Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don't forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name:
L.
Palmer
Title of book and/or series:
The
Pippington Tales: Book 1 – The True Bride and the Shoemaker
Brief summary of the story:
There is magic in the streets of
Pippington, but most people are too busy to notice.
Shoemaker Peter Talbot needs a
little magic. Cheap, factory made, shoes are putting him out of business, his
nagging sisters will never let him rest, and his efforts to find true love are
constantly thwarted by worldly fickleness. However, the gift of a wild primrose
and a shipment of rare griffin skin are about to change everything...When
beautiful handmade shoes begin appearing in his shop every morning, Peter is
determined to find the source. What he
finds instead will be far more exciting and wondrous than he could ever
imagine.
Brief description of the world or
location you created for this story:
Pippington is a
town somewhere between the 1910’s setting of Downton Abbey and the magic of
Storybrooke in Once Upon A Time.
Here, the
magical is possible, but hardly sensible, and better left ignored. However, magic
is difficult to ignore when pumpkins start turning to carriages in one’s
backyard, one’s brother appears to now be a frog, or completed shoes start
appearing on the shop counter after only being imagined the night before.
If we were to visit Pippington as
tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?
What
you do while visiting Pippington depends on how much you want to spend.
If
you want to rub shoulders with the upper class, I’d recommend dinner at the
Gormand and an evening of theater and dance at the Morveaux. Talk to the right
people, you might be invited into the inner circle of Mrs. Petunia Ophombauch,
and she will introduce you to the exclusive marvels of high society.
If
you’re more interested in a rougher crowd, I’d recommend a day at the dragon
races, followed by dinner and some good dancing at McBriar’s. Just make sure
you’re ready for a brawl.
No
matter which crowd you choose, make sure to visit Talbot’s Boots and Other
Footwear and order a pair of shoes. Your feet will discover a new world of
beauty and comfort.
What dangers should we avoid in Pippington?
The
dangers of Pippington are generally hidden. Magic is rampant throughout the
city, but not discussed in polite society. The dangerous sort of magic may come
in the form of an old woman asking for a coin, a charming stranger, or a
secretly enchanted hat. In other words, you don’t find danger – danger finds
you.
Is there a distinct or unusual type
of food or meal that we might be served in Pippington?
Pippington’s
cuisine is close to Earth’s, but the Gormand and other restaurants serve a fine
griffin steak. The steak is best medium-rare with a spicy mustard sauce and
roasted potatoes.
What types of weaponry or fighting
styles are common in Pippington?
Many
citizens in Pippington are partial to a classic brawling style, using punching,
kicking, and biting. Those with magic, however, train in secret for sorcery
battles involving conjured flame, tossing about objects, and other magic-based
methods of mischief and injury.
Some
with magic prefer practicing how to turn people into frogs.
What types of vehicles, animals,
technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Pippington?
Attempts
have been made to expand the use of dragons to a means of transportation, but
the high expense of maintaining a dragon, and the likelihood of falling without
proper harnessing, has made this prohibitive. In fact, a recent law was passed
to ban riding dragons without proper licensing of both dragon and rider.
Most
citizens use the public trolley system, private motorcars, bicycles, a classic
horse and carriage, or their own feet. There are rumors of women using brooms,
but these remain unconfirmed.
What types of plants, animals, or
sentient races might we encounter in Pippington that we don’t see on Earth?
In
addition to dragons and griffins, any creature which appears in a fairy or folk
tale in any culture on Earth might make an appearance. Mermaids, for example,
are rumored to live in far-off waters, but none have been found in the local
lake.
What role, if any, does magic or the
supernatural play in the lives of people in Pippington? If there is magic, please give some examples
of what it involves or how it’s used.
Magic
is similar to another wavelength in the air – similar to sound and light waves.
Some people are more attuned to magic, and you can manipulate the air through
sound – whistling, singing, music – or attach the magic to an object, allowing
for specific spells. Those in the underground magic social circles who can do
air-based magic look down on those who can only do object-based magic.
Are the days of the week and months
of the year the same in Pippington as on Earth? What holidays or special events
are celebrated regularly there?
Time
in Pippington passes in the same fashion as Earth. In the summer, the citizens
of Pippington celebrate Abeyance Night, enjoying peace in the city with
fireworks and parades. In the winter, is High Winter, where families come
together to feast and enjoy each other’s warmth.
Is there a particular religion
practiced in Pippington? Please describe
what it involves.
There
are several religions practiced in Pippington, including some underground
religions involving magic. The general citizenry participate in Dalthonism.
The
Dalthon is an oligarchy of five gods who embody five virtues – courage,
honesty, charity, patience, and virtue. These gods dress in simple clothes and
represent the everyday person. They are in eternal battle with the Carricks,
who represent five vices – fear, falsehood, hatred, glutton, and lust. These
gods dress in finery, using their glamor to draw people into their traps.
If
you follow the Dalthonian Path, your afterlife will be in a Paradise, where you
will live in peace. If you follow the Carrickian Path, your afterlife will be
in an endless maze of darkness and misery.
Most
citizens of Pippingtons participate in surface level church activities – weekly
sermons, periodic charity drives involving baked goods – and give little
thought to the deeper questions of their religion.
What is the political or government
structure in Pippington? Who is in
charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
Pippington
is part of Barthan, a democratic republic ruled by a generally elected
president and parliament elected prime minister. About two-hundred years before
The True Bride and the Shoemaker, Barthan was a monarchy ruled by an
aristocracy of magic-users. With the invention of the gun and other devices,
the common class revolted and established rule by the people. Great efforts
were made to erase traces of magic in the more populated areas, and the
survivors with magic moved west to the Surris Mountains.
In
the Surris Mountains, magic is practiced freely, and Barthan leaves the
citizenry alone. In return, residents of the mountains support the Surris
Rangers, who monitor and capture those are doing harm with magic. Those who are
dangerous to humankind are imprisoned in the Culparr Mines.
In
Pippington, there is a mayor and city council, with each member elected every
four years.
While
the mayor and city council are respected, most of society listens to the
opinions of Petunia Ophombauch and her societal column in the Rosetown Journal.
Reputations live and die by the stroke of Mrs. Ophombauch’s pen.
Has anything in your actual life
inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
All
stories and characters I write are a combination of experiences and people I
have met. While the world is long ago and far away, the characters are grounded
in real emotions and every day experiences. For example, in The True Bride and
the Shoemaker, Peter goes through the same romantic rejection most young adults
have experienced.
What literature influences the world
of Pippington?
O.
Henry’s New York (see The Gift of the Magi) and the less bleak parts of
Dickens’ London.
What, if any, “hot-button” or
controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
Dating.
I find it’s a hot-button issue for many single adults.
Author Autobiography:
L.
Palmer has spent many years traveling fictional worlds and building tales of
grand, epic adventures. When she was in the midst of a grand battle between two
ogres and a stegosaurus, she stumbled upon the world of Pippington. Dreams of
wizard duels and clashing armies gave way to motorcars bumping down old city
lanes and fairy godmothers disguised as high-society gossips. Here, she found a
new literary home.
In
between exploring the hidden lives and magic of Pippington, L. Palmer lives
among the mountains of Utah and attends graduate school at Brigham Young
University. She developed her imagination and adventure skills through growing
up in Girl Scouts, working for ten years at resident summer camps, teaching
high school English, attending and working at the University of California
Santa Barbara, and reading great books of fantasy and magic. The True Bride and
the Shoemaker is just the beginning of many tales to come.
Where, and in what formats, can we
purchase your book?
The
True Bride and the Shoemaker is available in print and e-book at via
Amazon.com, as well as a few local stores as listed on the book’s page on my
website: http://tinyurl.com/truebride
Where can readers connect with you
online?
Website:
lpalmerchronicles.com
Twitter:
L_palmer_1
E-mail:
lpalmer@lpalmerchronicles.com
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Pippington. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to Bitter Thorn Grove, in Realm Explorers Part LXIX!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to Bitter Thorn Grove, in Realm Explorers Part LXIX!
-Annie Douglass Lima
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