As I mentioned yesterday, we have a very different blog post today. Instead of summarizing it, I’ll let you read it. And if you missed the giveaway yesterday, you can enter today.
An American/Medieval Fantasy Culture
By Morgan Huneke
I’m a genre mixer. Why stick to one genre when you can throw a few together? It makes it more interesting, less cliché. After all, Across the Stars is a magic-free fantasy with a sci-fi spaceship instead of a portal. It’s fun to mix. My worldbuilding tends to be that way as well, only with eras. I love history, but I love so many different parts of it that it’s hard to pick just one to write about. Fantasy provides a solution for me. Because why stick to one era when you don’t have to?
I don’t have anything at all against strictly medieval fantasy. I like so much of it. And I’m rather partial to knights and swordfights and the age of chivalry. Not to mention peasant life. Yes, I’ve always been more interested in the poor people than the rich people. But I love American history as well. I couldn’t help wanting to include some. And then Jaye L. Knight’s Facebook posts about gladiators made me want to toss a bit of Ancient Rome in for extra flavoring. Here’s what I came up with.
Calhortz has a somewhat typical fantasy/medieval government. In other words, they’re a monarchy and that monarch lives in a castle. The queen, Toarna, also tends to dress in regal robes instead of the typical attire of the people, which I’ll get to later. They also primarily fight with swords and the soldiers wear medieval armor. Toarna has ladies-in-waiting, often insists on a court musician, and in general behaves like a medieval (tyrant) queen.
I pretty much always knew that the true people of Calhortz were slaves, and therefore I turned to the stereotypical ante-bellum South. Now, as a history nerd and a southern girl, I am quite adamant that there is way more to that era than the stereotype, but this isn’t the place to get into that. Most of the strytes who live in Calhortz live on plantations which they run with human slaves. They feed them little, punish them hard, and work them to death, separating families on a whim, caring little for the slaves’ feelings. Though because I couldn’t say every plantation was like this, George had a decent master. I also took the stryte fashion from this era. Those Southern Belle dresses with the hoop skirt and the tiny waist like you see in Gone With the Wind? That’s typical female stryte attire. (Not a huge fan of Gone With the Wind, though, once was enough.)
The strytes also have a Roman thirst for bloody entertainment. So you’ve got the men in their frock coats and the women in their hoop skirts flocking to the arenas to watch slaves kill each other. Yikes.
There aren’t many seafarers from Calhortz, but Toarna does employ privateers. Their ships are about colonial period, and cannons are the smallest firearm anyone has been able to make. Since most seafarers come from the Yatachee Islands where fashion is quite behind the times, knee breeches are most common among the sailors, both merchant and pirate.
Era mixing is great fun. It’s not exactly easy to do, but it’s quite rewarding to write about your favorite time periods all at once.
About the Book
“M’lady, it has been fairly well confirmed that the Redona was hidden away by the merfolk at the conclusion of the Great War instead of destroyed as was commanded. My brother has confirmed to me Joseph’s belief that it was concealed at the Crossways.”
Toarna pressed her fingertips together in thought. “It must be recovered and destroyed as was at first intended.”
Emily, Allan, Jill, and Joey have been reunited with their long lost ancestors. But with that reunion comes the true beginning of their quest: free the rightful king of Calhortz so that he may be restored to his throne. The Redona, the only object that can free him from his long imprisonment, is rumored to be concealed in The Crossways, a mountain across the sea which cannot be entered.
A slave since birth, Adriel’s resentment and hatred towards the strytes only grows as his family is continually ripped from him. He longs for the freedom the Time Captives are prophesied to bring, but he doubts their existence, just as he doubts God’s love. Circumstances in Calhortz are so dire. How could they ever improve?
Who can enter The Crossways? Will the king ever be freed? Or will the slaves of Calhortz lose all hope of freedom before it is even offered to them?
The Crossways is the second book of the Time Captives trilogy, a tale of faith, family, fantasy, and a fight for truth and freedom.
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Kindle ~ Paperback ~ Signed Copy
About the Author
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke is a homeschool graduate who lives in Georgia. She has enjoyed creating characters and writing stories since early childhood. Her other interests include reading, playing the piano and violin, and politics. She is the author of Across the Stars and The Experiment.
You can connect with Morgan on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Pinterest.
Giveaway
Join in the excitement of Time Captives and enter to win a special prize! The first prize winner will receive a signed copy of The Crossways. The second prize winner will receive an eCopy of The Crossways in the eBook format of his/her choice. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
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Schedule
Monday, October 19
Tuesday, October 20
Wednesday, October 21
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23
Saturday, October 24
Monday, October 26
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