Guest Post
Discuss the World you created for the book.
I love talking about the world in the Cardinal Moon Saga! The final book in the series, Rising Moon, really expands on that world, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
In Fixed Moon, the first book in the series, it is established that there is the mortal world — the world we all live in — but there’s also a secret, hidden immortal world within ours.
The main location in the series when it comes to the mortal side of things is Birmingham, Alabama, USA. I chose this location because, at the time I lived there and could go to the locations to describe them as realistically as possible, but also, because Birmingham is known as the Magic City, and I felt that this couldn’t be more fitting.
Birmingham is a magical — haunted — city with a rich history, and it’s actually quite underrated. There’s ghosts that wander the halls of hotels; The Sloss Furnaces are haunted by the men that fell in and were burned to death by the molten steel; that strange fountain in Five Points South (The Storyteller).
I chose The Storyteller fountain as Birmingham’s portal to the immortal realm of Nightbrooke. To me, water holds magic, and this fountain is equal parts creepy and magical.
Once the characters enter the immortal world that goes by many names, they have their own safe haven where they don’t have to hide what they are. Whether they are a werewolf, mermaid, witch, vampire, or something else, they can can just be. At different points in the story, the narrative delves into how the creatures become what they are, and it’s not always the traditional way. For example, werewolves don’t change with the moon or required to be bitten or scratched by another werewolf to become one.
The immortal world in the Cardinal Moon Saga also has it’s own leadership, and, much like most top leaders, they hold their own secrets. Some leaders have secrets about themselves or their families, but some have secrets that affect the greater world. In Rising Moon, the finale of the series, the main characters are looking to out a secret that affects more people than they ever thought possible — and, as they investigate, they find that the secret continues to grow both metaphorically and physically as time passes and things go unchecked.
Deep beyond the enchanted forest of Nightbrooke, there is a graveyard where prisoners — immortals that have broken rules or laws laid down by their leaders — suffer in a dark solitude for eternity, imprisoned in gargoyle form for even the tiniest infractions. It’s up to our heroes — who have done some very anti-heroic things throughout the series — to make things right.
The powerful Council of the immortal world has been imprisoning those who oppose them. But now, Hugh is one of the Council and perfectly poised to take the Council from the inside with the help of Zoie and their friends.
While Zoie is busy working on her witchcraft—studying and practicing so that she can protect her loved ones, Hugh probes for the secrets that have kept them in power for so long.
Investigating both openly and in secret, Hugh uncovers more than just the public terror. Even without the mock trials, those who disagreed with the Council often found themselves in the dark, lonely purgatory of being a gargoyle. Trapped and awake for all of eternity, in a rapidly expanding graveyard that ages all who enter.
Even immortals have things they fear more than death.
Excerpt
Visibly, yet quietly, annoyed, Hugh stood with his arms folded over his chest and a deep frown on his face. Still, this was his duty. Hugh held his place just off of the stage in the center of Nightbrooke.
The stage. That’s all it was, in his opinion. Everyone avoided even stepping on it when it was empty. Not out of respect, but out of fear. The only performances ever held on this stage were to overflow those who traveled through the underground world, secret from all mortals, with the certainty that if they put one toe-—one hair, one breath—out of line, they would be punished.
This place—Nightbrooke; Tenatoria; El Reino Mágico—
whatever it was called where that particular inhabitant was originally from—was intended to be a sanctuary for supernatural beings. It was supposed to be a safe place where they could be whatever they were without having to hide it. But this stage showed that this wasn’t sanctuary for everyone.
The only people who wanted to be on that stage were Hugh’s fellow council leaders. He had no desire to ever step foot on those ancient wooden boards, held together by even more ancient magic.
That’s why he hung off to the side. The others, however, relished these moments. Anything to see the fear in the eyes of the people they felt were a lower status than them.
Reon, King of the Abyss—the man who thought he was the King of Everything—was babbling on and on about the alleged crimes that the person before him had committed. He stood proudly on those wooden boards holding a scroll. He was nearly floating above the boards with joy. Hugh could hear Reon’s flutter from where he stood.
The difference between the two of them was a constant tension on the Council. They debated on opposite sides of every decision, to the point where Reon asked if Hugh was opposing him intentionally and just for the sake of being contentious.
When she isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing movies and TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She also loves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal of reaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spending time with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katie_writes_
Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Thank you so much for hosting RISING MOON today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the guest post. Sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a book I need to read.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and think the book looks really good.
ReplyDeleteFabulous cover
ReplyDelete