Daphne D'Amore

As promised, you get to meet Galen's sister and Julian's first love, Daphne. I haven't decided exactly to what extent they are in love and I am not really sure how it will turn out in the end for them. I'm still deciding. The curse of these two is that they will spend a very crucial year of their lives apart, where they will change dramatically. We'll see how it turns out for them.

Name: Daphne D’Amore

Nickname: None

Age: 19

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 125

Build: Slender, but womanly.

Eyes: Medium blue (darker on the ousides and lighter in the middle)

Skin: Fair with freckles

Hair: Strawberry blonde.

Other Facial Features: Soft, alluring features. Very, very pretty with a quiet sort of beauty.

Occupation: None.

Personality: A little bit mysterious, can hold her own against the boys (having grown up with Galen, after all), outdoorsy, loves to ride horses, play sports and is competitive. She’s a great friend, very loyal and appreciative. She is one of those people, that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t not like her. She’s crafty and can think outside the box.

Background: Born 2 years after her older brother, Daphne grew up around royalty. Her mother always nurtured her and she’s well-rounded in art, music and even some of the sciences. She befriended Sophia de Arques at a young age, but quickly found herself drawn towards Julian and her brother since they were always going on their own little adventures. She learned to keep up with them and later on, because of a competition, Galen drew attention to Daphne which made Julian realize how beautiful she really was. They began to spend more time alone when she was eighteen, knowing that in a year Julian would be leaving. She often wonders if he will actually come back to her or if the outside world will change him.

Greek God Equivalent: Daphne (who isn’t a goddess, but rather a nymph)

Other: The story of Apollo and Daphne is really tragic. Apollo was making fun of Eros for using a bow and arrow, which is a warriors weapon when Eros was merely the god of love. Eros, angered, shot Apollo with a golden arrow and Daphne with a lead one. The golden arrow struck Apollo in the heart and made him fall in love with Daphne, but the lead arrow was made to make Daphne hate Apollo. Apollo chased her, trying to convince her to marry him, which she hated. When she realized that she couldn’t escape him, she told her father, Peneus (a river god), to open up the ground and swallow her or change her form. Her father turned her into a laurel tree. Apollo promised that he would always tend to the tree, using his powers over youthfulness to keep it always green. 

I decided to stick with the name Daphne because I really couldn't imagine changing it from that for this myth. I think the myth is such a great one and shows just how ridiculous the gods act when they are challenged. They are severely childish, so it makes that whole part of them really, really fun. I think that there's a great story behind Julian and Daphne and even though the legend is based on them hating each other, I'm definitely not taking that whole thing into consideration and more just that Julian was struck by her beauty after Galen somehow pointed it out. Daphne would be stupid to not accept Julian anyway. 

Tell me what you think of the D'Amore siblings! I rather like them. I'm sad that I won't get to include them as much as I realized I'd want to. Galen is a great character and I think Daphne will be able to hold her own too. For now, we will have to just deal with Julian and Milo and we'll see where it all takes them.

It's Thursday! Which means I need your questions for tomorrow's Question Friday! Meiri has been giving me some great questions lately and I hope you all can find it in your heart to ask me some too. Otherwise you will have to listen to me ask myself questions and Lord knows that will be boring/hilarious. Let's just not find out. 

LL&P

Princess of [Kingdom]

Continuing with my family theme, you get to briefly meet Julian's sister. I know these haven't been the most interesting posts, but they give you a little bit of info on the other characters in the story, or at least characters I am allowed to introduce you to without giving anything away. Like I promised last week, here's Sophia.

Name: Sophia Helen de Arques

Age: 17

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 110

Build: Slender, elegant, small boned

Eyes: Deep blue and almond shaped, but larger than her mother’s

Skin: Olive

Hair: Waist length, golden dark blonde with a slight wave.

Other Facial Features: Striking features with soft eyes and high cheekbones. Resembles her mother, but more striking.

Occupation: Princess

Personality: Intelligent, perceptive, observant and generally quiet, but has a gentle way of expressing herself verbally. She has a way with words and charming everyone around her. She less gentle with her older brother.

Background: Born to be the crown jewel of the family. She if very beautiful for as young as she is. She does not regret her place in the family, though she would like to choose her own husband as opposed to having to be arranged in a marriage and her mother has tried to make it as easy as possible. She is currently seeking suitors.

Greek God Equivalent: Athena

Uh, yup. That's about it. I can't really think of anything else I was going to say about this today. I will point out, that my dog's name is Sophia and I kinda like it that way. I know she will have a place in the book, but I'm not completely sure how in depth it is just yet. 

Good news, I'm planning on disappearing out of my house for a bit tonight to go sit at Starbucks, get a drink and do some work on this whole thing. I'm not sure what my plan is for tonight. We'll see how it goes over. I'm looking forward to getting out of my house for a while though. Thanks for reading.

Queen of [Kingdom]

So, here you get to meet Mama de Arques. Again, I'm not sure exactly how she looks aside form what I've described down there. Then again, that could change. I don't know. Looks are hard for me right now.

Name: Claire Helena de Arques

Age: 40

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 125

Build: Motherly curves

Eyes: Almond shaped and rich green

Skin: Medium olive, lighter than her husband

Hair: Waist length golden brown and straight, though always in elaborate hair dos under her diadem.

Other Facial Features: Soft and inviting with a quiet sort of beauty.

Occupation: Queen

Personality: Soft, quiet, respectful, traditional, takes her place at her husbands right side always prepared, though that doesn't make her completely unassertive. She is a strong presence in her husbands life and does have quite an influence on him. She loves her children very much and is upset to see her son have to go on his quest to take the throan.

Background: Born the daughter of a Duke, she was always destined to be married off into royalty, though Julian II’s liking of her and consequent love of her was unexpected. She bore two healthy children to Julian II, but was unable to conceive again after their daughter Sophia.

Greek God Equivalent: Hera

Other: Often seen in peacock colors.

I was going to tell you all something else, but now I can't remember what it is. I started watching Heroes and it definitely brainwashed me. Also, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is on television and now it is certainly that my brain will be mush by the end of the day. I think anyone from when that movie was made and on that names their kid Ferris is asking for trouble. 

On an unrelated note, I now have an affiliates list. If you know anyone else that is working on their own art or writing projects, have them contact me and I can list them if they list me. Also, check out the first affiliate. It's amazing. A friend of my older brother is starting a clothing company; for every shirt you buy, one shirt gets donated to someone in need. It takes the charity/clothing alliance to an all new level. I can't wait until they really get started on it. Keep an eye out for them! You can check them out at http://no1without.blogspot.com!

The Antihero

Probably my favorite character in any book, movie or television show is the antihero; not to be confused with the antagonist. Where an antagonist is a villain, the one causing the problem that is progressing the plot for the hero or protagonist, the antihero is the protagonist with a less than conventional characteristics of the typical hero. Yesterday, I noted that the hero was courageous, self-sacrificing and morally right. The antihero tends to be selfish, morally ambiguous and show more signs of being cowardly in the face of danger.

Its true that everyone loves a great villain. The villain, with all their endless evil and conniving, create the plot that stories are surrounded by. The antihero is all that corruption without making the reader feel like they are siding with evil while they love them. The best part about them, is that you get all of the faults, mistakes, malicious behavior and sharp wit of the villain, but they are, in a way, fighting for good. Occasionally, they aren't fighting for good or bad, they are fighting for themselves. Let's go through a few examples. Here are some of my favorites.


Pirates of the Caribbean - Captain Jack Sparrow
This character single handedly created a franchise. It brought life to the pirates of old and he was the antihero that everyone wanted to be like.

Lost - Benjamin Linus and James "Sawyer" Ford
Both of these characters have very distinct 'bad guy' feelings. Ben being the more questionable of the two (since we still aren't sure what side he is one). Sawyer is fighting more for good, but doing it in a way that serves him best. (Not to mention Kate, who is technically a fugitive. Just saying.)

Dexter - Dexter Morgan
This show just put the lead actor in a place for a Golden Globe. The character is a serial killer hunting murderers. It's the ultimate antihero in that he will kill to find, what he believes is true justice.

Fight Club - Tyler Durden
Brad Pitt's portrayal of this fictional character created quite a stir. Honestly, I can ask any guy what their favorite movies are and there is no doubt that Fight Club with it's chaos creating character will make the list.


I could go on and on. The antihero is one of the most loved characters in all of literature and media. We want to love the bad guy. Woman want to change him, men want to him him. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly the female antihero. What about Pam from the Southern Vampire series? Or even someone a little more mild, like Meredith Grey of Grey's Anatomy? She's repeated described as being 'dark and twisty inside,' labeling her as the antihero and still the protagonist.

I promise, the women in my book, most of them are the antihero. With the exception of Julian's mother and sister, the rest of them have a distinct flair for self-serving, self-preservation, and morally ambiguous behavior.

DISCUSSION! Talk about your favorite antihero in any book, series, show or movie. Also, it's Question Friday tomorrow!! Ask me anything, everything and all you want to know will be revealed... well, within reason. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

Question Friday 02

Alright, I'm gonna make this as quick as I can since I need to head out, but who knows what will reallly happen because I am long winded.

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1. Will there be romance?

I should have guess that this would be a question at some point. However, for reasons I can't explain, I am completely unsure of the answer at this point. I would really like to have romance involved, but with the nature of this book being very plot driven, it would only be a sort of subplot and I can't quite pinpoint how strong it would be. There's also the fact that a lot of the female characters involved are either related to him or trying to kill him. Yes, there's the allure to the enemies falling in love, but that would be hard to do with the sirens or some of the other characters I have planned. There is a character that's only recently begun brewing in my head, but I am not sure how strong her involvement in the story would be once he left on his quest. So, my answer? The plot is more adventure driven, but if my characters start to really demand it, you can expect to see some tension in the romance department.

2. What inspired you to write the story?

I know I talked about what inspired met to start this plot, but not just what inspired me to write it. There were a lot of outside factors that mixed up in my head and created the plot, some of them more obvious than others. But what inspired me to just write? Well, actually, that is probably a book called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. I was reading it because my father suggested it to me. I was (and still am) at a point in my life where I'm not sure what direction I am going and I have too many options. He is a Christian writer just as I am. It isn't a self-help book, but more of a book that examines the reasons we hold ourselves back, in a way. At any rate, it was actually one specific thing that he said in the book that helped me realize what writing can do. He compares a lot of moments in our lives to those in movies and fiction; he really enjoys using them as metaphors. At one point, he says that fiction is necessary. He says that we live in this mundane world and it is hard to get the heart excited again, or passionate again and fiction does bring our hearts back to life. It reminds of us that most essential need to love and live. It wasn't a main theme of the book, but it was very exciting for me. As a person who had been trying so hard to figure out what I was doing with my life, it was a relief to hear someone call fiction a necessity. I was never looking for permission to be  a writer, but I was not convinced that it was a acceptable job. I felt like it was meant to be a side job, something of a hobby and when I read that part, I realized that I wasn't just going to be writing for myself because I felt like it (even though that could have been the reason and I would have been fine), but I was going to write something other people were going to read; something that other people were going to feel. I now have the opportunity to put together a plot with compelling characters and plot that when you put it down whether you loved it or hated it, you will feel it. So, that is my inspiration for writing it.

3. Why did you choose the gods/goddesses that you chose?

I think with most of them, I created a general outline of the character. I decided on their involvment in the story and saw where they needed to be and then I went and did a heck of a lot of research to find just the right god/goddess to fit that character. With the characters a sort of silhouette, once I found the corresponding god, it all clicked and the character became very clear. All of their quirks, ticks and minor personality traits fleshed out and I had a bigger picture. Some of the gods I knew I was going to use, like Kairos for example and he just happened to fit The Oracle. Some of them, like Aphrodite, well it only made sense that she be the counterpart to this one particular character in the story. It really is just a blind search in hopes that it clicks. It usually works.

4. Julian. What's his favorite outfit? What's his favorite food? Who's his best friend? What's his most prized possession? What's one thing could he lose that he would be completely lose without?

Oh, these are hard to answer! His favorite outfit is yet to be discovered. I haven't got a set sense of what the fashion is going to look like in this world, so I don't know just yet. I would guess that it is something casual that makes him look average and nothing like royalty, though. For food, again, I'm not sure what exactly the kind of diet this kingdom is on. Though, he's the kind of guy to like almost anything. Darn men and being able to eat and not gain weight. What a jerk. His best friend is a faceless, unnamed Duke. I haven't quite figured the character out yet. I just know he's a Duke. I have no idea what he looks like. His most prized possession is this old family crossbow that his grandfather gave him as a child. He accidently killed his grandmother's cat with it. He swears it was an accident. And the final question, I don't have an answer for. I know that if I did have an answer, I would already be making plans to have him lose it, because I'm evil and torture my characters. See what you did? Now I'm going to come up with something for him to lose.

5. Will you have a Gaia equivalent?

I don't know yet. That is definitely an interesting goddess to have involved and there are going to be so many interactions with characters in this book and the following books, its hard to say where it will all end. I wouldn't be surprised if they do run into someone eventually that is the Gaia equivalent, but that character has yet to be discovered.

6. What rides are you gonna go on? I've never been to Disneyland and I want to vicariously!

I always go on as many rides as possible, but the requirements are always Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones, and the Matterhorn. If I can squeeze in more, I will definitely go on them.

7. What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Hmmm, this is the hardest question yet. i don't kow. I love cookies. Home made chocolate chip cookies from scratch are incredible, but if I'm going to buy cookies from the store, Oreos usually win out. It's appropriate that two days ago someone called me the creme in the Oreo. Apparently I'm the best part.

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Well, I hope that can hold your attention for a whole weekend while I figure out what I plan on writing next week. My goal right now is to get as many characters and events outlined as possible and get to actually writing by March 1st. If I can do so earlier, I'd love to, but we will see. I'm gonna set a writing schedule and get myself into the routine of writing every day. I foresee many trips to Starbucks. Have a great day!

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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A Woman's Role

Post is coming at you early today. I babysit and it makes it hard to post and watch a three-year-old at the same time. It can be done if needed, but I may as well get it out of the way if I can. Not out the way, because I'm enjoying this, even with so few followers at the moment. I'm trying to decide how to continue on with next week's posts. Today, I think I'm going to do a little backtracking, since there was a few questions about passing the crown yesterday and I want to clear that up.

Also, I am dubbing Fridays as 'Question Fridays,' which means on Thursday you can comment on the post and ask me a question. It can be about me personally, characters, the whole steampunk world, my version of it and I'll even let you ask completely random questions about whatever comes to mind. Hopefully you keep them appropriate. We'll see how well that goes over.

On to business,

There was a few questions regarding passing the crown and what that entails for any daughters of the royal family. I wanted to clarify, firstly, that just because the crown cannot pass to a female heir first, and must pass to a male, does not mean that women in this world are less than men. It is due to part tradition and part logic that the heir is preferably a male. The reason I call it logic is that, though I believe that women can do anything men can do, it doesn't mean they were meant to do anything men can do. I agree that a woman can rule a country. Look at Queen Elizabeth for example. She was the best thing to happen to England in God know's how long. However, I do also believe that men have a very strong nature for ruling, leading, and making intense decisions that blanket over a large majority.

Do not mistake me, I am a very strong willed woman and I like to be in charge. I also believe that in this case, where the world is based in a very traditional world with old world social structures, it makes sense for the men to take the crown before the women.

I was also asked to clarify the laws that govern the crown being passed to a daughter. In the case that either the son(s) fail to finish the quest, or there aren't any sons, the crown is passed to a daughter. I'm still working out details of what this ritual is. I know it involves her being courted by various surrounding princes. At any rate, she must take a suitor, at which point she marries and then can take the crown.

One thing that is unique about this aspect of the passing the crown is that it is a very political move. It is extremely strategic the way that they choose a prince to marry the princess. They take into account the size, population, resources, location and various other factors before choosing. She does have a say, a very big say, in who is chosen, but ultimately, it is a chance for the kingdom (still unnamed, darn it) to expand in a positive direction. The queen and princess(es) can be vary important parts of the kingdom's dynamics. Women all over work and take care of families and function just fine without the help of men. Often times, women are more successful because men are weak... okay, I'm kidding, but there are women in positions of power in this world. It isn't uncommon and you can expect to see some very strong female characters in this trilogy.

One more thing, I was asked if this has ever happened before. At first I said only once has the crown been passed to a female, but I've revised it. It has happened at least three times. Twice in the case of the king and queen only having daughters and once in the wake of failures to complete quests. I think I'm going to write up a history for each of these. I'll probably post them too.

I might have someone to do some concept art for me! Hopefully in the future we can get some fun stuff posted for visuals. Keep an eye out for that. Okay, all done for today. This is longer than expected. TODAY IS QUESTION DAY! Ask me what you want to know and I'll answer them tomorrow!

((I am having major spelling issues today. Geesh.))