Crown Conspiracy -- Author Q&A

[Michael]

If you have any questions about the story, about me, or my writing, just ask. Of course I won't answer any questions that would be spoilers to the rest of the series.

[Danielle]

Where'd you get the idea for the gem lock? I mentioned in another thread that it reminded me of the computer game Commander Keen. Did you have outside influence or did this just spring into your head one day?

[Michael]

I replied to this yesterday, but none of my posts went through.

*Spoiler Alert* (skip if you haven't finished the book)

Gemlocks are original. That is to say, I did not borrow the idea from anywhere, but invented them on my own.

They were born out of my need to create a unique means for them to enter the prison. When I got the party there, I was just like Royce, sitting in front of that cliff wondering how to get them in. It took me longer than it did Royce to figure it out--two days if I remember rightly.

I realized that Arista would not have sent them to the prison without telling them how to get in, and I just happened to re-read the part where Arista sends them off in the sewers and I saw the line about Alric needing his ring to get in. When I originally wrote this, I meant it as a means of identification (as it is later used) but I realized it would also work as a key. Arista, it seems, knew all along! Sometimes characters help me out like that.

I then began researching gems and learned how different gems were said to have different properties like protection from poison, evil, help with fertility and stuff like that. I also discovered certain gems were said to have more power at certain times of the year, hence the birthstone concept. This got me thinking of radiation, an invisible force a stone gives off. I changed it to a mere vibration and thought that different gems could give off different frequencies. The rest was easy.

Originally, I had a lot more of Myron explaining all about gems, birthstones and gemlocks, but it was all edited out as unnecessary.

[Danielle]

Oo, I have another question! I L-O-V-E the artwork on your novels. As Robin can attest, I'm the one pestering her about the Kindle formats, but I almost decided against the ebook format just because I loved the covers so much.

Who did the artwork, how did you meet that person, etc etc? (Especially for Avempartha, the cover art helped me to visualize what you wanted me to see.) Did you have any control over the art work?

[Michael]

Here is part of what was removed from the original version of TCC:

“What do you want to know?” Myron asked.
“Just start rambling about what they are known for or good for.”
“Okay. Different gems have different attributes. Sapphires, for instance, enhance wisdom; agates are supposed to render the wearer invisible; and pearls are used to cure sickness. It is believed that turquoise helps one to start new projects, warns the wearer of danger or illness by changing color, and protects the wearer from falling—especially from horses. Opals are considered a symbol of hope and purity and embodied the powers of foresight and prophecy—“
“Are any used to open doors? Amethyst maybe? ”
“Amethyst is used to prevent intoxication,” Myron said sadly, “although I do remember reading once about gemlocks. A favorite of dwarves, where seals are created that can be opened by precious stones.”
“You could have started there,” Royce said irritated.
“Sorry. The practice of gemlocks is used when an individual key is impractical, for example when a great number of people will need to access the contents of a locked container, or when someone who doesn’t have a key will need to open it. Dwarves often send secure messages in gemlock boxes, using expensive stones for keys so that the courier was unable to open it. Gems are used because they are not common and because of the specific aura they create. A lock can be created to open a gem of a certain color base, to any gem of a certain type, or to a specifically cut gem. Truly gifted crafters could make a lock that actually changed with the seasons, allowing different gems to unlock it at different times of the year. This is what gave rise to the idea of birthstones; for certain stones have more strength at certain times.”

[Danielle]

Thank you for sharing that :)

[Michael]

Danielle wrote: "Who did the artwork, how did you meet that person, etc etc"

If you look at that page opposite the table of contents in Avempartha, or the one opposite the dedication in TCC, the one with the tiny text that talks about copyright and stuff, you might notice the copyright and acknowledgments to the artist.

(On the kindle it comes after the dedication and before the maps.)

I think once you look at it you will know exactly how much influence I had over the artwork.

[Danielle]

Michael wrote: "If you look at that page opposite the table of contents in Avempartha, or the one opposite the dedication in TCC, the o..."

Bah, now I find it, after I've already asked the question. You sir, are a man of many talents. I am impressed! Love the novel *and* the artwork! :)

[Kathy]

So how intentional was it on your part to spawn such intriguing spinoff characters and plotlines from this first book? I know, there are six total books. However, it is pretty rare except for a Wheel of Time book for this many potential plots to spring from one novel this short (sorry, but it is compared to many I read).

What I pulled out of the book:
Esrahaddon (you could write a whole series on this guy)
The plight and history of the elves
Political intrigue between Melegar and Warric, and Melegar and the Church
Degan Gaunt (revolution leader)
That stinkin' murderous dwarf!!!!!

And that's just the start. Do you have plans to tie these ends up in the future, or is some of this the mystery of this world you have created? I expect a vague yes or no answer from this, but as a reader, I like to share my observations...

[Michael]

I am sorry to disappoint Kathy, but I will give you much more than a one-word answer.

Despite opening myself up for later ridicule, nearly everything in the series happens for a reason and is explained. I created this plot as a very tight weave. What does this mean? I imagine a plot much like a patterned cloth. Each story line is like a single thread laid out in a straight line. The plot of The Hobbit is mostly a handful of straight line threads all laid side by side—a simple straight line story where Bilbo sets out on a quest and completes it, not much in the way of cross-plot interaction or unexpected twists.

Now if you look merely at TCC you will see that I began with the stolen letters. This story thread just appeared to stop when Royce and Hadrian’s thread crossed it, but later in Windermere, the stolen letter plotline rises to the surface once more, then disappears again as Esrahaddon’s thread crosses it. It re-emerges again when Trumbel speaks to Myron, vanishes, then it pops up again as Braga and Archibald speak before the trial. It submerges once more and of course, Archibald appears one last time tying up that thread. This is just the course of one thread in the plot, but you can see how even this simple, side plot is woven throughout the story and not in a superficial manner, but in a substantive one.

Now, imagine taking everything that has been brought up in the story, and nearly everything that will be brought up and doing the same thing. I can think of very little I introduce that isn’t re-used and woven into the story creating patterns within patterns. The more reuse, the more interconnected the various story elements are the “tighter” I consider a plot. The series long weave for The Riyria Revelations is, I think, extremely tight weave. So tight I have to keep very close watch on editors that they don't break a thread upon with other threads rely.

All that you mentioned, and much more that you missed, will all be accounted for in ways you can’t as yet anticipate.

I have not cared for stories that greet the reader with a wall of information before the story gets going. I prefer books that let you get settled, and become curious about the world before handing you lots of information. TCC was intentionally designed by me to be a means of merely getting the reader’s feet wet. My hope is that when you are done reading it you will: Think it was a fun read but that it is too short, that you want to know more about the people and places, and be eager for the next installment to satisfy this desire. And what you will not be consciously aware of, is that you have acquired a basic working knowledge of the world of Elan. You will have a vague understanding of the religion and church systems, the political structures, the races, the history, the general setting and most of the main characters. All of this will have come to you while you were distracted reading this fun story.

Now that you have this base education AND the desire to learn more, I can provide you with details and more complex ideas and you won’t be bored because you WANT to learn and because they are building on something you already know making it harder for you to get lost or overwhelmed.

So, in the first book you are provided with the basic structure and only shadows of the true plot. In book two, you will be given your first true puzzle pieces, but none of them will really fit together so it will limit your ability to guess at an overall picture. Still, you should see how the series will function, how the information is being dispersed over time and how the characters grow. By book three, you will see patterns emerging in the plot that will define the later books. Book six brings all the threads together in one cataclysmic convergence, and it is my intent that everything and nearly every character right down to Ella, the Pickering’s cook, and Emmy, Alenda’s handmaid, are accounted for.

So I suppose the answer to your question is…yes.

[Libby]

Michael wrote: "I am sorry to disappoint Kathy, but I will give you much more than a one-word answer.

Despite opening myself up for later ridicule, nearly everything in the series happens for a reason and is expl..."

Hmm, we will have to save that response to read again after all the books come out! I really love the idea of the well-planned, interwoven plot. It makes the books exciting to re-read to see where the thread started. That was one of my favorite aspects of Harry Potter - you want to go back and re-read because you have a hindsight perspective and see new details. The books are new to you again.

[Michael]

Libby wrote: "It makes the books exciting to re-read to see where the thread started."

Then you will get your money's worth out of this series. I suspect it will take at least three readings to catch everything. Even now, my wife Robin, stumbles across lines and is shocked. "Wow! This was in here!"

Some are obvious, intended for you to find on your first reading, others more devious, and still others completely invisible until you know the whole story and go back.

This is why the books can be read as individual stories, but together they create some far more rewarding. At least that's the plan. You will be the ultimate judge.

[Leslie Ann]

I love reading about how you constructed the series, Michael. You and I share an identical process in that regard, and I constructed my Griffin's Daughter Trilogy in just the same way. I'm going through the same process right now with my latest sci-fi project. Because I love weaving multiple plotlines into a grand whole so much, I find it next to impossible to write short stories! I wanted my sci-fi project to be a stand-alone novel, but it's not looking very promising!

[Beth A.]

Michael wrote: "I have not cared for stories that greet the reader with a wall of information before the story gets going. I prefer books that let you get settled, and become curious about the world before handing you lots of information."

I agree.

Michael wrote: "My hope is that when you are done reading it you will: Think it was a fun read but that it is too short, that you want to know more about the people and places, and be eager for the next installment to satisfy this desire. And what you will not be consciously aware of, is that you have acquired a basic working knowledge of the world of Elan. You will have a vague understanding of the religion and church systems, the political structures, the races, the history, the general setting and most of the main characters. All of this will have come to you while you were distracted reading this fun story."

Mission Accomplished.

I really enjoyed how you just told the story rather than slow us down with the details.

[Kathy]

Thanks for the very long response to my question, and without any major spoilers!!! It takes a special author to be able to tell the fun story yet weave so many subplots in a crazy twisting yet tight fashion.

BLAST!!!! I now have yet another series that I am going to be addicted to before it comes out! At least this one will be an adventure to reread once I am finished with the whole thing, just to see the things I missed in the first few books. :)