Placing the waterskin on the table, she carefully wrapped her box in its coverings. “Who’d you steal the box from?”
She stared at him. “No one. My father made it for me.”
He snorted. “You expect me to believe that? I know the work. My mother had one she prized.” She started to open her mouth and stopped as he raised his hand. “I know it’s not that one. The acorns aren’t in the same place. Still, I know the craftsman was human. There’s no way you’re related.”
“My father’s name was Bran, and he was human. He raised me on the surface. My mother was Fallen, yes, but I don’t even know her name.” She finished wrapping the box and slid it into the belt pouch. Removing her tunic, she picked up the chain shirt. “I don’t know what happened to your family, Alesso. I only know what happened to mine. He was the only family I had, and Drogon turned our village against me. Against him. The last time I saw my father, he was lying dead across the threshold of our home after the looters set it on fire.” She let the weight settle on her shoulders, then reached for the tunic. “I know you don’t like me. The feeling’s mutual. But you’re the one who asked me to accept you as my Champion.”
“You didn’t have to accept, witch,” he growled at her.
“Yes, she did.” Adam’s voice cut in.
I love fantasy. I always have. It's been my favorite genre since grade school. The thought of other realms, other worlds, strange creatures, magic.... it was the escapism a young girl in a small town needed. And, honestly, I haven't grown out of it. The difference is that I write it now.
Some of the things I love about writing fantasy is being able to make up my own rules. The history, the lore, is there for me to bring to life. I can figure out how magic does or doesn't work, change it to fit better as the story evolves. The terrain, the monsters, whether it rains water or fire.... that's all up to me. As long as I tie it up in a way that makes sense, that is. It's putting words to images in my head, breathing life into characters. Or, in some cases, taking it away.
For me, it's the sense of control and responsibility that gets balanced. Evil should be evil, but why? Heroes should be heroes, but not perfect. Let's give them flaws like real people have.
The bad side to that coin is when you have to work through a continuity knot. How do you explain someone who works outside of the magic system you've established? How can one character do something evil but not die? What repercussions come from the actions of the heroes? Sure, they defeated the big bad dude. But was there any collateral damage? Were thousands slaughtered in a battle to get to that end? What does that impact have on the society they live in? Does eradicating a great evil forgive the death of an innocent child who got in the way?
Fantasy can't be, in my opinion, just about good vs. evil. Because evil isn't always bad for the wrong reasons. You can be noble in your purpose but questionable in your execution.
One of my writing mantras has always been that bad things happen to good people in real life. The same should hold true in books. Lex Luthor has some wins, after all. Not shying away from that as I write, doing traumatic things to my main protagonists, isn't easy. I've written a few scenes that made me want to curl up and cry when I was done. There's been a few where I wanted to take a shower afterwards. And there's been those that made me smile - they still do - because I was able to convey exactly what I saw in my mind.
Every genre has good and bad points. Each author is going to have a scene they don't want to write, but know it has to be written. It's worth it, though, when readers email you and say they laughed or cried at those points.
Born in the late 1960's, K. M. has lived most of her life in the Pacific NW. While she's always been creative, she didn't turn towards writing until 2008. Writing under the pen name of KateMarie Collins, she released several titles. In 2019, the decision was made to forge a new path with her books. The Heroes of Avoch series, along with a new pen name, is the end result.
When she's not writing, she loves playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends, watching movies, and cuddling up with her cat. K. M. resides with her family in what she likes to refer to as 'Seattle Suburbia'.
Thank you so much for featuring K.M. Warfield and SCALES AND STINGERS today.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks great. Sounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this excerpt, thanks for sharing
ReplyDelete