll never get to have that and I can't even imagine what it would really be like, just an idea. It's been decades since I cuddled up with my father without hurting him, and he's the only touch I can remember aside from Bethel's little butterfly taps on my forehead he uses to recharge me. It would be wonderful and so different if a touch came from someone outside my family, someone who could touch me without fear of being hurt. Can't have that, though, and I need to stop talking about it because it will just throw me into another breakdown.

Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. What do you have now that makes you happy?
Bethel and Dacibrega. We have our spats, but they try to ignore my problem in favor of getting to know me. I love the ocean. I think I'll spend the rest of my life sailing, because it gives me a little bit of control I can't find anywhere else. I love creating new things, whether it is music, art, textiles, or food. Since I'll never have a family of my own, it's my only method of creating something new and entirely influenced and nurtured by me.

If you were marooned on an island, what three things would you like to have with you?
I'm starting to think I might go that route. Finding a nice, quite island and living out my life alone there. It would certainly be lonely, but it's better than hurting people. Well, to answer your question, first of all I'd bring the obsidian dagger my uncle Onyx made me. That thing is sturdy and can cut through anything. Second, I'd have to steal Bethel's library. I'd leave him with the books in languages I can't read, and take the rest. Not sure on the third, probably an instrument. Something durable if I don't have a lifetime supply of guitar strings, and I have no idea what my lifespan is, so that could be a lot. Maybe a metal xylophone so I can give the birds a little concert.

Where are you heading now?
Back to Malora. Bethel is going to see to my Aunt Thora about borrowing one of her rangers so we can find a mythical city. Ridiculous, but it's something to do. I'm sure someone will write down this adventure. Oh, someone already has? Prophetic, huh? Anyways, the wind is picking up so I'd better go see to the steering. You don't have to pretend not to be afraid of me anymore.



The adventures of Holly, Dacibrega, Bethel, and the ranger Isen are written and published in Shadows of Absolution.

Emergence

There is so much going on right now! I have a giveaway contest going on Goodreads, I just today approved the paperback of Shadows of Absolution (it was already available in e-book), and my muse is running wild through the first book of the Emergence trilogy! I've been playing around on Pinterest lately, so if you're interested in seeing some of my characters as I see them, check out my Malora board.

So, while you're busy reading Shadows of Absolution, would you like to know what comes next?

I thought this was appropriate, given the title and subject matter of my new trilogy. I made this for my daughter.

The Emergence trilogy takes place approximately 4,500 years after the Echoes of Oblivion trilogy, when Malora has become Melor. The descendants of Aulors have become something other than human. The primary races are humans, Efi (tall forest guardians with lifespans of 500-600 years), Mero (red-haired water dwellers, also long lifespans), Baku (argent-skinned mountain guardians), Toli (tallest race, muscular, coloring is shades of blue and green, live in the southern rainforests), Masai (similar to Tenjeri, live in the boreal forests), and Drey (slight, jewel-toned mountain inhabitants). Magic is rarer than it was in the time of Ganebra, and most mages are very weakly skilled. However, some of the stronger ones have the capability of transcending to become purer forms of their talents. They are known as Emergents, and every Emergent mage was once a student of Bethel Masiona.

Book One is Sand into Glass, the story of Arden Masiona's struggle to overcome his own primal nature. He is the sole non-magical member of the Masiona family and the son of the Aulor Bethel and the Efi Emergent Andra Brier. At the onset of the story, Arden has been arrested by the Drey and is awaiting trial on on murder charge. You'll have to read it to find out how he got to that point. Arden is partially deaf, has mild cerebral palsy, and sustained brain damage as an infant which rendered him unable to fully control his emotions and behavior. I am currently over 20,000 words into this book and have had long conversations with Arden, so there is a huge amount of story ahead.

Book Two is The Crystal Lattice. It is already written, though it will need some tweaks now that it is the center of the trilogy instead of the stand-alone book I originally drafted 9 years ago. Tesji is a young elemental mage, an outcast among the Efi. He was left with his grandfather as a very young child and has little knowledge of his parentage. He finds himself alone when he comes of age, and leaves his home to head the call of the far-off mountains and the sea of Ara. He becomes a student of Bethel Masiona, and later a revolutionary.

Book Three has the working title of Arrow of Entropy, and is currently little but a collection of notes and ideas. Zella Thula is the daughter of Tesji and the narrator of the story. Arrow of Entropy follows Zella's relationship with the Aulor Rassa as the tension initiated by Tesji in The Crystal Lattice culminates in a second transcendence for a major character in the series and a shifting in the cosmic balance when the Web discovers just how vulnerable it really is.

Shadows of Absolution

My adventurous baby has left home to see what she can accomplish on her own. I'm going to miss her, but now I get to focus my attention on her younger brother. I'm a little frightened of this young woman, but I have a feeling greatness is lurking under her unassuming surface. She's only in e-book right now, but she'll be buying a new outfit in the next week or two so she can go out as a paperback, as well. She's not much for parties, but she does make a great bodyguard and she can tell you which mushrooms are the good ones to eat.

Setting Isen Free

The wolves were always hungry.

Nearly four years ago, I wrote the first words of Shadows of Absolution, a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure love story set sixty years after the fall of Malora. I had the vague idea of an adventure and a nameless narrator who was destined to be guided across the world the Aulor Bethel. I knew who she was, the great-granddaughter of Ganebra's former Chancellor and member of a quickly evolving race, but it took me a couple of days to find a name for her. She was strong, wary, and hid her inner turmoil behind a polite chill. She became Isen Layel, a twenty-four-year-old ranger who had experienced more loss than she could bring herself to tell anyone. She left me alone for a while so I could indulge Lani with Mayfly Requiem, but came whispering this year and begged me to finish her story.

Would you like to meet her? I've decided to set her free on Monday, July 9, 2012. I would love for you to get to know her like I have. The e-book will be available on Amazon on Monday, and the paperback will chase it in a week or so once technology catches up with itself and everything comes back into balance.

Shadows of Absolution is about more than Isen's struggle to find hope in a dark world. It is a coming-of-age story for all four of the major characters. Bethel Masiona is an immortal struggling to find meaning in an unending life while he watches his friends and family age and die as he stays the same. Holly Thula is a young man cursed to never knowing touch aside from a few seconds by the only person who is still strong enough to withstand his energy vortex of a soul. Dacibrega was raised to be a willing sacrifice, and must learn to adapt and survive after a rescue by Bethel days before his scheduled death.

Journey back to Malora with me this Monday and meet the people who have walked through my dreams for the last four years. I will take you across Ara for the first time with Isen and her companions as they try to find the last lost city of the Tenjeri. A few finishing touches, and my fifth baby is ready to fly.

Shadows of Absolution

I received my first proof of Shadows of Absolution a few minutes ago. The cover was mostly a placeholder so I could get it before I left for vacation and I need to rework it because it printed way too dark (it's darker in person than it is on the pictures below). I'll be working on it over the next week while the remainder of my beta readers finish up.

And, while you're waiting, here's an excerpt from Shadows of Absolution.

He abruptly stopped walking and Dacibrega ran into his elbow. Bethel smiled as he stared in the direction of a collection of flat, concrete walls gracing the village center. “Oh, a labyrinth.”

Some of the slabs had toppled over, but most still stood upright. Their jagged tops mirrored the rise of the Gana range to the north and west. I wondered if my grandfather used this very labyrinth as inspiration for his mountains. I made a note to ask him about it when I returned home. If I returned home. Maybe nature would finally claim me and I would never see any of them again. Maybe that would not be so bad.

I sat on a mossy stone bench near the labyrinth entrance while Bethel stepped into the maze. I closed my eyes and listened to the dry leaves rustle in the slightly salty wind. The sun stroked my face with a surprisingly intense heat, which parried the early evening chill for a short time. I ran my fingertips along the chips and grooves of the bench.

A great and richly thunderous boom rang out between the young trees. The sound did not rattle the branches as I expected. Instead it stroked them, caressed them. They shuddered under its growling vibration.

I slowly opened my eyes and watched Dacibrega swing a dried-out branch at the huge, empty water drum a second time. The drum was taller in diameter than he was and the sound it produced was gloriously deep and beautiful. I smiled at him and kicked at the pebbles around the bench.

“This place is dead?” Dacibrega asked. Or, maybe he stated. I could rarely distinguish questions from statements with him. He dropped the branch onto the cracked pavement.

“No, very much alive,” Bethel whispered. Leaves barely crunched under his feet as he reversed his path to escape the center of the little labyrinth.

“Haunted,” I said. I planted a strong kick on a jagged rock. It struck the water drum with a metallic ping.

“Nature is alive here, and so are we. It is never silent here. Listen to the wind, the little animals, the river. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the roar of Ara. This is not dead. Death is silent,” Bethel responded. He skipped over the last few low rows of the labyrinth and sat next to me.

“How would you know?” Dacibrega asked. “I don’t believe you will ever know death, not for a very long time. Not until she and I are dust under the ground and the stars shift to some unrecognizable sky.”

“I've seen enough death to have a good idea.”

“I do not think you have seen anything,” Dacibrega retorted.

Z is for Zoli

Zany.   Meerkats are Turbotot's favorite.

Here I am at the end of the alphabet.  I'll conclude with another character interview. Echoes of Oblivion has Zephyr, but I'm really not in the mood for Zephyr's attitude today, so instead, I'll introduce a character from my newest book, Shadows of Absolution, which was released last week.  Zoli Achara's backstory does not come into play in the book very much, so I thought it would be fun to reveal my notes about his character that are not within the context of Isen's narrative.


Today I would like to introduce my readers to Zoli Achara, father of Isen Layel, narrator of Shadows of Absolution.  To start off, why don't you tell me a little about yourself.  When were you born?
Can we make this quick?  I'm supposed to be in the herb garden today.  I was born seven years after Malora fell.  My parents were busy landscaping what was left of the world when I was conceived.  They lost two babies before me, and when she started having early contractions, the midwife in their refugee party told her she needed to stay on bedrest and she might lose me, too.  She complied and the refugees stopped moving around for a while.  They were in an area of Lusifal called the Liban Hills.  They decided it was a good enough place to stay, so my dad built the Gana range around them while they were waiting for me to be born.  More people joined us and by the time he finished construction, there were about 200 people in Gana.  There are 600 now, so we're doing well.

How long ago was that?
Fifty-three years.  Web be damned, am I really that old?  I don't feel that old.

You don't look that old.  I'd guess you were about 35.
Thank you, that's flattering.  People on my mom's side of the family don't really age normally.  We're not entirely human, so I have no idea what our lifespan is.

Who do you look like?
My dad.  Entirely.  Black hair, amber eyes, same facial features.  I didn't inherit much from my mother.

Tell me about your family.
My family is great.  I told you about my parents a little, already.  My father Onyx is a Geophorian priest, and my mother Thora Achara... well, she's one of those Acharas.  Yes, the Ganebran Acharas.  She's also a Geophorian, which I imagine caused her some problems when she was young.  I have two little brothers, Vedan and Orien.  My wife is Lusa Layel.  She's the leader of the rangers.  We have three children.  Our daughters are Isen and Adi, and our son is Lian.

How did you meet your wife?
We had a huge influx of refugees into Gana not long after I was born.  That's about the time my mom named our people Baku and named the city Jata.  Lusa's parents were refugees from Kiribar.  She's five years younger than me, so I never really thought about her until we were older.  I thought she was after Vedan, but she surprised me.  When I was twenty-five and she was twenty, I was drumming at the festival.  She sat and watched me the entire night.  When I was putting away my drum, she cornered me and proposed to me.  I was shy and she caught me off-guard.  It took me three weeks to give her an answer, three weeks of her coming by every day to ask and me stammering in a corner.  I finally said yes and it was the best decision I ever made.

So, in the Baku society, women propose to the men?
Yes.  It's one of my mother's decrees.   She's the chieftan and what she says goes.  I've heard we're backwards from what society used to be, but my mother doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.  Our women are warriors and leaders and our men take care of the children and the gardens.

Do you like it that way?
Hmm?  I don't really know anything different except stories of the old world.  I was a little upset when my mom told me I wasn't her heir, but I got over it.  I'm really not cut out to lead.  I'd rather be gardening.

What was your childhood like?
Rough.  Malora was a mess, and for a long time we were only focused on survival.  My mom worked really hard to relieve some of the tension in Jata by staging festivals, but it was a long time before people were interested.  It started to get better once my talent revealed itself.  I was able to grow enough food for everyone, and my brothers joined me once their talents displayed.  All three of us have the same talent, and we passed it on to our sons.  Maybe the Web influenced our abilities because we were needed, I don't know.  Back to my childhood... my mother wouldn't let mere survival be my only focus.  She was stuck on bedrest for all three of her surviving children, as well as the four between us who didn't survive, so she spent a lot of time reading to me.  She had a huge library and my father liked to search the destroyed cities for books to bring her.  I wasn't born yet when the world fell, but she didn't want me to forget why our lives were difficult.

What is your greatest dream?
It used to be stability for the Baku.  We had a hard time when I was young, but we're doing well now.  We no longer worry about making it through the winter.  We're happy, I'm happy.  Except for one thing.  I want to see my daughter smile again.  Isen has had a difficult and tragic year.  The man she loved died and she shut down emotionally.  I want to see her happy and I'm not sure if she is able to come back to that place on her own.  She's not receptive to our efforts, so it might take someone outside of our family to break her heart out of the icy cave she hid it in.

What is your greatest fear?
I'm afraid of too much.  The wandering predators, especially the wolves after I saw what they did to my nephew and Torin.  I have nightmares about that.  I'm afraid that our gardening talents will vanish and we'll starve.  My brothers and I aren't just green thumbs, we have a magical talent for coaxing plants to grow in horrible conditions.  I'm afraid of Holly Thula, my cousin.  I only met him once, but he terrified me.   Mostly right now, I'm afraid of Isen.  I don't think she's suicidal, but she seems to have resigned herself to a life alone.  It is hard to watch my child decide all she deserves is loneliness.  She deserves better than that.  She doesn't even speak normally anymore.  She's going through the motions of life instead of living it.

What is your favorite memory?
I have three.  The births of my children.  Lusa was in labor with Isen for two days.  She was two weeks late and I was starting to wonder if we'd ever meet her.  Finally, she came out and I caught her.  She was born in the caul, which is supposed to be lucky.  I hope that proves true for her someday soon.  My daughter Adi was breech and her head got stuck.  The midwife was able to maneuver her out, but she had to be resuscitated.  That was the scariest moment of my life, and when she finally opened her eyes and cried, this huge wave of relief and love washed over me.  She wasn't as alert as Isen was and it took her a while to finally nurse, but she was beautiful and alive.  She has some problems still from her birth, but she's doing all right.  Lian couldn't wait to get out.  He was born three weeks early after two hours of labor.  That was intense.  Lusa's other labors were long so we hadn't even called for the midwife yet.  We thought we would have another twelve hours at least, but then, all of a sudden, there was a baby.  Lusa decided she was done after him and three seemed like a good number to me.

You've told us about gardening and drumming.  Do you have any other talents or skills you'd like to share?
I can read runestones reasonably well.  I'm a good cook.  Lusa tells me I have a great singing voice, but I'm afraid to bring it out in public.  There are a couple of other things I do really well, but I doubt Lusa would want me to talk about them.

What magical talent do you wish you had?
Um... mine.  It's subtle, but useful.  We can't survive without food and it's fulfilling to watch seeds grow into edible plants in a matter of days.  It would be fun if I could grow them instantly, but all I can do is coax them to grow a little faster.  I can't think of anything else I'd want to do.  Some of my family members have nightmarish talents.  My uncle and his youngest son, especially.  Both of them affect the moods of the people they're near, one positive and one negative.  I don't think either of them can even touch anyone without an effect.  Even worse is my grandfather's talent.  I don't think I could handle anything like that without going insane within a week.

So you just want to be you?
Absolutely.  But taller.

I'll let you get back to your gardening now.  I look forward to learning about more of your family in Shadows of Absolution.
And I look forward to finding out what the abyss you do with my Isen.  Does she ever find her heart?  And if so, who helps her find it?  I really want to know if she'll be all right.

Spoilers.
Damn.  I tried.