Dark Desires of the Soul

Wow. I could really put THAT as my prequel title.

I’ve really evolved Zaedrif as a character.  First as a boy who shared that name, wrote that out for a young man of the same name.  First, he was a good guy.  (As readers pick up.)  He’s got a dark past and I get to exploit it in this novel.

Of course that leaves me with a problem.  I get to create some interesting characters I must be killing off.  I’ll try not to get too attached.  I suppose this happens in writing prequels.  I wouldn’t say Dark Desires has epic battles.  I would say it has several important battles and the point being to cut off the epic battle which is inevitable.

Will there be an epic battle?  Sure, I think Rise of the New Masters will set the “last straw” before it.

Considering I originally planned 8-11 novels of this series, I have to do some rearranging.

Related articles

• Yes, Zaedrif is a Bad Guy (ageofmerrik.wordpress.com)
• Some In-Depth Q and A (ageofmerrik.wordpress.com)
• Dark Desires: Bloody Destiny (ageofmerrik.wordpress.com)

The Choice Is Yours

Being an American, I’m fully acquainted with apathy.  Maybe not in all parts of America, but it has been a golden standard in parts I have lived in.

In the past two weeks, I have been asked what my published novel, The Age of Merrik: The Anointing is about.   In one way, it is difficult for me to summarize.  I used it as a writing process to further hone my skills (they are far superior to what they were when it was published).  In addition, I wrote  three versions of it.  Yet I really have to stop and think of a short summary of the published edition.

The protagonist, Merrik, is a young ruler of a kingdom (Tyera).  After an eight year absence, The General, the Son of King Malik (a ruthless king) has returned to finish destroying Merrik’s homeland.  He and his forces use Tyera as a base to enslave the neighboring kingdom (Rikan).  He challenges Merrik and although Merrik is up to the challenge, he finds that most of his subjects have become apathetic and willing to accept The General without question (and falling for his lies).  Merrik eventually fails the challenge and his rule is usurped.  Only when his people and the people of Rikan are willing to fight for their freedom do they have the chance to receive it again.

Political Undertones

Political Marriages - A big theme of mine.  Very big in my new novel WIP King’s Romance (working title).  Merrik agrees to keep his enagement to Brianna for cultural reasons, but says she will merely “bear . . . [his] children quickly” and be banished from the hearts of the people.

Political Sucession - A cycle of rise, fall, and rise to leadership.  Merrik, The General, Merrik.  The inheritance of Sethane (Malik’s Kingdom) is assumed to be left to The General, though most of this importance is viewed in other books.  Skye, former Swordmaster of Rikan, gave up her freedom to hand what land would become Nemea to Zaelen (Zaedrif’s Father) and to save him from Malik.

Deceit - The General on Liana, Liana on everyone else.  The General on Brianna (also in a romantic fashion).

Role of Women - Brianna sees her role as simply being with the leader.  That the leader will “make” her.  Both Eleya and Elisha show their abilities and importance, each making themselves by their own worth.  The Swordmaster leader is female.  Merrik acknowledges their worth.  The General uses Brianna as she is willing, but only because this is what she expects of herself.  The General greatly respects women due to his love for his mother, *****spoiler***** Skye.

Relationship

Naivety - John and Miriam.  Ken’rid’s crush on Eleya.  Brianna’s belief in The General.

One-Sided - Jonas’ love for Brianna.  Casseya’s love for Merrik.  The General’s preoccupation with Eleya.

Cultural Chain - Merrik agreeing to still marry Brianna (“the vow”).  Skye giving herself to Malik to save Zaelen, simply due to visions she had about Zaelen’s future.

Betrayal - Brianna’s betrayal of Merrik (love).  Liana’s betrayal of Rikan (country).  Zaedrif’s prior betrayal of everyone including Eleya (both).

What is a Family? – Merrik was adopted.  He has a strong bond to those parents.

Death and Rebirth - Perhaps my biggest general category of theme.

The Swordmasters as a whole are dying.  Eleya should have died in the beginning but appears later.  The price of this rebirth appears to be her memories and her power.  Through her rebirth, she gains power.  Eleya (in Rikan as “Merris”) is often appears as sickly and personifies death.  “Life” returns as Merris becomes Eleya again.

Everyman

The ethnicity in The Age of Merrik is homogeneous.  Mortals possesses equal rights.  The only divide is within the divine – the god (Serafin), the demi-god (swordmasters), and the mortal.

A small Merrik/Eleya (as Merris) passage:

    [Merrik] had thought of what he wanted to say next.  He had considered this since he saw Brianna with The General.  He no longer had Cle’an’s wise council, but he felt she was as wise.  He needed her advice.

“I’ve thought of this Merris, and I know what I will do after The General is gone.  Brianna and I will wed, and she will bear my children quickly.  I will banish her, and her children will learn to banish her even from their hearts.  They will grow to understand the extent of her betrayal.”

“It could happen, since she is allied to The General.  Even the smallest of human hearts can understand this darkness.  She would be a mother as only life would command her, not in bond.”

“She would not be like my mother.  I know only the family who raised me.  My bond is in their hearts, even though they did not see my earliest days.”

“The way it should be.” Merris looked down to her arms, noting that even in this light they were still paler than others’ skin.  Other people possessed skin tones all the same, the shade varying only in deep sickness or death.

Chapter 11: A Small Respite

The Choice Is Yours.  [Yes, that is a song reference.]

Will the masses let their own Generals conqueror them with their own apathy?

Related articles

• Some In-Depth Q and A (ageofmerrik.wordpress.com)
• Dark Desires: Bloody Destiny (ageofmerrik.wordpress.com)
• Fans Asked For It, Now Look For It (Mature Post) (eugenamoulton.wordpress.com)

Happy Anniversary AOM

Well, belated anniversary.

I completed version 1 11 years and 7 days ago.  Version 3 was published in July 2007.  That officially makes it 4 years and 2 months old.

Is the book always better than the movie? Are there any exceptions?

A WordPress Prompt Post — Audience, what do you think?

No.  Nothing is ever always better than something else.  Usually for those of you who read a book and enjoy it then it is a dissappointment to see the movie or television adaptation.  It will never be similiar enough (some exceptions).

As a writer, technically, I could write anything any way I want.  Novels are generally written as they come to me and I edit them.  Structure per se is not a necessity.

Movies, however, are an entirely different story.  The majority of American scripts are written in a particular formula or structure. There are certain variations and sometimes trend changes.  To a certain degree, I have started planning my novels in the same structure as a screenplay, at least for its backbone.

An example in action: Number of Characters

The Age of Merrik: The Anointing has a very large cast.  I will be cutting down on that cast in Rise of the New Masters, but will probably be expanding it inDark Desires since it focuses on the Swordmasters. When I wrote the screenplay adaptation of The Age of Merrik: The Anointing, however, I reduced the number of characters and turned The Four and Miriam into two characters.

See more: The Age of Merrik: The Screenplay Adaptation at Eugena Net Wiki

Movies and novels are generally different.  They usually can be both appreciated.  Fans may not like a book’s adaptation.  I think the Stardust movie is much more enjoyable than the book.

What Makes a Family? Blood or Bond?

It wasn’t until I was far into a few scenes in Shinigami that I realized I have a reoccurring theme of what defines family?

In Shinigami, a young girl, a teenager by today’s standards but an adult by time of then standards, believed she lost her mother when she was very young.  yet **spoiler** she begins to believe perhaps her mother was only lost and not dead and that her mother has come back.

In the end, I believe she will say “You are my mother” regardless of whether the woman birthed her or not.  The woman is what the girl had always wanted in a mother, and she is filling that absent role.

Fans of The Age of Merrik may be a bit familiar with this.

***Major Spoilers for The Anointing, do not read further if you don’t want to know. ***

The main protagonist, Merrik, is the adopted son of Her Ladyship of Rikan and Matthias (former ruler) of Tyera.  These are to him his parents, regardless of whose blood birthed him.

Of course, the God Character Serafin knows whose genetic son he is.  (It is a fantasy novel, so instead of “genetic,” I say either blood or refer to ancestry.)  I think it will be a big spoiler.  Anyone want to guess?

Merrik accepts Her Ladyship and Matthias as his parents and honors them as that.  He accepts Elisha as his sister and this is the only familial bond that is present at the time of The Anointing, since Matthias is long dead and Her Ladyship makes a early exit

Fans Asked For It, Now Look For It (Mature Post)

My #1 complaint I have received in The Anointing (other than WHEN is the sequel, etc) has been there’s no sex.  Sigh.  All that was “off screen.”  You all have imaginations.

So, in Shinigami, I promise you all at least 1 sex scene.  I have no idea what level of detail is typical in these books.  I’ve read over a few romance novels and they’ve gone from a rather pathetic scene of “flushing heat” (no, please don’t ask me to describe that fail! scene) to a demon blowing his breath all over this naked 14 year old’s (apparently NOT considered a child) body.  In other words, most of it has sucked.

I usually end up laughing through most scenes that I have read.  They are so bad.  Well, except for that 14 year old one, that was just disturbing.

The only decent ones I have read was a free ebook, Millie’s Fling, which did a good job in leaving a lot of the detail to the audience and a few Stephanie Plumnovels, which was the better portrayal of more detailed scenes.

I suppose it may depend on the publisher on how much detail will be put in for the final.

As far as the rest of The Age of Merrik stories, since a lot of my audience has been adults anyway (even though it is “Teen”), I may just throw some sex scenes in them.  I’m sure there will be some scene where someone walks in on Zaedrif and Oroco, interrupts, and arrests them for treason.  Sounds interesting anyway.

Related articles

• What Makes a Family? Blood or Bond? (eugenamoulton.wordpress.com)
• The Choice Is Yours (eugenamoulton.wordpress.com)
• Is the book always better than the movie? Are there any exceptions? (eugenamoulton.wordpress.com)
• Writing the Hard Scene (Mature Post) (eugenamoulton.wordpress.com)

Yes, Zaedrif is a Bad Guy

I’ve gotten some fan Q & A on my comments on the “bad boy” Zaedrif.

Most of this gets revealed in Dark Desires.  It’s up to the reader by the end of that novel if Zaedrif’s actions in The Anointing are in atonement or if deep down he’s just still the same.

Dark Desires focuses on Zaedrif’s Dark Desires that ultimately lead to many deaths and the Fall of Nemea.  There is a lot more Zaedrif/Eleya pairing in this novel.

So, if you’ve been so kind as to read The Anointing and wonder just what’s going on with him, that comes out in Dark Desires and will most likely also be addressed in Rise of the New Masters.

For a glimpse at the bad Zaedrif, read the previous post, “Bloody Destiny.”

Dark Desires: Bloody Destiny

Bloody Destiny

An Eleya/Zaedrif Scene from Dark Desires (Prequel to The Age of Merrik)

 

The vibrant red gush oozed out of her side.  Clutching it briefly she dove into a roll, narrowly missing a fatal strike.

“Have you gone mad?  What is wrong with you?”

She tried either, but only a squeak came from her lips.  Looking up into his eyes, she saw a stranger staring down at her, belittling her without words.  As much as she tried to reach inside herself and draw out her power, nothing was left.  It had been a gamble.  She told herself it was worth it for the others.

No matter how much time she bought for them, her time was now coming to a close.  The hammering between her ears pounded like a gavel passing judgment.  This was her last day.  She had lost everything, and now the beast in front of her would not find her life enough.

He grabbed for her, frustrated in his indecision to take her body or her life.

The more she struggled through her breaths, the more blood oozed, the shorter her life became.  She listened in to the clanging of his blade as he dodged.  She may no longer have the power, but she knew the blade well enough.  She knew his fighting style, even if she had not known him well enough.

She heard the weight of his over-confident step, his preamble to a bloody strike.  With the last of her weight, she slammed into him, knocking him off balance.  Nearly by instinct, she grabbed at his belt, pulling the sacred dagger from its sheath.  It had still been there, and it had called to her.

She drove her knee into the back of his leg, forcing the rest of his body to his knees.  She held the dagger to his throat.

“Was she worth it?”  She breathed heavy, her lungs screaming for air she could not get.  “Were their lives worth it, Zaedrif?  Are you as much of a whore as your father?”  She screamed the last part at him with what strength she had.

He only laughed.  The beast that was once her friend, once her betrothed, laughed.  “I will have you,” he vowed.  “I will have you and then I will rule.”

“Like hell!” she snapped back, barely keeping her footing.

“Only a matter of time,” he taunted.  “I’ve stripped you of your power, your magic, and soon I will strip you of everything.”

 

Love vs. Country

The Brianna v. Liana debate — always quite a heated one.

Here’s an interesting Fan Factoid:

Brianna v. Liana — who is worse?
Majority of female fans say Brianna
Majority of males ales say Liana

My thoughts — the females who are picking Brianna say that since she betrayed someone who loved her. If fact, they have pointed that out and looked little at the fact Liana betrayed her COUNTRY which is far worse in my opinion.

 

Remember to VOTE on who YOU think is worse — and leave a comment if you want.  I chose Zaedrif myself, but Brianna is winning the fan vote right now

 

Brianna v. Liana Poll (+ Zaedrif)

 

Some In-Depth Q and A

Currently watching SKU…I am one happy otaku.

Hello loyal fans and readers.  Today’s been dramatic in the USA…after all, it has been the Anthony verdict.  I’m going to refrain from making comments.  I am sure I will be having lots of chats about it when I return to law school this fall.

The Age of Merrik, it its initial form was a book I had in my mind many years ago.  In one sense, I feel like it has been my entire writing life.  When I was still a kid, I wrote that book.  In my mind anyway and kept notes on it.  Years had passed and I morphed it into its second form, one featuring the Swordmasters, then later into the final form which was edited and published.

The Merrik of long ago focused on a trio — Zira, Zsastar, and Zaedrif.  Yes, they are all “Z” for a reason.  They were the reason for those three crystals.  There was in fact another story entirely for them.  That story passed into legend and two of the names were reused as new characters.  Zsastar, still The General, now had a father, Malik, and the backstory of Sethane took roots.  Zsastar now fought the Swordmasters — save Eleya — whom he still desires to dominate.  No, Zsastar does not love.  He is not capable.  He is immature, but dangerous.  He won’t falter to slay anyone — except Eleya.  Zaedrif was no longer the teenage child.  He became a cunning traitor — though most of his treachery was in fact a motivation I would have for Dark Desires.

Dark Desires and Rise of the New Masters will depart their predecessor and feature many changes, one of which is last names.

http://eugena.net/wiki/The_Age_of_Merrik#Differences_Between_the_Novels

Some of the questions I have received:

• What about John and Miriam?
• What about Cle’an
• What’s the deal with the crystals?

I’ve gotten the crystals question quite a lot. So, I’ll give you all a little hint: very important to mind/power transference.  Yeah, not really too much of an answer. Eleya did not seem to have much effect with the blue one, but her memory and power had been sealed away by the end of Dark Desires which effects the influence of the crystal.  Why did Zaedrif have them at first?  Okay, I’ve already spoiled it a bit.  He’s really a bad guy, but a bad guy at the end of his life, seeking to earn his redemption.  Is he the same person as the Dark Desires baddie?  You will all have to wait for that.

John and Miriam will have some sort of reunion.  Cle’an will face his past and show his true loyalties.  Will those crystals be important again.  Yes, you all can bet on that.

I will need to flesh out the past a bit more (Dark Desires).  For now, I’m focusing on Megami Pandora and Shinigami Saga.