Sam Dogra's Blog, page 2

My Top Five Favourite Fantasy Settings

Fantasy has always been my favourite genre, and one of the things that appeals most to me are the expansive worlds. Writers can be so creative and build entire societies, cultures and people that are just fascinating to dive into. I'm no exception of course, having created the world of Azaria for my novel series.

Of course, Azaria wouldn't be what it is without inspiration, so here is a list of my top five fantasy locations. They cover a variety of media, so without further ado...

1. Gaia (Final Fantasy IX)


Map of Gaia

Gaia is the main world on which the video game Final Fantasy IX takes place. It is made of four major continents- Mist, Outer, Lost and Forgotten. The Mist Continent, as the name implies, is engulfed in a strange substance known as Mist. This has been harnessed into fuel, and so technology and transport is very steampunk. Lindblum is a great example of this, being the biggest and most advanced of the nations:


Lindblum
Then there's Alexandria, which is steeped in much more tradition and has a history of empire and war.


Alexandria

One of the most unique nations is Burmecia. This is situated in an area where it never stops raining, and is inhabited by humanoid rat-like people.


Burmecia

What appeals to me most about Gaia is its mix of old and new technology. It's steampunk at its finest, and yet it also allows for magic and greater supernatural powers to co-exist (such as the summons). I really adore the blend of science and magic, and is definitely something that will inform one of Azaria's future settings.

2. Thedas (Dragon Age series)


Map of Thedas

I was only introduced to the Dragon Age cames relatively recently, but the world of Thedas definitely held my interest. It's much more gritty and grimdark than the settings I tend to prefer, but it lends itself well to the story it wants to tell. There are a mix of countries, each with their own conflicts and agendas, but there are also greater threats, such as The Blight, which require co-operation to keep under control, and even the Chantry, the church that wields as much power as any of the nations.

The first Dragon Age came takes place mainly in Ferelden, which is an England-based country, ruled by a monarchy. It has strong medieval vibes, with not much in the way of technological advancement and feudal systems, and dogs are popular pets. It's the little details like this that make the setting fun, and somewhat relatable (since I live in the UK).


Denerim, the capital of Ferelden

Then there's the pompous Orlais, modelled on France, with their eccentric nobility and lavish customs. They have an imperial ruling system. They also have quite the disdain for Fereldens, who likewise can't stand the Orlesians (much like the age old rivalry between the French and English). The stark differences between the two nations are revealed the best in the third game, Dragon Age Inquisition.


The Winter Palace in Orlais

Thedas also has the city states of the Free Marches (much like the ancient city states of Italy), the Spanish/ Portugese inspired Antiva, and the Roman-empire styled Tevinter Imperium. I really do like the basis in real-world locations, as it gives the setting a dash of realism and makes the conflicts between the nations a lot more grounded. It is quite Europe-centric, though, so it would be great to see something similar done for another culture.

3. The Old Kingdom (Sabriel series)


Map of the Old Kingdom

This was one of the first book fantasy worlds I really appreciated. The Old Kingdom is the region north of Ancelstierre, and the two regions are separated by the Wall. This protects Ancelstierre from Free Magic and the Dead, and is manned by soldiers. But it's not completely fool-proof, as occasionally when the wind blows the wrong way, technology can fail in Ancelstierre, especially near the Wall.

I really like this concept, as in contrast to Gaia in Final Fantasy IX, here technology and magic are opposing forces, with Free Magic being chaotic and unpredictable, while technology (and technically Charter Magic) try to bring order and stability.

I also appreciate how the Abhorsen's House is situated (in the middle of a river), as water is a repellent force for the Dead. The sequel books also let us explore the Clayr's Glacier, which is another unique setting for a people to make a settlement in.

All in all the Old Kingdom is great to explore and delve into, as each of its areas are built to fit the magic system and history, and Garth Nix does add layers with newer books.

4. Edgeworld (The Edge Chronicles)


Map of Edgeworld

This was definitely the world that inspired me most for my Azaria books. There are three main trilogies in this series, where the actions of one character leads to consequences that are seen in the next. This is something at the heart of my series, and will become more apparent with the next book.

The Edge is a huge floating landmass, mostly covered in the Deepwoods forest, but its most unique feature are the floating rocks. In the first age, these grow in the Stone Gardens. Smaller rocks can be used in airships to allow for flight, but a natural phenomenon caused a giant one to be created. Upon this, the city of Sanctaphrax was built, and was the seat of knowledge, with particular devotion to meterology. The rock is tethered to the ground by a giant chain.

Beneath the floating city lies Undertown, a much more industrialized settlement. While Santaphrax is full of academics and scholers, Undertown is ruled by merchants, and thus there is much more inequality. The anchor that keeps Sanctaphrax grounded also lies here.

The beauty of this series, however, is that the world changes between trilogies. The first Sanctaphrax proved a giant climatalogical threat that could end all life on Edge, and so had to be evacuated and cut loose. A new giant stone was created, but thanks to something called stone-sickness, it could no longer float and had to be suspended by wooden pillars. These pillars were made by slave-labour in Undertown, as the merchants had been overthrown and replaced by more corrupt leaders.

I love how each part of Edgeworld feeds into the other, and how change in one area can drastically impact another. Considering this was written in 1998, the parallels to climate change are stark, and worth heeding.

5. The Four Nations (Avatar: The Last Airbender)


Map of the Four Nations

This is perhaps the most culturally diverse world of the ones I've listed, being the Eastern equivalent of the Euro-centric Dragon Age. While the parallels are not completely one to one, the research that went into this clearly shows and provides a really refreshing worldview.

The world of Avatar has four nations based on the four elements- the Fire Nation (with strong imperial Japan influences), the Earth Kingdom (based off expansive Chinese settlements), the Air Nomads (based off Tibetian monks), and the Water Tribes (based off Inuit/ Alaskan culture). The nations are supposed to live in harmony, but the imperialism of the Fire Nation has caused war for over 100 years. The Air Nomads were wiped out, the Southern Water Tribe has had all its fighters and water-benders decimated, with only the Earth Kingdom able to provide much resistance (and that's with the King beind unaware there's a war going on at all).

The Avatar (based off a Hindu concept of gods reincarnating into mortal form to address times of strife) is the person meant to bring balance to the world, and in this case it's the last surviving Air Nomad, a boy named Aang. As he journeys to master the four elements and bring down the tyrannical Fire Lord, we get to see the depth of the cultures. None of the nations are monoliths- there are Fire Sages who are on the Avatar's side, the Kyoshi warriors who live independently on their own island, water-benders who live in swamps...there's a great amout of diversity and it really does make the world feel real.

My favourite location is probably the Northern Water Tribe city. It's a canal city built on ice between a glacier, and the form fits function so well.


Northern Water Tribe

Conclusion

So those are my top five fantasy locations, all of which have definitely inspired the creation of my own world, Azaria. What are your favourite fantasy locations, and what makes them memorable to you? I'd love to know!

Clean Fantasy Reads Special Giveaway

 

Hello everyone! Hope you like the new look of the website- I'd been putting off an upgrade for ages, but I'm glad I finally got down to it and revamped it. All the old content on the previous site is still here, just more organised.

Amongst the changes are that I now have a newsletter- if you want to keep up to date with my latest book releases, enjoy some fun fantasy-based anecdotes, and  snag some great book deals from other fantasy authors from time to time, then I highly recommend you subscribe. As a thank you, you'll get the first in my Chronicles of Azaria series novels, The Binding, free (usual price $4.99/ £4.99). Yes, that's the whole entire book, free! You can download it in multiple formats, so it will work on whichever device you use.

As well as that, I also have a very special deal coming up. From 2nd March 2021, I've joined the Clean Fantasy Reads Giveaway. Via an exclusive link in my newsletter, you'll be able to access over 20 FREE young adult romance fantasy books (similar to my own book, The Binding). These range from novellas to full length first series books, so you don't want to miss out!

All of these titles are deemed 'clean'- so there's no explicit content and is aimed for ages 12+. Ideal if you want a break from all the heavy grimdark (both in fiction and in reality). And you may just find your new favourite series...

So if you want access to these titles, just go to the right sidebar and sign up to my newsletter (which will also snag you a free copy of my book, too). The promo ends on 31st March, and I'll send the links out twice. The last one will be 28th March, so be sure to sign up before then.

Outside of this promotion, my newsletter goes out a once a month, so don't worry, you won't be bombarded with spam. And of course you can opt out at time.

So, what you need to do:

1. Go to the right sidebar and sign up to my newsletter

2. Check the confirmation email

3. Get your free download of The Binding as your gift

4. Enjoy updates from me, and from tomorrow get access to more free fantasy books!

Why There Isn't Much Diversity In My Books (so far)...and How I'm Going To Change

 

In the last few decades, the issue about diversity in fiction has become more and more prominent. What's diversity, you ask? Well (and this isn't a formal definition), it's about including a broader variety of characters in stories, highlighting the trend that characters tend to be of the dominant or 'default' class (typically white straight male), even in non real-world settings. Having characters of colour, on the LGBT+ spectrum or even just women is more reflective of populations in the real world and can shed light onto stories or perspectives which wouldn't otherwise be given a voice. I for one have definitely become tired of the common tropes in fiction and repetition of the same ideas, and this could be a way to open up a world of intriguing possibility.

Alas, even as an author of colour myself, I have a confession to make. It's only been recently that I've noticed in my own work, I've fallen into the 'default' trap. My first trilogy, the Chronicles of Azaria: The Goddess Saga, features predominantly white characters, with very little in the way of other cultures or representation. Now you could argue why should this matter- the setting is in a made up fantasy world, so the race of the characters should be irrelevant. The story is also much more character focused, so it's difficult to include other diverse elements that are directly relevant, compared to a big expansive epic. And arguably it's worse to shove in 'forced diversity' for the sake of it, rather than making it an organic part of the story.

The character cards for the upcoming books won't look quite so homogenous!

While there is some truth to these arguments, they are not excuses, and being made aware of diversity issues is still important. Not only does it allow other minorities to feel seen and represented, it also refreshes the tired old tropes that many, especially me, have become so bored with. With this in mind, I have revamped other settings in my Azaria world, which will play a larger role in the upcoming stories for the series.

The new region, Bayaan, will feature prominently in future Azaria books, and is based off North India

Thus the main reason for my writing this post is firstly, to raise awareness, but secondly, to be aware of biases you may not even know you have. Even though I'm not white, my main characters still defaulted to this, so anyone can perpetuate the trend without even realising it. It's only by taking a step back and thinking 'why is this character this way' can you think more broadly and ambitiously. Nonetheless, I am also not for the trend of forcing in diversity which makes it come off as a 'checklist of things to include' and not be woven into the story properly.

Then comes the issue of 'who should be writing this'? There are many who tout that only others of a certain race or indigenous group should be writing about themselves, but I think this needs a more nuanced argument. While we don't want to go down the old colonialism route of 'those Orientals' and perpetuate harmful stereotypes, it's also too restrictive to ban all writers with an interest in other cultures from doing so. The key here is research, talking to and getting viewpoints from people in said culture, and then writing about it sensitively and respectfully.

The main cast of the series features Sokka and Katara (based off Inuit culture) and Aang (based off Tibetan monks)

A great example of this I think is the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series. The world is based off Eastern cultures, and so while it's not a direct representation and there is some mixing of elements, each nation or group are depicted well and respectfully, despite being entirely written by two white men. Each culture also isn't conglomerated together into 'The East'. The story and world building and characters, while not perfect, are masterfully done, and it does show that a lot of thought and research went into even seemingly minor details.

On the other hand, the creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino could have done more to promote creators of the backgrounds within their stories, as there is a bias in the industry. Who's to say that a creator who was a part of the depicted cultures was overlooked for a similar story?

Similar could be said for Disney's Moana- while the depiction of the culture was cetainly a lot more respectful than previous films such as Pocahontas, and there was direct consultation of the ethnic group involved, it still wasn't written by indigenous creators. To some this may seem overly nitpicky, where to others this is a key to the heart of the diversity issues that need to be recognised and addressed.

It's therefore quite difficult to acknowledge internal biases that have built up over time, let alone address them, but having seen the problem in my work, it has really opened my eyes of the simple steps that can be taken to start to improve representation in my own fiction.

So, to sum up:

1. Consider including a wider range of people as characters from different racial groups or other backgrounds, even if not using a real-world setting

2. If you are not a member of said group, talk to people who are and do further research to avoid harmful stereotypes. Also ask what kind of story you are wanting to tell, and if you are simply using the other culture as 'set dressing'.

3. Don't shoe-horn diversity in to get 'brownie points', make it an integral part of the story and its development, which is why thinking about it early is key

I'm looking forward to implement these changes in my future books, and I hope you'll enjoy what it creates!

The 14 Days of Blessing Day 14: Behind the scenes and Release Day!

 

Welcome to day 14 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

Release day!

And so today is release day for The Blessing! It is now available as ebook and paperback on Amazon and Smashwords.

For the final day, I am giving a sneak peak behind the scenes just to show you my writing process, and how I get from initial idea to finished published novel!

Step One- Ideas and Outlines

As you may have read from my author interview, the original idea for The Binding came when I was taking some blood samples to the lab during my first hospital job. I had a scene emerge in my mind—a girl sitting alone in a forest, because she wanted to protect her heart. I took this concept and expanded it, creating the Binding spell, laying down some rules, and then went on to develop Eliza as a character.

Once I had a clear idea of what the general themes would be, I then wrote out the outline. I am very much a planner type of writer, and I find it easy to follow an outline rather than write and see where things go.

Step Two- First/ Second Draft

With the outline complete, now comes the hard part- the actual writing! This means putting chapter markers in the original outline, and then fleshing everything out. I do tend to refine quite a bit- which is where I will write 400-500 words and then go back and tidy it up a few times. A lot of authors warn against this as you can get stuck in the same scene for ages, but I've found this method good for me, as I can do this relatively quickly and move on. This saves time later with the first edit, and allows me to focus on expanding things like characterization (which is one of my weaknesses) rather than the technical parts.

This is also the bit where I can re-write the outline if the story seems to be going in another direction. This helps me keep things flexible without abandoning structure altogether!

Step Three- Editing

The bit most authors dread, but I actually find the first edit quite fun! This allows me to inject more characterisation, spruce up dialogue and cut down on unnecessary filler words ('just', 'even', 'eyes widened' are particularly bad ones for me). I quite like Brandon Sanderson's tip where you only focus on one thing per edit (so one edit for technical issues like word choice/ sentence structure, one edit for characters/ dialogue, one edit for plot points etc).

Step Four- Polish

This bit I find the most tedious, as at this point I'll have read through the manuscript so many times! For this I take a slightly different approach to editing. First, I will have made notes from my editing which parts of the story need extra flavour (so added dialogue, additional character thought or insight, etc). I start from the last chapter and work backwards, using an e-reader to read the text aloud. This is really good for catching typoes and tense changes, and is better than reading aloud yourself as the e-reader will always read what's on screen, whereas your brain may insert or inject words that aren't there!

Reading backwards also stops you getting caught in the 'rhythm' of the story, as this can make you overlook thing as you've already read it so many times.

Step Five- Formatting 

This step used to be a huge headache, but now I have ready-made templates from my previous books it's super easy! Ebooks and paperback books have specific formatting (to make sure there's no malaligned text or random blank pages) and these need to be adhered to to make sure the books look right. Different distributors also have different formatting (Amazon vs Smashwords) so make sure you have separate templates for each.

This is less of an issue if you opt for traditional publishing but of course you need to follow the appropriate submission guidelines depending on who you are querying, and will need to do cover letters etc.

Step Six- Cover and Synopsis

Fortunately I am an artist as well as a writer, so this saves me having to hunt down a cover artist! Of course making a cover is still time-consuming and needs to be the best it can be, to attract readers. I have a blog tutorial here about how I made The Binding's cover.

And then comes the synopsis- the bane of most writer's existence, but oddly enough not mine? I put this down to being a doctor- I have to document patient stories in their medical notes succinctly and in summary, so it's something I'm quite used to!

Step Seven- Preparing for Publishing

And so the last step involves checking and re-checking to make sure the books are ready to go! On Amazon KDP, there is a preview tool to check ebooks, and you can also order proof copies of paperbacks to check they print properly and that the cover looks good.

Once these are all ready, you're ready to go live!

And so ends the 14 Days of Blessing...

Did you participate on at least 10 of the 14 days by leaving the gold and purple heart emojis? Then you could win a free ebook box set of all three books! Send me a message on my facebook page or twitter- you have 7 days to contact me (so until the 21st February). I will draw and announce the winners of the box-sets on 26th February.

I really hope you enjoyed the 14 Days of Blessing! I had great fun creating it. The next Azaria books will begin in a brand new era and feature an all new cast of characters, but until then, take care and happy reading!

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Click here to purchase from Smashwords

The 14 Days of Blessing Day 13: Art Day!

Welcome to day 13 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

Art day!

Well that's been a lot of information so far, so to have a break from all the text today I'm going to share with you my art for the series!

Eliza and Ryan
 
 A scene from the first chapter of The Binding
 
Eliza and Ryan- a metaphor for their Binding?

Ryan and his horse Cielo
 
Click here to purchase from Amazon

Click here to purchase from Smashwords

The 14 Days of Blessing Day 12: Read an excerpt

Welcome to day 12 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

Excerpts

I hope you've enjoyed the characters and world so far, but now you have a better idea of what Azaria is about, it's time to dive right in! I have the first three chapters of each book available to read. The Binding and The Parting are from Eliza's point of view, while The Blessing is from Ryan's point of view.

Read the first three chapters of The Binding (book 1) here

Read the first three chapters of The Parting (book2) here

 Read the first three chapters of The Blessing (book 3) here

 

You can also click here to read my fan fiction (I cover the following fandoms: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Dragon Age, the Companions Quartet) if you want to read some full stories!

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Click here to purchase from Smashwords

The 14 Days of Blessing Day 11: The Noble Houses

 

Welcome to day 11 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

The Noble Houses

Azaria currently has ten (formerly twelve) noble Houses. Each House has contributed to the kingdom's history in one way or another, but rather than try to explain it all myself, I thought it would be better if you heard from an expert...

So allow Eliza, the protagonist of the Goddess Saga, to reveal all! Along with Lady Navinka...

[transcript of animation]

Eliza: Welcome back! You must be loving these little lessons. Right, we've got something more contemporary this time. We're going to have a quick tour of the twelve Noble Houses of Azaria.

Navinka: About time you stopped looking into the past.

Eliza: *eye twitch* Anyway, my special guest this time is Navinka...

Navinka: LADY Navinka.

Eliza: Sorry, LADY NAVINKA.

Navinka: Better. *adjust self* I am a Svendmar, one of the largest noble houses. As Eliza has pointed out, there are ten families left, after the demise of the Gladiers and Farrontines, and I am here to teach you about them. So, listen well!

Each family is represented by an animal and a weapon- a tradition that dates back to Azaria's Age of Darkness. Back before the kingdom was united, Azaria was plagued with natural disasters, and we were engulfed in a war with Esturia. This was before the Age of the Goddess. Instead, eight celestial creatures were worshipped, and it was from these beasts that each noble family took their crest. The only exception is House Kinslet, who were founded long afterwards.

So, perhaps they are the best place to start.

1. House Kinslet, the royal house. Their coat of arms sports a stag and a shield, representing resilience and strength. Before rising to royalty, they were prominent military strategists. The General of the Royal Army was of this line, and he kept the kingdom together when the Gladier-Farrontine feud played out. So impressed with his dedication, the people chose him as their ruler, and so his family continue to rule to this day. Their name means 'tolerant family'.

2. House Glenford. This is Ryan's family. Their major trade is in gemstones and fine jewellery. They are also known for their skilled swordsmanship, and have given us many great heroes, including Robert Glenford, a Captain of the Terent Guardsmen who was said to have beaten an entire platoon with only three men while besieged in a Goddess Shrine. Their symbol comes from the legendary pegasus who had mastery over air. Their name means 'river valley', for where Terent was founded.

3. House Balthanders. Lord Alexander Balthanders is the King's most trusted advisor, and he has performed many great feats for the good of Azaria. His family also inherited the Ornixa mines after the Gladiers died out, and have made several important discoveries such as flametar. His many brilliant achievements include the design and construction of the Greywater Canal, as well as being a leading scholar on the mysterious Holy Runes. Their symbol comes from the Celestial Beast who brought light and peace. Their name means 'saviour of the king'.

4. House Svendmar. My family are master architects, and several famous Azarian landmarks can be attributed to them, such as the Dragonvale cathedral, Ornixa's Council Hall, and Terent's Jewellers Guild. We also hold a musical tradition, and I come from a long line of pianists, violinists and cellists. Our symbol comes from the celestial sea serpent who could control water. Our name means 'boy of the sea', reflecting our earlier nautical origins, before the great flood made us move closer inland.

5. House Aspengale. Professor Aspengale is the current Dean at the Healer's College in Viens, but the family originally hail from Wolfdale. The family are noted scholars, and most published works of knowledge have ties to their name. There is also an Aspengale Scholarship one can apply for in the Viens Academy. Their symbol comes from the Celestial wolf who had power over earth. Their name names 'joyous tree', reflecting their keen interest in the natural sciences.

6. House deQuervan. Since the end of the war between Azaria and Esturia, the deQuervan's have kept mostly to themselves. Residing in Dhjerba, the old Esturian capital, they have remained true to their merchant roots and set up their guild. They also retain rule over the city, and do not use the judgement of the Guardsmen. Their open-hearted and generous nature have led to Dhjerba becoming a national trade hub, and they continue to prosper and expand their city. Their symbol comes from the Celestial lion who could control lightning. Their name means 'from the marshes', as they originally lived in the Blackspring marsh before they founded Dhjerba.

7. House Ezengarde. They are famous healers, and their founder, Jason Ezengarde, invented the iasometer, as Eliza revealed earlier. His descendant Lady Adenia founded the healing school in Lanaran. The family still reside there, very involved in teaching new healers and researching new medicines. Their symbol comes from the Celestial fox who possessed the power of darkness. Their name means 'protectors of the wind'.

8. House Voxwood. Famed for their shipping trade, the Voxwoods were also responsible for the creation of the canal city Estovan, which remains their home. According to rumour, the next Voxwood heir has supposedly disowned his family to live a simple life with his lover, which has left them a little distraught, given the wealth of their empire. Their symbol comes from the Celestial bear who controlled fire. Their name names 'voice of fury', representing their deterministic and oft-times aggressive nature.

9. House LaGuerrain. Based in Darkdale, the LaGuerrains are farmers, and are responsible for keeping most of Azaria fed. Thanks to their unusual methods and situation near the Airwater Gorge, they are able to produce even the most exotic foods on their plots, and in sustainable quantity, too. They are extremely protective of their lands, too, and employ an active patrol to prevent travellers from spoiling or damaging their fields and crops. A little harsh, one might say, but it is perhaps why Azaria's population has been able to grow as large as it has. Their creature comes from the beast who had power over ice. Their name means 'ones with spears'.

And finally,

10. House Ozier. Like the Glenfords, they took their symbol from the horse that controlled air. The Oziers are glass traders, and are famed for being able to produce almost any design. Tragedy almost befell Lord Gerard, though, when he had an accident on his way home from Terent. He was treated for his injuries in a local village, but there he become Bound to the woman caring for him. But Lord Ozier is known for his kindness, so he offered himself in marriage, and brought his lady back to his home in Estovan. Lady Ozier is now a remarkable astronomer, and contributes greatly to the Academy in Viens. Their name means 'twig of the willow', taken from their home estate which is famous for being surrounded by willows.

Eliza: So he did...*long pause, sigh*

Navinka: And there you have it. Don't say you haven't learnt anything.

Eliza: That was an awful lot of information...

Navinka: Hmph, well your simple brain might not being able to handle it...shall I go through it again?

Eliza: *snarl*

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The 14 Days of Blessing Day 10: the Gladier-Farrontine feud

Welcome to day 10 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

The Gladier-Farrotine Feud

The Gladier-Farrontine feud is a well-know if rather tragic tale of how two of the oldest noble families in Azaria wiped each other out. But rather than try to explain it all myself, I thought it would be better if you heard from an expert...

So allow Eliza, the protagonist of the Goddess Saga, to reveal all! Along with Ryan...

[transcript of animation]

Eliza: It's that time of month again!

Ryan: Um Eliza, you could have phrased that better.

Eliza: Oh grow up...ahem, anyway, this time we're going to look at a historical account of one of Azaria's bloodiest feuds. I'm talking of course about the Gladier/ Farrontine feud. To be honest I don't really know much about it, so I brought in my resident expert.

Ryan: That would be me, right?

Eliza: *blush* Y-Yes...grr, stupid curse...anyway, it's all yours, Ryan.

Ryan: Hi everyone, I'm here to tell you about the most famous of Azaria's historic feuds. It involves House Gladier and House Farrontine, the only two noble houses who haven't survived since their founding. Navinka will tell you more about the other Houses later.

Eliza: *shifty glance* So looking forward to it...not.

Ryan: Anyway, let's go back some centuries. At this time Azaria wasn't united as the single kingdom we know today. It was split into the kingdoms of Azaria to the east and Esturia to the west. A terrible war befell the two countries, with Azaria being the eventual victor. House Farrontine and House Gladier, both of Azaria, decided to share rule of the new united kingdom by having alternate descendants take the throne. The only conditions was that there could be no relationships developed between the families.

Eliza: This sounds familiar...

Ryan: Right. But of course that was never going to last. Leanne Farrontine fell into a river whilst riding one day, where Romano Gladier saved her life. Knowing the taboo between their families, they started to see each other in secret. It was a dangerous game they played, and eventually they were betrayed and caught.

Eliza: Way way WAY too familiar...are you sure you're not talking about the Tale of the Binding?

Ryan: I suppose they might be a little similar...*shrug*

Eliza: Hmm...

Ryan: After they were discovered, their families forced them apart. Leanne was then forced to marry another lord, as she was due to become the next Queen. When Romano found out, he thought Leanne had betrayed him and flew into a rage, killing her younger brother. This led to generations of murders, assassinations and 'accidents', until both lines were completely slaughtered.

Eliza: It's not quite as happy as the Tale of the Binding, is it?

Ryan: Sure isn't. After the demise of the last Gladier, House Kinslet became the royal house, and they're still on the throne to this day. Almost nothing remains of the two noble families, except the Gladier seals at the Goddess Shrines and a few Farrontine relics in the Viens museum.

Eliza: Two whole families wiped out because of a misunderstanding? That's really quite depressing.

Ryan: Sorry to end on such a downer.

Eliza: Well, that's life sometimes, and...*overwhelmed by sudden urge, throws arms around Ryan* HEY!

Ryan: Let me guess, the Binding?

Eliza: *whimper* I hate my life...

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The 14 Days of Blessing Day 9: The Goddess Shrines

Welcome to day 9 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

The Goddess Shrines

The next few posts are going to be able some cultural and lore aspects of Azaria. The Goddess Shrines are important landmarks in Azaria. Now little more than old ruins, they still hold cultural significance. But rather than try to explain it all myself, I thought it would be better if you heard from an expert...

So allow Eliza, the protagonist of the Goddess Saga, to reveal all! Along with her friends Adam and a special guest...

[transcript of animation]

Eliza: Hello again, it's time for another episode of my Encyclopaedia Azaria! Today's topic looks at the Goddess Shrines, the oldest known ruins in the kingdom, and Adam's here to help me out.

Adam: Yup!

Navinka: Do not forget about me.

Eliza: *cringe* And Lady Navinka, too.

Navinka: Indeed. So, let us begin. There are six known Goddess Shrines spread throughout the kingdom. Many are sited within modern cities, so that is how we name them.

Adam: *ahem* The shrine closest to us is Lanaran, and the others can found in Dhjerba, Ornixa, Dragonvale, Estovan and Viens.

Navinka: Each one was built by the noble Gladier family around a thousand years ago, and most people think they did this to honour the Goddess for Azaria's victory over Esturia and the end of the Age of Darkness, where the pagan animal deities were no longer worshipped.

Adam: I think we covered this last time...

Navinka: There's no harm in repetition, it might help the facts stick!

Adam: Sure...

Eliza: Anyway, we can give you a quick run down of the shrines and a little about their history. They're all built using a similar sturcture, but with some variation depending on where they are.

Eliza: Lanaran's shrine is situated just between Bane and Laranan itself, and it's the closest to its original design. It consists of a inner sanctum with an altar and two ring passages. It was the first to be excavated, but it's also one of the smallest shrines.

Adam: The next one is Dhjerba's shrine. Unfortunately the original ruin was destroyed around four hundred years ago in an uprising where the Esturians, now under Azarian rule, tried to rebel. Given the extensive damage, the shrine was remodelled into a cathedral, whose walls use the original stone and carvings.

Navinka: Probably the most famous shrine is Ornixa's. As the mines were under ownership of the Gladiers, it is not too surpring that this shrine is the most extensive and well built. Nobody truly knows how large it really is, and parts are still being discovered even today. It doesn't help though that it's hard to tell where the shrine ends and the mines begin.

Eliza: The biggest shrine is Estovan's. Unlike the other ruins, it's built high above ground on the foundations of an ancient fortress. Originally it had eight towers connected by a suspended ring passage, although now only four towers remain. It overlooks Lake Estor, but while it's on the private land of the noble estates, public access is still possible.

Navinka: Dragonvale's shrine is perhaps the most interesting. The original shrine was decimated by a terrible flood, and so almost nothing of it remains. However, my ancestors, the founders of the city, considered the site to be fortuitous, and so they constructed a cathedral around it, similar to what later happened in Dhjerba. Remnants of the ring passages still exist deep underground, although no relics or original stonework have ever been found.

Adam: Last is the Viens shrine. It's by far the smallest, as the ring passages were deliberately destroyed as the capital city expanded, despite the protests of the local scholars. Pretty much all of its relics have been sold off to various institutions, including the Vault of Knowledge in Begara, so other than being a historical site, it's not very interesting.

Eliza: And there you have it.

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The 14 Days of Blessing Day 8: Author Interview

 

Welcome to day 8 of the 14 days of Blessing! What's this, you ask? Well, for two weeks I will be running daily blog posts introducing you to the world of Azaria- the characters, the setting, the locations, and more, in the run up to the release of the third book in the series, The Blessing! And for each day you participate, you can win a prize!

The prizes up for grabs include:

A free ebook of The Binding (one to give away each day), the first book

A free paperback of Binding (one to give away)- international shipping available

One of seven original art prints (seven to give away, choice of any major character, the fox Nahbet or the dove Rusephine)

You can choose one of the above character cards, or one of the two prints below- these will not be watermarked

A free ebook of The Parting (five to give away)

And, if you participate in at least 10 of the 14 days, you could win one of five ebook box sets of The Binding, the Parting and the Blessing!

Sounds great, right? But what do you have to do to be eligible? All you need to do is:

-make sure you like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/maddoctorartist/)
-follow me on twitter @maddoctorartist (https://twitter.com/MadDoctorArtist)
-share my Facebook page
-leave a gold 💛 and purple 💜 heart emoji comment on each daily post (either here on the blog itself or the facebook post)

And that's it! Winners will be picked by random number generation and must be contactable via email. Each daily winner will get a free ebook of The Binding, plus one of whichever of the other prizes above catch your fancy (except for the box-set).

Please share with anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy fiction, and best of luck!

So, without further ado...

Author Interview

So, to give a break from the characters, today's post features me, the author! Feel free to ask any additional questions, but for now enjoy my interview...I gave a modifief version of this to author A.F.E Smith- check the link to find out more about her books!

First of all, let’s learn a little more about you. Which three words would you use to describe yourself? Which three words would other people use to describe you?

Oh God I feel like I’m on an online dating site…let’s see. I’d say Intelligent, Creative and Introverted. Other people would probably go along the lines of Dependable, Reserved and Talented.

What’s your favourite genre/subgenre to read? To write? Why?

I like reading fantasy (well duh!) but more middle/ light fantasy as opposed to ye olde sword ‘n sorcery fare. I find high fantasy extremely stagnant as a genre and most people try to clone the big writers like J.R.R. Tolkein or George R.R. Martin rather than push things forward.

Writing-wise I prefer YA fantasy, but I am working on a dystopian collaboration with a friend, and I have some other fantasy ideas outside of YA I'd like to try as well.

THE BINDING features an ancient curse that causes people to fall in love with each other, whether they want to or not. What was your inspiration for that idea?

The original idea for The Binding came when I was taking some blood samples to the lab during my first hospital job. I just had a scene emerge in my mind—a girl sitting alone in a forest, because she wanted to protect her heart. I can probably say the game Kingdom Hearts might have had an influence on this (as the name suggests there’s lot of stuff about ‘heart’ in it). The game itself also isn’t told chronologically, which is also how I’ve planned the Azaria series to read (Eliza’s time is the third ‘era’ of four I plan to explore).

A more cynical part of me says that this is also my retaliation to every romance book ever where the two characters fall in love instantly on first sight; turning it into a curse just made it more obvious how silly I find that premise!

Tell us a bit more about Eliza, the main character in THE BINDING. Do you think you would get on with her if the two of you were to meet?

Eliza is the youngest daughter of a village healer, an otherwise ordinary teenager. Given her father's status, she's picked up a lot of medical knowledge for her age, and is his unofficial apprentice. She was planning to go to Begara, Azaria's most esteemed university, to study the subject formally, however her plans were disrupted due to an accident involving her elder sister, Fiona, and the Binding.

Due to these experiences, Eliza is somewhat cynical, but remains a massive daydreamer, constantly thinking over things and over-analysing situations. As such, she's also quite a worrier. She can also be pretty selfish and isn’t really intuitive about other people’s feelings.

Eliza and I share quite a bit in common (being medically trained and prone to over-analysis of everything) so I reckon we’d hit it off pretty well if we met!

You’re thrown into your own fantasy world, Azaria. What do you do first?

Well, it would depend which era I’d be thrown into! Since I haven’t covered the other three however we’ll stick with Eliza’s time period. I think the first thing I would do is find a way to get to the market city Dhjerba and shop til I dropped (since that’s what I love doing most when not doctoring!).

You’re a doctor as well as an author. Do you find that your medical knowledge comes through into your writing? Do you get frustrated when you read about improbably fast healing times or characters continuing to function with wounds that should have debilitated them for weeks?

My medical knowledge has definitely influenced my writing and in fact forms one of the core themes of the Azaria series, though it may not be obvious.

While I do roll my eyes at heroes walking with broken legs or nasty lacerations that heal in days and not months (not to mention major blood loss never causing anaemia...), the main thing that annoys me about medicine in fantasy is the stagnation of treatments available.

Nobody seems to want to innovate in healing and everyone loves to write about ‘herbs’ or play it safe with magic healing without exploring the consequences. This was one of the reasons that led me to create the ‘iasometer’ device in The Binding (this measures the vital signs of pulse, blood pressure and temperature), and why I made the effects of magic toxic (again another key theme for the Azaria series). People forget that medicine has come very far in a very short amount of time (with a long way to go admittedly) but are more than happy to let their medieval settings sit in a time rut of blood-letting and evil spirit warding!

Can you tell us a bit more about your art? How long have you been creating digital illustrations? Can you share an image you’re particularly proud of?

I’ve always loved drawing since I was young. The first drawings I ever did were of Sonic the Hedgehog (a franchise I am still a big fan of!). At school however I was always frustrated in Art because I had to draw inanimate objects and never got taught the proper fundamentals, so I dropped the subject at 15 and have been entirely self-taught through online tutorials and my own experimentation. From pen and paper I’ve gradually migrated to a graphics tablet, and I do my illustrations on Photoshop. Recently however I have gone back to traditional media and I really love drawing in ink.

This barn owl is probably the picture I'm most proud of that I drew recently:

(follow me on instragram @maddoctorartist to see more!)

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

I’d love to be Connie Lionheart from Julia Golding’s Companions Quartet. In that universe there are people called 'Companions' who can communicate and bond with a single species of mythical creature (like dragons, pegasi, gorgons, sirens etc). Connie however is a ‘Universal’- someone who can bond and communicate with all mythical creatures, and that would be cool.

OK, now the quick-fire round … favourite snack?

Smarties.

Favourite superhero?

Does a video game count? It’d have to be Lightning Farron from Final Fantasy 13.

Favourite season?

Autumn, my birthday falls on the first day!

Weapon of choice in a fantasy world?

Maybe a bow? Doubt I'd have the arm strength to use it though!

Favourite game (board, computer or otherwise)?

The classic Sonic the Hedgehog series (video game)

Scrabble (board game)

Favourite movie?

Miss Congeniality

Best day of your life so far?

Graduating from medical school and gaining my ‘Dr’ title.

When did you first start writing?

I have been writing since my early teens, though it's been hard to maintain consistency since I graduated medical school and completed my full medical training! The first story I ever wrote was when I was 13. It was a short story about how two time travelling boys helped Edward Jenner accidentally invent the vaccine (as you can see my inclination to medicine began early). From there I then drifted to fanfiction, until I was finally inspired to write with my own characters!

I go into more detail here: https://maddoctorartist.blogspot.com/p/novels.html

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

I love being able to flex my imagination! I have noticed I'm quite fussy when it comes to stories I like in media, so it's great that I can write the sort of stuff that I like to read. My favourite part is creating intricate plots, and worlds to get lost in. I have however also warmed up to characters too, as I like seeing how they react to the various situations I drop them in!

What's the story behind your latest book?

My lastest book is the third volume of my first Chronicles of Azaria trilogy- this concludes Eliza and Ryan's story, which is the Goddess Saga. While the first two books came out close together, this one took longer, for numerous reasons. The most pertinent was that I was going through my medical training, which meant lots of exams and work based place assessments to complete!

I also seemed to lose my enthusiasm for writing, as it began to feel more of a chore than a fun pastime. Thus I decided to go on a break and release myself from imposed deadlines. I went back to fanfiction and just had fun for a few months, and thankfully reclaimed my love of the craft. Thus now I am delighted to finally be able to release The Blessing!

Conclusion

So that wraps up my interview! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to ask about my writing!

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