|
I was doing some research this week and found myself reading about the history of playing cards. They appear to have started in China, sometime around the 9th century. There are also references to Mamluk cards in Persia and Arabia. Perhaps of more interest, though, are the suits used, with some examples being coins, clubs, jugs, and swords.
In Europe, the first reference seems to be 1367 (some say 1377 is the first). These were likely adapted from the Mamluk cards, with the suits now consisting of cups, coins, swords, and polo sticks. Interestingly enough, polo sticks were a relatively unknown item in Europe, so this evolved into batons or cudgels (or clubs, as we now call it). This is, of course, a quick overview. The actual history of cards is far more interesting than my simple summary. Until next time, Happy reading!
0 Comments
Writing a fantasy series does lead one down some intersting research paths. Today, as I was writing, I had to stop and figure out how my main characters would decide how big of a ship they needed. This led me to learn this interesting fact.
King Edward, I of England was the first to place a tax on ships. At that time, it was calculated on each “tun” of imported wine (a tun being 252 gallons and weighing about 2,240 pounds or just over 1,000 kilograms in today’s measurement). In those days, the carrying capacity of a ship was based on “tonnage”, calculated by multiplying the length of the ship by the beam (width) and then multiplying the result by the depth. The resulting number was then divided by 100 to calculate the area available for cargo, known as the tonnage. This held sway until 1678 when a new method was introduced by shipbuilders on the Thames River. This calculation, which is too complex to write here, assumed that the cargo capacity was actually only 3/5’s of its displacement. This new formula and various derivatives held sway until the coming of steamships in the mid-1800s. Now, I have to get back to work. I have a tun of work to do (or is that ton)? War of the Crown marks my twentieth published book, a journey that began back in October 2017 with Servant of the Crown. Since that time, the Heir to the Crown series has grown considerably (nine main books and four Mercerian Tales, so far). I have also added two more series, The Frozen Flame and Power Ascending. Oh, and I almost forgot, there's The Chronicles of Cyric too.
Looking back over the almost four years, it’s quite satisfying to see how readers have embraced the characters I created. The Heir to the Crown series is not over, of course, and is projected to end up being fifteen books, not including the side stories told in Mercerian Tales. After that? I shall have to see. Something tells me the characters may not be done telling their stories at that point. In the meantime, I have lots of other stories to keep me busy. Until next time, Happy reading! Some time ago, after the release of Embers, a fan reached out with some nice comments about the series. Hidden in among the remarks was his opinion that Athgar and Natalia were spending a lot of ‘quality’ time together, and yet no children were produced as a result.
I had always envisioned them having a child or two later on in the series, but this got me thinking about moving up the timeline. So much so, in fact, that I introduced Natalia’s pregnancy in Flames, where it becomes a significant plot point. This continues in Inferno, in which the child is born (I won’t give away any of the details), and once again, it becomes an integral part of the storyline. This is just one example of how reader feedback can inspire me on occasion. Until next time, happy reading! I had an email this week from one of my readers asking why (in the Frozen Flame series) the mages didn’t use Water Magic to flood a river or fire to light up the ground. Both good ideas, but ones that just won’t work using the magic system that exists in my books.
Magic, in the world of Eiddenwerthe, calls upon a limited inner power possessed by spellcasters. This magic, though powerful when used against individuals, cannot perform miracles. Natalia, who is touted as being extremely powerful, still has limitations, chief of which is the inability to produce things out of thin air. In Ashes, she manages to fill a bathtub with water, but it takes multiple castings of her spell. This has more to do with volume than anything else. Freezing water is, relatively speaking, easy as it is only the surface of the water that is frozen. On the other hand, holding back a stream would be quite a different matter, requiring her to keep the water somewhere, creating a dam of sorts, building up the water over a long period of time. So why did I place such limitations on magic? I have nothing against powerful magic in books, but I wanted my books to place the emphasis on individual actions, not just a group of powerful mages. If a spellcaster were able to wipe out whole armies, why arm men in the first place? For the record, I also developed this magic system as a role-playing game, giving it a consistent ‘science’ to explain its effects. Writing this blog post has got me wondering about something though. Who is the more powerful mage—Natalia (from The Frozen Flame), or Albreda (from Heir to the Crown)? Until next time, happy reading! I always find starting a book the most challenging part of writing. Knowing what I want to get into the first chapter isn’t the problem, it’s deciding on what angle to use to begin the narrative. This typically involves a decision as to who’s point of view the work will begin with. Some series are easier than others, but for something as lengthy as Heir to the Crown, the number of possibilities is relatively high.
Luckily, this time out, the decision wasn’t as difficult as some others have been, but I did have to decide among two different characters—one from book three and the other a brand new character. I won’t give away who they are, but I will give you a hint; it’s not one of the usual suspects. Until next time, happy reading! As an author, I'm always looking to expand my writing technique. My steps to outlining any new story are pretty much the same, but I tried a new technique with the actual prose this time around. In the past, I would often read the previous day's work before continuing on with the story, but while writing Inferno, I delayed that re-read until I completed the entire first draft.
This has given me a better sense of the overall storyline and let me edit sections to ensure the focus was on the right part of the tale. Like many of my other stories, a lot is happening in Inferno, but ultimately it comes down to the main characters' experiences (Athgar and Natalia). I found that this new technique let me ensure that this was the case. Until next time, happy reading! We were out walking the dogs today when I spotted a pair of jets flying overhead. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have garnered much interest, but they were, in fact, military aircraft. London (Ontario, that is) hosts the International Test Pilots School. In addition, this company has a subsidiary, the International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC). They train pilots from all over the world in a variety of different programs, using AERO L-39 trainers, better known as the Albatros.
This Czechoslovakian design (now the Czech Republic) is one of the most widely used jet trainers in existence. Over thirty different air forces worldwide employ it as well as a number of civilian organizations (of which ITTC is one). By the way, it’s not a typo, Albatros is spelled in the Czech manner, with only one ‘s’. Interesting what you can discover when paying attention to your surroundings. Until next time, happy reading! Carol and I were out for our usual morning walk this week, and she reminded me it is two years since I became a full-time author. Wow, has the time ever flown by fast, yet there is still so much left to write!
Having always wanted to be a writer, my journey to get to where I am today began many years ago. I’ve been running Role-Playing Games (RPG’s) almost my entire life. One of the things that attracted me to them was the ability to use my imagination and form a narrative. This led to me developing ever more complicated plotlines and worlds, leading, perhaps inevitably, to writing my own stories. I tried writing a full-length book a few times over the years, but never quite got to the point where I was satisfied with the results. I think what finally convinced me to actually finish my first book was a combination of factors, some of which are largely attributed to technology. The ability to convert anything I wrote to an epub was one such step. I can still remember the thrill of opening up my own story on my Kobo and seeing the words in front of me. The second technological improvement was the ability to self-publish, an option that wasn’t really viable when I was younger (except maybe for fanzines, which I actually did.) Outside of tech, there were two significant influences. First, and perhaps most influential, was the encouragement and support of my wife, Carol. Without her insistence, these stories would have languished on my computer for all eternity. The second was when I finally learned how to create an outline before actually beginning to write. It’s now been two years since I gave up my ‘regular’ job and became an author full time, and I can honestly say it was well worth it. This week I learned of the passing of Jack Whyte. He was a Scottish Canadian author who authored some of my favourite series. These included one about King Arthur, comprised of nine books, and another dealing with the Templar Knights. Both had a profound effect on how I wanted to write.
I was also struck by a number of similarities between us, though I only discovered them when reading of his accomplishments. We both emigrated to Canada in the same year (1967), and he produced seventeen novels throughout his career (I currently have the same number for sale). Additionally, he was a devotee of the program Scrivener, something I only discovered when researching this article. Jack Whyte was traditionally published and sold over 1.25 million copies in Canada alone—a phenomenal success by any standard. He died this past Tuesday at the age of eighty. For more information about Jack Whyte and his books, please visit his official website at: https://www.jackwhyte.com/ |
AuthorPaul Bennett, Writer of Epic Fantasy Stories. Archives
August 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed