-Marshal McLuhan
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Weapons
Stories and musings inspired by Chapter 11 in Zakolor
Magic is a tool.
It hurts to type that—but it’s true. Dreamers the world over (myself included) struggle with this idea because we want so desperately for magic to be full of possibilities. Mysteries. We want uncertainty to be an exciting thing, not fear-ridden. It’s a stark contrast to the real world.
And when we write magic, it can be that enigmatic thing that draws readers in. But at the end of the day, it has to have a purpose, a function, a reason that our characters need or want it, which inevitably converts the mystical force into a very powerful screwdriver.
I find this balancing act interesting. Readers need to know enough about the system of magic to understand how and why it works to enjoy the story. Otherwise, we may question why characters are doing certain things, or why they’re not casting a spell to fix all their problems. Magic needs limits, and that can sometimes crush the fantasy.
What many creators end up doing (again, myself included) is inserting requirements for magic. This can preserve some of the mysteries of the higher echelons of magic by making them very difficult to attain. While these requirements have been introduced in the books, I thought it would be fun to spell it out—pun intended—a little more formally here.
The requirements for wielding magic in my world are energy, knowledge, skill, and focus (in that order).
No spell can be cast without magic. In Valecium, it’s an energy that is present in all things, though to varying degrees. Just as some people are born with natural talents, every person has a unique inherent capacity for magic. And, even those born without a great deal of magic can work hard and develop their capacity, just like exercise develops the body.
It isn’t enough to have huge amounts of energy and simply wiggle your fingers in the air and hope your dreams come true. Knowledge and skill are crucial to directing the flow of energy to the right place at the right time. Spells are cast, and charms are placed. Elements need to be studied, demons contracted, and the inner gates explored. The mastery of multiple disciplines is an incredibly difficult feat, and that is what makes individuals like Sorwin and Tansil so prolific as to earn the title of Magerus.
The last requirement is focus. Have you ever had a day where the most simple tasks seem impossible? Or maybe something you’ve done a thousand times just isn’t happening? Focus is the variable of success; it’s a roll of the dice, sometimes. It can be a massive boost or hindrance depending on the day. I wanted that variable present in this magic system, which is why I incorporated the three forms of casting: Word, Guide, and Thought. They can be used independently, but the effects of a spell will be most powerful when all three are used together.
In Chapter 11 of Zakolor, Sorwin stresses the importance for Zak to develop other skills, to diversify his abilities and not rely solely on magic. He knows the risks. He knows the limits of magic better than most—something we’ll learn a little about in Book 3 (no spoilers!).
Magic feels a little less magical now, doesn’t it? Knowledge has the potential to remove the mystery. Rest assured, I don’t know everything about this magic system, and neither do my characters. We’re leaving ample room for possibility. I do so love when my stories ambush me with a twist!
Clairise’s Corner
Imagine we’re chatting over a mug of something warm with Densba’s favorite busybody.
I don’t often travel for work anymore—maybe a few jaunts a year. I found myself in Nashville all last week, which is why this Firepost is coming to you a week late.
Taking advantage of work travel is a struggle. At the end of a long day, the last thing I want to do is explore. Sometimes I feel bad about it. I’m in a new city, my travel expenses are paid for, and I end up ordering takeout and huddling in my hotel room, preparing for the next day of work.
Why?
A few reasons, but namely that when I travel for work, I’m running 8-hour training sessions, usually three days in a row. For an introvert—or anyone—that is exhausting. My engine is out of gas by the time 6pm rolls around.
Yet I forced myself out last week. On an evening with a lighter drizzle (it rained every day I was there), I took a car downtown and stumbled in my tired daze down a strip glowing with neon signs. Country music blasted from every bar and restaurant, and even on a Wednesday night, there were crowds of partygoers laughing and singing in between stops.
The Assembly Food Hall was warm and dry, so I walked around, eyeing the many different booths and cuisines. After a lap, I settled on street tacos. It was a very good choice.
Fortified with carne asada, I ventured back into the damp night, toured a few historic blocks, and promptly ordered a car back to the solace of my hotel room.
It wasn’t much, but it was something. I’m glad I did it—I think I had to prove to myself I could, for some reason. I’ll save that examination for a later date.
Fingers and Keys
Writing updates and craft thoughts
Olivia’s Story is with the editor!
The draft came out to almost exactly 30,000 words. Even though I thought this would be a novella, I learned I’m not very good at short-form writing. And honestly, I’m very okay with that.
While waiting for feedback, progress on Book 3 is slow and steady. We’re at 8,500 words, which is about 11% completion for the first draft. I expect this book to be a little longer than The Black Caladrius, which was 82k words. My expectation is between 85-90k. It is my first time wrapping up a series, and with a fairly large cast of POV characters, I want to do each of them justice in the epilogues.
Actually, I’m just now realizing that between the first two books, each of these characters has at least one scene from their POV: Zak, Kal, Olivia, Sorwin, Karazul, and Renna. There will be at least one additional POV in Book 3 as well, not to mention all the characters' fates we also care about but haven’t necessarily experienced the story from their corner. It’s a daunting task to give them—and readers—a satisfying amount of closure.
Read-Watch-Play
Media recommendations
Beyond writing, I’m an avid reader, streamer, and gamer. I’ll leave you with a few recent titles I enjoyed from my little corner of the internet. I tend to skew toward fantasy across media, but will engage with anything that serves as a door to another world:
Read: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I didn’t understand how a story with mutant-like powers set in a monarchy could be compared to Hunger Games, but it’s accurate. The premise and setting are quite different, but the tone and desperate fight to stay alive feel very similar (in a good way, for us readers). An action-packed adventure with somewhat predictable yet satisfying twists.
Watch: SNL50 on Peacock. This four-part documentary takes viewers behind the lights and sets to the inner workings of the prolific sketch-comedy show. I recommend watching episodes 1 & 2 for a glimpse at the (often chaotic) mechanism of SNL. Episodes 3 & 4 are a little more niche and didn’t do it for me.
Play: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. THIS GAME! The first one was a revelation; the depth of medieval Bohemia is brought to life with such startling detail I could have sworn I was actually playing a history lesson. The second game delivers on the expected experience (crafting, gear, challenging combat) and takes it a step further with all the familiar mechanics being smoothed out and improved upon. If you played the first game, buy this immediately. If you didn’t, buy both. You’re welcome.
The Indie Author Fantasy Alliance
Indie author recommendations
That sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I just made the name up, but it’s a real thing, I swear.
Recently, through the power of social media, I found myself connected with several other fantasy authors who also independently publish their works. We banded together to cross-promote, thinking our various audiences may have similar or related tastes.
If you can spare a click and a moment to check out some of these titles, I would be very grateful, as would the wonderful writers behind the covers! Each author also has a newsletter if you want to follow along on their journey.
The Forgotten Flame by Rea Alexandris
A kingdom teetering on the edge. A girl destined to rise. A flame that could burn it all to ash.
Kaelara Veylin thought she was just a blacksmith’s daughter, her days spent forging iron and her nights dreaming of something more. But when her hidden power ignites, Kaelara is thrust into a dangerous world of rebellion, betrayal, and forbidden magic.
In a kingdom where magic is outlawed, Kaelara’s ability to wield fire makes her a target for the ruthless Iron Guard—and a weapon for a rising rebellion. Forced to choose between the safety of her family and the fate of her people, she must navigate treacherous alliances, including an unlikely connection with Dain Arvath, a loyal captain with secrets as dangerous as her own.
As enemies close in and her power grows beyond her control, Kaelara must decide: Will she let her flame consume her—or forge it into the key to Aeryndor’s salvation?
The Fall of Ahilon by Samantha Shaye
Forced to flee her kingdom, an Elvish princess prepares to return and reclaim her birthright with magic, blood, and steel.
When the Elvish kingdom of Ahilon is attacked, Princess Zaure Rhistel-the sole heir-is forced to flee. Her mother always told her when there is war prepare for death, but she didn't listen. Now, she finds herself woefully unprepared for the challenges ahead.
Until she meets Torin, a spellcaster who has vowed to protect her. As Zaure travels with Torin, using her handmaiden's name as an alias, two more heroes join their circle: Cagdas, a warrior from Zaure's kingdom who was sent to aid her, and Alrik, a bard who has seen too many of the world's evils.
Zaure has no choice but to trust and let the others in, as she will need their help pursuing the powerful enemy that has destroyed her kingdom.
The key to saving Ahilon is closer than she knows. Finding it is going to prove difficult. With the fate of her people in her hands, she will stop at nothing to save them.
Even if it means sacrificing herself.
In an enchanted realm ruled by the immortal King Minos, a chilling tradition unfolds every seven years: the Collection. Seven young women are selected to confront the mysterious Beast at the heart of the Labyrinth, a fate from which none have ever returned.
Thalia, heir to her island’s throne, should have been eligible, but politics kept her safe. When faced with the imminent selection of her best friend’s lover, Thalia volunteers. She plans to stop the Collection, defeat the Beast and the King wielding it, and prove her worthiness as a future ruler. As she navigates the twisting corridors of the Labyrinth, secrets guarded by King Minos begin to unravel, and Thalia discovers that the Collection is merely the tip of an ancient conspiracy.
Armed with an unconventional set of weapons—lackluster social skills, an impressive vocabulary, and a whispered prayer to the Gods—Thalia races to uncover the mystery before the Beast can kill her. But her choices may carry consequences that extend beyond the Labyrinth, altering the destiny of the realm and putting her own future at stake.
THREADED SECRETS, a new adult fantasy genderbent and twisted retelling of Theseus and the minotaur full of mystery, intrigue, and a dollop of romance.
Chasing the Darkness by Cassie Sanchez
Pain is inescapable. Suffering is a choice.
Azrael, the Angel of Death, knows pain. The deaths of his mother and sister, as well as his harsh experiences in the Watch Guard at age twelve, have brutally shaped him into the most feared assassin in all of Pandaren.
Azrael's role as a Hunter requires him to search for those with magic, called Spectrals, which he is happy to do. Hunting allows him to pursue his true goal--exacting revenge on the Fire Spectral who altered the course of his life.
Azrael's obsession with revenge and power leads him to undergo an experimental procedure that gives him magic, but when this procedure has unexpected and dangerous side effects, he becomes a liability to the Hunters and the Watch Guard.
Rescued by the people he has sworn to eliminate, Azrael finds himself questioning everything he once believed as years of secrets and lies are exposed. His very nature is challenged as he battles unfamiliar emotions and navigates relationships that contradict the heart of a killer.
Can the Angel of Death have a conscience? Can Azrael?
A few thousand words
Photos from my little slice of the world
Printer’s Alley, in Nashville.
Our fridge died, so here is the new one! Magnets still a WIP.
A post-nap Samson.
Building one of those bookshelf scene things. It’s a lot more work than I thought!
