Some Random Influences in the Writing of The Relics of War
Everyone has influences on their creative works, and I’m no exception. But some of my influences came from some unusual places. This week, I’m going to share a few of those that had an impact on The Relics of War.
Bizarre Foods
Yes, I mean the TV show hosted by Andrew Zimmern. There’s a scene in The Moon’s Eye not long after Vardak and company meet Maryn where food is discussed, and some of it may seem “bizarre”.
Maryn is a Felene, and as such, is an obligate carnivore. His people live deep in the jungle, and one of his favorite snacks is lizard jerky. Janna, a human from a relatively sheltered background, can’t seem to wrap her head around why he would eat lizards.
This launches a discussion about other foods—and Vardak joins in with a few insights about his own people’s diet. The Scorpion Men live in a harsh, desert environment, and have learned they can’t be picky about their food sources.
It was a fun scene to write, and one that still makes me laugh.
The Dead Centipedes in our Pool
While in the midst of rewriting the trilogy, my husband and I moved to a new house, and with that house came a pool. We learned pretty quickly that certain creatures are drawn inexplicably to the water—even though they can’t swim. We found a number of spiders, moths, and flies that met their end in the pool.
But the weirdest (and coolest, from my perspective) were the huge centipedes we find on occasion. They aren’t exactly easy to get out of the water; they don’t float like the other bugs do. And in our area, large centipedes are very rare to see. I like bugs, so this was fascinating for me.
Anyway, the idea to incorporate a giant, blind centipede into the story came from the casualties in our pool. The centipede is featured in The Talisman of Delucha, in one of Vardak’s chapters. (And I believe it’s the first time the reader gets to see him fight outside the sparring ring.)
My Cat (Magic)
There is actually a character based loosely on Magic featured in the series.
The god of the underworld and overseer of the departed, Aeon, is the patron deity of the Felene people, who are very cat-like. Aeon’s fur is black, and some of his personality was taken from Magic’s. Likewise, some of the Felene mannerisms in general (not only Aeon’s) were based on hers.
Books 1 and 2 in The Relics of War are currently available from most major online retailers. Book 3, War of the Nameless, is available for preorder and will release on December 6, 2022.