Themes in my Writing
The more I write, the more I’ve noticed I gravitate toward certain themes in my stories. It’s not always intentional, but I’m beginning to see patterns from time to time.
Sibling Rivalry Gone Wrong
This has come up a couple of times, in different forms. The first instance was in Hunted, between Chandra and her twin sister, Xandra. At the beginning of the story, they had a decent relationship. Things seemed to be going well for them both, and then Chandra met Summoner Il’zaks. As she began to train with him, she changed—and Xandra became concerned.
Now, their rivalry doesn’t really start until far later in the book, and only one of the sisters is aware she’s competing with the other. Xandra is unaware the person behind her troubles is the one she was once closest to.
This theme cropped up again in The Caein Legacy, but was present from the onset. Our main character in that series, Andrew, was believed to be heir to the throne. When it’s revealed he isn’t the king’s son, and the throne will pass to his half-brother, Colin, things get interesting. The two were always competing with each other, but with power, Colin begins to show his true colors—and they’re not pretty.
In reality, my own brother and I are pretty close. We’ve had our moments as all siblings do, but I’d like to think our relationship is much better than those listed above. In fact, he was part of the inspiration for the sibling relationship between Andrew and Alexander in The Caein Legacy (You can read more about Alex here: Character profile – Alexander Marsden.)
I’m a Destroyer of my Characters’ Happiness
I’ve had a number of people (both those I know and those I don’t) comment on the level of emotion they find in my writing. My goal, for good or ill, is to end with my readers really feeling the characters, their emotions, and their pain. (According to one source, I am 3/3 on making them cry with published works. Success!)
My characters often have some minor struggles at the beginnings of books, then navigate their way through to a place where they’re happy and life is looking good. It’s then that I come in and break them, shatter their hopes/dreams/whatever, and send them on a journey they’d never signed up for.
Yes, I am that author. For those who haven’t yet read my books, you’ve been warned: When things start to look bright and happy, the character’s on the brink of getting hit with some serious trauma.
Some notable examples from my books so far:
- Chandra Gray in Hunted: She loses someone very important to her that pushes her along a dark path.
- Andrew Caein in Exile: He loses everything in an attempt to save his brother Alexander from Colin. And I mean everything. It takes him another book and a half to recover from that blow.
- Seren do’Vox in The Mage War Chronicles: He fights for his freedom and his right to become a mage, and when it seems as though he’s finally succeeded and life is wonderful, his past comes back with a vengeance.
- Tavesin Drondes in The Relics of War: While he has a few run-ins early on with one of the Soulless, for the most part, his life is good. Then near the end of The Moon’s Eye, his childhood is shattered when the Soulless shifts his attention to someone Tavesin cares deeply for.
In most of these cases, the characters will one day recover, but they’ll never be the same again. As for Seren, I’m still writing that series, so I’m not sure where he’ll end up yet.
I Have a Thing for Bugs
Giant insects, anyone? Intelligent ones? Dangerous ones? Yes! Give me all the bugs!
As most of you know, I’m a microbiologist by day, but there was a significant part of my life when I was considering entomology as a career path instead. Bugs are fascinating to me. Insects, spiders, centipedes… All of it. And bugs pop up in my stories often enough I feel they deserve a mention.
The first instance is in The Relics of War. Vardak and company encounter stone sciarids (cave-dwelling, flying insects) while in Stonewall Hall. Later, in book two, there’s a battle between Vardak, Emra and Maryn versus an enormous (and blind) centipede in the depths of the mines.
Vardak himself could be considered sort of buggy, as one of the Scorpion Men. (Scorpions are arachnids, so I think they count.)
In The Caein Legacy, there is an intelligent race of insectile creatures known as the Corodan. They’re modeled as a cross between preying mantis and army ants. The Corodan play a sizeable role in the story, particularly in books three and four.
I’m sure more themes will crop up as I continue writing, but for now this is the extent of my list.
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