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!

KING Vocabulary List

Now that King is on its way to the printing presses--well ahead of deadline--it's time to add to the Books of the Infinite vocabulary list. Here it is, the list for King, Books of the Infinite series, volume 3!

Have fun, everyone. :)

In order of name’s appearance:

Akabe Garric \Ah-cabe Gair-rick\ Former Siphran rebel. The Infinite’s chosen king of Siphra.

Barth of Siymont \Barth See-mont\ Royal page and son of Lord Ruis of Siymont.

Ela Roeh \El-ah Roe-eh\ Prophet of the vanquished city-state of Parne.

Ruis of Siymont \Roo-es See-mont\ A lord of Siphra. Father of Barth.

Belaal \Bell-A-el\ Kingdom south of Siphra.

Tamri Het \Tam-ree Het\ Former Siphran revolutionary, and one of Ela’s chaperones.

Cyan Thaenfall \Sigh-an Thane-fall\ Siphran lord and suspected Atean. Caitria’s father.

Kien Lantec \Kee-en Lan-tek\ Military judge-advocate for the Tracelands.

Aeyrievale \air-ee-veil, or, eer-ee-veil\ Former rebel Siphran province in the Snake Mountains.

Ishvah Nesac \Ish-vaw Ness-ak\ The Infinite’s chief priest of the vanquished city-state of Parne.

Dan Roeh \Dan Roe-eh\ Ela’s father.

Rade Lantec \Raid Lan-tek\ Kien’s father. The Tracelands preeminent statesman.

General Rol \Rawl\ The Traceland’s General of the Army.

Kalme Roeh \Call-may Roe-eh\ Ela’s mother.

Ara Lantec \Are-ah Lan-tek\ Rade Lantec’s wife. Kien’s mother.

Beka Thel \Bek-ah Thell\ Jon Thel’s wife. Kien’s sister.

Jon Thel \Jon Thell\ A Tracelands military commander. Beka’s husband.

ToronSea \Tor-on-Sea, or, Tor-on-Sea\ Southern coastal town in the Tracelands.

Riddig Tyne\Rid-ig Tine\ Akabe’s field surgeon.

Ruestock \Roo-stock\ Exiled former Siphran ambassador to the Tracelands.

Caitria Thaenfall \Kay-tree-ah Thane-fall\ Daughter of Cyan Thaenfall.

Bel-Tygeon \Bell-Ty-jee-on\ King of Belaal.

Rtial Vioc \Reh-tee-al Vee-oak\ A commander of Belaal.

Dasarai \Da-Sar-ay\ Princess of Belaal. Sovereign of Sulaanc’s Women’s Palace.

Siyrsun \Seer-sun\ Belaal’s General of the Army.

Tzana Roeh \Tsaw-nah Roe-eh\ Ela’s sister.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop and a Giveaway!

Welcome back, everyone!
It's late January, time for the Christmas decorations to come down, and time for a new blog post!

This month, the amazing Robin Lee Hatcher volunteered me for a blog hop. My mission is to answer ten questions about my latest WIP (work-in-progress) which is The Next Big Thing, and then I will tag three new fantasy authors with links to their blogs!

To add to the fun, I will give three different readers their choice of one book: Prophet, Judge, or (when it's published) King. The winners will be chosen by RaffleCopter on January 30th, and announced on the 31st.

Ready? Here goes:

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book? 

King. This was the working title and it’s now set in stone. Or, rather, in the book’s just-released cover image. 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

King portrays difficult situations faced by several Old Testament kings and prophets. King isn’t so much a retelling of the scriptures as a variation of OT spiritual themes, and adventures.

What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy fiction, teens and up!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have a terrible time trying to match actors with my characters—each one is unique. However, Ioan Gruffud, as he looked in Arthur,  might portray Akabe, the Siphran King:
And Anne Hathaway as Caitria, his vulnerable, embattled queen:

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

King Akabe of Siphra’s lifelong dream—to rebuild the Infinite’s temple in Siphra—is threatened by powerful enemies who have vowed to kill Akabe and his mysterious new queen.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

King is scheduled for publication by Bethany House on July 1, 2013. I’ve heard other authors compare publication timeframes to pregnancies, and it’s so true. But like a baby, books are worth the wait.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Usually, I can write a first draft in six months on my two days off per week, if I resist Facebook and Pinterest, and seriously focus on the task. Chocolate helps!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Though I haven’t yet read this one, Kingdom’s Dawn, by Chuck Black, seems to reflect King’s sense of other-world adventure.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

As strange as it sounds, the entire Books of the Infinite series, including King was inspired by a dream fragment. In 2010, I woke up one morning, still seeing a brief, stark dream of a young woman in a dim chamber. She was struggling to make a life-changing choice, and there was a glowing branch in that same dream, so I knew that if I wrote the story behind the dream it must be a fantasy. It was odd. Usually my dreams are bright and colorful. However, this dark fragment became Prophet, which was published two years later.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

King’s plotline, like Prophet and Judge, is written to appeal to men and women, young and old. Parents are reading these books with their teens!


***
Now, readers, it's time for some fun!
Hope over to the following pages to visit these three fantasy authors, who will be posting their Next Big Thing answers within the next seven days:
Patrick W. Carr
Carla Laureano
and 
Pauline Creeden

And enter to win a copy of Prophet, or Judge, or (soon) King, in the Rafflecopter entry form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway