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: Linda M. Crate
Title of book and/or series: Dragons & Magic (Book Two of The
Magic Series)
Brief summary of the story:
Syn Seifer has never
been one for confrontation or problems. Despite the faerie's capacity to turn
into a dragon, she would much rather fly away from her problems until they go
away. Yet this time it isn't an option. Syn must learn to deal with her problems
and face reality and its ugly truths or risk losing the friendship of her dear
friends Morgan and Byrant.
It doesn't help that
she has a crush on Morgan d'Ernos whose heart belongs to the corrupt and vile
princess Cinder. Yet Syn is the only one that truly knows the evils of this
girl’s heart. In order to protect Morgan, however, she hasn't said a word.
However, some secrets aren't meant to be kept.
Syn Seifer must learn
how to be brave or watch as her friends go down in the flames of destruction.
Brief description of the world or
location you created for this story:
Atriel
is a vast country containing many little countries as well as larger size ones
- including a sub-country where the High Queen and King reside in which is also
named Atriel.
If we were to visit Atriel as tourists,
what would you recommend that we see or do there?
There are many
countries each with their own customs and cultures so I would recommend
visiting as many as possible to get to know the people and the places better.
There are lots of friendly people, musicians, bards, and writers in Atriel.
There are also taverns, food stands, and festivals that take place at different
times of the year.
What dangers should we avoid in Atriel?
Well, there are evil
people among the good so be careful of them. The vampires are a monsterous lot
so remember to lock your windows and don't invite anyone in at night that you
don't know. Also one must be careful of dragons, wyverns, demons, and monsters
(including Lotus Monsters).
Also avoid the Well
of Forgotten Souls - it's an ominous pool of water so it's a bit hard to miss,
but if you're not paying attention whilst walking in the wood, you could easily
fall in.
Then there's the evil
witch Matilda - just pray that she never crosses your path.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of
food or meal that we might be served in Atriel?
Not that I can think
of. Most of their food is much like ours, however, there are some baked goods
in Atriel that we wouldn't have such as: moon spear cakes which I'm told taste
a lot like pomegranates and star flower pies which taste like a mixture of
apples, cinnamon, with a hint of cherry. They also make wines out of star
flowers and moon spears which are rather popular among commoners and nobles
alike.
What types of weaponry or fighting
styles are common in Atriel?
Swords, sun-soaked
weaponry to defeat vampires, pure silver weaponry to defeat werewolves, bows
and arrows, stakes, etc.
Fencing, archery, and
hand-to-hand combat are the most common fighting styles in Atriel.
There are a lot of
magic users, as well, so magic is oft used.
What types of vehicles, animals,
technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Atriel?
People can use magic
to appear and disappear (but they have to be careful because if they use more
magic than they can produce it can kill them), horses, and horse-drawn
carriages.
What types of plants, animals, or
sentient races might we encounter in Atriel that we don’t see on Earth?
Moon Spears, Star
Flowers, Weredragonflies, Wyverns, Phoenixes, Dragons, Lotus Monsters,
Centaurs, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Dwarves, Druids, Nymphs, Giants,
Trolls, Goblins
What role, if any, does magic or the
supernatural play in the lives of people in Atriel? If there is magic, please give some examples
of what it involves or how it’s used.
Magic plays a huge
role in Atriel. It is used for fighting, technology, transportation, cooking,
healing, and pretty much anything anyone can or could do in the basis of a
normal or extraordinary day.
However, there's a
catch. You cannot use more energy than you have. If you use more energy than
you possess then your own magic will kill you.
Tell us about any sports, games, or
activities that are available for entertainment in Atriel.
There are festivals
that are held surrounding holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.
full of costumes and whimsy.
Every once and a
while the High Queen and King will hold balls or masquerade balls.
There is a lot of
sword fighting and fencing, sometimes for entertainment purposes. There are
singers and bards.
Some of the magic
users entertain children with their abilities.
Are the days of the week and months of
the year the same in Atriel as on Earth? What holidays or special events are
celebrated regularly there?
They celebrate the
same holidays as we do.
Is there a particular religion
practiced in Atriel? Please describe
what it involves.
There is no one
religion in Atriel. Much like on Earth there are many different peoples
practicing different religions and some people who don't practice religion, at
all.
What is the political or government
structure in Atriel? Who is in charge
there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
There is a High King
and Queen and then many other queens and kings beneath them governing their own
countries. The High King and Queen reside in the country Atriel whereas the
other kings and queens have their own seperate kingdoms in the continent of
Atriel.
Are there any other unique cultural
practices that we should be aware of if we visit Atriel?
Just be aware as you
travel through the countries. Each one is different and so what one country may
not deem offensive another one might be offended by. There are local guides,
however, who are friendly and willing to teach outsiders about their country should
they be willing to listen.
Has anything in your actual life
inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
Some of the
characters (especially the nastier ones) were inspired by rude customers that
made me cry at work or people I generally dislike. I always tell people to be
nice to me because if they're not I might kill them off in a book. It's true of
some of the rude people I've encountered.
None of the locations
or cultures, persay, were based on anything I've encountered in my life as of yet.
What, if any, “hot-button” or
controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
In Dragons and Magic the hot button issues
I deal with are pro-life vs. pro-choice and I try to show each side of the
story and show the pros and cons of both through my different characters,
there's also the issue of overthrowing a government that doesn't serve the
people but rather themselves in a way that hurts the people.
Author
Autobiography:
Linda M. Crate is a
Pennsylvanian native born in Pittsburgh yet raised in the rural town of
Conneautville. Her poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been
published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. Recently her two
chapbooks A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press - June 2013) and Less
Than A Man (The Camel Saloon - January 2014) were published. Her fantasy novel
Blood & Magic was published in March 2015. Her novel Dragons & Magic is
forthcoming through Ravenswood Publishing.
Where, and in what formats, can we
purchase your books?
The first novel of
this series Blood & Magic can be
found at these listings:
Here's a listing of
where you can find Dragons & Magic:
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Atriel. 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 another fantasy world, in Realm Explorers Part LXXIII!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to another fantasy world, in Realm Explorers Part LXXIII!
-Annie Douglass Lima
1 comment:
Very interesting.
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