What
method did you use to start creating your own epic world? Did it come together
bit for bit as the story progressed or did you carefully put each piece
together?
It started off with a title, like
all of my books. It seems rather clichéd to say it simply popped into my head
one day, but in this case it truly did. ‘Emaneska’ was the first word I wrote
of the Series. The world then grew with the characters and dialogue, until I
was forced to draw a map and solidify my ideas.
How
do you come up with the names. Did you play around with already existing ones
or do you make them all up?
Most of the names of the
characters are based around Norse mythology and the Scandinavian languages, or
Norse sources such as the Prose Edda. The gods of the Series have names very
similar to those of the Norse pantheon, but I wanted to tweak them a little, to
show perhaps a precursory religion. Here’s a little secret for you – one of my
best resources for names was the track and album names of a certain band called
Sigur Ros.
I
looked at the world map, which is incredibly big and saw a kingdom (or country)
named Albion. The name is quite common in works by UK authors and has an old
tradition and meaning. Other names like Skewerboar or Vorhaug instead sound
very Finnish to me. Did you choose the various styled names to give the nations
a deeper feeling of culture?
Even though Emaneska is very
Nordic in nature, it does involve a lot of over European influences too. Albion
is of course the traditional name for Great Britain. Paraia has a Greek feel.
Emaneska is a big world, and like Europe, is comprised of many different
cultures. So yes, I wanted to enrich my world by featuring and referencing
these places, even if the reader never sees them.
A
lot of work is done to create culture and traditions, to make a world feel
naturally developed over time. How much of the stuff you came up with is used
in your story?
Almost everything, though it is
spread across all the books, so as not to bombard the reader. The cultures did
develop quite naturally. I hinted at aspects in The Written and then had a chance to expand upon (both by design
and by accident) in books 2, 3, and 4.
A
lot of fantasy books have grand worlds with thousands of thousands ridiculous
sounding names within, but most of them don’t feel natural. What do you think
is important to make a world feel alive?
A sense of reality. Places mean
different things to different people. They are pronounced differently.
Shortened. Lengthened. Nicknamed. A bit of juxtaposition too. Not all places
that are beautiful have beautiful names, and vice versa. Look at Krauslung. For
such a regal and proud city (for the most part that is – docks and alleyways
excluded) you might expect a finer name than Krauslung. But I like to challenge
those sorts of preconceptions. Readers also don’t like sitting there, trying to
pronounce tongue-twisting names when all they want to do is keep reading. It
interrupts the flow. I kept my names, both for place and character, very
simple. Hardly any surnames. Minimal syllables. It keeps it memorable and
flowing. I think the most difficult name I’ve probably included in Emaneska is Hjaussfen. (Hint - it’s a soft J)
Did
you create a new race that’s differs greatly from a normal human? Was it hard
to create an original one, which doesn’t feel like a ripoff?
No. Emaneska is a largely human
world. Although a lot of fantasy features a veritable cornucopia of races
- dwarves, trolls, orcs, elves, hobbits etc – once again I found that I
wanted to keep my characters and their struggles very human, and therefore easy
to relate to. I also like playing with stereotypes, in the fact that my elves
were not graceful nor wise, but simply the creation of the daemons, to fight
the gods. I believe that’s quote different to the usual idea of an elf,
especially Tolkien’s idea of an elf. I couldn’t resist throwing in a little
variation here and there - minotaurs, trolls, lycans…
The idea of ripping something off
is so very difficult in today’s fantasy. Everyone stands on everybody else’s
shoulders. You just have to try your best to be original in the plot and the
world. Hopefully I’ve done that.
What
makes the magic system used in your books unique and special?
My magick system is based on
words. Usually spoken aloud, yet stored in written word. The words themselves
are not magical, nor is the ink - it’s their order and arrangement that is
special. Spells therefore can be created and forged like armour. They can be
carved into metal or wood, doorframes or the hulls of ships to imbue certain
properties. Not all can tolerate the feel of magic, and not all can handle it
without going mad or dying. Even the simple act of writing it down or carving
it into a material takes training, skill, and natural ability. And of course,
there are certain mages called Written, which are essentially human canvases
for an entire spell book. During a gruelling, three-day ordeal, these mages
have spells and runes tattooed across their back and shoulders. This has the
effect of imbuing the magick of the written word straight into the very being
of a person, meaning they don’t need to read from or memorise spell books, like
normal mages or wizards, and can cast spells as naturally as one might draw a
sword. This makes them downright dangerous.
Watch out for last part of the interview next week!
Pale
Kings (Emaneska Series #2)
Emaneska is crying out for a
saviour. The only question is: Can they kill a child to save a world?
Emaneska's Long Winter remains as bitter as a blade between the ribs. War is
fast approaching. Gods and daemons are hovering on the horizon. Long-lost
revelations arrive to haunt the futures of three men. The Pale Kings are
rising. While Farden busies himself digging up his past in the strange deserts
of Paraia, the stormclouds begin to gather for Durnus, Elessi, Cheska, and
Modren. Together with Farfallen and his Sirens, they must fight to survive
against the Long Winter, the vicious machinations of the new Arkmage, and the
arrival of something much deadlier than both combined. War, deception, and
murder are quickly becoming the only paths to salvation…
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