Writing back cover blurbs isn’t on my list of favorite things to do; I’d rather write a 100k-word novel than a 150-word teaser. Why? Let me count the reasons…
The purpose of a back cover copy is to snag a reader’s attention and make them want to read your book. For an author, that’s an immediate powder keg of pressure, right there. The text must grab readers with powerful, captivating words, avoid spoilers, introduce the story in roughly 150 words, and finish on a cliffhanger that leaves readers salivating for more. Sounds easy? It’s not. I wrote about 80 versions of the blurb for Guardians of Caledon. The teaser for Hindsight, recently released to mailing list subscribers, was readable in only nine drafts (practice makes better, perhaps?), but that doesn’t mean it’s done. It will undergo multitudinous rewrites and tweaks between now and when it ends up on the book, and I’ll still be wondering whether I could have improved it after publication. (As I’m typing this blog, I’ve added another paragraph to Hindsight’s blurb—a potential replacement for the third paragraph, but I can’t decide which version is best. I will agonize over it for weeks.) Questions constantly plague a writer. Am I telling a great story well? Will anyone want to read this? Am I just pretending to know what I’m doing? Now tell the writer to compose a back cover blurb, and a hundred different questions add to the uncertainty in her head. Am I telling enough? Am I telling too much? Where should I stop? Why does this teaser sound so dull? A lot of authors clam up and/or stutter when asked to summarize their plot. Writing summaries is no easier, except that the pressure expands over weeks of drafting, rather than having to answer within 20 seconds and feel like an idiot for years. Any writer seeking an agent must master the art of summarizing, because agents, too, demand summaries. Often in one sentence. Then there’s the synopsis, where the author gets to sum up her entire plot in one page and spoil the ending. Those are challenging, too. What to include? What not to include? The entire story is important—right? But I can’t include everything, or it won’t fit on the page! Summarizing the book in any form is way more difficult than writing the book. Like any other writing project, the first step is to write something. Anything. Even if it’s stupid. You can’t fix a blank page, so put some sort of gibberish on it so you can rework it. For Hindsight's teaser, I wrote a list of key story elements, and then summarized them in a few sentences that would accomplish the aforementioned herculean requirements. Once those sentences are in place, you tweak and scrap and rewrite until you produce something you think might work. You slap it on the back cover. And then you hope it will entice readers to open your book!
0 Comments
This new year will see the publication of the final title in the historical fantasy Dragon’s Fire Series. I never guessed The Rose of Caledon would turn into an epic saga when I started writing it in 2016. By Book Five, originally the series’ conclusion, I was having too much fun to stop. Books Six through Ten present a new story running parallel to the first. A photo of a dragon mask inspired the concept for Book Six back in 2017, and the plot fell into place within two hours. But the idea of how to use that dragon mask to complete the series bloomed as I wrote Book Five in 2018. One Saturday morning, for two hours, I talked my husband’s ear off about Book Ten’s plot. I explained how the mask would tie Caledon’s story together over centuries, and culminate with an epic adventure that would cement the entire series. I was excited. He’s patient with me. To carry Ten’s story, I planned to create a new character, but a minor player in Book Five tapped me on the shoulder that morning and said, “This one’s mine.” Her name was Aerona: an actress at the living history museum in Book Five, where she had about five lines of dialogue and no surname. She was unimportant. But the more I considered her plea, the more she fit into the role I needed to fill. Well-versed in Caledon’s history because of her employment at the museum, she wanted much more than the “nobody” role I had given her in Five. She was perfect. But I didn’t relish working with a main character named Aerona. Since I hadn’t published Five yet, she got a name change and became Holly. Her surname materialized when I started writing Ten, and she needed one. Holly O’Hannon opens the tale discontented with her lot at the museum, trapped in Caledon because of a global pandemic, grieving the loss of her mother and a breakup with a boyfriend, and desperate for a new perspective on life. Enter the Saorsa Mask. Hindsight is 20/20. Coming later this year! Meet two more characters from The Apothecary’s Daughter! Pháidín Keelan “You’re a smart young lady, Miss Sara, but you’re not smarter than me, and don’t you forget it.” Birthdate: 1550 Age at the time of this story: 53 Physical Characteristics: 6’0”, 174 lbs, gray hair, brown eyes Pháidín is the best apothecary in Grymwalde. His business serves the palace and the Crown. Pháidín prides himself on his skills, his elite clientele, and his location in the Royal District, four doors from the palace. Pháidín is a perfectionist, who will accept nothing less than the best from himself and others. He is a loyal Zandorian and a dutiful keeper of the Moral Laws—unless they interfere with the successful operation of his business. Pháidín will stop at nothing to see the Crown enthroned in Ampleforth. After losing his wife and two sons to scarlet fever, Pháidín took his five-year-old daughter, Sara, to his side to learn his trade. He never remarried, preferring to keep to himself and focus on his profession. Instead, he hired a housekeeper to manage his home and immersed himself in the apothecary. While ensuring that his daughter could run the business, he neglected her learning to run a household—a severe case of misplaced priorities by Zandorian standards. Pháidín suffers from chronic joint pain and uses opium to treat it. He believes himself in full control of his dosage and his reactions, and is unaware of how frequently he falls into a stupor after indulging in his favorite vice. “I have poured my lifeblood into the Paragon Apothecary. Trained as an apothecary from a youngster, I never doubted my skills. I thought myself invincible, with the power to cheat death, until scarlet fever took my beloved wife, Lydia, from me. As her life slipped like sand through my fingers, I never closed the business or paused my work to sit by her side. When she passed away that September afternoon, I was busy mixing yet another concoction that should have healed her. She died alone because I longed to be her savior and forgot to be her friend. “My sons, Aron and Paul, followed her within a week. I couldn’t save them either. I only saved little Sara by sending her away to relatives in the country. She came home to a house wreathed in sadness, with no companionship, and no mother’s touch to guide her to womanhood. “I had counted on handing the apothecary to the boys. Now, I only had Sara left, so I took her on as my apprentice and trained her in my profession. None of my acquaintances were in favor of Sara taking over the Paragon. I lost friends over the matter, and certain of our relatives refuse to speak to me. But why should I hand my thriving business to a stranger, leaving Sara dependent upon a decent marriage to secure her future? I taught her everything I know. She is an intelligent creature—innovative, quick to grasp new concepts, and bold in experimentation. “However, in my desperation to turn her into a competent apothecary, I have made her what Zandor despises: a headstrong, independent woman who thinks for herself. And recently, Sara has questioned everything the Crown says. I’ve known for years that we will lose the Crown’s business once Sara takes over the Paragon, unless I can find her a husband to serve as a figurehead first. But now, I fear her political leanings more than her sex. Sara’s stubborn refusal to accept the Crown’s explanation of what happened in Whitereach may be the fatal blow that drives the Paragon Apothecary into the ground long before my demise.” Gregory Ellis “Zandor is changing. If we don’t move with it, we’ll be trampled and left behind.” Birthdate: 1581 Age at the time of this story: 22 Physical Characteristics: 5’11”, 168 lbs, brown hair, brown eyes Gregory is the oldest of five children and a skilled archer—the son of a fletcher from a poor neighborhood in Grymwalde. Gregory is trained in his father’s trade, and his income is essential to support his impoverished family. But arrow-making is becoming an unreliable career as Zandor embraces modern weaponry and archers become an outdated commodity. A loyal Zandorian, Gregory recognizes the changes coming to Zandor as a positive step and is prepared to do whatever is necessary to meet the resulting challenges. He is an intelligent young man who will let evidence change his mind, even when it challenges his core beliefs. “I’m proud of my station. My family works hard, and what little we have, we’ve earned. I’ve always expected to run my father’s business and marry someone from a similar financial situation, who won’t ask for more than I can give. “Then I fell for Sara Keelan. My father despises the mere mention of her name, though he’s never met her. The Keelans are wealthy: big house, thriving business in the Royal District, titled customers, and direct access to the Crown and the Praeceptor. They want for nothing, and although Sara works hard, she’s accustomed to the finer things in life. “Things I can never afford. “I know my place; I’d be content to step back and admire her from afar, but she loves me, too. She assures me we’ll be all right; she’s the heiress to the Paragon Apothecary, after all. But I know nothing about medicines, potions, and herbs. I can’t help her run the business, and I won’t live off her charity. I need to support her myself, and I can’t ask her to stoop to my family’s level. She’d be miserable. “Her father doesn’t know about us. How much longer can we keep our relationship a secret? If I eloped with her, I’d spend my entire life feeling like I stole her, but Pháidín Keelan will run me off once he learns who and what I am. “I’m torn in too many directions: Sara, my family, the war. If only life were simple…” The plot of The Apothecary’s Daughter runs parallel to that of my favorite book in the series, Myrhiadh’s War. The two titles share several prominent characters, but I found a few new ones I haven’t profiled before to showcase here, starting, of course, with Sara Keelan. She occupied a scant seven pages in Myrhiadh’s War, but she carries the story in Book Nine. Sara Keelan “The Paragon contains plenty of poisons. And Father taught me how to use every one of them.” Birthdate: 1583 Age at the time of this story: 20 Physical Characteristics: 5’7”, 135 lbs, chestnut hair, brown eyes Sara is the third child and only daughter of a prominent and wealthy Zandorian apothecary who provides regular service to the Crown. When Sara’s mother and two older brothers die of scarlet fever in 1588, Sara’s father resolves to leave his business to her, and takes her on as his apprentice. By the time Sara reaches adulthood, she is a knowledgeable apothecary in her own right, with extensive experience in preparing and prescribing herbs and medicines. Besides her education as an apothecary, Sara is well-schooled in the tenets of Zandorian thought: loyalty to the Crown, abhorrence of the Failings, and observation of the Moral Laws. Sara’s father expects her to make an excellent match to better the apothecary’s fortunes, as certain of Zandor’s citizenry won’t do business with a woman. The plans for Sara’s future are logical and straightforward. But when a war changes course, Zandor finds itself on the losing end of the battle. Sara discovers just how shaky her world’s foundations are, and learns that the Crown she has trusted is not what she believed. With her future and her fortune at stake, Sara faces the unthinkable: a takeover of Zandor by her enemies, and the potential loss of everything she has ever treasured. “All I wanted was to avoid conflict and trouble. I was a dutiful Zandorian: faithful to the Crown, conscientious about the Failings, exemplary in following the Moral Laws… “Oh, never mind. I can’t even finish that statement with a straight face. A dutiful Zandorian and faithful to the Crown, perhaps, but the Moral Laws are extreme, and despite succumbing to the Failings occasionally, I’m here to tell the tale. The Failings themselves are not the danger—the Crown’s punishments are. “Zandorian laws are strict for women, but I have to break the rules. I couldn’t do my job if I didn’t instruct men in using the medicines I prescribe, walk the streets of Grymwalde without an escort, and occasionally ride a horse. Fate decreed I should work full time in a man’s occupation, and my workload will only become greater as my father grows older and eventually hands the apothecary to me. “My education equals or exceeds that of most men: Latin, literature, mathematics, and chemistry. I am well versed in using the hundreds of herbs and medicines on the apothecary’s shelves. I have zero patience for hiding, mouselike, behind a veil of hair around the stronger sex. “And now I’ve added to my Failings by meeting secretly with a man of whom Father would wholeheartedly disapprove. He’s of a station far below ours, and with the turn in the war, and Caledon and Langdon on Zandor’s doorstep, what skills he possesses will soon be obsolete. “Then, there’s Whitereach. “Nothing is predictable or reliable anymore. “Including the Crown.” Mawde “...” Birthdate: 1565 Age at the time of this story: 38 Physical Characteristics: 5’5”, 120 lbs, dark brown hair, brown eyes Mawde, the Keelans’ housekeeper, has worked in their employ for 15 years, since the death of Sara’s mother. Mawde is mute and communicates through gestures and grunts, and though capable of writing, she seldom uses this medium. Mawde’s days are long and demanding, starting well before sunrise. Most of the general household tasks fall to her, since Sara has trained in the apothecary with her father from the age of five. Mawde has mastered the adage, “Mind your place.” To be unobtrusive and useful is her primary aspiration. She retires to bed early, after ensuring everything is organized for her employer and his daughter for the evening. Little irritates Mawde more than having her routine disrupted. Mawde has few friends, but many acquaintances. She gathers information, domestic and political, from the other housekeepers at the community well. People make assumptions about you when you’re mute. Most folks assume that, because I don’t speak, my brain doesn’t work. I assure you, I’m perfectly capable of reasoned thought, and more intelligent than most. I am grateful for my place with the Keelans. Sara is a sweet girl, and her father is a fair employer, who leaves me to run the house as I see fit with few restrictions. If the rooms are clean, the fires are tended, and tasty meals are served on time, Mr. Keelan doesn’t interfere with me. I pass much of my time alone. The hired man is busy with his tasks, and Mr. Keelan and Sara spend their days in the dispensary. Some might find it lonely, but I cherish the solitude. Mr. Keelan serves the palace a few times each month with his medicinal skills, and deals directly with the Crown and the Praeceptor. He seldom speaks of anything he sees or hears within the palace walls, but he considers his position a high honor. One of his worst fears is that the Crown will shun his daughter’s services once he can no longer work, simply because she is a woman. Mr. Keelan is a devout servant of the Crown. He will permit no violations of the Moral Laws or weakness to the Failings in his household. Not a word against the Crown or the Praeceptor ever crosses his lips, and he demands the same level of devotion from every member of his household. Sometimes, it’s well that I don’t speak… I am a plot-driven reader and writer. I enjoy a story where exciting things happen. A strong plot makes readers turn pages, but describing a series of events without relating them to the human experience soon becomes boring. For a novel to hold a reader’s attention for 75k+ words, the story must come alive in the reader’s mind.
Well-developed characters are the key to bringing a story to life. When readers connect with a character, they keep turning pages. To achieve reader connection, characters must be believable: likable yet flawed, consistent yet changeable. Readers must understand why the main character acts as she does, and even feel they might respond similarly in the same circumstances. Books and writing courses suggest many intricate systems for developing rounded, relatable characters, but every writer will have a different approach. I dislike systems; I create characters organically. For me, the plot comes first. The “what” of the story becomes entrenched in my head, and I create characters to fill roles as I need them. The plot of Dragon’s Fire, for example, was established before I started considering “who” should carry the story, and the villain and the dragons developed next. Ciara and I spent three days experimenting with various scenes and situations before she filled out and took her place in the cast and the story. The other supporting characters came to life as I needed them. Each main character begins with a goal (often external) and a flaw or physical challenge that prevents her from reaching that goal. Each protagonist develops around her story problem. Ciara wanted to learn what the Dragon’s Fire was and was tasked with guarding it, but her difficulty with decision-making hindered her—not to mention caves full of dragons! The characters grow throughout the drafting process, and they become close friends to me during that time. Most of the main characters share some traits with me or with someone I’m close to. They live in my head, though I often project them into the room so I can see them. (The powers of hyperphantasia!) We hold conversations, and in that way, they take on dimension and form, unfolding their dreams, desires, and histories. I often rewrite scenes in later drafts when I’ve learned more about a character or her backstory, and I need to change or deepen her character arc. I weave introspection and description into the action—I dislike dwelling too long on anything that slows the story’s progression. Experts recommend getting to know characters thoroughly before beginning to write. I prefer to insert my characters into a story and see what they do. Planning everything about them ahead of time feels contrived and cardboard. Therefore, characters often surprise me with unexpected information about themselves mid-story, but that makes the drafting process more fun. I enjoy learning about them as I go. Despite me starting my stories with a plot, my characters take over by the middle, introducing new ideas and sending the action skewering off in whatever direction they choose. This mutiny has sometimes occurred as early as page ten. Book Ten’s middle looks nothing like what I plotted. But when the unexpected happens, the story and the characters grow like two vines intertwining as they climb a trellis, becoming one inseparable unit. I’ve been studying fiction writing over the past couple of years, and what I’m learning is improving my work. However, I don’t foresee myself changing my character development techniques. I love getting to know new friends as their story grows. To summarize, I don’t have a formula that guarantees a character will resonate with readers. A character that one reader loves, another might hate. But I’ve had a lot of feedback from readers who have bonded with my characters, with descriptions including “unforgettable,” “endearing,” “enchanting,” and “amazing,” so I must be doing something right. I love them all. The Dragon’s Fire Series spans 800 years in the first five books, and once I’ve finished Ten, my readers and I will have traversed sixteen centuries of Caledon’s history. The decades or longer between each title mean that, whenever I start a new story, I’m usually starting with a fresh cast.
But occasionally, a timeline overlap allows me to bring back a character I’ve worked with before. Joseph Callahan played a villain in Three, but stars as the hero in Eight. Adrian Zandor appeared in One and Seven (and Five, in a way). James Grenleigh has parts in four different novels. Book Nine, The Apothecary’s Daughter, presented a perfect opportunity to include some characters from previous books, since the story overlaps with Book Three, Myrhiadh’s War. You’ll be seeing James Grenleigh, Myrhiadh Eathain, Andrew Bramston, and the Praeceptor, while Sara Keelan, a minor character from War, takes on the lead role. I’ve enjoyed working with some of my old friends again. Reusing old characters can be more challenging than creating new ones. Old characters are set in their ways. Without a believable motivation for change, they need to respond the way the reader expects them to, regardless of circumstances. The writer must recall the character’s mannerisms and individual quirks. A difference in time between stories might mean he is now a child or an elderly person. His history and future must connect to the current events. James Grenleigh’s role in Nine is overshadowed by circumstances described in Three. I could never forget what was driving him, or he wouldn’t have rung true with readers. His relationship with Andrew Bramston, whom he has only newly met face to face, is a peculiar mix of friend and enemy. Leaders of nations recently at war and negotiating the joint ruling of a defeated foe, James and Andrew’s interactions require a distinct level of tension while still being cooperative. But old characters are good friends. The writer knows them, and familiarity is helpful overall, even if they challenge the framework of a new story with their history. Creating new characters is a complex process, but if they’re consistent and believable, anything goes. Sara Keelan had a seven-page role in Three—minor enough that I could shape her for Book Nine with only a few rules to follow from the earlier title. Book Nine is available now, and it details the new adventures of some favorite characters. After that, Book Ten will see the return of several characters from previous books, and I’ll be throwing my good friends into some unimaginable situations. We’ll see how previously developed personalities respond when everything around them changes completely! Stay tuned. I’ve got lots in store for Caledon yet! “Agents who reject your query seldom give feedback. If they provide comments, pay attention! They know what sells. Take their advice. Consider applicable rewrites. These might make the difference between a hard no or a request for the full manuscript on your next query.” (Play On Words Editing)
I'm a freelance editor, and I like to think I give my clients sound advice. So, when I got an opportunity to follow my advice, I took it! An agent rejected my manuscript with a tip: the book’s too short. She also told me that if I edited the story to make it longer, she’d welcome my query in her inbox again. A rejection, plus advice, plus an invitation to resend! Barring a request for a full manuscript, that’s about the best initial agent response a writer can hope for. But I didn’t relish the idea of rewriting my book. Any skilled writer knows they can’t increase a book’s word count by adding a bunch of adjectives and adverbs and making their sentences wordier. Cass slammed the book on the desk, cannot become Cass grew very impatient and, with a vicious scowl, slammed the heavy, thick book on the polished, sturdy oak desk to show her immense displeasure with the dreadfully horrible turn of events of the day. If I do that to enough sentences, I’ll bulk my 61k manuscript up to 95k in no time, but it’s a grade-school way to accomplish the task. The words in the bulky example diminish the emotion and the action. They tell what’s going on rather than letting the character show it, and leave the reader floundering in a sea of turgid description that adds little value to the story. I knew I had to add solid content to my book, but when you’ve already completed a manuscript, it’s hard to consider what might be lacking. You don’t want to add fluff. Tacking-on scenes accomplishes the same thing as the extra words in my sentence above. If they don’t belong, they’re just padding out a story that doesn’t need them. I asked a few of my writer friends for advice, and the best response came from Sophie Draper, author of The Stranger in Our Home and House of Secrets. She said, “Think about your story—is it incomplete? Have you developed the story line enough—think emotional impact, consequence, mystery and clues… (add) a subplot or some relevant backstory. I’d go back to the drawing board and re-plot and then rewrite from scratch, employing some of my already written scenes, but rebuilding around my core story pitch.” Sophie’s guidance showed me how to tackle the rewrite to grow the story itself, not just the word count. However, fear was a big part of the process. Over a year ago, I completed the original story. I feared I wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around the plot and the characters to increase the content; I feared the ideas wouldn’t come. But I had to start somewhere. I began by analyzing the story’s existing plot and brainstorming ideas that might fit. Scenes played in my head, and the plot and characters expanded. A finished story grew like a brand new one once I released my imagination. By the end of my study, I had listed the main points of the existing plot and created a page and a half of new ideas and a subplot. The next step was to weave those concepts seamlessly into the existing plot; reading the new version, no one should detect any added elements or question whether they were necessary. The initial cuts and additions to the manuscript were difficult; I mulled over the changes for a week before I dared to start. Once I did, things flowed. I started having fun and didn’t want to put it down. Adding brand new material to an edited and polished document gets challenging in places. It’s hard to apply my first draft attitude of “Write something; write anything; fix it later,” to a document I’ve spent a few hundred hours making as perfect as possible. I’ve had to wrap my mind around the idea that I’ll be adding material in many places, and messy is okay. I’ll re-edit. This invitation to expand and resend has forced me to explore an angle of writing I haven’t tackled before: to rewrite a completed text to meet larger specifications. I’m up for the challenge. My 61k manuscript is at 84k and counting. When I started my self-publishing journey in 2016, I had much to learn. I did things that, in hindsight, I wish I’d done differently. But publishing was the process that taught me what I needed to know. Without doing, I wouldn’t have discovered my gaps in knowledge. If we courageously take the first step, doing is the best way to learn. And I'm still learning every day! Most independent authors don’t have a lot of money. Money is necessary for self-publishing. Producing a book involves lots of steps, and some of them you can’t—or shouldn’t—do yourself. These steps cost money. Editors don’t work for free. Neither do formatters. Neither do artists. Art isn’t cheap. While I was drafting my first titles, I communicated with several authors who had purchased custom cover art for their books—paying $800–$1500 for the privilege. Their covers were stunning, but my household budget didn’t have that leeway for one book cover, never mind ten! Once ready to unleash Dragon’s Fire, I was delighted to learn that Amazon offered free covers. My glee faded when I saw how limited my choices were, particularly for the paperback, but I picked one from the selection and crowned Dragon’s Fire with it. There’s a certain element of a dragon’s eye in that cover. The blue matches Caledon’s national color. It worked. However, between publishing Dragon’s Fire and completing The Rose of Caledon, I discovered pre-made cover art. And what a discovery! It’s not free, but it was far more affordable than I had expected. I purchased a cover for Rose and contemplated how different my two titles looked. The artwork gave Rose a dramatic boost that Fire lacked. So I picked out a pre-made cover for Dragon’s Fire and gave the book a much-needed facelift. I only sold about 50 copies with the blue cover, so I now refer to them as collector’s editions—otherwise known as Testaments to What I Did Not Know. Cover shopping became my favorite sport. As each title followed the previous one, I delighted in scouring my favorite website for a suitable cover, though finding the perfect one wasn’t always easy. Myrhiadh’s War was particularly difficult, since few artists depict female archers wearing much more than bikinis. Shoving aside the obvious impracticality of going to war in a bikini, Myrhiadh was Zandorian, and showing skin beyond her face and hands was taboo. At last, I found a cover bearing a fully clothed female archer, and I grabbed it. I continued finding covers for each title. Browsing the cover website and discovering a character is satisfying. Guardians’ cover was a breathtaking moment where Marcus waved his sword at me and said, “Hi.” Mystic’s cover appeared after I had missed out on a different one (someone else snapped it up.) The one I bought for Mystic is better than the one I lost. I bought the cover for Ten three years ago from an artist I follow online. This pre-made cover was the most expensive I had yet purchased. I hadn’t started the book, but the images were perfect, and I have no regrets. I’ve struggled to keep the art a secret for so long, and I’m looking forward to finally sharing it with my readers! (Ten’s cover will appear in the back of Book Nine when it’s published—so only readers get to see the advance cover/title reveal!) So here we are, with only Book Nine still needing a cover. I’m checking my favorite website daily to discover new covers as soon as they’re posted. Something needs to scream “Buy Me!” but so far, no luck. The story specifics leave little room for flexibility. A Zandorian heroine rules out any character showing skin or wearing brilliant colors. The male and female lead in Nine have a platonic relationship; covers that show two characters are usually romantic. The heroine’s specialty is unusual. She’s pretty, but not glamorous. She’s well-off, but not nobility. These factors make me scroll past hundreds of covers, saying, “Nope. Not right. Doesn’t fit. It’s just not her.” I’ll find her. Eventually. But this cover is the first for which I have contemplated purchasing custom art. I’ve even asked some artists I’ve bought from before for quotes. The lack of a cover might delay the release of Book Nine; however, I will continue my diligent daily searching, and as the editing progresses and the hazy launch date looms, I may pursue custom art. The cover must fit the story and the rest of the series. Book covers. Nine out of ten are ready. One to go! The biggest challenge in writing The Assassin’s Redemption was to take a villain from an earlier book and turn him into a likable hero. Though Joseph carried the story, Aislinn became a heroine and an essential point-of-view character in her own right. The oldest of my series’ female leads, Aislinn is the only one to have a love-interest younger than she is. Aislinn Rede “I choose my own friends.” Birthdate: 1558 Age at the time of this story: 29 Physical Characteristics: 5’4” tall, 110 lbs, strawberry blond hair, blue eyes The daughter of a shipyard laborer, Aislinn Rede had a happy childhood in Ampleforth until her father passed away when she was twelve. Left to the care of her Aunt Riona, a scullery maid at Caledon Castle, Aislinn joined the lowest class of royal servants in 1570. She spent long, hard days toiling in the kitchen and cleaning the stone behemoth that became her new home. Five years later, Aislinn was promoted to become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Marguerite (Meg), and the two formed a close bond of friendship. Aislinn was Meg’s confidante and companion on every occasion and served as nursemaid to the prince and princess when they were born. Though intelligent and quick-witted, Aislinn came to the castle with little education—a situation Meg set about to remedy. Over the years, under Meg’s influence, Aislinn gained knowledge of music, botany, astronomy, mathematics, history, and art through reading and conversing with her mistress. “A scullery maid seldom becomes a queen’s lady-in-waiting, but the gods favored me. You’ll never find a kinder mistress than Meg, for she’s as tenderhearted as she is beautiful, yet as strong as an iron spear. My tasks now are light compared to what they were. Instead of turning spits over blazing fires or scrubbing filthy floors, I spend my days caring for my lady and reading books, riding horses, or playing cards or chess. Amusements and pleasures abound. My place is usually reserved for titled women of breeding; I have the comforts of royalty, pleasant work, and no royal responsibilities. Why would any commoner give that up? One condition of my employment is that I cannot marry, for the cares of a husband and children of my own would supersede the needs of my mistress. However, I’ve met no one for whom I’d consider leaving the queen. My time serving Marguerite has made me too fussy. I have met many excellent gentlemen, but my place as a servant sentences me to partner with a commoner of the lowest means. I’m not interested in a grabby, uncouth laborer who thinks he’s doing me a favor by noticing me. Give me a gentleman in commoner’s garb. Someone with a skill that sets him above the others of his station. Then I might turn my eyes from Meg and her castle to consider a humble home of my own.” Marguerite Grenleigh “After all, what do ten days matter?” Birthdate: 1552 Age at the time of this story: 35 Physical Characteristics: 5’7”, blue eyes, light brown hair Marguerite is a French princess who comes to Caledon in 1575 for an arranged marriage to Prince Edward Grenleigh. Marguerite arrives with the promise of a yearly stipend to Caledon from her family in France for as long as she lives. This makes her an essential source of income for the Grenleighs and a valuable asset in the war against Langdon. But Marguerite barely has time for an exchange of pleasantries with her future husband before they marry. Marguerite is intelligent and capable, fascinated by the sciences and mathematics, well-read and well-educated—characteristics Edward finds threatening. She has little in common with her husband and avoids him as much as she can. Marguerite becomes the mother of Prince James and Princess Katherine, and she does her best to steer their education and upbringing and to shield them from their father’s narcissism. Marguerite has few attendants at the castle, since Edward sent her entourage home to France after the wedding. Her best friend and confidante is a former scullery maid six years her junior. “Father arranged my marriage to Prince Edward of Caledon, but he never mentioned it to me until the details were settled. Father assured me that Prince Edward is handsome, but there’s far more to a husband than his looks. I was livid that Father would send me to a foreign land to wed a stranger. In self-defense, I sought any information I could find about Caledon before I boarded the vessel that would carry me to her unknown shores. Not much exists in writing beyond myths: tales of gods and goddesses, dragons, kings, and a legendary stone, the Dragon’s Fire. To think I should become a princess of Caledon! And one day, its queen. I’ve lost track of the line of succession for the French throne, but I’m a long way down it, and had resigned myself that I would never wear a crown. As my ship approached the forbidding, mist-draped coastline, Caledon appeared everything I had read about in the legends. I could almost see the winged dragons soaring over the cliffs. But now, facing the imperious castle carved into the rock high above the water, my courage fails me. What do I know of Caledon? Stories. Nothing more. Yet I shall be bound to love, honor, and obey the prince of this country whose customs I do not know and whose people I do not understand. My entourage of ladies-in-waiting know how to cheer me when despondency pursues me. Knowing my little quirks and preferences, they seek ways to make me comfortable. So long as Edward proves a kind husband, with my friends at my side, I shall try to be of service here, and eventually, I shall be happy.” Joseph Callahan “What sort of fiend would you make of me?” Birthdate: February 12, 1561 Date of Death: July 11, 1603 Age at the time of this story: 26 Physical Characteristics: 6’2” tall, 190 lbs, black hair, dark brown eyes The son of loyal Zandorian citizens, Joseph apprentices in blacksmithing under his father from the age of seven. Joseph’s mother passes away when Joseph is seventeen, and two years after that, Joseph’s father follows, leaving the house and the forge to his introverted son. Joseph runs an efficient business, making a name for himself in Grymwalde and the surrounding countryside for having a solid mind, a skilled hand, and a gift for handling horses. His excellent reputation and his devotion to the Crown make him a fine catch for any young lady, but Joseph despises Zandor’s strict rules of courtship and maintains a state of contented bachelorhood. Joseph enjoys his humble home and prefers the company of horses to people. As the war between Caledon and Langdon intensifies and Zandor awaits an opening to strike, Joseph shows his dedication to the Crown by signing up for army service. Far handier with a hammer than with a sword, his tasks are to shoe horses and repair weapons. Trusting that Zandor will soon win the war and claim the throne at Caledon Castle in Ampleforth, Joseph intends to return to his routine at home when the excitement ends. “A more loyal servant of the Crown than I, you shall seldom see. I have known the Children’s Creed by heart since my lisping tongue could recite it. Rarely have I succumbed to the Failings; never have I broken the Moral Laws. I work hard, earn my bread, pay my taxes, and support the Crown in every endeavor. And now I’m going to serve in the Imperial Army. A strange sadness filled me as I hid the key to my forge in the roots of the oak tree in the garden, and I scolded myself that I should dare to feel about something so trivial as home. The Crown would be ashamed. The army may prove busier than I prefer, with long hours and lots of people. But I should aid the Crown in its path to the throne in Ampleforth, and the army has no shortage of horses needing shoes. One more night at home, then away to join the army near the border. With any luck, the war will end soon. I have not yet departed, and already, I want to come home.” Edward Grenleigh “Be grateful I’m letting you leave with your head.” Birthdate: November 3, 1550 Date of Death: May 5, 1603 Age at the time of this story: 37 Physical Characteristics: 6’0”, blue eyes, blond hair Edward is the only son of King Sulwyn Grenleigh, who reigned from 1560 to 1580. Sulwyn is a strict father who gives Edward a rigorous education and drills into him the nation’s expectations of a king. Between the demands put upon him and the adulation afforded him as the crown prince, Edward becomes spoiled, resentful, and self-centered. In his mid-twenties, Edward falls in love with a seamstress and carries on a secret affair with her until Sulwyn catches wind of his son’s indiscretions. Sulwyn arranges a more suitable match with a French princess—one who comes with a yearly stipend from her family to help fund Caledon’s wars. Edward’s outrage knows no bounds, but schooled as he is in duty and protocol, he marries Princess Marguerite. During the first years of their marriage, he meets with the seamstress occasionally, but stops when Prince James is born, in 1578. When Edward takes the throne upon the death of Sulwyn in 1580, he presents to his subjects as a faithful, if disinterested, husband and father. Edward and Marguerite never mesh, and in 1582, when Marguerite is pregnant with Princess Katherine, their marriage dissolves into one of complete political expediency. Marguerite moves into her own suite of rooms, and Edward becomes a recluse from his family within the castle. His interest in Marguerite had only ever been the financial boon she provided to Caledon. At the helm of an extended battle with Langdon, his resources depleted and his forces dwindling, Edward is never far from defeat. His desperate desire to hang onto his throne becomes his focus and the driving force behind most of his actions for the rest of his life. “Read. Study. Memorize. Ride. Fence. Sail. Then back to more reading and studying. That’s my life under my father, Sulwyn—a stern and imperious man. He dictates that I must be constantly improving myself for the sake of the nation, and he insists on knowing my whereabouts and my activities at all times. If only he would send me off to fight Langdon! He feeds every other son of Caledon to this blasted war. But I must stay safe within the castle’s confines, learning to rule the nation—assuming there’s any nation left when I take the throne. My father doesn’t love me. He cares nothing about my happiness or my interests. I’m a commodity to be mined for the benefit of himself and Caledon. Like one of his horses, I am trained to a purpose and expected to perform without fault or opinion. I am the crown prince. Certain comforts and privileges come along with that, I suppose. You’d think that the freedom to make some of my own decisions would be part of the package, but no. Father wants me to learn the theory of decision-making while leaving the decisions to him. One day, when I have children, I will do better for them than my father has done for me. I will not be what my father is, I swear.” |
Archives
March 2024
EventsCheck out my interview with blogger Fiona Mcvie! https://wp.me/p3uv2y-75n
|