Please welcome Paddy Tyrrell author Lumina
Paddy Tyrrell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Lumina
byPaddy Tyrrell
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GENRE: Epic Fantasy
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INTERVIEW:
Firstly a big thank-you to Rogue’s Angels for inviting me to do this interview.
What or who inspired you to start writing?
I first started creating stories when I was about 10 years old to help my big sister go to sleep at night. They were mainly about princes and princesses as I recall. During childhood I devoured every book I could read and knew I wanted to write one some day. I had left university when I read my first fantasy novel, The Gormenghast Trilogy, by Mervyn Peake, and was immediately enchanted by the genre. I began experiments with writing soon after.
What elements are necessary components for this genre?
An interesting question. To make it a fantasy there has to be some imaginary system that does not exist in real life. That can be magic and sorcery but also could be fantastical creatures, and often includes characters, animals, or objects with special powers. For example, in Lumina there are snow-wolves and dragons, a light-star and a golden race created by sorcery.
Another special aspect is building the setting for your story: how the world looks, what the inhabitants are like, how the society and power structure works. There are two conflicting powers and societies in Lumina. One, Lumina itself, is sophisticated and civilised, governed by reason not magic; the other, Kuhla, is brutal, barbaric and controlled through tyranny and sorcery.
There has to be adventure and, like all genres, conflict on many levels is essential. Epic fantasies like Lumina normally involve a series, with each book a great read on its own but with a large-scale overarching conflict that runs through the series. With an epic, there must also be complexity of plot, a large cast of characters and multiple points of view.
There are three main ‘good’ characters and three evil ones in Lumina. When I say good and evil, characters are complex and so they may have aspects of both.
How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I was walking in the woods with my husband and our Siberian huskies and we started throwing around ideas. I have always felt strongly about inequalities of race or gender and wanted that aspect in the book. We were near a pond and there were waterways surrounding us, so lots of dragonflies. I thought of the idea of creating a similar creature (later called a dragonlite) that cleaned dragon scales. I then leapt from there to the idea of these dragonlites biting and injecting pregnant women and so creating the bronzite race.
If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
After a long think, I finally decided it would be Salazai because she has the ability to commune with animals, such as Dragonheart, the black stallion, or Teibera, the snow-wolf.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in you bio?
I have always loved flying and even learnt to glide. In the days before terrorists prevented it, Quantas Airlines let me sit in the cockpit as the plane took off from Sydney airport to Hong Kong. Accelerating down the runway and soaring up over the sea was an amazing experience. Not surprisingly flying plays a key role in Lumina but I won’t reveal all the details as it would be a spoiler.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I am working on two projects: a prequel novella which tells the story of Salazai’s mother who abandoned Salazai as a baby, leaving her in Dragonheart’s stall. Dragonheart is the king’s horse:
‘Everyone else feared the black stallion - mark of the devil on him they said, ever since his fight with the dragon, even if his courage did save the king. He certainly had the demon’s own temper, snapping, kicking, teeth bared at the slightest approach. All the stable boys kept well clear of those lashing hooves. Everyone knew none but the king could ride him.’
What sort of parent would put a baby in reach of Dragonheart’s thrashing hooves and why would they take such a drastic step?
Secondly, Book 2 of The Dragonlite Legacy where Davron searches for a gauntlet to protect him from the Light Star, Chrystala and Rewan struggle to unite bronzites and Lumans, and Salazai seeks out the good dragons to enlist their help in the fight against Kuhla.
Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Here’s an excerpt describing the evil Black Dragon:
‘He cupped his hands around his mouth and spelled a summons, his voice a rasp of vowels that floated on the damp air. He ducked back inside. There was a thrash of wings and the tower shuddered. Xeralith, black dragon of Kuhla, had answered his call.
Any fleeting sense of power deserted him in the terror of her presence. She was as old as the moss that ate the castle walls. Evil had putrefied her beauty, her once crimson scales stained black by Rach’s corruption. She thrust her head through the opening in the wall. Bony nodules covered her upper jaw and the dark armor plating of her head. Steam belched from her nostrils.
Jaldeen ran and hid behind the font, clinging to the carvings of the demons that served his god, as though they could protect him. He averted his face from the scalding droplets. Xeralith’s breath, heavy with malevolence, contaminated the air with the stench of burning metal and rotten meat. Stomach heaving, Jaldeen forgot to maintain his shield. Her eyes swirled and she locked her gaze on his. Trickles of flame erupted through teeth that could rip him in two. He lost control of his limbs and fell. She lunged at him and he scrambled back, his heels banging on the stone floor. The horns on her sinewy neck snagged against the outer wall and pulled her short. She screeched in frustration.’
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
What works best for me is a rough outline of the plot so that I know where the story is heading, who the main characters are, what conflict and obstacles they will face, and how I would like it to finish. I did try with Book Two doing a detailed plan and I found this hindered rather than helped me be creative.
Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
It is between Jaldeen, Lord Cantrek, one of the baddies, and Chrystala. I finally plumped for Chrystala. She is a bronzite, one of the race created by the evil machinations of the king and Lord Cantrek. Despite the mistreatment and prejudices she faces from the Lumans, she chooses to stand by her Luman friend and eventually finds the courage to face an unpalatable truth regarding the origins of her own race. On top of that she is strong and beautiful. As Davron realizes when he first sees her:
‘Golden hair framed almond eyes. Flame glinted deep within the myriad facets of her pupils, and danced like fireflies of light in the night air. She was beautiful but she was a bronzite. There was no future in it, not for him and certainly not for her. Still, he needed to know. “Your name?” he said.
“Chrystala.” He tried to hold onto the memory as he passed out.’
How do you maintain your creativity?
I guess three main ways. One is that I look for outside stimulus. For example, this could be from nature. While I was writing Lumina, we lived in the middle of marshlands in France and so these became the basis of the Maugraine Swamp. When trying to create monster creatures I looked at ugly fish found deep in the sea to get my imagination going.
The second is to scour my memories for amazing moments I could build on. For example, in Lumina there is a banquet scene based on memories of a grand banquet in Cairo that I attended.
When I really get stuck and am staring at an empty page I try ‘’automatic writing’ where you just start writing anything and keep going at speed without thinking or editing for 10 minutes or so. That can often unblock whatever is stopping me from writing.
BLURB:
A generation designed by sorcery to destroy your people. Two races mired in conflict. Can a pair of outcasts unite them against an enemy who would enslave them all?
The birth of ‘bronzite’ babies in Lumina heralds the onset of war. The people take fright at the golden children and banish them from the land. A dangerous move. King Zheldar, commander of the black dragon, is attacking Luman borders. If he wins bronzite support for his army of monsters, Lumina is lost.
Davron Berates cannot share his people’s hatred of the children and, on discovering he has a bronzite brother, sets out to find him. At his side travels Chrystala. A bronzite, she has twice his strength and three times his determination.
When the black dragon kidnaps Chrystala, Davron is faced with a terrible choice: save his friend or save his nation.
The birth of ‘bronzite’ babies in Lumina heralds the onset of war. The people take fright at the golden children and banish them from the land. A dangerous move. King Zheldar, commander of the black dragon, is attacking Luman borders. If he wins bronzite support for his army of monsters, Lumina is lost.
Davron Berates cannot share his people’s hatred of the children and, on discovering he has a bronzite brother, sets out to find him. At his side travels Chrystala. A bronzite, she has twice his strength and three times his determination.
When the black dragon kidnaps Chrystala, Davron is faced with a terrible choice: save his friend or save his nation.
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EXCERPT:
Jaldeen strode towards an ancient font at the far side of the tower and opened wooden shutters in the wall behind it. Leaning out, he checked the platform outside for any decay. It looked solid enough and he stepped over the windowsill and walked to the center. He cupped his hands around his mouth and spelled a summons, his voice a rasp of vowels that floated on the damp air. He ducked back inside. There was a thrash of wings and the tower shuddered. Xeralith, black dragon of Kuhla, had answered his call.
Any fleeting sense of power deserted him in the terror of her presence. She was as old as the moss that ate the castle walls. Evil had putrefied her beauty, her once crimson scales stained black by Rach’s corruption. She thrust her head through the opening in the wall. Bony nodules covered her upper jaw and the dark armor plating of her head. Steam belched from her nostrils.
Jaldeen ran and hid behind the font, clinging to the carvings of the demons that served his god, as though they could protect him. He averted his face from the scalding droplets. Xeralith’s breath, heavy with malevolence, contaminated the air with the stench of burning metal and rotten meat. Stomach heaving, Jaldeen forgot to maintain his shield. Her eyes swirled and she locked her gaze on his. Trickles of flame erupted through teeth that could rip him in two. He lost control of his limbs and fell. She lunged at him and he scrambled back, his heels banging on the stone floor. The horns on her sinewy neck snagged against the outer wall and pulled her short. She screeched in frustration.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was raised in Kent, the garden of England, and lived in an Oast House whose round rooms were once used for drying hops. Must be why I’ve enjoyed a drink ever since!
At university, I fell in love with medieval French writing, discovered The Gormenghast Trilogy, and became hooked on fantasy.
I have sailed down the Yangste, survived an earthquake in Cairo, and picnicked in the Serengeti. My travels for work and pleasure have inspired my fantasy world. I now live in France with a naughty Australian Labradoodle, a jealous cat and a squash mad husband. Our two huskies, Ice and Sapphire, are sadly now gone but are transformed into wolves and immortalised in my book. Lumina is my debut novel and the first in a trilogy.
The book is $0.99.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Paddy Tyrrell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
What a pleasure to have Rogue's Angels' support. It's a great challenge for new writers to get known and so I really value this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteLike many of you, we are in lockdown here in France, and only allowed out for food, medecin or a walk nearby. So reading becomes even more important for those shut at home. I'd be interested to hear any suggestions on what writers can do to help. One idea I had was to offer a video or telephone call where I read a 10 minute excerpt from Lumina. What do you think? Would this be of interest?
I didn't manage to include my name on the comment above. So the Unknown is really Paddy Tyrrell. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour. Allana Angel
ReplyDeleteGreat interview!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victoria.
DeleteThis sounds like a very cool read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie. I hope it will give readers a moment of escape from lockdown!
Delete