Short Interview with the Author

Hi friends and followers.

I was talking with one of my writer friends this weekend and they asked me some questions, and I thought I would post our short Question and Answer session here for those who wish to read.

Q: What is the White Sword Saga, and what's it about? What is the Eye of Ebon?

A: The Eye of Ebon is the opening portion to a much larger tale, the whole of which is the White Sword Saga. I will confess that when I started, I did not know how it would expand, but I am so glad it did. At first blush, the tale is about the rise of a dark evil, the Shadow, and those who must rise up to overcome it. There is an ancient legend of the Shadow. It was thrown down by an old race and made dormant. In its destruction, three pieces of its body where hidden and sealed where they should never be found. But the Shadow has been gaining strength and searching for a long time, and has begun to undo its prison and to reclaim the whole of its power.

In the course of events, people under the influence of the Shadow invade the home of a young girl, Samiare, and in her torments, she is given a weapon to rescue herself--the White Sword. This is the beginning of a new and great conflict. The Shadow seeks to make itself whole, and in the course of the Eye of Ebon, it seeks back primarily its eye. Samiare is damaged and hurt, but is thrust into the conflict, and begins to grow into the understanding that there is purpose to it all. That the White Sword is to be the weapon of the good people against the Shadow, and that she must wield it. But there is a cost.

At its heart, the story is one of overcoming. We follow, Samiare, the new wielder of the White Sword, as she fights through her pain and anger, and even her loss and disconnection from the rest humanity, and grows into one who must become something greater. She must find compassion again, and reconnect to the people she wants to save, and heal herself, and others in the process. But the road is hard, and what is asked of her is great, and she must struggle with much more than just warfare, and ancient puzzles. She must become worthy of being the Wielder of the White Sword.

Its a long story, taking place over five books. The Eye of Ebon is just the beginning.

Q: Why do you feel passionate about this story?

There is so much I love in this story. In the larger tale (I am currently closing in on the end of Book 4), so many important things that happen. The growth of the characters, the sacrifices, the danger, the larger forces in play, the history and world building, the clash of great powers and the interplay of it in the world of mortal peoples, and the stakes which just keep getting higher for those involved. And then to touch on all the human things that move us all, love, hate, compassion, cruelty, honor, sacrifice, faith and big questions, the great struggle to overcome fears and things we dont want, the heartbreaking losses and disappointments, and the power of healing. I could go on. But I love those moment when the characters are showing who they are, and what they question, and still they gird up and find strength, even when things look impossible.

And 'The Eye of Ebon', I feel is such a cool little part of it. It is kind of the origin, but so much happens in it. So much of it builds and feeds back on the things that came before. I feel its a story that one could be read many times and find something new in each read. Here, the conflict is not starting, but had been going on much longer than any is aware, and it has slowly expanded to include these events. I wanted a story where the good guys were competent, and the bad guys were reacting to them, where there were no reluctant heroes, but also where the difficulty was high, and cost was great.

And there are many subtle things that run through the course of the story, things which may not be understood in a first or quick read through. For example, Samiare is not a good leader. She gets people killed, and takes on things that others cannot survive. They should not follow her, but the land is dangerous and they cannot afford 'not' to be with her, so its a bad plight for most in the story. It is not explicitly stated, but it is there in the story.

I love the Eye of Ebon, because the characters are complex, the reasons why are all hidden in it, and the struggle is difficult. I hope others will like that about it.

Q: Why did you write this?

A: The Eye of Ebon, and the White Sword Saga, is not the first thing I have ever written. I have written several novel length stories in the past. But it was the one that took off in my heart. I started this tale back in the 90's, which was before a lot of changes to our culture had taken place. At that time, I had not seen any stories that featured female heroes (well not many anyway), and I knew I had something compelling with this one. I wanted to write a story that was gritty, and realistic enough, that applied realistic challenges to the characters and made them struggle in many ways. I wanted to show a story that did not just make the heroes win, but made them earn it. I also wanted a tale that spoke to issues I had at the time, partially from the things that were prevalent then. I have always been a person of faith, and I wanted to show that faith matters. That one cannot just hit a demon a lot with their sword and expect to kill it, that without faith, there would be no hope. I also wanted to make heroes matter, and push back a little on the trend that villains were the cool and admirable ones.

When I started to write this, it just blew up on the page. The opening, while rough, is so integral to the story and who the character is, that I knew I could never change it. Sami would always have pain, and always struggle both externally and in. I felt, as soon as I started to put it to page, that it had to be told. And so...I am telling it.

The Eye of Ebon has struck me more than any tale I have written. For me, it is a passion, and I want to see how it ends. Maybe in a year, I will know.

Q: Why did you choose a female protagonist?

A: My vision for this story was always one with a female lead character. I had written several stories before, and they had mostly had male protagonists, but for this one, I felt I wanted more struggle, and more danger. The world is a scary place, and its just a little more scary for women than for men. Sami is not a powerful character in that she is small, and not physically strong. She is also damaged by her ordeal, and weakened a little further. I wanted a story about faith, and it seemed to me that for the faith to seem strongest, the character should have more than a usual set of barriers. For me, that all pointed to female.

I was also a little motivated at the time by the lack of female heroes, and the stereotypical portrayal of them as kind of a 'take that' to men. Sami is not a "take that' type of character. She is just someone trying to do what is wanted of her with the tools that were given. She is a driven character, but she is not one trying to overturn the apple cart.

Q: What do you want to achieve with your writing?

A: Well...the dream is always things will take off, there will be movies, and video games, and I'll buy a castle somewhere in England. But...that is just dreams. Truth is, I don't write expecting to quit my day job. I just want to write something with some importance, and is enjoyed by others. A small group of readers who like the story would carry me a long way. I suppose it just good to be appreciated. Writing is not an easy process. These stories take years to create, money to produce, and a lot of heartache from every-which-way as editors hit it hard, and beta readers find error after error (missing words are the bane of my existence). But...just having one or two saying they can't wait for book two is awesome.

(And if they also posted a review on Amazon or Goodreads, that would also be great ;))