Today’s guest post comes to us from Lauren Scharhag, co-author of Order of the Four Sons, Book 1. Much of the story takes place in Excelsior Springs, MO, not far from where I grew up, and near where some of my family still live and work. I received an advance review copy of the book (it’s out now as of this writing), and highly recommend it to all lovers of speculative fiction. It has touches of science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime and history, all wrapped up in one little package. It’s the first book of a series, and I’m looking forward to book 2 and further journeys in a universe not quite ours.
By way of introduction to Lauren and the O4S universe, I’ve asked her a few questions and posted her answers below. Following the interview is her guest post on creating believable settings for fantasy worlds and the universes they inhabit.
Lauren’s co-author is Coyote Kishpaugh. He’s working on a guest post as well, and he’s also slated to answer the same interview questions as Lauren. As a fun little experiment, I asked them to write their answers without consulting each other, so make sure to check back later for Coyote’s answers and see how their versions of reality compare. 🙂 Here’s Lauren and her answers:
Eposic: You co-authored The Order of the Four Sons, Book I, with Coyote Kishpaugh. How did the two of you meet and decide to write a series together?
Lauren Scharhag: The Order of the Four Sons actually began life as a screenplay. Back in 2005, some friends of mine hooked me up with a local director who was in search of a screenwriter. He wanted to make a horror film in Excelsior Springs. So we did it, and not only did I conceive of what is now the O4S-verse, I got to play a small part. (I also got to help scout locations, build sets, and hold a boom mike. It was a very small production.) The movie was filmed over the summer and then…well, nothing. It never got edited into an appreciable product. I retained the rights to the script.
The main characters are based loosely on the actors who played them: Kate, JD, Murphy, Bill, Doug, Cecil, Clayton, Alyssa, Emily and Vickers. The actors who played Kate, JD and Bill are all talented singers and musicians. The real Murphy was actually a cop/EMT. (In fact, while filming the movie, he and the other principal cast members were on their way to an outdoor set and witnessed a car accident. He jumped out of the car to administer first aid to the victims and stayed with them until an ambulance arrived.)
While filming, I met this nice guy named Coyote who was an extra. (He played an eretic.) He was also a writer. After the movie wrapped, we kept in touch. One day, about a year later, he called me up and said, “Why don’t we make that script into a series?”
We’ve been writing together ever since. I don’t think either of us had any idea of what we were getting ourselves into.
E: In O4S, we’re introduced to a wide range of characters, each with a distinct personality. How difficult was it to stay true to each character, with both of you writing about them?
LS: I’m so pleased to hear that you find them all so distinct, so thank you for saying that. I don’t think it was difficult at all. Walt Whitman said, “I am large; I contain multitudes.” One of my favorite things about being a writer is that you get to be so many people and not be considered too crazy.
Having two people write such a large cast of characters actually makes it easier because we get to act out scenes and do voices. It also helps that they’re loosely based on actual people.
E: Which of the characters in O4S did you enjoy writing about the most, and why?
LS: Ooooh, that’s a tough call. I love them all so much, both heroes and villains, and I love them all for different reasons. I feel like the thing that makes the characters pop is their interaction with each other, so it’s hard to separate them out.
For Book I, I’d say we had the most fun writing the Colonel because he’s so blunt and colorful. I think he’s who we quoted most extensively at that time. We also had this standing joke, “WWJDD: What Would JD Do?” Someday, we hope to see that on a T-shirt.
For the later books, though, I’d give you a different answer.
E: Novels often require a good deal of back-story, and many authors struggle with working it in without boring the reader. In O4S, back-story is handled in a variety of ways. One technique used in O4S is that of a found journal, allegedly written by Frank James, brother of Jesse James. The contents of the journal are included in the novel. It reads very much like one would expect a real journal would read. How much of the contents of that journal are based on history and how much was invented for the novel?
LS: The James Diary I actually wrote as a prop for the movie. I did a lot of research on the James brothers to keep it as accurate as possible. Family names, occupations, their mother’s marriages, Jesse James’ aliases, the date of Jesse’s death, all of that was correct. The James farm is in Kearney, MO, just up the road from Excelsior. Their father was one of the founders of William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. There really is a theory that Jesse James survived being shot and went into hiding.
Though, as far as I know, they were never involved in a pseudo-Masonic organization like the Order. Jonas Whitefeather and Madeline Wakefield are completely fictional.
E: O4S is based in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, a relatively small city with a population of just over 11,000, according to the 2013 census. This was one of the facets of the story that got my attention early on, my being from Missouri and having family who live and work in or near Excelsior Springs. How did you come about choosing Excelsior Springs as the setting for your story?
LS: That’s a holdover from the film. The director got permission to shoot in the old Royal Hotel, so he wanted to incorporate that setting into the story. Once I started researching the history of the area, I loved it.
E: What made you decide to have two different characters in O4S whose names both start with “Kat”? Were you at all concerned that it might confuse some readers?
LS: To be honest, it didn’t occur to us when we were writing it. We’ve talked about it since, but ultimately, we figured the characters are very different people. Katarina Benicka is an actual historical figure, so we used her real name. Given her and Bathory’s relationship, it made sense that Bathory refers to her by various endearments. Besides “Kat,” she also calls her “Puss” and “Darling.”
The Colonel calls Kate, “Katie.” I think there’s enough difference that it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
E: Do you listen to music when you write? What are your favorite genres of music? Who are your favorite bands and solo artists?
LS: We don’t usually listen to music when we’re writing together, though we do frequently share thematically-significant songs. We’ve also created, individually, our own personal O4S playlists. We’ve exchanged many mixed CDs.
When I write on my own, music is absolutely essential to my process. I put my headphones on, turn the volume up way too loud, and pace back and forth. (My husband calls it my “stomping time.”) As for genres of music, I like everything. Literally, everything. When some people say that, they immediately add, “except [insert genre here].” I like it all: rock, classical, jazz, blues, country, rap, new age. You name it.
A few of my favorite bands and artists are: the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, the White Stripes/Jack White, John Lee Hooker, Bob Dylan, Howlin’ Wolf, Portishead, Bach, Pink Floyd, Lorde, Lana del Rey, Enigma, and Massive Attack. I tend to like individual songs even if I’ve never heard anything else that artist has done. My music taste is also heavily influenced by movie soundtracks.
E: How many books are or will be in the O4S series and where/when are they available?
LS: Originally, the series was going to be four books. We had already written Books I-III when we signed with Kensington Gore. They felt that Book III was so long, the audience would be better served if we cut it into two installments. The same will be true of the fourth and final book. So we’ve gone from four books to six.
Here they are, with their approximate release dates:
- The Order of the Four Sons (Book I) – Sept. 25, 2015
- Carcosa (Book II) – March 2016
- Where Flap the Tatters of the King (Book III) – Sept. 2016
- The Sacred Heart (Book IV) – March 2017
- Necropolis (Book V) – Sept. 2017
- Going Forth by Day (Book VI) – March 2018
Originally, Books I-III had been self-published, but we’ve removed those versions from all retail sites. You can still read excerpts on our blogs though.
We’re currently working with the cover artist on Book II and expect the edits from the publisher any day.
In the meantime, we’re hard at work on Books V-VI. We’re still writing it as one book, as planned, and we’ll decide how to cut it up later.
Thanks, Lauren! Now let’s hear what you have to say about creating worlds for fantasy universes…
Home Sweet Universe
by Lauren Scharhag
Creating believable fantasy worlds for your stories
When we think of our favorite fantasy worlds, what springs most readily to mind? Middle-earth, Hogwarts, Narnia, Westeros, Oz, Mid-World.
What makes these worlds so compelling? For me, it’s because they’re so fully and brilliantly realized, I sometimes find it hard to believe that they don’t exist. When it comes to fantasy literature, I want to be totally immersed. I want a place that’s not only believable, but actually feels lived in.
That’s what the best fantasy worlds have to offer. You can practically taste lembas bread. You can feel the cool hardness of a golden snitch in the palm of your hand, the flutter of its tiny wings. You can smell King’s Landing, that unforgettable blend of sewage, the sea, perfumed eunuchs and Flea Bottom bowls o’ brown. You can feel the sun beating down, the grit in your teeth as you follow the gunslinger across the desert. We carry these sensory memories with us long after we’ve finished reading. As a result, we spend our lives checking the backs of wardrobes and closets, planning our Westerosi survival plan, and searching for a key, a rose, an unfound door.
If you’re here, you’re probably interested in how these worlds are built. You may even be interested in building a world of your own. Whether you’re envisioning a Technicolor dreamland or something with a little more mud and blood, here are some tips to mapping out your universe:
Earth or Elsewhere?
This may seem like a no-brainer: is your story going to be set on Earth, some other planet, or some other dimension? But this is the foundation upon which your universe is built. If your story is set on Earth, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an Earth we would actually recognize. I recently got sucked into the TV show Z Nation and while it’s set right here in the good old US of A, I’m pretty sure if any of us got transported there, 99% of us would end up as zombie chow. That particular universe operates by a very different set of rules than what we’re used to.
Urban fantasy and paranormal fiction has really tapped into the idea of presenting alternate versions of our world. There’s all the usual stuff: cars, computers, cell phones, jobs. There just also happens to be vampires, werewolves, zombies and the occasional wizard-detective running amok. You, as the writer, have to figure out how you’re going to reconcile fantastical elements with everyday life. Does everybody know about magic and monsters, or just a select few? Is there just one kind of monster in this story, or is this an equal opportunity creature feature? Does the monster know how to operate a toaster?
If you go with planet Earth, there are more mundane setting choices to consider. Your story could be set in the present day, or in 1882. It could be set in the year 3042, or in the twenty-fourth and a half century. I think we can all agree that historical eras are essentially their own universes: Imperial China, Victorian London, the Gold Rush. They necessitate different story rules. Some degree of accuracy is required or you risk alienating the reader—particularly the history nerds out there, like me.
Another possibility is to have your story start out on the planet Earth we all know and love, then move the action someplace else. If the goal is to get back home again, as it has been for so many characters, the contrast between Earth and the fantasy destination is always that much greater. Whether your characters open magical doors, hop a spaceship, or get sucked over the rainbow, knowing that another world coexists with ours provides a unique opportunity for social commentary.
If you’re going to have your story set someplace that’s entirely else, you have a bit more creative freedom. But this brings its own set of challenges: are the characters human/humanoid, or are we talking about an entirely different race of being? What do they subsist on? Do they even have bodies? What is the climate like? The geography? (Figuring out the geography can be fun because it means you get to make maps!) Is it hospitable or hostile? How does the ecosystem work? What about flora and fauna?
These things matter, especially if you’re inventing new races and creatures. Living things evolve in relation to their environment. Societies are formed by their living conditions. Are they nomadic? Hunter-gatherers? City dwellers?
In a fantasy world, the answers to these questions don’t have to be 100% scientifically precise. In Wonderland, they have stuff like disappearing cats and singing dormice. In Westeros, winters can last for years. In Mid-World, the path of the beam affects things like cloud formations. The readers understand that these are fantastical events—yet they are integral to the story. The point of Wonderland is absurdity. The long winters in Westeros underscore Martin’s particular, horrific (and rather Anglo-Saxon) brand of horror. Mid-World is all about the breakdown of the natural order of things. Like these examples, your world may deliberately flout the laws of nature and physics for symbolic effect.
Wherever you decide to set your tale, and however fantastic you choose to make it, you have to decide what your rules are going to be, and then stick to them.
Technology and Magic
Once you’ve determined the setting, then you have to decide if you’re introducing a magical system. If so, how does that magical system work? Is magic an innate talent or can anyone learn how to do it? Are there schools of magic? Magical societies? Are we talking sorcery? Alchemy? Spellwork? Incantations? Time travel? Are there tools involved like wands, cauldrons and crystal balls? Are there cool artifacts? Robes and pointy hats? Cats and horny toads?
How does your magic system interact with technology, if at all? This is a particularly important question if you are writing in a genre like urban fantasy. In the Harry Dresden series, the answer was either an elegant evasion or a total cop-out (your mileage may vary): they don’t mix. Harry is stuck driving an ancient VW Bug because it has a simpler engine than newer cars. Computers basically implode when he gets near them. His basement apartment is lit by candles.
But he battles and bests supernatural beasties on the semi-regular, so he’s got that going for him.
The Culture
Presumably, your book will have talking characters of some sort, whether they’re of the human race, some other race, or anthropomorphized bunnies. If you have characters, they have to have a society. Even if you have one lone figure battling the elements, that character came from somewhere. Their origins shape their actions.
So the questions one must ask when developing a culture are: is it monolithic or varied? Are there different races? What are their spiritual beliefs? Their customs? How do they dress? How do they govern themselves?
Again, much of this will be shaped by the type of setting you put them in. Many ancient cultures in our world worshipped the sun for its life-giving properties. But if I were writing about a subterranean society, the sun may hold less appeal for them.
What is the history of your world? Of course, we can’t all be Tolkien or Martin, creating thousands of years of history for our fictional settings, but you should have at least a broad idea of how it has developed over time. History is one long string of cause and effect, and so is fiction. Earth’s own history is a good place to start looking for ideas for your world. If you know where your fantasy world has been, you will have a better idea of where it’s going.
Language
I saved this one for last because, for me, this is the most important. I see a lot of fantasy writers who seem to think that just because their characters occupy a different time and space, they should have an Old Timey diction—by which I mean they mostly omit contractions and toss in a few “Thee’s” and “Thou’s” and “I shall’s.” I find it comes across as stilted and frankly cringeworthy. Not to mention, not terribly relatable. (Unless your story is set in some bygone era, in which case, it’s acceptable.) And for the record, I’m not a big fan of giving characters unpronounceable names.
The way individual characters speak reveals a lot about them—where they’re from, their level of education. How much or how little they speak tells you what their personality is like.
Language says a lot about a culture as a whole, its values and its customs– what are their proverbs? Their greetings? Their insults and swear words? Their oaths? Does your world have a single language, or many? Is it common for characters to speak multiple languages? Can you throw in a good old-fashioned translator device, like in Star Trek?
Again, you don’t have to be Tolkien and invent whole new languages (though coming up with a few foreign words and phrases is a fun challenge). What I’ve done with different fantasy settings is, once I’ve got a clear idea of the setting, I look at the societies that inspired it. In The Order of the Four Sons, a series I co-author with Coyote Kishpaugh, there’s a world called Corbenic. We based its culture on that of Ancient Greece and (believe it or not) France. So when we were coming up with speech patterns for them, we researched Ancient Greek and French expressions.
And Finally…
You’ll notice I didn’t number these. I don’t think there’s a step-by-step way to do this. When creating a whole world, you have to consider it holistically.
I hope you find this post helpful. Thanks for reading, and safe travels on your journey through your own fantasy realms!
Lauren Scharhag is a writer of fiction and poetry. She lives in Kansas City, MO with her husband, two cats and a squinty-eyed beastling.
Author blog: http://www.laurenscharhag.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenscharhag
Twitter: @laurenscharhag
Non-affiliate links to purchase The Order of the Four Sons, Book I:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1UIS2Vw
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1EXK60K
Thanks once again, Lauren! And thanks to you, dear reader. Be sure to check out the O4S series and visit Lauren’s blog for more information.
Thanks for hosting me, Mike! The post looks great.
Thanks for sharing your expertise with me and my visitors, Lauren!