Ray Strong's Blog, page 4

Synopses of the Major Songs

The holds asits sacred duty the transmission of the collective knowledge of the entireculture. Acting from that mission, the preserves some tattered manuscripts in their archives. Some, suchas The Fool, are simple stories found intact, while others, such as Rowan,are epic poems with many gaps.
To construct a coherent story, the Order must on occasioninterpolate between passages. While attempting faithfulness to the originalintent, some creative license is needed. Their understanding is that thesemyths and stories are parables—teaching stories with a moral. The addedmaterial stresses the benefits of a virtuous life and the consequences of vice.And by so doing, they illustrate the tragic flaws of all humans and humancultures.
Three of those stories follow.

Special Words and Terms

Bolthorn: Thefrost giant of the mountain people. Maternal grandfather of Odin.
bracer: A cuff orarm guard to protect an archer’s forearm from the bowstring.
Chiniferra: Theholy book of the Sulerians, Turajii, and Quarajii; believed by the devout to bethe literal word of God.
Clanough: Meetingof clans from different valleys.
consumption: Tuberculosis;a chronic wasting disease of the lungs with a likelihood of death if untreated.
cuirass: Armorthat covers the chest. In this case, padded leather for practice with sword andstaff.
daemonberry: Asmall bushy fruit that grows best in the winter. The fruit has a flavor ofliquor and thyme due to the high concentration of alcohol. The concentrationincreases as it gets colder.
dilettante: Someoneconcerned with unimportant things.
Eastern Eighth:Just as “quarters” describe sections of Branwyn, “eighths” describe one-half ofa quarter; in this case, half of the Cathedral Quarter.
flitterbie: Awinged four-legged flier, about the size of the hand. They are very colorfuland omnivorous, with a diet mainly of wheezits, jenalei, and daemonberry.
Fólkvangr: Theheaven for those fallen in battle who will enjoy eternity with Freya ratherthan Odin.
Freya / Frigg: Queen of thegods. In some regions of Juro, Frigg is an aspect of, or sister of, Freya; goddess of loveand hope; in some sects is another name for the One God.
graxes: A two-legged,wingless raptor about the length of a person’s arm.
jenalei: A smallwhite plant with a high concentration of alcohol in the sap, that thrives inthe cold and winter. The open leaves catch seeds drifting past and store themin a pod of neutral fluid that preserves them. It grows everywhere but theglaciers and the lowlands of the South and North.
Juro: The World
kata: A trainingexercise consisting of a pattern of set moves, often with weapons.
moon(s): Threemoons orbit Juro, each with various names depending on the culture.Lon: Mother Moon. The largest of Juro’s three moons, with thelargest orbital period. A reflection of Lakshmi, epitomizing fertility andabundance; aids in the preservation of the world.Elein: Sister Moon. Smaller than Lon, with a slightly fasterorbital period. Reflection of Radha, epitomizing community and civilization.Fures: Brother Moon, the demon moon, or the war moon. Smallest ofthe three moons but brightest, with a red cast. A reflection on the courage andstrength of Durgha.
Norns: Beings whodecide the fates of gods and men.
Odin: King of thegods of the mountain folk and provinces.
packet boat: Asmall ship with a regular schedule. In this case from Stoneport on the southcoast to Ravenna.
semaphores: Uniquetattoos around the eyes or on the temples that mark the wearer as a dragonRider. Sometimes laced with iridescent pigments that glow with the Rider’semotions, they help to communicate with the dragons.
Sessrúmnir: Thehall of Freya in Fólkvangr (heaven).
stenifer: Treewith high alcohol/alcohol sap and wide branches like a fir tree.
Thores and Edmund:Mythical heroes of Altona and the Provinces.
tree resins: Inthis instance, myrrh from a small tree used as medicine.
Valhalla: Theheaven of those fallen in battle and chosen by the Valkyrie to enjoy eternitywith Odin.
Valkyrie: Femalegoddesses who chose from those who die in battle who will spend eternity with Freyain Fólkvangr or await Ragnarök with Odin in Valhalla. In stories oftenportrayed with wings or riding winged horses.
vambrace: Armor toprotect the forearms and wrists; padded leather for practice with weapons.
wheezit: Wingedflier with six legs and four wings, about the size of a person’s little finger;they serve to pollinate the native plants.

Now on NetGalley ...

All ...

Home: Interstellar is now on NetGalley if you want to read it and post a review. No obligation, but it's there if you want to read it.

Enjoy ... Ray

Hi ...Just had 99Designs create new covers for H:I-1. Tak...

Hi ...

Just had 99Designs create new covers for H:I-1. Take a look below.

Regarding the original cover, my daughter thought that focusing on a pretty girl might take away from the mystery of the book content. I intended it to express hope because that's a major theme.

99Designs has a deep bench of talented designers. They compete with design ideas, and you can pick the one you like (or not). If you like one, you can work with them exclusively on future projects.

Take a look. Your comments are welcome.

Free day Nov. 18 and 19

Just a heads up ...
Home: Interstellar will be given away as a promotion on Amazon November 18 and 19, 2018.

New Logo

Hey!

I wonder if you can help me select a new logo for my books. If you'd like to help, please fill out the survey here.

Thanks
... Ray

New logo

Hey!

I wonder if you can help me select a new logo for my books. If you'd like to help, please fill out the survey here.

Thanks
... Ray

Contenders for new cover

Hi. ...

The new book is in final edit and I need help deciding on the cover idea. This first book is about Astrid who rides dragons and sings to them. Let me know which you prefer. They are not released yet. The ones with the Fiverr watermark are very preliminary, but your comments are solicited.
You can take a survey survey here.

Flow chart for Home: Interstellar, Escape from Etna

While Book 2, Lost Hope, is in editing, here's something that might interest you.

Warning: Major spoilers if you have not read Book 1 yet!

For those of you that are interested in what goes behind plotting a novel where time, space and the plausibility of coordination is important, here's some of my work.

... Ray

New Edition and Paperback Live tommorrow! At a Discount!

Ta-da!

Tomorrow the remastered 2nd Edition will be live on Amazon. And discounted to $0.99 (for a limited time only).

...AND...

The remastered paperback will also be released on 5/16.