Inside the Bones of Liren

What do you enjoy about fantasy books? (Or books/reading in general?)

For me, I love the immersion into a world that is different than the one in which we live. That said, the world must be familiar-enough that I could see myself in it, immerse myself into the role of the characters, regardless what gender or belief-system they have. It is, in essence, an escape, but not necessarily because I dislike my life, but because it is a chance to explore new things and experience situations I might not otherwise be able to -- including the ability to do what humans simply cannot: magic. Stories, to me, are one of the best ways we can communicate with one another, to share our experiences, to record history, and to learn lessons. And communication is one of the most important aspects to connecting with our peers. Which is why I am extremely humbled and grateful to God that I have the opportunity to be a part of building that connection.

A little about Chronicles of Liren. Firstly, Liren tends to follow the traditional setting for fantasy books -- styled after medieval Europe/pre-industrial America. It is what I am most familiar with, and while I could create the world to resemble more of a Muslim, African, Asian/Oriental perspective (following extensive research, of course), what I know of the characters are rooted in how I know they would behave given a medieval-European setting. Placing Liren in this familiar setting permits me to explore the true, underlying theme and message of the story that, at the time of writing, I did not even realize I was addressing.

So you can expect a familiar setting! But what else can you expect? Magic? Some. More in the second book, for sure, but yes, there will be magic; it is the foundation on which the plot is built, but it is not the main focus of the story. ((Side note: this being the case, I've warred with listing A Conduit of Fire -- the working title for Book One -- as low fantasy, but it will morph more into middle/high fantasy later... the labels in the publishing industry are insane. Additionally, all the characters are in there mid-twenties. This could be listed as "Adult" or "New Adult," which is different than "Young Adult" [which is teenagers] or "Middle-Grade" [which is younger still]. Oh the headache of simple labeling! Spells, it's an adult fantasy epic with some magic in there. Can't that be enough? ... No. No it cannot. *bangs head*))

Intrigue? Absolutely. The entire first book hinges on a quest for truth amidst a questionable method of how the government (the Protectorate and Councils) go about protecting the citizens of Liren against the dangers and deadly nature of Enchantment.

Love interest? Some. It certainly plays a part, but it is a minor part. We all love some romance (I do), but I am not a romantic (try juggling that combo; my poor husband...), and so most of the love interest plays more of a role to provide insight into the characters and add a bit of spice to the situation at hand. It is far from the main plot.

Action? Yes, but not necessarily in the traditional ways you might expect. Most fantasy novels begin in the middle of a fight-scene and their climaxes are such as well. Not COF (Conduit of Fire). There ARE fights in this book, and there will probably be even more in Book Two; but again, the plot drives the events, and to insert fights for the sake of fights would feel... well, just that. That I was plug-and-playing expected tropes for the genre. But isn't that the beauty of creating an entire world? Pushing the limits on the laws of physics, basic science, and what's expected? Some of the best stories ever told are those who take overused tropes or familiar stories and twist them JUST enough that they're a new version of the creature we all know and love.

((Another side note: the newer Netflix mini-series Dracula does a great job of this. They follow the familiar tropes of Dracula, using the same characters, with occasional corny nods to its original form, and makes it into an entirely new -- but yet very familiar -- version of the story of Dracula. I simply loved it.))

In any case. Knowing exactly how much to share and tease with you all as I work to get this thing published is confusing. I don't want to share too much too soon, get you interested, and then ask you to wait a year or two while a traditional publishing house publishes it (or maybe a year or less, if I do so myself; because if I *do* publish it myself, I will definitely move faster, but still slower than you probably want, because I intend to do it right). So... We'll see how it goes and take it one step at a time. 

It's a learning curve, baby, and I invite you for the ride. It'll be a good one; I can at least promise you that!

So what do YOU love about fantasy and reading in general?

Your servant,

Jess

(probable author name: J. R. DuBois)

P.S.

I created an Author FB Page! Check it out HERE. It doesn't have much on it yet (still learning what you guys want to learn and what you'd be interested in during this phase of publishing), but please Like and Follow and let's get this adventure started!