I Am Zebad: Excerpt of Oedarin #1

Hello, everyone, and welcome! Welcome to your first major peek into Oblivion's Gate, Book 2! I
hope you're as excited as I am.

Last April, when I announced Oedarin as Mimgardr's sequel in "It Will Continue in Oedarin", I also shared some information about where the story would pick up and mentioned a single phrase carved into the doors of the royal catacombs, namely "I am Zebad!"

As I've thought about which piece of the story to share with you first, my mind has continually gone back to that first post and the words I am Zebad. It was gut instinct leading me perfectly. The first clip had to connect to the first announcement. And so it does.

I hope you enjoy your first peek into Oedarin and leave plenty of feedback in the comments below.

Enjoy!

Excerpt from Oedarin, Chapter 7, "Trust Me"

Dan woke with a start to find one of the Grim standing at the end of the bed. It had been three days since Mistress Gael’s funeral, and Dan had seen neither hide nor hair of the Grim since the day they discovered her dead body. “What are you doing here?”

“To whom do I speak?”

“Dan,” Dan answered, puzzled.

The Grim lifted its hood and Dan gasped at Titus’ appearance. He looked completely normal. He wasn’t withered or Grim-like; he was his regular old self save for the sallow skin and bloodless wounds.

“Titus?” Dan questioned. “Is that really you?”

Titus nodded. He opened his mouth to speak and a fiery glow leaped out, as if a bonfire burned below in the Olympian’s stomach. His voice was wheezing and certainly Grim-like. “I bear part of Dullahan’s charge. By night the fire burns harmlessly inside me, but in daylight it is consuming.”

“I’m so sorry, Titus,” Dan said. “I never meant for this to happen to you.”

“It is done,” Titus returned.

“Where are the others? Where’s Dullahan?”

Titus closed his eyes and rolled his head back like one would when enjoying a warm breeze. “They ride against Tartarus. Your power will soon be awakened.”

“Power?”

“Come,” Titus beckoned, turning toward the door. “There isn’t much time. Oolong is waiting for us.”

It was then that Dan realized Oolong wasn’t with him and he shot from the bed like a frightened rabbit.

Titus walked to the door and it opened without his touch, evidencing his share in both Dullahan’s curse and power. Dan wrapped the shroud around his shoulders and followed quickly, carrying the Oblivion like a spear.

Titus led him down into the throne room. They entered silently and crossed the room to where Oolong was waiting for them beneath an enormous tapestry behind Mickey and Rosabella’s thrones.

“What are you doing down here, Oolong?” Dan whispered quietly.

The leviathan motioned toward the Oblivion and then toward the tapestry. All the while his tongue flicked in and out, smelling the air anxiously.

Dan lifted the Oblivion. “Is there something behind the tapestry?”

The leviathan nodded. His parietal eye glowed green and the tapestry rolled upward like a scroll. Behind it was nothing more than a bare white wall.

“Reveal this doorway’s secrets,” Dan whispered to the Oblivion. The black marble orb at the staff’s top glowed blue and at the same time three of the bricks before him began to glow in a continuous sequence. Dan lifted his free hand and pressed each brick as it became luminescent. With each touch the stone changed from a solid form to a hollow apparition. When the sequence was complete the wall rippled like water.

“Go in,” Titus counseled.

“Where does it lead?”

“To the locker.”

The catacombs, Dan thought. I wonder what else I might find down there. Then his conscience cleared its throat. I can’t go down there! I can’t start snooping around Mickey’s castle. It would betray his and Aaron’s trust.

Oolong suddenly slipped away through the wall and vanished.

“Wait, Oolong!” Dan called as quietly as he could. He darted through the wall, hoping to recall Oolong, but the leviathan was already snaking along at a furious pace. Then Titus came through behind him and the wall solidified. The special elfin lights that ran down the corridor began to illuminate one by one and at the far end a stairway and an elevator were revealed. Oolong was already moving down the spiraling stairs.

“Oolong!” Dan yelled aggressively. “Get back here! We’re not supposed to be down here. What will Mickey think of us snooping around?” No heed was given to him, and he raced after Oolong angrily. “I’m talking to you!”

Down the endless stairs they went, down into the darkness. At the bottom Oolong waited for them quietly, and when Dan caught up to him he gave the leviathan a hard thump on the head. “I told you to wait. We’re not supposed to be down here. How can we expect Mickey and Aaron to trust us again if we’re snooping around all the time?”

Oolong growled at him and quickly rose up to cover Dan’s mouth with his foot. Then he pointed ahead with his tail. Dan turned his gaze. The enormous doors before them had been defaced with rough Asketillian characters and the locking mechanism had been almost completely destroyed. One of the doors was open, requiring Dan to shift his position to read the Asketillian declaration: I am Zebad!

We’re not alone down here, Dan thought in horrified realization. Oolong released him, and he made his way toward the door. He peeked through the gap into a dimly lit room the size of the banquet hall. The walls were lined with numbers as if there were supposed to be vaults beneath each one. Pedestals, much like the ones from the two halls in Mimgardr, formed a vanguard on either side of the red carpet that crossed the room from the entry doors to a rear set. The opposing doors had been forced open as well while the vaults and pedestals remained untouched.

Timidly Dan lifted the hood of his cloak and entered the room. Oolong and Titus followed behind him. The marble walls around them were black instead of white. A chill filled the room and Dan’s breath became a cloud around his head.

“It’s cold,” he whispered. “Why?”

“Dan,” Titus whispered, taking him by the shoulder, “make ready.”

Dan studied the glow that was growing in Titus’ throat and nodded. They reached the other door, ignoring the host of new artifacts that stood atop the columns around them, and entered a long hall that was lined with more door-less vaults. A smaller set of doors awaited them at the end of it, and they could hear a whispered voice beyond. “It won’t be long now, and I will not fail this time. Not this time!”

Dan looked into Oolong’s eyes, and the leviathan nodded them forward. With a deep breath Dan lifted the Oblivion into a fighting position and Oolong slipped forward through the doors.

This room was much smaller than the last. It was round and a dry fountain of fierce masonry occupied the center of it. The man across from them was cloaked beyond recognition and he merely turned when they erupted in on him. He stood on the far side of the room where the portraits of the Fallen Ones, which had once hung in Mimgardr, were stacked against the wall. Above the piled pictures something hung on the wall blocked from view by a covering of black cloth.

This excerpt was taken from the editorial manuscript of
Oedarin (Oblivion's Gate, Book 2) by S. R. Ford.
Copyright 2014 S. R. Ford. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Catch you next time!

And don't forget to comment below. Your comments and discussions will reflect on which clip I share next.

Ending the Silence and Relic Production

My readers and friends,

I apologize for dropping the ball so severely these past four months. There's been so much going on and I've failed to keep up with you like I should. Hopefully, I can begin making amends with this brief post.

As I'm sure many of you faithful followers have figured out, I prefer to be rather silent about things going on in my private life. Anything about familial or personal relationships I usually keep very close to the vest. To be honest, it is this tendency that has precipitated my lapse in blog writing; I didn't want to discuss what was dominating my thoughts.

Many things, both dark and light, have transpired since my last post. Among them, I added a new part-time job to my schedule, lost my great-grandparents to cancer within a month of each other, took part, along with 39 other local authors, in a large book signing event, and added new sections for quizzes, my personal artwork and more wallpapers to my official website www.authorsrford.com. (Make sure to swing on over and check things out.)

I've also decided to take up a new hobby: relic production. Some of you will correct me and call it cosplay, costume design or prop making, but I like this title better. Many of you writers, artists, designers, cosplayers, larpers, and avid fans out there already engage in this activity. Some of you even get paid for your ingenuity. For me, however, this is all about illustration and my own geekiness. There's no bigger fan of my creations than me, and you can take that to the bank.

I elected to begin with a series of Oblivion's Gate relics while I brainstorm how to best engineer things from the Kingdom Chronicles. My lists for both series are extensive, and some of the things I hope to make may be fairly intricate. So far I'm working on:
 

The Oblivion

 

The Staff of Hearts

The Master's Cap

and I just got six apothecary bottles to hold the first samples of Life Blood.

As you can see, none of these projects is complete yet, but they are on their way and coming along nicely. I'll get you some better pictures when each is nearer to completion and more easily moved about.

So that's my new hobby. Got any suggestions as to what you would like to see next? Any tips? I'll take them all. Just hit the comments section below.

Things are slowly leveling out again in my life and that means you'll be hearing from me more often. Despite my blog neglect, I've written quite a bit over the passing months, and I'm excited to update you on all the goodness. I hope all is well for you and yours and that the changing seasons are treating you kindly.

Till next time,
Klalumpelo!

It Will Continue in Oedarin

Sometimes life is just an obnoxious little prat with zero consideration. I think we've all experienced those moments, and lately I've been traversing one myself. I apologize for not posting the last couple of weeks. It's been one of those times where negativity would have ruined the prose and context of what I wanted to write. Many people use social media and personal blogs to vent out their pent up frustrations at every opportunity; I, however, do my best to avoid such action. How about you?

Anyway, I have an announcement of sorts!

There have been many guesses and propositions as to the title of the next installment to Oblivion's Gate, and some have been quite catchy and fun. However, when I started this adventure I quickly chose the titles of each book in the series. It all began in Mimgardr (It being not only Dan and Aaron's apprenticeships but the sum of series' story), and hence book one was called in its honor, Mimgardr. In keeping with tradition, book two will also be named for a place, and that place is Oedarin, the small elfin kingdom over which Dan's island formerly looked and where the King of Hearts makes his home in the fortress of Andunban.

When Mimgardr ended Aaron and Dan had been separated for five years. Aaron had been training to succeed Merlin as Master of Hearts while Dan lived alone in exile. As this next piece of the story begins, Dan is being called out of exile to the bedsides of his mother-in-law and his former master. Unfortunately, a certain shape-shifting time traveler is still at large, and he too seems to be waiting patiently for Dan's return. What awaits our heroes in Oedarin? That remains to be seen as we move closer to the book's release, but there can be no doubt that it will answer the words carved by an intruder into the doors of the royal catacombs:

I AM ZEBAD!

The All-Seeing Floor of Pukwan's Temple

The Kingdom Chronicles draws its inspiration from the endless realms of fantasy and religion; but because the series carries no singular religious affiliation, I love seeing the ways that people from all over the globe choose to connect the story and characters to real world things and places. So often the allusions they make teach me more about my readers than about my books.

One aspect of the book that is based on religious writings is the throne room in the Temple of the Crown, where the throne is carved with representations of their planet's present solar system, two fire-breathing dragons defend the throne (though needlessly), and the very floor has the ability to reveal anything the Great Vagahem wishes to see: things past, present, or future in as vast or minute a scope as He desires.

There are long discussions about every part of the Temple of the Crown and Mount Ryel that could be had, but today I want to focus on the throne room floor only.

When I created this aspect of Pukwan's temple, I drew from verses and writings of both Judaism and Christianity. References such as: "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (KJV Isaiah 66:1), "...and beneath his feet was...like the appearance of the heavens..." (Pentateuch, Exodus 24:10), "...thy walls are continually before me." (KJV Isaiah 49:16), "...but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all... And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created;... For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them." (Moses 1:6, 8, 35.), "and I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire:" (KJV Revelation 15:2), and my final example, "but they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord" (The LDS Doctrine and Covenants 130:7). There are many others, and too them I added my own thoughts and expectations.

If a being is all-powerful, all-knowing and ever present, there really is nothing to put limits on it except itself. There is no one who can give it boundaries or limitations. Essentially, such a being would be an unstoppable force and an immovable object, living far outside the captivation of space and time. To perfectly contemplate the grandeur of a god is a feat that no finite human could ever accomplish, for we know of no such condition as infinity, only the limits we face in and of ourselves; everything we know is governed by some law not its own and has some sort of a limit. Therefore, no person will ever have the ability to prove or disprove the existence of a god unless a god chooses to reveal itself to us and prove that they do in fact exist.

This being the case, if a god did exist, I would imagine that such an infinitely powerful being would also be the most perfectly compassionate since everything that has come into being, including time, space and the laws of nature, has done so by the god's sanction and appointment. In essence, it created the game, which means it also created the rules and their loopholes and has the power to transcend them all for its own purposes.

These thoughts and others, along with the verses noted above, all played into the creation of Pukwan's all-seeing floor. Using the special surface as a medium, Pukwan is able to open up a view beyond time and space to display anything He so desires. Instead of having to preserve His kings on a journey across time and space constantly, He can simply throw open this fantastic window and show them as a distant observer something they could not otherwise behold. He knows the limits that He has placed on His mortal kings, and so He utilizes means whereby He can give them a glimpse of His knowledge or purpose without destroying, harming, or frightening them. The all-seeing floor is just as much a manifestation of compassion as it is a tool of instruction and revelation.

What do you think? How have you interpreted Pukwan's character in the books so far? What expectations would you have if you were to interact with an eternally infinite being, a god? Please leave a comment, and take them anywhere you want to go. I don't care if you believe in a god or not; if you don't, just pretend for a minute. What if they did exist? What would they be like?

Music and Subconscious Needs

Isn't life more fun when there is music playing? Workouts work out better, athletes compete better, romantics romance better, dreams even modify to the influence of music--everything just seems to get better with music. My favorite aspect of music is its effect on the clock. Time seems to pass faster when music is on (as long as you like the music that is playing), thus making it feel like it takes less time to do your work. Contrariwise, however, music has just much leverage on subconscious self-revelation. The music you listen to and play oft times says more about your inner workings and feelings than about the tasks at hand.

To illustrate, let's step into Mimgardr for a second. While Dan is cleaning the second floor of Merlin's tower following a particularly distressful turn of events, he chooses to break a few rules and incite some early morning mischief in response to the early happenings. He uses magic to make his treasured Fazioli pianoforte play out some powerful tunes while the mops and brushes work. He chooses two pieces of music that hearken back to the days of his childhood and remind him of doing chores at home while his father would play. The first piece he chooses is Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, which builds from a gentler beginning to a very energetic end. He follows the rhapsody with "Danse Infernale", or "Infernal Dance" in English, from Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, which definitely earns its title for the overpowering, crazed sound of the music.

For those of you who don't recognize these pieces by name. Here are two excellent examples from the endless realms of YouTube. I've hunted down certain piano performances to better illustrate how the music might've played into Dan's scheme in the wee hours of morning.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt. This rendition was performed by Ádám György, who studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and posted to YouTube by dexsst5 on 15 Sept 2009.

"Danse Infernale" from Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky. This rendition was performed by
Francesco Piemontesi, and was posted to YouTube by ClassicalMusicVideos on 07 Dec 2008.

As you can hear, both pieces are a bit more fast paced, aggressive and energetic than most people would be accustomed to hearing when they first get up in the morning. However, I felt that they perfectly illustrated Dan's desires by starting out very simply and purely mischievous, and building to an obnoxious finish. In a way the selections reveal not only Dan's intent that morning and portions of his past, but they also reveal the storm that's built up inside his heart. On the edges of the storm Dan seems to be purely mischievous, but as one slowly peels back the layers they find the spite, heartache and fear buried deeper in. With the choice of music he subconsciously reveals his whole soul to the world in a desperately aggressive cry for help. Unfortunately, the volume and hostility of the music only serve to drive away the people dearest to him and increase his own bitterness. Maybe that's why his older counterpart appears then. Perhaps the visit was due to the music chosen that day. Perhaps it wasn't so much of a recruitment as it was a desperate act to preserve young Dan's own emotional health. He had already contemplated suicide once, so maybe there's more to the story than meets the eye.

What do you think? Do you think these pieces of music accomplished these various ends? Or am I just blowing smoke? What songs or pieces might you have chosen to illustrate these points?

Please comment below.

The Outpost of Yerhan

The city of Yerhan was established as nothing more than a military outpost on the southern side of the Zulacon mountains, intended to maintain the great road that led north into the Vagan empire. Over time, the outpost would grow and grow until it reached the limits of Vagan law. At that point Sharhan was established, and eventually it, too, would grow until it was filled to capacity.

"Filled to capacity?" someone asks. "What does that mean?"

Unlike our cities, which continue to expand and grow out over more and more land, Vagan cities are built from the very beginning to accommodate a specific number of number and no more. When the city reaches capacity, the populace is divided and a new city is built. In the Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3, you'll have the opportunity to learn exactly how large Yerhan and Sharhan are, their relationship to other cities in the Vagan kingdom, and how the Vagan kingdom was kept at a clockwork.

I'm very excited for readers to learn more about the inner working of a civilization that transformed a wasteland into a paradise. There's so many cool thing to share. So stay tuned for clips to come.

Behind the Scenes: The Creation of Oolong

When I created Oolong for Oblivion's Gate, I went through a much different creation process than when I created Rokai and company for the Kingdom Chronicles. After all, they are very different creatures. Whereas Rokai and co. are based on the European myths, Oolong is built into a whole ecosystem and taxonomy of animals and mythical creatures.

One of the dragons from The Nine Dragons handscroll, Chen Rong, 1244 CE. USA public domain. Wikipedia.

To help you understand the scope of the project, here's a contracted list of the animals and creatures I studied and researched while creating Oolong:

Mythical creatures:
- Oriental dragons (As many as I could find, including, the long, imoogi, naga, and more)
- European dragons (wyrms, drakes, wyverns, etc)
- American dragons (like Quetzalcoatl)
- Other feathered serpents
- The Leviathan
- Other sea monsters

Real animals:
- Lizards
- Boas
- Pythons
- Cobras
- Vipers
- Sea-snakes
- Legless lizards
- Crocodilians (Crocs and alligators)
- Geckos
- Eagles
- Fish
- a healthy bit of endothermic (warm-blooded) vs ectothermic (cold-blooded) animal behaviors
- and much more.

It took a lot of work to get him worked out just right, but I'm very pleased with Oolong. Are you? For you writers out there, how far have you gone to create animals and creatures for your stories?

My Ilia

Good morning, Medleretz! Today I wish to explain a bit about the name of Princess Ilia in Oblivion's Gate. So get ready, all you fans out there. Here comes a bit of trivia knowledge.

If you will take a look at the pronunciation guide at the end of Mimgardr, you will see that Princess Ilia's name is not pronounced the same way as it is in common Medlerene usage (something akin to "Eel-yah" or "Ill-yah). You will find it pronounced "Ahy-lee-uh." This is because Ilia's name in Oblivion's Gate comes from the realms of her elfin bloodline, not Medleretz.

Here in Medleretz, the world you and I occupy, the name Ilia can be spelled a host of different ways, including Ilia, Ilya, Illya, Illia, Illija Ilja, etc. All of these forms are transliterated and transcribed compositions descending from one of three roots. The most dominant of these roots is the Russian-ized version of the Hebrew name Eliyyahu, or as we know it better in English Elijah, meaning "My God is Yahweh (Jehovah)". The second root is a Kurdish name meaning "Great and Glorious." No matter which route you take, both of these are normally reserved as masculine names. The third root, however, is the feminine one and the only one pronounced with three syllables (ill-ee-uh). It comes from the Latin Ilia, which is a secondary name for Rhea Silvia, the mythical mother of Romulus and Remus. All three roots are great and any person named with them should be proud, but they are not my Ilia.

If you will reread the first few pages in Mimgardr, chapter 39, "Blood Blossoms," you will find yourself enlightened by the words of Ilia's mother as to the meaning of Ilia's name. Did you find it? In one line she calls her daughter "my little star," and a few lines later calls her "my Ilia." Coincidence? Could be. But it isn't. Ilia's name is Elvish, and in Elvish Ilia means "Little Star", which is more important than you might think. Ilia has a huge role to play in this trilogy, despite what became of her in the Battle of Mimgardr. But that's all I'm going to say about that for now, because I'd hate to spoil the surprise for you and I've explained what I wanted to explain. So to summarize in two sentences: Ilia is an Elvish name in Oblivion's Gate. It is pronounced "Ahy-lee-uh" and means "Little Star".

I hope I've wet your taste buds and instilled a craving for more background details. I promise there are loads of little coded secrets tucked away in the pages of my books, and I'm excited to see how many of them you can find. I did put them there for you after all. :-)

Have a great day today, and please take a minute to leave a comment below.

The Polysemy of Love

In modern English love has become a very restricted word. I've been taking polls this last week and found some interesting results. Though it could have a multiplicity of definitions, we often use love for just three: 1) love for a significant other, 2) love for family and 3) love of objects, which would be better expressed using a verb like treasure than love, but oh well, we do it anyway. Love must be clearly understood in its usage or it can lead to embarrassment, teasing and awkward silences. Hence the only way we commonly use love in addressing a friend is when we treasure them more like an object or simply appreciate having their company. (e.g. Two friends talking to one another about a third friend. One exclaims brightly, "Man, I love that kid.") We often restrict ourselves to words such as like, simply so that a usage of love won't be misunderstood. Even 'I care about you' is taken to mean the same as the full-blown 'I love you' in most cases, as a phrase of complete and sole dedication, which stops people from using it. And let's not even touch the complete phrase 'I love you.'

Why is love such a treacherous polyseme in English? We have words like affection and charity, but we wouldn't say 'I affect you' or 'I chare you,' because affect means something different and chare isn't really a word. Treasure sounds funny (I treasure you), and we only hear appreciate on rare occasion because it doesn't really mean what we're trying to say. It is as though English employs no way to specify one's love without a complex, explanatory sentence or a whole heap of awkwardness to go with it. What's wrong with this broken language? Why are we so afraid of love?

Maybe we just need more words for it that help us better express our feelings. In Greek there are words like storge, philia, eros and agape, which demonstrate types or levels of affection and love. Hebrew has seven words for love--I'm told anciently it had more--and Chinese has several words too. In fact most languages I've studied have multiple words (verbs specifically) for love that define it to a specific degree. So why not English?

In Vagan, there are seven words for love. However, they are different than the seven words of Hebrew. Vagan love words all share the same root, three characters best anglicized as 'chez'. A differing vowel syllable added to the first of the root gives chez its proper meaning. For example, as we learn from Zarrys in The Kingdom and the Crown, ochez (oh-chez) is equivalent to the singular dedication and affection--the love--found in a relationship between husband and wife. And whereas achez (ay-chez) would express the type of love one has for a friend, uchez (oo-chez) would imply the love of a child for its parent and awchez (aw-chez) the love of a parent for its child.

That's just four of the Vagan words, and already we've alleviated part of the stress love is under in English. So maybe we need to dig into the English past and find some words that have been long forgotten. Or maybe we need to create some new ones. Or perhaps we could simply grow up a bit and cut the belief that the word love is only a proposal of sex or marriage, which is how most people I polled this week would take it if a friend told them they loved them, especially a friend of the opposite gender. Maybe one of those changes would help balance things out. Or maybe I'm just up in the night and everything is fine just the way it is? What do you think? How do you feel about using the word love? Comment below and let's talk.

Thanatos, Son of Darkness

After discussing the dullahan yesterday, I decided to do a follow-up and talk about the legend behind the leader of the fallen Grim, Thanatos.

Leighton, Frederic (1830-1896), "Hercules Wrestling Death (detail)"

In Mimgardr Thanatos was once an elf of large proportion, standing nearly nine feet tall. He was a student of Merlin the Great, and apparently he wielded quite an influence over his classmates. At the time of Zuren's fall, he followed Zuren into the darkness. In order to become part of Zuren's special league, it was required that he sign a magically-binding contract and carve out his own heart as a mark of loyalty. When he had did so, the contract engendered several changes in him. His once noble elfin appearance was demented and consumed, his true name was wiped from every memory, and his name became Thanatos from there on. Over the years of his fall Thanatos became cruel and malicious, continually wielding dominion over the remaining Grim and sinking further into the darkness. Once in Oblivion he was assigned the duty to keep watch over Oblivion's Gate, and later joined Master Morgan in an attempt to free the duo as well as the rest of the Grim from the Fallon Ones' control.

But as we talked about yesterday, Zuren chose the names for his minions based upon his love of death. So, where did Thanatos' name come from?

The "real" Thanatos of ancient myth rises from the Greeks as a god of death. Born the Son of Erebos, who was the personification of Darkness, and Nyx, the personification of Night, Thanatos was the twin of Hypnos, the personification of Sleep. Thus the twin children of Darkness and Night were Sleep and Death. Other negatively deemed children included Moros (Doom), Eris (Strife), Geras (Old Age), Oizys (Suffering), Apate (Deception), Momus (Blame), Nemesis (Retribution), and finally Charon the Ferryman.

According to Theogony, written by Hesiod the Poet, Thanatos and Hypnos were never allowed to behold the light of the sun. And while Hypnos was benevolent and kindly, Thanatos is described as having "a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods." Thanatos was seen as cruel, merciless and indiscriminate, only able to be cheated or tricked on rare occasion and beaten back only once, by Herakles. He hated--and was hated by--both mortals and the gods. The use of his sword was the dedication of a soul to the life and gods of the Underworld.

Later on however, when the people of Greece found death more desirable than life, their depictions of Thanatos changed. They began depicting the heartless wraith as a winged child, much more like Cupid, who wore a sheathed sword on his belt and carried an inverted torch. Thanatos became the overseer of peaceful passing and lost his role as the hated reaper. Which I personally believe tells us more about the condition of Greece than it does about the ancient Greek mythologies. When a tyrannical god of death becomes a welcome guest at your parties there must be something terribly wrong in the world. It wasn't until later that the true nature of Thanatos returned.

Thus is the history of Thanatos. I hope this gives you more insight into what Zuren might have hoped his new-found slave would become. I also hope it gives you some ideas as to what the rest of the Grim might be named. Got any good guesses? Want to know more? Please comment below.

Legend of the Dullahan

Quidor, John, "Headless Horseman Pursing Ichabod Crane", 1858, paint.

The Headless Horseman we are familiar with in our day draws its influence from either the Celtic
Dullahan, the horseman of the Brothers Grimm, or a mash-up of both. This includes the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow created by Washington Irving.

In Mimgardr, we learn that when Zuren began his fall he dragged down all save four of his classmates. (One of the four was Michael Maccini, and the other three have not been identified yet.) Ever consumed by an obsession with death, Zuren assigned each of his followers a coded name taken from a legendary psychopomp or death angel. Then he bestowed upon them a contract, a cloak, a scythe, and magically-incurred mutilation. One of those followers earned his new name on the day in which Zuren beheaded him for attempted betrayal. That would be the one known in the story as Dullahan.

The actual dullahan (or dulachán, meaning "dark man") is also called Gan Ceann, meaning "without a head". It is an old Celtic myth with variations between its Irish and Scottish roots. On the Irish side dullahans are known as a type of fairy, on the Scottish side the dullahan comes as the haunting spirit of a man name Ewen who was decapitated in a clan battle at Glen Cainnir.

According to standing tradition, a dullahan is the herald of death. It is often depicted riding a dark horse or occasionally driving the coiste bodhar, "the silent coach", a black carriage drawn by six horses and adorned with symbols of death, human bones and human pelts. It carries two things with it: a whip made from the spine of a man, and its severed head. The head has small, black, darting eyes; skin like rotted cheese; and a smile that literally stretches from ear to ear. Often times the decaying head may glow with the radiance of decaying matter, giving the dullahan a light with which to see in the darkness of night. Though this is hardly needed, for the eyes of the dullahan can see for leagues across the countryside with almost telescopic capacity.

Traveling with frightening speed, there is no way to bar the road of the dullahan. No lock, no gate, no barrier can contain it. And if it is spotted by an onlooker while on its ride, it will either lash out the spotter's eyes with its whip or cast a quantity of blood upon them, often as a mark that they will be among death's next victims.

When the dullahan reaches its destination it stops its mount, whether horse or coach, and speaks the only thing it can utter: the name of its victim. In that moment the person's soul is drawn out of their body and dies. Then the dullahan rides on.

Supposedly the only chance you have to drive the dullahan away is to wield gold against it. The dullahan has an unjustified fear of the metal, and if used rightly it may just frighten the fairy away. Unfortunately, this is a disputed hope.

Though the origin of the dullahan myth is unknown, one thing is for certain: the dullahan certainly holds its own among the multitudinous death herald myths. It's a figure never to be trifled with, and certainly not a figure you would ever invite around.

What are some of your favorite myths? What about them makes them your favorite? Comment below.

A Personal Tip Concerning Vagan

First, for those who don't know, Vagan (not Vegan) is a language I created myself to be used in the Kingdom Chronicles. I built it from the ground up, giving it its own rules, alphabet, everything. For an example of how it sounds and looks anglicized, pick up a copy of either Kingdom Chronicles book. For an example of how it looks, check out the door on the cover of the Elements and the Exodus.

Although I built Vagan myself, there are still some tricky bits to using it. There are words and sounds that don't exist in it, many synonymous English terms that only have one translation in it, some single English words that have up to ten translations in it, and rules of grammar and punctuation that are entirely different. Vagan is a fun language to use, but making sure that English things don't slip in or transliterate unwanted can be tricky since English is my dominant language and Vagan is far from common use.

So to combat the issues I've had when readers have asked me to translate something for them, I've made use of a personal tip: Never be afraid to double-check yourself by writing it down or checking the dictionary. Until I finally earn my own horde of geeks (I use that term respectfully and excitedly), who all want to learn Vagan, I'm speaking and writing it by myself; so I have to make sure that I don't use it incorrectly or the whole language goes down the drain.

A Peek into Naminé's Perspective

Klalumpelo! And good morning! It's good to see you again.

Yesterday I listed several questions that you can expect answers to in the Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3. I also verified the intended length of the book. I hope you enjoyed that information and were excited by it because today I have a surprise for you. I've brought you... an excerpt... from Naminé’s perspective!

I don't want to say too much about it, so I'll just give you a little background and let you read. The following clip comes fairly early in the book and sets the emotional stage for the chapter. One thing I particularly enjoy about the portions of  this story told from Naminé's perspective is that you get to really see inside her head. Throughout books 1 and 2, most of what we've gleaned about her personality has been through Zarrys's interpretation. Well, now it's her turn to give us some insights into herself and Zarrys. I know several of you out there have expressed to me the kinship you've felt with Naminé over the passing books, and I hope that getting to take a step inside her mind will help you understand and love her all the more.

I have one favor to ask of you: After you've read the clip, please leave some feedback in a comment below. Whether it be a comment about the text itself, your feelings about exploring other perspectives, or even just a grammar correction (this is a drafting copy after all, and it was transferred to a blog template), I don't mind. I just want to hear your feedback. So, please honor me with that gift.

And with that, let the excerpt begin:

     The warm breeze took Naminé’s flaxen hair for a partner as it danced around the room. The young queen sat in her father-in-law’s floating throne looking up through the open hatch in the roof. Her mother-in-law’s gem-studded, golden hairbrush lay forgotten in her lap. Heavy thoughts weighed upon Naminé’s mind, bringing her very low, yet she listened quietly to her husband’s irritated tone as it echoed down around her. Zarrys had discovered a secret hatch while studying the tower’s schematics, and ever since the roof had become his retreat when he sought for a moment of privacy.

     A set of heavy boots was making its way up the winding stairs below, and Naminé knew who was coming simply by the sound of each footfall. She honestly wished the visitor would turn around and go away. They had scarcely returned to Yerhan an hour prior, and she knew this was not a good time for company.

     “Your Majesty?” General Dagah called up through the primary hatch in the floor. “Your Majesty, may I come up?”

     “Yes, General,” Naminé answered as sweetly as she could while trying to conceal her feelings. “Come in.”

     Dagah stepped up quietly and looked around the divided room. He scanned the curtain that split the room in two, obviously in search of the king. His armor and cape were dusty, and the man had not shaved for several days. After the initial scan, he bowed to Naminé politely. “Good evening, my lady.”

     “Zarrys will be down in a moment,” Naminé excused, reclaiming the brush and pulling it through her hair carefully.

     “How was your journey?” the general asked with a patient smile.

     “Your soldiers were right,” she answered. “The people of Goram were ready for us to come. Nearly the whole city has followed us back.”

     “So it was the whole city,” Dagah concluded to himself. “It’s causing quite a tumult down there, trying to find the right homes for them. That’s why I’ve come. I need your husband’s council.”

     “Tread carefully, General,” she cautioned softly, turning her gentle eyes up toward the ceiling once again. “This hasn’t been a good day for Zarrys. Fallon weighs heavily on his mind--on both our minds.”

     “You’re still fighting it then?”

     “Fighting what?”

     “The truth.”

     Naminé was instantly offended. “Excuse me?”

     “Your Highness, Fallon is dead,” Dagah replied. He tried to speak softly, but irritation overflowed his tone. “He was killed that day by some bit of power. It’s honestly no different than the hundreds of other soldiers who were killed that day. And while mourning is proper, you must recognize that Fallon has been gone for nigh on three months. The king has duties to tend to, duties that are here, now. He must let go of Fallon before denial loses him the entire kingdom.”

     “Have you ever lost a person close to you, General?” Zarrys demanded fiercely, dropping into the room just as Naminé opened her mouth to rebuke the outspoken military man. Zarrys’s white hair and robes billowed in the air as he descended, and they settled in a disheveled manner when his sandal shod feet found the floor.

     “King Zarrys,” Dagah blurted quickly, dropping into a deep bow.

     “I didn’t order you to bow,” Zarrys snapped sharply, checking the position of his diamond crown. “I asked you a question.”

     “Zarrys, I—”

     “Have you? Have you ever lost someone close to you?” Zarrys demanded again. The king took an aggressive step toward Dagah, and Naminé quickly slid to the edge of her seat. She dropped the brush behind her, ready to intervene on Dagah's behalf even though she was just as upset as her husband.

--Excerpt taken from The Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3 by S. R. Ford. (c) 2014. All Rights Reserved.

I hope you enjoyed that and are excited for more to come. Please don't forget to comment.

Until tomorrow!

Silence Broken

S. R. Ford. (c) 2012. All rights reserved.

Good morning!

In November I posted that I had marked the Kingdom Chronicles: Book 3 for extensive renovation. Since then I've been pretty quiet about what's going on. If that has been torturing you, I hope you'll forgive me. I've held my peace up to this point because I haven't been entirely sure what all of the changes would equate to. But now that things are taking form, I want to share some of what you can look forward to in book 3.

As I said, things are coming along pretty well now. I'm not finished yet and probably won't be for a few months, but things are coming along much better than before. I am much more satisfied with the way this version of the story is playing out. The writing is much more complex and intriguing than the original drafts, which means the story flows along much better for the reader.

Over the passing weeks I've received numerous questions regarding the book. Several have asked about the length of the book (whether or not it would be longer than book 2, and whether or not each book in the series would be longer than the last), and I can honestly say, "No. They will not keep getting longer." In fact, book 3 is shaping up to be around the same length as book 1, the Kingdom and the Crown. It may end up a bit shorter; we'll have to see. Don't worry about ending up with books 1000s of pages long. It isn't likely to happen, and it certainly isn't planned to.

Many of you have asked questions about what will happen in book 3. Unfortunately, I'm not quite ready to give you the answers yet. I'll have to leak them to you over time. But of all the questions I've been asked, let me list the popular ones that will most certainly be answered in book 3:

- What are Shunul and his armies going to do next? Do they need time to regroup?
- How will Zarrys build and establish a new nation?
- How will they rebuild a ruined city? What will the new city look like?
- "WHAT THE [censorship] HAPPENED TO FALLON? WHERE IS HE? IS HE DEAD?"
- What happened to Nathan and Bartholomew, and how is their family taking the betrayal?
- What will become of Brazor?--And Kirah and Kimira?--with Fallon gone?
- With Prozon gone, what will become of Fiona?
- What happened to Mount Ryel? When, if ever, will it reopen to Zarrys?
- What kinds of things did Zarrys the First hoard in his towers? And why?
- What are other Vagan cities like? Where are they? What condition are they in?

These questions and more will be integral parts of the story, and some of them have farther reaching implications than you might think.

I hope that's enough to catch your interest for the day. Tomorrow, I have a much nicer surprise for you, so make sure that you follow by email or remember to come back by. Don't forget to Like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest, and leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. Your support means the world to me.

Good morning!

If You Give a Book a Soundtrack

The range of reader comfort zones spans quite the spectrum. On one end we find people who require absolute silence and zero movement around them whilst they read, and on the opposing end we find those people who can read in any sort of circumstance, no matter how loud or busy the world is around them. As for me, I prefer a bit of light music to accompany me.

Music, when utilized properly, has a powerful way to stimulate every facet of the mind. It increases
activity all around, especially in regards to memory, imagination, emotion and heart rate. (That heart rate one was kind of a joke, but tell me you don't respond physically to music.) I do grant, however, that music will become a distraction if it is too loud, the wrong genre or too wordsy. Why else do you think movie composers spend so much time creating the perfect soundtracks?

As an author and movie score/soundtrack collector, I love to build playlists that focus on certain emotions or characters. I have lists for romance and suspense, villainous tunes, epic travel music, heroic themes and many more. (If you know some good soundtracks for that, comment below or email me. I am always looking to expand.) Then I use those playlists to help me brainstorm ideas for my stories or to beef up my reading experience. I turn words on pages into movies in my mind, and by so doing I remember, decipher, imagine and enjoy the words even better than usual. The careful addition of music makes almost any book, great or not, into a quotable, memorable experience. You should really give it a try. If I get it finished soon enough, maybe I'll share a promo soundtrack for Mimgardr with you.

Have you tried it already? Does it work for you or not? If you're trying it for the first time, what do you think? Comment below. I'd love to hear your opinions!

Black Blood's Counsel

Thanks for writing in the great questions, everyone! You know what you want, and I'm excited to give it to you. Today I'm going to address a rather popular question about Oblivion's Gate:

Where did you get the inspiration for each of the Fallen?

In truth, this is an incredibly tough question to answer because the inspiration didn't come with a picture of the final product, nor with a mold left behind by another character. I didn't know the Fallen as "the Fallen" when I first created them. I came to know them over time as I studied out their lives, temperaments and tendencies.

Several of your letters have asked if I based the Fallen on other existing characters or persons (I got a kick out of some of your proposed allusions), but other than Hades, Anubis and Loki (who are mythic gods) none of the Fallen were based on any particular character or set of them. A few of the Fallen do have a fabled character to which they have linked themselves (like Tangaroa's choice to become the embodiment of the Flying Dutchman, or Zuren's Grim who were forced into a certain appearance by a curse, for example), but it was each Fallen's individual history that actually effected their personality, appearance and obsessions. The Fallen arose from scratch.

In fact, there is only one character in all of Oblivion's Gate that was designed to pay homage to another, but until the series is complete and that homage is officially revealed I will keep that character's identity a secret. All other characters in Oblivion's Gate are drawn from myth, legend and 98% scratch.

In the original sketches for Oblivion's Gate, the Fallen Ones were a syndicate of very stereotypical villains who had joined together in hopes of breaking free from the humdrum lives they had found themselves in. I never cared for the idea and only used it to fill in the blanks. It wasn't very original, it didn't mesh well with the body of the story, and it was rather childish and boring. So I actually scrapped the Fallen altogether and moved on, hoping that a wholly different idea would inspire me when the time was right.

I finished developing the complete world of Oblivion's Gate (the realms, the races, the dialects, the complexities, etc.) by lacing together the real, modern world and the worlds of ancient myth. Then I rounded out the protagonists and scenery. When I finished, everything was ready but the villain. My ideas for a villain just didn't want to come together. Then as I was reading through my notes on the Life Bloods one day, I had a new idea. It stemmed from the effects of Black Blood and inspired me to breathe new life into the forgotten concept of the Fallen Ones.

Black Blood does more than just change appearances and blend things together; it tampers with everything. And when living things are exposed to it, it has terrible effects on the mind. Certain characteristics of the Exposed are amplified and/or given new dominance, all based on the circumstances surrounding the moment of exposure. Sometimes the effects and new found obsessions are so emphatic that it seems the original entity has been entirely lost.

Considering these effects, I pulled together a host of regular, everyday characters, perfectly synonymous with their home realms, kingdoms and circumstances. Once I had each of their personalities, appearances and histories down, I took a great deal of time to consider how, when and why they might be exposed to Black Blood. (Was it on purpose or accident? Were they prepared or not? Questions like those.) And after discovering how the characters would behave, it became obvious how the exposure would affect each one. And that is when the Council of the Fallen became the force we encounter in Mimgardr.

The Fallen in final form are incredibly complex, and I'm almost sad that you readers don't get to know them very well during the first book. But, as the trilogy goes on you'll learn more about the days prior to their demise and you'll learn what made them into who and what they are.

Did that answer your question? Please comment below with follow-up questions and personal thoughts? And don't forget to email me questions about new topics HERE.

Your Reviews: The Life Blood of Commerce

The keystone in the Archway of Commerce is labeled "Talk." A company can spend all the time and money it possesses in amplifying the quality, quantity, appearance and promotion of its products; but unless people are going to talk about the perks of those products the company's still dead in the water. Most people won't spend money based on an advertisement or marketing scheme; they buy based on the counsel of their friends, family and other trusted individuals or groups. Hence, on the commercial end loads of money goes into advertising. Marketers go to all ends trying to come up with jingles, images and emotional impacts that will get people interested in learning about their products, talking about them with their friends and family, purchasing them, and then talking about them some more to generate more purchases and product feedback. That's the big goal. Talk. No matter how astounding the product may be, one truth reigns supreme: Without talk businesses die.

Like an elected official in government, a business or product has no power or influence unless the masses give that power to it. People often wonder how companies such as Wal-Mart, Band-Aid, Kleenex, Google, Xerox and others became so prominent that their names graduated into multifunctional words in our everyday vocabulary. How did it happen? The populous did it through sheer chatter. A vast, open majority talked of the companies' products and services so much and so favorably, making them appear vastly superior to other similar companies, that masses of people followed their advice, bought in (literally), and joined in the chatter themselves.

The most powerful types of chatter are public ones, shared on official websites, posts, tweets, blogs, comments and more. We know them as Reviews. Often given with the visual aid of a "star rating," a review is the chance for consumers to rate and freely comment on products and companies. Shared through the internet, reviews compile into what I consider the most accurate rating system we have. Every review emphasizes different aspects of a product, and when taken together the reviews give us the most insightful look at that product. As the old maxim goes, the more people you include in a decision the more likely it is that your decision will be correct. And when 1500 users have cumulatively rated one product 2.3 out of 5.0 stars while 1300 users have rated another product 4.7, you can feel much safer in deciding where to spend your money.

That's why I like reviews so much and constantly ask everyone for their feedback. General ratings, such as "good," "bad," or the number of stars a product deserves, are only helpful to a shallow point. It's the detailed reviews that are important. Reviews contain the proof behind the rating. They give insights into how the stars were assigned, why they were given, and what might have earned the product more of them. Reviews come from all over too, showing how a product might perform within and without certain parameters.

Many people are afraid to write reviews or feel that it isn't worth the time; but as one who carefully reads and thinks about each review I receive for my books, I have to say, "Make the time, and don't be frightened." Reviews don't have to be eloquent, flowery, or even promotional to be worthwhile. If you like something, say so. If you don't like something, say so. You may disagree with the vast majority, but that's the beauty of it--you have the option to disagree and the option to explain why. If you're writing honestly, no review is wrong and the provider will be grateful. It enables them to see things from a new angle, to see ways in which they might improve their products for the future, while still keeping the doors open for other consumers to buy, test, and review the product. As the adage goes, "bad press is far better than no press."

What are your thoughts about reviews? What do you think about when you review? Whose reviews do you cherish most?

Kingdom Chronicles III Undergoing Plot Change

Many of you writers out there will know what it feels like to be typing along anxiously while suffering from a nagging sensation that something isn't quite right. You instinctively know that even though the story is coming together there's something out there that could make it even better. It's not necessarily writer's block you face, but simply a force of misunderstood inspiration. Well, this is the manner in which the last several weeks have been passing for me. That is, until three days ago.

Three days ago while I was reading through my notes and studying the Vagan languages and civilizations I realized that there was something more I wanted you readers to get from this next installment in the series. To help me explain, let's take a step back:

From the very beginning, I've wanted readers to be right there alongside the Kingdom Chronicles' characters--to experience what they experience, to feel what they feel, and to think what they think--all the while remaining connected to the main protagonist, Zarrys II. The writing style, chapters, paragraphs, and words are all fashioned in and of themselves to forward that role.

Aside from Shunul and all of his mischief, two of the greatest "villains" I wanted to incorporate into these books are the Villain of Self and the Battlefield of Change. Throughout the Kingdom and the Crown and the Elements and the Exodus our good friend Zarrys has been suffering through some deeply rooted self-centeredness issues. His perspective is very limited and at times childish. Most of his outward concern for others is rooted in his selfish desire to defend himself and his happiness.

Zarrys is very much a teenager, one who was raised without a strong home nor much level of self-understanding, and yet within a matter of months he finds himself confronted by wars, demons, creatures, relationships, histories, a throne, and a mantle he never expected to find along his destined path. Zarrys is required to make enormous changes in his life, to transform himself from a lost, confused boy to a prophet and king in the service of Pukwan. Likewise, all of his companions are being asked to make drastic changes of their own. Unfortunately, changing your nature doesn't happen instantaneously. They must work at it the same way everybody else does.

Take Zarrys's teaching abilities for just one example. Is Zarrys a very effective teacher? Most certainly not. In Book II, for example, chapters XVIII and XIX give us a good look into one of Zarrys's early lessons (and a very important lesson at that). The lesson is too long, too deep, too all over the place, and too aggressive. Zarrys tries to unload his entire mind on his would-be students, and then he mistakenly expects them to have retained everything from that lesson for the rest of the book. (All of you teachers out there are cringing. I can hear it.) Teaching is just one field in which Zarrys must allow himself to learn and grow. It is a cycle you will be able to follow throughout the books in the series.

As I've thought about these several pieces of the story and their relevance to all of the characters in it, certain points have taken on greater prominence while others have diminished. A stronger side of the Kingdom Chronicles' plot has shone out all the clearer, and I've decided that some changes need to be made. Hence, I am going back and even starting over in certain areas.

What can you expect to see from these changes? More perspectives, better and more character development, changes in writing style, and even changing interactions between characters, just to name a few.

Got any thoughts or questions? If you do, hit the comments box below. I would love to get a good conversation going.

Mimgardr: Available Now!

Mimgardr (Oblivion's Gate, 1) is now available!

You'll find links to the Paperback and Kindle editions to the right hand side of this page. Just click on the Mimgardr cover picture in the respective column. Links are also available on my official website: www.authorsrford.com.

BUT DON'T STOP READING THERE!

To celebrate the new release, all paperback purchases of Mimgardr directly from CreateSpace  between now (September 6th) and Friday, September 13th that include Promo Code TMXZ7J5D will receive 15% off. So don't miss out! You can get to the CreateSpace page by clicking HERE or by clicking on the Mimgardr cover at the top of this post.

You can buy all of my books directly from CreateSpace, and therefore fresh off the presses, by following the links found on my official website (link given above).

This new adventure is going to take you to places you love and places you didn't know existed. You'll meet familiar figures and encounter some of your favorite fantasy creatures; however, they may be slightly different than you remember. There's a whole new world to discover that might be hiding right under your nose. In Mimgardr, adventure is where the mystery begins... Are you ready for it?

Mimgardr: Introducing Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan

Host: Today is September 4th. S. R. Ford's latest book Mimgardr will be released in two days on September 6th. Forty-eight hours. Can you believe it? I don't know about you, but I'm as excited as a puppy waiting for a Beggin' Strip.

As a special treat for you today, I'm very proud to introduce two people who are very important to this new story. They're my two special guests. Please welcome Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan!

***Applause***

Host: Welcome, guys. It's great to have you here.

Mr. Barker: Glad to be here.
Mr. Flanagan: Thanks for having us.

Host: So, you've got a pretty big day coming up.

Both guests: Yes, we do.
Mr. Flanagan: And we're pretty excited. This is the beginning of our life story after all.

Host (holding up Mimgardr): These are some pretty amazing events in here. How do you feel about revealing them to the world? Do you think you're ready for that?

(Guests look at each other)

Mr. Barker: Well, I have to say it's hard having my entire life open for review. My thoughts, actions, everything is open, and I only hope people will try to understand what we've been going through.

Mr. Flanagan: No kidding.

Host: So what would you say is a major theme for this book?

Mr. Flanagan: Know who your friends are. That's what I'd say. Know who your friends are, and stand by them.

Mr. Barker: That's a good way to put it, Aaron. (Turns to Host) When they were talking to us about the tagline for Mimgardr, I told them it should be either "Sometimes we're our own worst enemy" or "How many times can one heart be broken?" But they decided to go a different route. I can't feel bad though; they had hundreds of good ideas.

Mr. Flanagan: Both of those would've worked though.

Host: Now, I have to ask: What was it like getting to see things firsthand that you thought never actually existed?

***Both guests laugh lightly***

Mr. Barker: Sometimes it was pretty amazing, and at others it was the exact opposite. You'll have to read and see which was which.

Mr. Flanagan: Well put.

Host: Well, gentlemen, I see you've brought a little clip of Mimgardr. Can we share it with the audience?

Mr. Flanagan: Of course!

Host: But first, give a little heads up. What's going on in the clip?

Mr. Flanagan: This is the very beginning of the story, time-wise, where I find out that I've been targeted as part of a coup by my best friend.

Host (Pointing to Mr. Barker): And that mean's you. Doesn't it?

Mr. Barker: Yes it does.

Host: What a jerk...

***Laughter***

Host: You just can't trust anyone anymore, can you? (Turns to audience) Ladies and gentlemen, take a look:

Mimgardr

Chapter One

The King of Hearts

(Excerpt)

Copyright 2013 S. R. Ford

“Purcellville,” Aaron announced happily. “That’s where we’re going.”

“What’s in Purcellville?” Dan asked as he raked a hand through his black hair, ensuring that it remained swept back and parted while the window was down and the wind rushed around them. Two things Aaron had always admired about Dan were his well-kept, quite formal appearance and his ability to keep his hair swept back and parted almost perfectly without gel or hairspray. The combination had always lent Dan a hand up with the ladies.

“I got a call this morning from a man in Purcellville,” Aaron replied, turning the company’s white GMC Canyon up the on-ramp and onto the freeway. “He said he wants someone to come by and do an evaluation. So I figured we’d get out of the office and go ourselves for a change.”

“But why are we going there now? The appointment isn’t until noon. You should’ve just stayed out there in Hamilton, and I would’ve driven out to meet you before the appointment.”

“Like I can justify not showing up to work just because I have an appointment set up by my house. Besides, I figured that if we were together we could talk to some people out that way. They don’t see our company very often.”

“We’re salesman in northern Virginia, Aaron. No one around here complains about not seeing salesman, especially when they’re only home between seven at night and five in the morning, thanks to commutes and traffic. And that’s if they’re lucky.”

“Remind me why you bother working this job,” Aaron returned. “You’ve been doing this for two years, and all you do is complain about it. If I hate this job as much as you do when I’ve been here for two years, I’ll quit in a heartbeat.”

“I doubt it. I stay because it’s what I’ve got. I don’t need to press my luck by quitting when the economy is still so flimsy.”

Aaron shrugged. “Good point. Are you still planning on heading back out west this autumn then?”

“That’s the plan,” Dan acknowledged happily. “Why don’t you lose that tie? The temperature’s going to break ninety degrees today, and the humidity’s going right up there with it. You’ll boil up if you wear a tie all day.”

“Aren’t we supposed to look professional?” Aaron chided.

“Our definition of professional doesn’t include a tie specifically. You know me; I’m all for looking crisp and formal. But in this climate it’s hardly appropriate. We just need to look respectable. You know, climate-appropriate business casual. A white or blue button-up or polo shirt, slacks, and shiny shoes are all we’re asked to wear. Unless we’re in the office, of course.”

“All right then,” Aaron smiled, loosening the knot in his tie with one hand and pulling the tail through his collar. “You’re the boss.”

“Anyway, you should take some time off and fly out too. You could escape this Washington to see your family in the other Washington.”

“I can’t. I don’t have enough vacation days left.”

“Oh,” Dan breathed, turning up the radio so the guitars and drums would overcome the roar of the traffic around them. “So did you find a date for Friday?”

“I haven’t had time to look. Besides, I haven’t been here long enough to meet anybody worth asking.”

“Oh, and I have been?” Dan retorted tauntingly. “I just got transferred into this sector a few months ago, but I’ve got a date. Maybe we can find you someone today. Can’t have you showing up dateless, now can we? We’ll just have you win over some fine lady with those blue eyes of yours, and we’ll be all squared away. You said you can sing like Sinatra, didn’t you?”

“I don’t think flirting with girls is appropriate during work hours.”

“Of course, it’s not. So we’ll do it during lunch. The way I see it is that we don’t have to be back in Ashburn till three o’clock, and all we need to keep the boss off our backs is a good enough report to justify driving out here ourselves. So that’ll give us at least a little time to hunt down a date for you.”

They arrived in Purcellville around 9:45 AM and parked at the far end of a Bloom Market parking lot. They walked the town and met several of the business owners, including a print shop owner, a spa manager, and a few fast food joint supervisors. As they were making their way around, Aaron noticed that the closer it came to noon, the more fidgety and uncomfortable Dan became. Normally Dan was sarcastic, funny, and quite well known for taunting people, but the closer the twelve o’clock chime marched toward them, he became apprehensive and looked almost on guard.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron finally asked while they were eating lunch at the local Tropical Smoothie Café.

“Nothing,” Dan replied quickly. “Just thinking about stuff is all.”

“You look scared to me.”

“We’ll see who’s scared when I plant you in front of that blond girl over there at the counter. She keeps looking over here at you.”

“Will you stop trying to find me a date? I’m nineteen years old. I can get my own date.”

“Do it then,” Dan challenged with a wink. “Or a twenty-one-year-old will do it for you.”

“You’re twenty,” Aaron corrected with little enthusiasm.

“I’m closer to being twenty-one than twenty,” Dan shot back. Then he stood and swept the wrappers from his tray into the waste bin a few tables over. “We’ll have to stop by and talk to her on our way out of town. Come on. We’re going to be late.”

They made their way down the road and turned past the vacant high school. The building held onto its loneliness for the second to last weekend before students would return to its halls at the close of summer break. Across the street from the school, they turned into an apartment complex with white buildings, green roofs, and a circular arrangement. Aaron led the way into the complex and found the unit they were seeking. They rounded the building looking for the stairwell that would take them up to the second floor, but they ran into a tall, old man instead. He was at least a foot taller than Dan’s six foot height and about a foot and a half taller than Aaron. His head, though bald on top, was surrounded in long silver hair and a thick beard. He wore a nicely pressed, navy blue suit, and stood with his arms folded, glaring down his crooked, pointy nose at them.

“Merlin!” Dan cried out in alarm before bowing quite deeply and causing Aaron to turn his attention to Dan in surprise.

“You’re late, Daniel,” the man replied with a solid tone. His elegant British accent was unmistakable.

“I know,” Dan quickly apologized. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” the man pressed with a tease in his voice.

Aaron, who was most perplexed and frightened, looked up to see the man smiling at him.

“Hello, Aaron.”

The ground lurched as Aaron attempted to speak. A hole opened beneath him, and he began dropping downward. In a second he was ten feet down and could see the silhouettes of Dan and the old man looking down after him. Then with a flash of light the soil around him became void and blackness enveloped him. He couldn’t think, and he couldn’t cry out. The shock of the last few moments had left him voiceless. The light now high above was quickly swallowed amid the abyssal darkness, and he was surrounded in nothing but empty space. Then all at once he hit the ground with a gentle thud. Everything was dark, except for the large palm leaves and aspen branches that fluttered softly overhead. Against the black, starless sky, the branches and leaves glowed gently as if they themselves were under the light of the noonday sun.

His face twisted in confusion as he flexed his fingers and felt the long grasses in which he lay. They were soft and cool to his touch, and they tickled his skin. He could hear water trickling not too far off on his left, joined by the quiet lapping of water on a shore and the smell of flowers filtering through the air. What happened? Night and day at the same time? Where am I? he thought...

(End of Excerpt)

 ***Applause***

Host (to Dan): Wow! How could you do that to your best friend? What was that like for you?

Mr. Barker: I was more of an unwilling participant than anything, to be straight about it. I had no idea what was actually going to happen that day. (Fights a chuckle) But, I'll never forget the look on Aaron's face. At first it was the epitome of "What's going on here?" but as soon as he began to fall it changed to the most hilarious "OH <----->!" face.

Mr. Flanagan: Well, let's drop you in a hole with no warning and see what you look like. You could've at least warned me.

***Laughter***

Mr. Barker: The expression made the whole day for me. And that's saying something, 'cause I really didn't like that day. Still don't. You'll understand why in a couple days after the release. And to be honest, it was a hard thing to live through. Aaron and I had become very close friends and when I turned him over to Merlin, I had no idea what was going to happen.

Host (to Aaron): Did you forgive him?

Mr. Flanagan: (looks at Mr. Barker for a few seconds) I guess you'll have to wait and see.

Host to Audience: Well folks, it sounds like there's a lot to brace for. Don't miss the release of Mimgardr by S. R. Ford, available this weekend. (Turns to guests) Gentlemen, thanks very much for being here. I hope this becomes a big success for you.

Guests together: Thanks. Us too.

Host: Ladies and gentlemen, Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan!

***Applause***

Host: And we'll be right back!