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Rueful But Unruled—A Fantasy Short Story and the Creative Process
11 Plays6 hours ago
Listen to an original fantasy short story in celebration of Mary's Kickstarter Pre launch page going live for her upcoming book, Breaking Inlands! Visit with Mary and Carolina as they discuss the creative process and of course a Discworld Delight and Sparks from this week.
Check out Mary C Kehoe's Kickstarter Book Launch for early release and deluxe edition of her new epic fantasy, Breaking Inlands at kickstarter.com/projects/maryckehoe/breaking-inlands
Join our book club reads with books from our shop at Bookshop.org that supports local Independent bookstores! bookshop.org/shop/mary-c-kehoe
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Transcript
Introduction to Mythic Mirror Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you like fantasy with lost gods, suppressed magic, and ancient lore?
00:00:17
Speaker
Welcome to Mythic Mirror, a podcast for fans of myth and fantasy who want to live magical, fulfilling lives. I'm your host and fantasy author, Mary C. Kehoe. And I'm your co-host, Carolina Carter.
00:00:29
Speaker
Well, I have exciting news today.
Kickstarter Announcement & Celebration Plans
00:00:31
Speaker
My book just went live with its pre-launch page on Kickstarter, so you can go check it out. We've got the link in the show notes. And to celebrate that, I thought it would be fun to read my short story aloud to all of you.
00:00:49
Speaker
So let me know in the comments what you guys think. Carolina, have anything to say before I get started? I don't think so. I'm very excited. All right, some of you have read this story before, but I have updated it a little bit so you will hear differences.
00:01:08
Speaker
This is called, Rueful But Unruled.
A Suspenseful Encounter with the High Council
00:01:12
Speaker
Only strangers knocked on the front door. This knock sounded self-important and supercilious. Jai Div sighed and set little Kaylee onto the hearthrug.
00:01:22
Speaker
Thought they knew better than to come to houses in the outer stretch. Sanda sent him an amused, sidelong glance from where she harvested in their indoor garden. You thought the council knew better, Jai?
00:01:35
Speaker
Huffing a laugh, he crossed through the potted citrus trees, "'to the tinted glass wall. "'He frowned at the sight that met him. "'Six of them, from the High Council. "'Sonda glanced at their five-year-old daughter. "'Cayley, go to our room, please.' "'She set down the basket full of ripe fruit. "'As with many houses along the cliffs of the Rue, "'the south side was a glassed-in garden.' "'the outdoors being far too dangerous for unguarded farming. "'Once the door to the private rooms clicked closed, "'Jai opened the front door. "'As we've paid our council dues, "'I'm not sure what you're doing here,' he said to the six waiting faces, "'noting that four had the council mage emblem glinting from beneath their cloaks. "'Six high council goons this far north, and four of them mages? "'What in the lost gods was this about?'
00:02:29
Speaker
So pleasant as always with you cliff dwellers. The mage woman in front oozed a sarcastic smile. I don't suppose it's too much to be invited in? It was too much.
00:02:42
Speaker
Just the act of coming to his door was too much. Behind him, Sanda moved to their weapons shelf. He calculated the risk. The mage emblems didn't specify their gifts, so he could only guess at their threat level.
00:02:55
Speaker
Considering that they were here, so far beyond their protected city, the level was high. Having not spent years of study to become mages, he and Sanda's gifts would be outpowered and outmanned.
00:03:07
Speaker
You should be talking to the local council. They deal with the high council, so we don't have to. This is a delicate matter and pertains only to your family. The woman's lips stretched into a smile while her eyes threatened reprisal if the door did not open for them.
00:03:25
Speaker
Half of you. Three mages stepped forward, Drushna-loving bastards. He gritted his teeth as Sanda moved gracefully to lead them to chairs by the hearth. He followed, his fingers itching to grab one of the knives hanging by the door.
00:03:41
Speaker
They arrayed themselves around the fire. Jai shared a fleeting look with Sanda, as they noted one mage position himself seemingly by accident between them and the door.
00:03:53
Speaker
The lead woman made herself comfortable in the seat Jai and Kaylee had just been reading in. It has come to our attention that your daughter's gift is quite rare. This time they didn't share a look.
00:04:05
Speaker
They stared placidly back at the woman. After a moment she continued. "'Of course you know what an honor it is to be a High Council Mage. It is the greatest height one can achieve.
00:04:16
Speaker
We think your daughter is a fine candidate for such a prestigious position.' "'Children can enter to become Council Mages as late as nine,' Sanda said, with a smile that looked pleasant to everyone but Jai. "'We have quite a few years before she makes such a choice.' The woman nodded. "'Normally, that is true. However, your daughter's gift is one that needs far more time to master.' Jai shifted on his feet. "'The Society for Equilibrium also trains mages. If she grows too old to join your academy, she can always go there.'
00:04:51
Speaker
The woman's eyelids flickered in distaste. "'That antiquated society is hardly the place to make one's future.' Our daughter is too young to go, Jai shot back.
00:05:02
Speaker
If that is all you came to say, you should head back now. It's a long sail back to Kshathra. The woman eyed the two of them. It is clear you both appreciate plain speaking, so I will be straight with you.
00:05:16
Speaker
Jai Dev and Sanda Alki, your daughter is not safe here. Her gift is too powerful to protect on your own. The Drajnas will find her no matter how vigilant you are.
00:05:27
Speaker
Fighting those creatures is a common occurrence here, mage. We have had centuries to learn how to protect our own.
Escape and Magical Journey
00:05:34
Speaker
Sanda spoke in silken tones that hid the iron of her anger.
00:05:38
Speaker
Thank you for your concern, but it is not necessary. The beasts formed during the rending were deadly, but nothing new. They had been born out of that earth-shattering day that had lost the Elised people their gods and sent half their homeland crumbling into the sea.
00:05:56
Speaker
The woman was being anything but plain speaking. Whatever it was that drove them here, it wasn't Kaylee's safety from beasts that they'd been fighting off for generations. Out of his periphery, Jai saw the other two mages shift their stance, their eyes going unfocused as they contacted their gifts.
00:06:14
Speaker
These earth-blasted scorpions were not going to take no for an answer. Sanda saw it too. What exactly do you think is so dangerous about our daughter's gift? It has not even fully revealed itself.
00:06:29
Speaker
Do not think to play with me. It is an as-and-why gift. The woman's words shot out as the veil over her short temper ripped. Everyone in the room stilled. Are you saying you think our little girl has the gift from the lost gods, not seen since the rending?
00:06:45
Speaker
Jai asked into the silence. The woman's jaw tightened. We know she does. Sanda's eyes flicked across their faces, her hands tensed in her lap. The council mages noticed.
00:06:57
Speaker
The air was thick with their power. Everyone had a gift of the Yennaid, the minor earth gods, who were weakened but not lost in the rending. But power from the lost gods?
00:07:08
Speaker
That was entirely different. Devotees of the Azinwai had wielded powers lost for centuries to even the strongest mages. If the high council thought Kaylee had an Azinwai gift, it would be a fight to the death to keep her.
00:07:23
Speaker
Jai wanted to slay them all as he watched Sanda's shoulders fall. Then it might be best for her to go with you. Her hollow voice eased the tension in all but Jai. The woman smiled with a Hator only achievable by a high council mage.
00:07:39
Speaker
I knew you would see reason. Jai Dev, go pack her up. Remember her sweater. It will be cold on the boat. Sanda's voice now held only cold command.
00:07:50
Speaker
Jai gazed for a moment at his beloved wife's profile, taking in the elegant lines of her face lit by firelight. Her rich golden hair swept up in a loosely braided twist.
00:08:01
Speaker
His entire body screamed at him to stop her. She couldn't do this. Sanda didn't look at him. If you think that is best, he bit out. The High Council would take their child away to the lost gods knew where.
00:08:15
Speaker
Only if they could find her. Sanda would give them as much lead time as she could. He couldn't tell her where they were going. He couldn't say goodbye. He couldn't touch her one last time.
00:08:27
Speaker
Heading for the inner door, he tossed words over his shoulder. "'Where's Zergaapti?' "'Hanging with mine.' Her voice sounded flat. Kaylee's Gabti cloak was Temerak made. It was the only hint he could give her to hold onto once they were gone.
00:08:41
Speaker
He opened the door and almost stumbled over Kaylee, who silently scrambled it back from where she'd been listening. Her eyes spilled with tears as she shook her head. He winked, silently waving her forward.
00:08:53
Speaker
From their room, he grabbed a go-bag that bristled with weapons. He shut his thoughts off as he pulled out Sanda's items and added a few more of Kaylee's winter clothes and the Gabti. He had to be quick, no time to mourn or rage.
00:09:07
Speaker
Taking Kaylee's hand, they bypassed the back door, not wanting to meet the last council mage or his lackeys. Instead, they headed down to their cold storage beneath the kitchen. He shifted a shelf just enough for them to slip behind and into a fissure in the carved rock.
00:09:23
Speaker
Kaylee's little hand gripped the bottom of his shirt in the darkness as he shoved the shelf back over the opening. He called his candle flame into being. The friendly flame flickered to life above them.
00:09:36
Speaker
Come on, we've got to be quick. He reached down to swing her up onto his back. She thrust out both hands to ward him off. What about Mom? Her quiet voice wavered. Mom knows what she's doing. Right now, we've got to get you safe.
00:09:50
Speaker
He squatted low and she scrambled onto his back. Don't worry, we'll find Mom again. He swore to himself that he would make the words true as they headed down the dark stone steps.
00:10:01
Speaker
The rock fissure ended in a thin outcropping. On it perched their little boat. He swung Kaylee down and asked his candle flame to go out. Stay back from the edge. His fingers shook slightly as he lowered the boat to the sea ten feet below. This was the tricky part. They needed to be out of sight by the time the mages thought to look for them at sea.
00:10:22
Speaker
As soon as the boat touched the water, he scooped Kaylee up and climbed down the rope ladder. They'd climbed to the sea so many times muscle memory took over. She clung to his back as he sped down the ropes.
00:10:35
Speaker
Jai untied the boat as he opened himself to his gift, sending its call out to the animals beneath the waves. If he were a mage, his power could reach much farther and empower the animals to greater feats than they could naturally do. As it was, he hoped his untrained gift would be enough to save them.
00:10:53
Speaker
He felt a familiar answering ripple across his mind. A friend was close enough to hear him. The water swelled up from beneath as a whale surfaced just far enough out to keep from capsizing them. Kaylee leaned across the bow to give the whale scratches as she edged closer.
00:11:11
Speaker
Her magnificent back turned from turquoise to light gray as she rose higher out of the water. Quiet joy hummed from her mind as Kaylee's hands reached her. As he watched their usual greeting, Jai poured out to the deep, peaceful well of her mind what the High Council had demanded and what they needed.
00:11:30
Speaker
Water shot into the air as the whale let out her breath, wrath emanating from her, the wrath of a mother. He pulled Kaylee back as the whale took the boat's rope in her mouth and surged forward.
00:11:43
Speaker
Jai nestled her close to his side, his eyes on the cliffs above them. No figures broke the line of earth and sunset sky. The dark, azure waters of the Rue sped past beneath them.
00:11:55
Speaker
What was Sanda saying to them now? She wouldn't fight them on her own. She was too smart for that, he hoped. If they hurt her, he would hunt every last one of them down. The cliffs here jutted out into the sea. They needed only to get past the nearest spit to be out of sight.
00:12:12
Speaker
He shifted around to face the receding cliffs that held their home. The longer they remained empty, the less he worried about Discovery and the more he worried about Sonda. He slowed his breathing, reminding himself of the comfort he'd given Kaylee.
00:12:27
Speaker
His wife knew how to take care of herself. A corrosive cry ripped through the air. Kaylee uncurled herself and dove into the hole at the front of the boat. He gave her an approving nod as he tossed her a knife and loosened his own.
00:12:41
Speaker
The whale let go of the rope and dove deep beneath the waters. A drujna crested the cliff that towered above them. Its large leathery wings framed its small head and dead black eyes.
00:12:53
Speaker
From its stomach curled nine tentacles edged with razor sharp bones. Jai grabbed his throwing knives from the outside of his bag. He had only moments. He aimed at the creature's eye and threw. Before the knife hit its mark, his second one hurtled toward the epicenter of nerves in the center of the tentacles. Both knives hit home.
00:13:14
Speaker
Now they had a chance of survival. Shrieking, the Drozhna swung around to dive at them using its one good eye, its tentacles twitching wildly, still a threat but an uncontrolled one. He threw one last knife at the second eye and pulled out his fighting blade.
00:13:30
Speaker
The Drozhna, wise to the trick, dodged the knife. It stretched wide its mouth to slash at him with its needle-sharp teeth as it wheeled past his shoulder. Jai dodged and struck, cutting off the tentacle that spasmed too close to his face.
00:13:45
Speaker
The Drajna flipped around and shot back toward them. They always landed on the second dive. A Drajna only needed one slight scratch to win. Jai held his stance, waiting.
00:13:57
Speaker
Just as the creature reached him, he flung himself to the bottom of the boat. Twisting around, he shoved his knife upward, gutting the Drajna as it careened overhead. It plummeted into the rue, thrashing in the waves before collapsing into a smear of dark, sticky ash on its rippling surface. "'You can come out now, love.' Kaylee climbed up next to him as the whale resurfaced, avoiding the patch that had been drajna.
00:14:23
Speaker
This was the reality for all who lived outside the two protected cities. The remnants here knew how to deal with the Drajna. The High Council now posed a much worse threat.
00:14:34
Speaker
Killing them would only bring more, and they'd never stop hunting Kaylee. They traveled through the night and left the whale at mid-morning. Her deep enveloping presence faded from his mind as he unfurled the sail and angled their boat toward the cliffs.
00:14:51
Speaker
Glass-crested buildings glistened in the sun above them. The latticework of thick rope ladders stretched down to the thin rocky beach. Kaylee sat at the front, her hair like her mother's streaming behind her. "'Where are we, Daddy?' That's Alparan.
00:15:08
Speaker
But we're not stopping there. Because we're still in the remnants? He nodded. When did she get so smart? We'll stop when we cross into Durok-Nor. Her eyes went wide with fear.
00:15:19
Speaker
We're going into the mountains? He tried to assure her. You'll be safe from the council there, and I... How will Mom find us there? He held out his hand, and she crawled into his lap.
00:15:31
Speaker
Sonda would have known Kaylee's fear wouldn't be for her own safety. We'll find mom again, I promise. She relaxed against him. She believed him. Terror gave him speed as he realized his mistake. He whipped her around, his tone harsher than he'd ever used with her before. Don't use your gift.
00:15:50
Speaker
Tears filled her eyes as they lost the far-off look of gift use. I just want to know if mom's all right. He wiped the tears from her cheeks. Mom is safe at home.
00:16:02
Speaker
Her gift had not shown its telltale golden light. He hoped that meant he'd stopped her in time. You can't use your gift, love. No one in the outer reaches would have told a stranger about your wise light. That means the council can somehow sense when you use it.
00:16:17
Speaker
No one they knew had ever seen anything like the golden light that surrounded Kaylee when she used her gift. Could it actually be the light of the Azinwai? When it surrounded her, she gained the true answer of any question in her mind.
00:16:31
Speaker
What would the High Council do with such power? I hate them. Now what does Mum say about hate? she answered in the sing-song tone of oft-repeated words.
00:16:43
Speaker
Hate only weakens you. We don't hate. We win. It took another two days of furtive travel to reach the mountains. He gazed up at the imposing peaks, then down at Kaylee's small hand gripping his.
00:16:57
Speaker
Shall we? She looked up at him, her face solemn. Do the Sahan really sacrifice people when they can get away with it? Are the Temeroc really as fierce as the book says?
00:17:09
Speaker
He nodded. Good. Let's find one of them. Jai smiled at her, wishing it would be that easy. He'd been to Durak-Nor once and knew that they'd never find the Temerok uninvited.
00:17:21
Speaker
How had it come to this, that he would wander the wilds of Durak-Nor before trusting the High Council? That Sanda would face the chance of never seeing her family again rather than entrusting their child to Council Mages?
00:17:35
Speaker
What did they want with an Azunwy gifted? If there were others, what happened to them? Why had no one heard of any Azunwy gifts reappearing? Come on, then, he grinned as if they were on some grand adventure.
00:17:48
Speaker
Hopefully, for her, they were. Once out of the foothills and in the mountains proper, Jai opened to his gift. He never used his power to compel, and they were far away from any friends he'd made amongst the animals.
00:18:02
Speaker
Even if a mountain dweller answered, it was no guarantee that they would help. He felt an answering current but couldn't divine its source, something large with a mind that ran on conscious thought more than instinct.
00:18:15
Speaker
It listened to his plea with a stillness that matched the mountains themselves. He hoped this animal, whatever it was, would find a Temeroc guide for them, The Temeroc could commune with all that was a part of their mountains. Surely that meant understanding animals, too.
00:18:31
Speaker
It did not run off in search of a guide. Instead, complete awareness of his surroundings bloomed in his mind. He knew exactly where he was and how to get to the nearest Temeroc stronghold.
00:18:44
Speaker
What animal had the awareness or authority to grant such secret knowledge? Shock hollowed out his chest as the trust inherent in the answer brought him to his knees.
00:18:54
Speaker
The gravity of such a gift was not to be taken lightly or easily repaid. Daddy, are you all right? "'Caley's chilly hands cradled his face, "'and he focused on her worried eyes.
00:19:08
Speaker
"'I'm very all right.' "'He swung her up onto his shoulders "'and followed the path laid out in his mind "'by the unknown mountain animal. "'Unnerved by the trees that blocked all view of the horizon, "'Jai moved quickly. They followed a rock face that jutted hundreds of feet into the sky. It led them eastward until they reached a waterfall.
00:19:27
Speaker
The surrounding trees rustled with the slight and constant movement of a living forest. Kaylee wriggled down off his shoulders to run to the edge of the waterfall's pool. Beyond her, hidden amidst the moss-covered rocks, stood a thin, arched doorway.
00:19:41
Speaker
Much taller than the remnant doors, it had the look of function over grandeur.
Insights into Mary's Storytelling Techniques
00:19:46
Speaker
He'd seen how Temerok Gates made sure that none took their entry for granted. He smiled at this rough-hewn entrance.
00:19:54
Speaker
Their new friend had led them around to the back door.
00:20:02
Speaker
oh It felt like an extra treat to have the author read the work directly to me. And I will also say that my favorite thing right off the bat is that you create the world so well that I feel like I'm right there in it. And that sense of home, that sense of coziness that is immediately threatened and then ripped away.
00:20:25
Speaker
just made me cry the first time I read it. And then I was also tearing up a little bit just now. And my first question to you is, are you going, is there going to be more? Do we get to find out what happens to these characters?
00:20:39
Speaker
Maybe. Yes. Yes, there is. To a strong start. I know you have been building this world for a long time.
00:20:51
Speaker
Do you remember what first sparked the idea for this story for this world? Well, I was really struggling because i don't write short fiction and I don't read short fiction.
00:21:04
Speaker
And when I used to do film, short films were very hard. I was... i was struck by the idea of usually with short stories one of the ways to make it feel complete with a satisfying ending is to have some twist at the end and that's what I always struggled with i like couldn't that I just couldn't get there and i was studying a different structure called the chiastic structure
00:21:37
Speaker
ah which works with, it's an old, it's much older than the three-act structure, and most Eastern, most old stories, including like biblical stories plus those of Asia, are written in this structure, which has to do a lot more with symmetry rather than the three-act regular Structure or, you know, a twist at the end. So that's what I started with, with this book was an idea of, of symmetry. And then also that symmetry that by the end is so completely different than the beginning. And yet it still mirrors it in some way.
00:22:23
Speaker
So that was the structural inspiration for the story itself. he There is a character in my main book who has an as and why gift and who was rescued from being taken. And so at first by taken by the council. So at first I was thinking about writing her like origin story but I just I just didn't feel it didn't feel it didn't feel it and then I thought about what if this is another person's story and what if it came from the dad's point of view rather than the little girl's point of view and and suddenly the whole story was there
00:23:11
Speaker
Okay, so that's that was my next question, is if there was a character that came to you first. So is it the dad in this story that kind of came, bubbled up first in your mind? Yeah, I mean, I'd been thinking about the little girl, but the story, yeah, really wasn't there until I until the until i met the dad, and then suddenly the whole thing just came really quickly and easily.
00:23:40
Speaker
Fascinating. um When you're writing a short story like this, do you think in a sense of themes or do you have just the story arc in your head? um And if it is themes, what kind of themes draw you in the most or?
00:23:58
Speaker
yeah I'll leave that as open ended as you want to open it. I mean, I answer it. For this one, i definitely thought in terms of the arc and the structure,
00:24:10
Speaker
and the where the midpoint was and and how the end would mirror the beginning but for themes
00:24:23
Speaker
I guess the first when I first write it it's more about plot and character and then kind of the themes reveal themselves and then I kind of pull them out a little or you know shape it after that
00:24:39
Speaker
And just going back to your announcement at the beginning of this podcast, this world, this is the world that your upcoming novel takes place in. You talked about that one of the characters has been rescued from the council. Can you tell us anything more about this world?
00:24:56
Speaker
um And is and sort of time period, is this in the same time period as your novel? Tell me about this world. So this story happens probably about 30 years before the first book starts.
00:25:15
Speaker
And i will tell you that these characters are not in the first book. Okay. Uh, the, this world and actually you can if you download this short story you also get a field guide so to speak a tour guide of the world itself so you get to learn about the more about the remnants and the temerock and you also learn about the inlands which is where my first book takes place very cool Both for your novel and for this short story, is there a feeling that you want the reader to come away with? Is there any sort of, if they were to read this book and a year later be telling somebody about it, is there some main feeling or takeaway that you want them to have?
00:26:04
Speaker
What I'd like this story and Breaking Inlands, my first book, to give people is that sense of depth and beauty and hope and family.
00:26:20
Speaker
I definitely got that while I read them. Yes. I don't mean to brag, but I have got to read the book already. and it's very good. And I'm very excited for it to come out. um You and I have talked a lot on this podcast about rituals and routine and the importance. Do you have any rituals that you employ in your writing routine? Yes.
00:26:46
Speaker
Yes. Sorry, my dog is knocking my mouth. Can you tell us? Or are they secret? They can be secret. Because, you know, it's sacred. It is a sacred space.
00:26:59
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think that is part of it is creating the... I do... take a ah spiritual outlook on writing a little bit. So it is creating that sacred space. I think of writing a lot the same as any other of the arts where my, the way I get going and able to start work without editing myself or judging the work as it is. I always think about it as it's just like a lump of clay and you're working it
00:27:32
Speaker
And the first time, you know, when you're done with what you've done for that day, it's still going to look like a lump of clay. But that doesn't mean you've worked the work you've done isn't good. So that's kind of the mindset that I get into after.
Literary Archetypes and Humor Challenges
00:27:48
Speaker
sh But hello, doggie. And animals are a very important part of the writing ritual. We know this from Beatrix... Beatrix Potter.
00:28:00
Speaker
Beatrix Potter, yes. um My whole creative process could get summed up in the words of shut up and get out of the way. where i I put myself in that space and...
00:28:17
Speaker
there is a aspect of sacredness to it where I'm letting the ego go. I'm quieting down the the personality of myself and and listening and writing what comes to me and in acting, it would have been listening to the character and and you know the muses of of bringing in what I was supposed to be, you know let pour through me for that play.
00:28:46
Speaker
So writing, I approach the same way where I'm just getting out of the way and and letting it come through. Very cool. Last week, we talked a lot about archetypes. Do you have a favorite archetype or more than one that you're drawn to when you're writing?
00:29:06
Speaker
I really loved writing the the the wise mentor um archetype person in my first book. um he He was just a lot of fun. And the the love between him and the main character um was just a really fun
00:29:29
Speaker
a experience I guess um so that one's fun any any of the funny characters at least i I think they're funny so there I always love writing that and I always feel kind of relieved when I I finish a scene and I'm and I'm thinking oh wow that was that's a fun scene and that's actually kind of funny yeah I never know if I can write something funny or not it's I think that being funny is so much more difficult than being anything anything else. You can write a romantic scene. You can write a sad scene. You can write a beautiful scene. But funny is, I think, the hardest.
00:30:11
Speaker
and i And I think if I set out to write, okay, this is a funny scene or this is a funny character, I couldn't do it. Like, I'm not a comedian. But if I shut up and get out of the way, then the character themselves, well, they'll be funny.
00:30:27
Speaker
So after these books have become a screaming success and you're writing your memoirs, will you please entitle it Shut Up and Get Out of the Way? Yes.
00:30:38
Speaker
Thank you. um But everyone will think I'm talking to them. That's fine. It'll be I shut up and got out of the way. Oh, I guess that's more poignant.
00:30:51
Speaker
Yeah, but i now it sounds self-effacing.
00:30:55
Speaker
What to do? What if we shut up and got out of the way? yeah That sounds like a self-help. oh We'll work on it. We'll workshop it. Yeah, we've got years. um Did you have any sort of playlist or theme songs that you listened to while you were writing this short story and or your book?
00:31:14
Speaker
I do have a playlist. I can only listen to instrumental music because words and lyrics, they just... I can't help but listen to lyrics. So instrumental. So I do a lot of movie soundtracks, lot Hans Zimmer.
00:31:29
Speaker
ah If the, I don't play Lord the Rings because it's so evocative, then I just think about Lord of the Rings. So certain, certain songs and music I can't do.
00:31:45
Speaker
Exactly. So. I'm writing Middle Earth with Frodo, so this doesn't work. All of a sudden you're like, and then Gandalf said. Yeah, exactly.
00:31:58
Speaker
I'm obviously a very good writer. You often say, and then Gandalf said. flow i've done it many times. that's it That's a direct quote from my book. i Exactly. um Speaking of Gandalf and going back to archetypes, do you have favorite wise mentor archetypes in other stories?
00:32:23
Speaker
Nathan in The Blue Sword. I have to reread that. That might need to go on the podcast. Yeah, we'll put that on. It's years. Yeah.
00:32:34
Speaker
We'll add that one to the list. What is the author's name again? Robin McKinley.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
00:32:40
Speaker
I'll put it on our bookshop list, which I've actually split the books up. There are multiple lists now because there's our book club list, which is the books which are the books that we actually read through. And then I've got the ones we mentioned. I've got the ones from users. And I've got the Discworld Delight books.
00:33:00
Speaker
And speaking of, should we do a Discworld Delight? Yes, yes.
00:33:07
Speaker
Last week was a bit harder. so far, no right guesses. We've had a few. um By the time this comes out, I'm sure we'll have some right guesses, but it was from the Light Fantastic.
00:33:23
Speaker
And now, for this week's Disquirrel Delight. Let's just try to get back to normal and get a paper out, shall we? You mean normal where mad priests start to collect dogs, or normal where vampires mess around with evil shadows, said Gaudi.
00:33:41
Speaker
I mean like normal before that, said William. Oh, I see. You mean like back in the old days.
00:33:53
Speaker
there was a hint in that delight that might have given it away. but Oh, a hint in the delight? Yes. Two, in fact. Three, if you count all the names.
00:34:07
Speaker
Is there any final takeaway, a question I didn't ask that you wish I would have? Any final thoughts that you wanted to express about this short story?
00:34:19
Speaker
I love what you said in the beginning about how you felt the hominess of it and then that gets ripped away. It is hard in a short story and in a fantasy especially because you're trying to get people enveloped into a world so quickly.
00:34:40
Speaker
So i'm I'm happy that you felt that. That's probably the most gratifying thing I've heard. Speaking of fantasy, um it's... ah I sometimes when I start a fantasy, there's a couple good TikToks that cover this where you're reading it and it's like, if you're good to food and the lord of the ferk of mark durker and you're like, I don't understand any of this. um Your magic systems, your world, like it all clicks right away. Like it's something innate. Maybe it's because I'm your sister, but in my soul recognized it right away. You know, the council's bad right away. you understand exactly who they are. You are understanding the gifts right away. Like it's just everything clicks and you're in it. You're in the story. You're not like, because sometimes like when you're reading, it's it's like watching for me, it's like watching a movie. Like I can see the walls. I can see the people walking in. i can see the the rug.
00:35:41
Speaker
And then like, if there's something that takes me out of it, then all of a sudden I'm looking at a page and I'm like,
00:35:49
Speaker
I can't even think of one. It's just like there's just And this is probably my fault, but some magic systems or descriptions that just like take me out of it. And i'm like, well, now I have to get a piece of paper and write this down so I can understand what's going on. Diagram it. ah Not a magic system, but reading any Russian book like Crime and Punishment, I had to write down, because everybody's got three different names, had to write down everybody's names so that when I read one, I didn't know who they were. I could go over and be like, oh, that's, that's, that's,
00:36:21
Speaker
Oh, that's funny. I wonder, you know, I didn't have that when I read the Winter it winter Night trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale. Yeah. and though And they have, you know, she does the Russian naming. suit You have multiple names.
00:36:37
Speaker
But i I didn't struggle with that. So I wonder if she was able to. That's because you're smart. but No, I think it's her. She probably wrote it well. Not that crime and punishment isn't written well. what a hack.
00:36:54
Speaker
Sheesh, I could teach him something. I can't believe he ever got published. but you know He must have known somebody. he won't last long. Nah. That's a flash in the pan.
00:37:07
Speaker
All right. Speaking of flash, what was your spark of the week? Oh, my spark of the week. Did I talk about baking bread last week? Yep. Well, great. So this week.
00:37:20
Speaker
More bread. More bread. You don't understand, though. I made bread and then I made French toast out of that bread. so It's a whole new spark. It's a whole new spark. It's the spark that keeps on giving. Well, I did a deep dive into ancient grains and milling them and grinding them yourself because then you get a lot more nutrients out of it. So I'll share share this idea with you later. And then you can eat them with your intolerances? I think so. we can try. Intolerance Eye?
00:37:51
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Mary, what was your spark of the week? My spark was getting to see the first two versions of, well, the only two versions, but for the first time seeing the cover of book.
00:38:07
Speaker
Yes. you I take mine back. That's also my spark. It's so beautiful and I'm so excited. i was so nervous. i mean, I knew it was going to be good because I i knew the artist's work, but I was still, of course, very nervous. And, you know, i sat there and my internet was slow, so I was waiting for to load and then it it came up and I love both of them.
00:38:30
Speaker
Yeah. So, yeah. So I picked one. Of course, I'm difficult. so I said, could we have the face and hair of this one and the clothes from this one? That's not difficult. It's all right to know what you want. So the close up of the face that is on the pre-launch page of Kickstarter is the version um that I picked.
00:38:52
Speaker
So it will obviously, yeah, continue to be worked on. But that's the beginning. And obviously the link to the Kickstarter is below. Yes.
00:39:03
Speaker
Check it out. Check it out. You're going to love it. It's funny that you said the thing about magic that you felt like you recognized or your soul recognized because that's actually some marketing language that I wrote.
00:39:17
Speaker
Really? the Kickstarter. I said um magic that your soul remembers and then I thought, oh, that's too vague. Like everyone can say that about any book. so That's exactly how I felt. Maybe I'll put it back in. Yeah.
00:39:32
Speaker
I'll put it in as a review. Oh, thanks. That'd be perfect. I do need some reviews. Yes. So if you guys want to do a review of my writing in the comments, that'd be lovely. i you Put it on my Kickstarter page.
00:39:43
Speaker
Put it on my luggage. Yes. So I'm not sure exactly when the launch will start because I'm also entering the book into a writing contest. So to make sure. Yeah. I haven't told you about that yet. Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:58
Speaker
No, you haven't. yet That is the incredibly exciting. The first 5,000 words will be sent to a writing contest in which I could win $50,000. Holy smokes. Yeah. So I just need to make sure that the Kickstarter launch won't affect that.
00:40:16
Speaker
So I might have to hold it off until the contest is done. We'll see. But if you sign up, you'll get notified for when it goes live. Yeah. Up the numbers.
00:40:28
Speaker
Don't worry, I've got like three different email addresses. Sorry, yes. Well, it would be nice to have real people do it, unless you're going to buy from all those email I'm a real person.
00:40:39
Speaker
You're one real person. I am one real person. Yes. ah Yes. All right. Well, this has been lovely, and I hope you enjoyed it.
00:40:51
Speaker
And... And if you're reading along with Kingdom of Copper, we'll be wrapping that up next week. We will. So we all need to finish the book.
00:41:02
Speaker
Well, thank you for listening to my story this evening or morning, whenever you are listening or watching. and And we love you.
00:41:13
Speaker
We love you. We do. And if you like the show, please share it with some friends. And we are so grateful to be spiraling through the universe with all of you. It's not always easy, but no good story ever is.