Creating New Kingdoms Takes Time

This past summer, I've been working on The Blessing~~a historical I've been longing to finish since 2010. Wow. Where did the time go? I'm SO grateful to finish this cherished "Book-Baby" at last. Six years! In retrospect, it sounds like a formidable amount of time for an author to finally finish a story, never mind that The Blessing was interrupted by the equally cherished storyline that became the Infinite series.

However, six years is a tiny dot on my writing radar. Would you believe that I've been waiting for more than thirty years to rewrite the core storyline of Legends of the Forsaken Empire?

It's true. About thirty years ago, in my early twenties, I wrote the first two volumes as medieval fiction, set in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the third volume is biding its time in an extensively detailed synopsis and chapter-by-chapter outline. The first two volumes alone are almost 400,000 words combined, and I'm eager to dig into them again, to revisit beloved characters and introduce them to their new realm--a fantasy world this time, while building upon thirty years of pondering my characters' historically inspired and intensively researched plights. 

I'm eager, nervous about reweaving these massive storylines in a fantasy realm, but looking forward to the reunion with those characters. Thirty swift-flying years are about to vanish. Soon!

Scene Stealers

Characters who steal scenes.

As an author, I love all of my characters--good, bad, horrid, awesome--they're my babies, and I relish the instant when a supporting character steps into his or her role with zeal, bringing the plotline to life. They're the characters who light fires, challenge the protagonists, and fight for their own ideals every step of the way, sometimes unleashing epic struggles.

Did someone mention Scythe? (Also known as "Pet" from Prophet.)

While such characters do add wonderful life to stories, and sometimes provide much-needed comic relief, they present a charming danger to every plotline, even affecting the way that readers might eventually feel about your main character, whom you also love as a parent-author.

They become major scene-stealers, and it's not always a good thing. In Valor, a vibrant supporting character was threatening to completely overshadow the female main character, whose introverted nature made her vulnerable to fading away in the lesser character's glow. By the third chapter, I was consciously "shushing" the lesser character to allow my main female lead to speak for herself, and allow the reader to live in her quiet but no less admirable thoughts. (Dear character kids, you really do have to share the scenes!)

Fortunately, in Valor, my supporting character understood perfectly. As for Scythe/Pet in Prophet ... well, yes, he's another story.

Blessings, Dear Everyone!

Image: Shutterstock.

Clarifying Characters

This morning, while shuffling through files, I came across this charming yet out-of-focus test image taken at a photo-shoot earlier this summer. Here, Brianna Anderson poses as one of my protagonists, Araine of ToronSea, as she appeared in an earlier manuscript.

What made me pause and give this previously neglected image a second look?

Potential. Glimmers of promise for the Araine-images yet to follow—a mood that reflects my current writing stage. I’m in the rough draft arena again and loving it.

As Araine’s story progresses and all my ideas tumble into the computer in a semi-organized fashion, I’m still seeing many of my newer characters in this fascinating slightly out-of-focus fashion. 

What will these characters become as the plot intensifies, sharpening and clarifying their personalities?

Will my current gathering of fictional personalities, particularly the minor ones, help or hinder Araine and her friends as they embark on new adventures?

I’m eager to find out! Which means…I must clarify my new characters by writing until they come into focus, starting NOW. 

Blessings, everyone, and have a phenomenal day!

R. J.

Imagining the Books of the Infinite world (Revised from Scavenger Hunt)

When I realized I’d been dragged into writing inspirational fantasy fiction, my first, most complicated task was to imagine an entire fantasy world to frame the Books of the Infinite series. I didn't want to slow down the action with tons of detail, but I did need to create a complete and complex world for my beloved characters. Where did I begin? With a continent. After studying maps of ancient countries, including Israel, Egypt, Rome, and Greece, I sketched out my imaginary continent—shown here in parchment and ink by Katharin Fiscaletti, who created all the drawings in this post.

 With the boundaries in place, I pondered the next step. What sorts of creatures inhabited this new, imaginary world? Legendary beasts, of course. Leviathans. Lindorms. Griffins. And a few creatures unique to this new continent, such as the ferocious, carnivorous Scaln, portrayed here in all its crimson glory. *Shivers.* Let me just say that Katharin frightened me with this particular sketch!

With my landscapes and beasts all sketched, I imagined my characters. People who might have lived during my imaginary world’s Biblical era. What did they eat? What did they drink? What sort of clothes did they wear? Were there variations in language and clothes between each country? I drew upon my knowledge of ancient lands, and my personal library of history books and decided upon the “look” for my characters, as well as their manners and customs. This world, I decided must be primarily Biblical in flavor, with hints of Earth’s own ancient cultures—leading to more research for details I loved and added to my story. To clothe my characters, I sought colorful examples from our own world. Who knew that the exotic saris of modern India were inspired by garments from ancient Greece?













For interest, and because my collection of medieval research books rival any public library’s shelves, the Bethany House team and I agreed to add a bit of medieval flare, which is evident on the cover of King in Akabe’s long tunic sleeves, and his formidable two handed sword, known here on Earth as a claymore. The final result…a unique Biblical-fantasy world that Bethany House Publishers and I hope you enjoy as you read King!