Heather James's Blog, page 51

The Sephan Realm - an overview

Etymology: I'm about 99% certain that I took Sephan from 'Persephone'. Frustratingly, I can't find a note anywhere that confirms this though. Persephone was a Greek goddess associated with vegetation and spring. She was also taken down into the underworld by Hades, which I think provides a nice 'earth' link.
Politics: The Sephan Realm is unique within the series, as it is the only Realm that elects its leaders. They have two - one Protector and one non-Protector. The Sephan Realm is looked down on by the other Realms, and it's 'democracy' is one of the main features that they criticise. A vote is usually held every three years, except in special circumstances. 
Geography: Wooded. The Sephan Realm is still very natural and rustic; it hasn't been built up in the same way as the other four Realms.
Buildings:The easiest way to describe this one is with a sneak peak from my current draft of 'Water':
I stood up slowly and quietly, stretching out my muscles after the cramped confines of my hiding place, and then approached the village cautiously. When it emerged between the trees I had to stop myself from laughing again.
I had never seen a home look so make-shift. The Sephan `village' was more like a campsite. A large fire dominated the centre, with ten or so large green canvas tents pitched around it. An assortment of belongings had been left outside. Easy pickings.
There were more homes up in the trees. Nests. It was the only word I could summon up to describe them. The houses seemed to have been woven from twigs and grasses and some also had flowers weaving through the walls. They were tiny: practical rather than luxurious. I could only see them because an old fashioned looking lamp had been hung outside of each one. The Sephans didn't seem unduly afraid of flames.
Tech:Unlike the other Realms, the Sephans do not have advanced technology; they're no television or phones and communication can take some time.
Protectors: Can make things grow, communicate with animals and also cause minor earthquakes. Their hair is streaked with green.

Giveaway!

Making Connections is giving away 5 copies of Fire as part of its anniversary celebrations. Enter to win here

The Brizan Realm - an overview

Etymology: Brizan is from Brizo, goddess of sailors. I didn't know this when I picked the name, but, according to Wiki, Brizo was also known as a prophet specializing in the interpretation of dreams - which just makes the name even more perfect. Originally, it was called the Thetan Realm, from Thetis (a Nereid and Achilles' mother). However I then discovered that 'Thetan' was a term in scientology, so decided that I ought to change the Realm's name to avoid confusion. I now think that 'Brizan' fits better anyway.
Politics:The Brizan Realm is currently ruled by Queen Aurelia, who is unmarried with no heirs. She took the throne at the age of 19, and reigned during the Helian occupation of the Brizan Realm.
Geography: The Brizan Realm is compromised of 81 islands, only 9  of which are inhabited. The Realm is positioned between the Arcan and Helian Realms, so the Western Islands are cold and breezy, while the Eastern Islands benefit from the warmth of the Helian Realm's second sun. The capital city is  located on the relatively-central island of Laerielle. The Eastern islands became more populated following the Occupation.
Laerielle:Here's a sneak-peak from 'Water' to describe Jasmine's first view of the Brizan capital:
"The air was cool, with a strong, salty tang. Up close, I could see the houses lining the shore in more detail. They went right along the edge of the sand, each with space for a boat to be pulled up outside. All of them had hardy looking flowers and plants on their window sills and in petite front gardens."
"We emerged from the tunnel, taking a sharp right, and the Brizan capital came into view.
A sea of white-wash buildings with grey slate roofs met my eager gaze. They were spread out in a haphazard fashion, gently inclining up the hill the city had been built around. Houses were crammed in as close to the store as possible, clustered around the harbour.
But my eyes were instantly drawn to the temple, which was situated on the hill, close to the palace. It was magnificent: made entirely from multi-coloured glass rather than solid walls. It glinted in the sunlight as we approached, sending a rainbow of colours across the nearby white walls. My breath caught in my throat at the beauty of it.
Beyond it, at the highest point, was the palace itself. Like the houses below it, the palace was made of white stone, only rather than a grey roof, it had turrets and towers. It was far more extravagant than its Arcan counterpart, but more elegant and welcoming than the castle in the Helian Realm."
People:The Brizan Realm is less diverse than the Arcan Realm. Blonde hair and blue eyes are prevalent. As is weather-beaten skin and ruby red cheeks; a result of spending so much time out at sea.
The Brizans move between the Arcan and Sephan Realms, offering their services as sailors and traders. You are far more likely to come across a Brizan in the Arcan and Sephan capitals, than you are the reverse.
Protectors:Can produce and manipulate water. Their hair is streaked with blue. 
Keep checking back for an overview of the Sephan Realm and, as always, let me know if there's anything else you want me to go into detail on. 

Do you have to like a character to enjoy a book?

Reviewers of Fire so far seem to have mixed opinions about its protagonists: some like Jasmine for her desire to help those she loves, but take a strong dislike to the selfish, sometimes cruel, Roxy. Other's like Roxy's intensity, but find Jasmine a bit frustrating. To an extent, this divide was something that I consciously tried to create: I wanted my characters to contrast each other and to be, truly, fundamentally quite different.
With Roxy, I was creating a character who starts out as a product of her environment, of her upbringing, yet slowly learns to think for herself and to form her own opinions and judgements. Roxy grows most throughout the first novel and her personality continues to develop through out the series. Jasmine, on the other hand, is going to have a lot of 'growing up' to do in the next two books. Despite being the 'good' protagonist (if I'm putting it simply) she does make selfish decisions, particularly at the end of Fire, and she will have to live with the repercussions of these as her story progresses.
When I was writing Fire, I loved that Roxy wasn't perfect and that she can be quite dark: when she first meets Brae she relishes her task - she is looking forward to killing him. However, I worried that Jasmine was the weaker of the pair and that she was a bit dull in comparison. When the very first person read Fire, therefore, I was shocked to find that he loved Jasmine, but found Roxy really difficult to connect to - he didn't like her at all.
But do you have to like what a character does to like reading about them? Does an unlikeable character affect a reader's enjoyment of a novel? These questions were prompted by my finishing a novel called 'Beware of Pity'  by Stefan Zweig ( I read the translation by Anthea Bell). I loved almost everything about this novel. It is set just prior to the beginning of World War One and follows a young solider who falls prey to his own pity and desire to do good, ultimately (and inevitably) causing heartache and disaster through his actions. The story offers an excellent insight into human failings and explores its protagonist's decision making process in great depth. There was one, very interesting quirk to it though and I'm sure, given the subject of this post, that you can guess what it is:
I didn't like the protagonist at all.
But that doesn't mean that I didn’t like reading about him. He is young, naïve and weak. He rationalises his decisions to the reader throughout, yet I always disagreed with him and could tell that what he was doing was going to end badly. But if he hadn't been like that, there would have been no story at all. The plot, as the story of a less-flawed character, just wouldn't have worked.
It reminded me of the novels I love by Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Faulkner: books with fascinating plot lines and suburb settings, but indifferent, flawed characters. Perhaps this is why my own characters aren't completely likeable. I am, of course, not trying to compare my writing to the works of these writers - I'm not delusional with regard to my ability. But I do think that they have impacted the way I view characters as a writer; they have shaped my image of what a character should be.
You should question what a character does and their motivation for doing it, and you shouldn't always agree with them.  To be successful, a character should make you think; not make you like them. 

The Helian Realm - an overview

Etymology:'Helian' comes from 'Helios', the Greek sun god. He's the one who kills all of Odysseus' men in the Odyssey - which reflects the Helians' temperament quite well.
Climate: Hot. The Helian Realm benefits from the heat from two suns - the Realm sun and a huge ball of fire, put into the skies centuries ago by extremely powerful Protectors.
Geography:The populated areas of the island are quite tropical and all of the cities are in-land, due to the Helians' aversion to water.  To the North East of the Realm is a huge volcano and a scorching desert runs between the it and the city of Kalme. This desert is a result of being in the direct path of the second sun and is pretty deadly for non-Helian skin.
The People: The Helians have a fearsome reputation and keep themselves largely isolated from the other Realms. Helians have a tendency to be both arrogant and power hungry and are willing to do whatever it takes to secure their own position.
The heat of their Realm is reflected in their olive-toned skin. Brown-to-black hair and brown eyes are common.
Buildings:External walls are made of glass, to make the most of all that sunlight. However, they work like two-way glass: if the lights are on inside, everyone can see in - playing on the Helians' love of display; however, during the day, it's bright enough outside that the effect is reversed.
Protectors:Can produce and manipulate fire. Helian Protectors' hair has red streaks running through it. They also have another, even more deadly, power; but I think it would be a spoiler to go into detail on it here!

If there's anything else you want to know, or if you have any questions, please post them in the comments.

The Page 99 Test

Sandra at SS Book Fanatics has very kindly featured Fire on her blog this weekend. I have also written a guest post for the blog, based around Ford Maddox Ford's page 99 test - apparently, you can tell whether you're going to like a book or not just by reading the 99th page. I've put this to the test with a few of my favourite YA novels. If you read to the end, you'll also get a preview of page 99 from Fire...
Check out the post in full here. I enjoyed writing it so much that I might try it out with a few more of my favourite reads! Watch this space...

The Arcan Realm - an overview

Residents of the Arcan Realm worship the Air God and have an affinity with the air.
Etymology: I originally adapted it from 'arcus' a Latin word which can mean rainbow (as well as quite a few other things). However, wikipedia has now informed me that an arcus is also "A low, horizontal cloud typically forming at the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow" which makes the name even more perfect!
Climate:Cold! Think icy temperatures, wind and snow - not ideal for Jasmine at all! A huge rainbow can also always be seen in the sky over the capital city.
Geography:Many areas of the Arcan Realm are mountainous, and its population tends to prefer being high up.
The People:Are more diverse than some of the other Realms; there's a much greater variety of skin tones and hair and eye colours, which is why Jasmine, with her olive-toned skin and cerulean eyes, doesn't stand out too much. They also love to throw huge parties and celebrations; the Arcan Realm has a strong community feel.
Transport:Within the capital, Arcans travel by bubble cart:
"They were called bubble carts not only because of their rounded oval shapes, but because of the material they were made with which managed to be translucent while still managing to shimmer with all of the colours in the Realm Rainbow at the same time. Brae keyed in our destination as soon as we got inside. “Welcome to the Inter-City Rail,” an unemotional female voice sounded in the cart as the doors shushed closed. “We will arrive at your destination — the Pepper Street Shopping Centre — in nine minutes.” Brae laughed a little at the message, which he had always found strange, and sat down on the sofa that ran around the edge of the cart, motioning for me to sit beside him. I sunk back and looked out of the wall opposite me. The city was beautiful at this time of day, when the sun hung high up in the sky making everything bright and cheerful. From the height the carts traveled at, you could almost make out the strange second sun that hovered  over the Helian Realm in the distance."
The bubble carts run on  a single track, dipping in and out of sidelines to avoid collisions. They are entirely transparent (bubble like!) offering a superb view of the Realm.
Buildings:White walls and, quite frequently, glass roofs, to give that all important sky-view; it's a way of feeling like you're outside, while still offering protection from the elements.
Protectors:Arcan protectors can manipulate the air, summoning gale force winds and twisters with a flick of their wrists. As their powers develop, their hair becomes streaked with silver. They can also more incredibly quickly when necessary. There is an ancient Arcan myth which suggests that their Protectors used to be able to fly, however no one has been able to do so for centuries, so the power is presumed lost.

Features on the Helian, Brizan and Sephan Realms to follow. Let me know if there's anything more you would like to know about the Arcan Realm in the comments. 

Update

Fire is now only 77p or $1.24 from amazon .co.uk and .com So now there's no excuse not to read it!

It will also soon be appearing on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony and Diesel (courtesy of smashwords) I will post links as soon as it is up on each. It should be for sale for $0.99, although amazon keeps changing the prices I'm setting and I'm not sure if the same thing will happen here.

Happy reading and please let me know what you think!

Helian Style (the girls)

The Helian Realm is hot, so think summer clothes and beach style (not that any self-respecting Helian would be found anywhere near the beach, of course...). Bright colours are popular too, as well as black. I can imagine Roxy and Avery walking around Halia in outfits like these:







Roxy also likes to make statement when she dresses up. These are exactly the sorts of outfits she would wear:


Roxy is intent on shocking the Arcans when they arrive and makes a conscious attempt to dress as provocatively as possible. She would therefore absolutely love wearing the dress below and watching the reactions on their faces as she appeared:

Finally, when I saw this picture, it really made me think of Roxy:

The sources for all these images (and many, many more red dresses!) can be found on pinterest

Arcan Style (the girls)

Coming from the Realm associated with the air, Arcans prefer to wear neutral and pastel colours. Roxy accuses them of being colourless, but they just like everything to feel light and airy.








Early on in Fire, Roxy and Avery accuse the Arcans of being prudish, but this is a Helian misconception. The Arcans only cover up because it's so cold! This is particularly true in Jasmine's case - she wears multiple layers to combat the icy climate:
The picture on the beach is how I imagine her waiting for Brae at the start of chapter two. 

The cold isn't an issue for the Arcan Protectors though. Their association with the air means that they feel the cold no more than Roxy feels the heat of flames. Devon and Imogen wear things more like this:

And, of course, Arcans love to party. One of the key elements of an Arcan party dress is that it needs to sparkle. At Brae's welcome home party, I imagine Devon and Imogen wearing something like these: While I think that this would be perfect for Jasmine (with a white blazer on top!)

Sources for all of these images can be found on my Pinterest board (along with lots more pictures!)