A Princess of Kesselt is my second book to be published soon. I wrote it soon after the first publication of The Greggs of Kesselt. The idea of the book was not to be a direct sequel of the first book. I always envisioned writing separate novels of the Greggs and not a closely interconnected trilogy or series.
The idea of A Princess of Kesselt started with the simple rescue of a princess. Then it evolved into the elaborate story of Princess Richelle's coming to the Grem Laor valley of the Dragon Mountains in North Kesselt. As I was writing it I wove into it Thomas Kinkiad and more back story. In the end I ended up with a story closely connected with The Greggs of Kesselt.
Two books that influenced me in writing this story was Thuvia Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Its not that I copied the story lines. What I liked from Thuvia was that a young lady could endure an adventure just as well as the big brawny men like John Carter and Conan. As for Last of the Mohicans I liked the element of a story in rugged mountain wilderness.
But what really influenced me was a panel from Marvel Graphic Novel #21, Marada the She-Wolf . In the full page panel Marada is clutching a bow with arrow while straddling a log in a dense forest. Lets face it she looks badass. That image stuck with me for many years.
I started writing A Princess of Kesselt late in 2004 while finalizing the publication of The Greggs of Kesselt with my former publisher. I understand that there will be accusations of me copying Hunger Games but until the movie came out I was ignorant of Suzanne Collins's work. Besides other than having a bow wielding young lady for a main character the similarities end there.
When I was first looking to publish The Greggs of Kesselt one submissions editor of a Sci-Fi Fantasy publishing company actually questioned the use of a dragon in my first book. Not because it did not fit in the book or was gratuitous he simply did not like the use dragons and their use was amateurish. Really. Dragons are a part of fantasy as much as magic, swords and funny little men with hairy feet. I reject the premise that you must exclude major elements of that genre when writing in it. That's like writing a Private Eye story and never being able to have a good looking dame in it. It can be done but why is that so much better. (Notice: no question mark). Having a particular element does not diminish a story. Its how the element is used. Think about George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice, if there were no mention of dragons. How would the story feel or would it have been as appealing? My feeling is if you don't like dragons don't read it. Which leads me to why I went off on this tangent...
I purposely wrote in dragons in this story. I even set up this story for a major plot line in the third book of Kesselt concerning dragons. And the dragon element sets up Tor Gregg with my original first attempt at writing a book. A story I would like to finish.
In the meantime I need to get going and finish preparing A Princess of Kesselt for publication.
Until then, enjoy.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Cup and Dagger
I bought Sanctuary edited by Robert Lynn Asprin when I was a teen. What I found memorable was the setting of the Vulgar Unicorn. It was here that the various characters in the short stories would meet and go where ever. This was in my beginning years as an aspiring teenage writer and I also wanted to write about thieves, warriors, and wizards operating from a tavern.
About the same time I made in woodshop a pretty cool mug. I layered several pieces of scrap cedar and then turned it on a lathe. I then took a spade drill bit and hollowed the inside. It is one of my most prized creations. Another day in wood shop I took a piece of scrap pine and using a sanding belt I was able to shape a fairly good blade. I then glued to smaller pieces on to it to form the hilt of the dagger. Imagine if I were to make that in woodshop today.
Sometime later I was thinking of my world of Kesselt and was inspired by my old woodshop cup and dagger. It had been sometime since I had read Sanctuary. That's when I hit upon the idea of my Kesselt stories being barroom stories told by the patrons. Along the way that idea morphed into the preludes and epilogues of my Kesselt stories beginning and ending there. I had visions of a tavern like the Vulgar Unicorn in Sanctuary. One day looking at my wooden dagger as it stuck out of the cup I had my inspiration of what the name would be. The Cup and Dagger.
About the same time I made in woodshop a pretty cool mug. I layered several pieces of scrap cedar and then turned it on a lathe. I then took a spade drill bit and hollowed the inside. It is one of my most prized creations. Another day in wood shop I took a piece of scrap pine and using a sanding belt I was able to shape a fairly good blade. I then glued to smaller pieces on to it to form the hilt of the dagger. Imagine if I were to make that in woodshop today.
Sometime later I was thinking of my world of Kesselt and was inspired by my old woodshop cup and dagger. It had been sometime since I had read Sanctuary. That's when I hit upon the idea of my Kesselt stories being barroom stories told by the patrons. Along the way that idea morphed into the preludes and epilogues of my Kesselt stories beginning and ending there. I had visions of a tavern like the Vulgar Unicorn in Sanctuary. One day looking at my wooden dagger as it stuck out of the cup I had my inspiration of what the name would be. The Cup and Dagger.
I had my tavern and the name for it. I open The Greggs of Kesselt at the Cup and Dagger. I use it in the body of the story as a setting. And then the book concludes in the Cup and Dagger in the epilogue.
When I first published my book back in 2004 I originally wanted to call it, From the Tales of the Cup and Dagger: Thomas Monroe and the Greggs of Kesselt. Knowing that titles should not be longer than five words that would have been wordy.
I'm still toying with the idea of short stories from the Cup and Dagger. However, I need to concentrate what's on my project list before running off and getting distracted. You will see more of the Cup and Dagger in the future. Its such a cool place to come back for more.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Dragons, Monsters and Villains
When I was first shopping The Greggs of Kesselt under its former title way back in 2004 I received one rejection letter that I found humorous. The gentleman was taking issue with the fact that I have a dragon in my fantasy genre book. Okay, so he doesn't like dragons. That's cool. But how he wrote; he found it incomprehensible that a dragon would be used in any fantasy novel. Really?
I believe what he was trying to convey was that by using a dragon I could not possibly be worthy of publication because dragons are cliché.
If dragons are cliché then I guess tell that to Van Gogh about bowls of fruit or flowers.
Which brings me to my point. A good story in part, is about how the author uses the elements within, to tell the story. Having a dragon in a story is not bad its how the dragon adds to the story that matters. I will continue to have dragons in my stories.
Which brings me to my choices of monsters, villains and fantasy creatures. First you must know that I have had much exposure to Greek and European mythology. I draw from that rich source to populate my stories and Kesselt. Admittedly, I like to use different creatures from those that are most commonly written about. I do believe that some creatures are over used. By adding different creatures I think it brings fresh story elements. So the gentleman was partly correct. But I don't believe in departing totally from the norm.
I have read a number of books where the authors have departed from the norm of fantasy so much it truly wasn't enjoyable. There's avant-garde and then there's being out right ridiculous. When I use a new creature I want it to add to or move the story along. Sometimes I write to please special people in my life.
My daughter has just as vivid of imagination as I do. When I first wrote The Greggs of Kesselt she would read along. The scene with the unicorn was added based on her suggestion that I couldn't just use dark creatures all the time. My use of the unicorn was my Grimm take on them. Unicorns haven't always been the pastel creatures of contemporary pop culture.
For my villain race I chose Kobolds. Kobolds come from Germanic mythology. They were evil spirits from mines. I first learned of them from Dungeons and Dragons. In D&D lore they are a reptilian humanoid like race described as dog-like. On Kesselt I have transformed them into a canine humanoid like race. I understand my version is not in keeping with the German or D&D versions. My Kobolds come from a D&D campaign where the Dungeon Master used them extensively and described them as canine. I used that description when I was in need of a stock villain race for the book and my second forth coming book.
When it comes to villains I don't use them as a bad force that needs to be vanquished. I use them as obstacles for the protagonist. I have not been a fan of the perpetual villain. That's why there is no one villain in my books. In life there are always several forces that seem to always be circling causing stress. I like that concept for my books.
One of the main reasons I like the fantasy genre is because I can tell a story drawing from a palette of variety. I can mix and use different types of characters. In the end I believe it only adds to the story and satisfies the imagination. Enjoy the dragons, there will be more.
I believe what he was trying to convey was that by using a dragon I could not possibly be worthy of publication because dragons are cliché.
If dragons are cliché then I guess tell that to Van Gogh about bowls of fruit or flowers.
Which brings me to my point. A good story in part, is about how the author uses the elements within, to tell the story. Having a dragon in a story is not bad its how the dragon adds to the story that matters. I will continue to have dragons in my stories.
Which brings me to my choices of monsters, villains and fantasy creatures. First you must know that I have had much exposure to Greek and European mythology. I draw from that rich source to populate my stories and Kesselt. Admittedly, I like to use different creatures from those that are most commonly written about. I do believe that some creatures are over used. By adding different creatures I think it brings fresh story elements. So the gentleman was partly correct. But I don't believe in departing totally from the norm.
I have read a number of books where the authors have departed from the norm of fantasy so much it truly wasn't enjoyable. There's avant-garde and then there's being out right ridiculous. When I use a new creature I want it to add to or move the story along. Sometimes I write to please special people in my life.
My daughter has just as vivid of imagination as I do. When I first wrote The Greggs of Kesselt she would read along. The scene with the unicorn was added based on her suggestion that I couldn't just use dark creatures all the time. My use of the unicorn was my Grimm take on them. Unicorns haven't always been the pastel creatures of contemporary pop culture.
For my villain race I chose Kobolds. Kobolds come from Germanic mythology. They were evil spirits from mines. I first learned of them from Dungeons and Dragons. In D&D lore they are a reptilian humanoid like race described as dog-like. On Kesselt I have transformed them into a canine humanoid like race. I understand my version is not in keeping with the German or D&D versions. My Kobolds come from a D&D campaign where the Dungeon Master used them extensively and described them as canine. I used that description when I was in need of a stock villain race for the book and my second forth coming book.
When it comes to villains I don't use them as a bad force that needs to be vanquished. I use them as obstacles for the protagonist. I have not been a fan of the perpetual villain. That's why there is no one villain in my books. In life there are always several forces that seem to always be circling causing stress. I like that concept for my books.
One of the main reasons I like the fantasy genre is because I can tell a story drawing from a palette of variety. I can mix and use different types of characters. In the end I believe it only adds to the story and satisfies the imagination. Enjoy the dragons, there will be more.
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