Question Friday 01

This is coming to you late because it has been a long day and I haven't had time to sit down and properly answer the questions. But here is the first of many successful *crosses fingers* Question Fridays.

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1. How long do you expect the books to be?

This is tough to answer. After doing some research, it really comes down to the genre of the book for a ballpark word count to be answered. Since this does fall under fantasy and it is geared towards young adults and adults, my estimate is that each one in the trilogy will be around 100,000 words. That's quite a lot, but I'm a bit long winded when it comes to certain aspects. From what I've read, publishers are unlikely to put the money into a 'long' first time writer. My goal is to go all out, do what I have to do to make a compelling story and see how it goes.

2. Also, do you like chocolate mousse? (from the same commenter as the first)

Yes.

3. What sources/ideas inspired you to come up with your story idea?

I think the plot was a long time coming. The idea of this Greek epic of sorts has always been something I wanted to tackle, but was too afraid to jump in. I am so inspired by Greek Mythology. I have a love for the insanity that goes on in those stories, from the gods to the creatures. It is a huge resource for me when it comes to finding names, characters, themes and so much more. In everything I write, I always seem to compare it to any given myth to find where the themes come from.

The steampunk genre was scary at first. I hadn't exactly chosen it immediately. I knew I wanted to write a fantasy, because I wanted that big, unknown world feeling to it and I like the idea of creating your own world and not having to make sure you fact check every two minutes to make sure you are getting it all down right. I have so many ideas, that I knew I could combine them all into a fantasy. But, then again, I didn't just want your J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy, or C.S. Lewis. I needed something less whimsical and more rooted. I started researching and looking around the internet and when I finally saw the movie Treasure Planet, I knew I came across something good. Then, when Stardust came out, I found that it too had some steampunk tendencies. The idea of having gadgets, technology and all that metal around gave me a really interesting addition to the plot I already had.

I look to the internet for inspiration a lot. I'll just type in steampunk into a search engine or search for forums, character designs, costume designs and all that kind of art that comes with it. It just continued to expand in my head and I decided that more than anything, there was a good chance I could combine the old world of ancient Greece with the metal of steampunk to get something possibly very weird and hopefully very intriguing.

4. I'm very interested in the history of The Passing of the Crown ritual. Is it different from when the tradition first began, or has it remained completely unchanged since the beginning?

The Passing of the Crown in regards to the Quest of Kings has not ever changed. The same ritual has always applied. As far as anyone in modern times knows, there was never a time when it didn't work that way. As for the passing to a daughter, that is a more recent accepted tradition. Far back, just like in the real world, women were not allowed to take places of power. Their was no exception. The crown could only pass to a male heir, never a male married into the family. Eventually, their came a king and queen with only daughters and the eldest daughter fought like hell to take her place in the royal family. She threatened to go on the Quest of Kings, without permission or warning, just to prove her point. Laws were changed, tradition was altered and she was allowed to take the crown under the stipulation that she married first.

5.Do you have any particular music that gets the gears churning on the STC universe yet?

Not exactly. I haven't had the opportunity to actually do any writing for the books just yet. It has all been notes and planning. So, all the music I listen to is just whatever I feel like using at the moment. A lot of times I will put on instrumentals or a string quartet so I'm not distracted by lyrics. But, I will let you know when I find what band or music takes hold of me as I write.

6. So, technically a daughter could, say, have her brothers offed and then take the crown without ever having to do the quest, assuming she's the evil back stabbing type?

Assuming the worst, yes that is entirely plausible. That is, if she can have her brother(s) killed without anyone finding out it was her who set it up. Women can be sentenced to death. If they can inherit the crown, they certainly can die for it.

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Thanks for reading! I hope this week's posts were worth your time and that you lovingly pass it on to more people so we can get a bigger fan base going. I can't wait for next weeks posts. I hope to have the Legend of the Oracle written as well as a family history of the de Arques dynasty.

See you Monday!

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