Sunday, August 16, 2009

Welcome to another lazy Sunday! Sleeping in is about the most glorious thing on the planet, right? Something I know I’ll be doing precious little of soon… but I’m totally getting my fill now. ;)
And for your reading pleasure on this lovely, lazy Sunday, we have a fabulous special guest, Toni V. Sweeny. Toni writes not only romance but also science fiction/fantasy and horror. I, for one, am impressed. So, take it away, Toni…





Carrying a Theme through Several Generations

One thing about writing about a dynasty--it covers a lot of territory and a whole lot of people...centuries of events...millennia of generations... I took the easy way out. I decided to write about the beginning and the end of a dynasty--the rule of the kan Ingans of the Emeraunt Galaxy, in fact. My series, The Chronicles of Riven the Heretic (Bloodseek, Blood Curse, A Singing in the Blood, and Barbarian Blood Royal) told the kan Ingans' origins. My series, the kan Ingan Archives, told of their inglorious end thirty-one hundred years later. The series didn't start out that way, but--as usual with characters with which I have dealings more than once--Aric kan Ingan and his Black Shield friends yanked the book out of my hot little hands, and, in their superiorly militant way, took over. If they'd let me handle things, the story might have ended differently; then again, knowing my penchant for Unhappily-Ever-After endings, it might have been worse!

Family sagas are a lot of work because you have to keep track not only of the characters' names and physical appearances, but also of their ages, especially if each novel encompasses a number of years. Sometimes it's easier to make a tangible chart, a family tree or spreadsheet with all the relationships, ages, etc., so it can be referred to from time to time. In Blood Sin, the main character, Aric, goes from age twenty to thirty; the second novel (tentatively titles Sinner's Exile) opens ten years later and covers five years of his life. In the third novel, at the age of 46, Aric returns to Arcanis. When Aric left his home, the woman he will eventually love was six-years-old. When he meets her again in the third book, she's twenty-two, and his decision to marry her scandalizes his friends because he's now twice her age. Age plays a very important part in these stories so I had to keep close tabs on how old everyone was and when.

So.

And what is all this leading to? To the promo for my new book. Blood Sin, the story of a man who falls in love with the wrong woman. (Don't they all?) A man who was destined to be the most powerful person in the galaxy until Cupid skewered him with one of those little darts. A man accused of committing a crime and unable to prove himself innocent because to do so would reveal he's committed an ever greater crime. It's got plenty of love, sex, and violence. A real winner!

Check it out.



Blood Sin is available from Leucrota Press. www.leucrotapress.com.


Toni V. Sweeny
http://www.tonivsweeney.com/

8 comments:

Alice Audrey said...

I haven't written any family sagas, but I have had to draw up charts and calendars to keep track of everything.

T. Sue VerSteeg said...

Sounds great! I have to keep a timeline in my notes to keep ages straight or I lose track :)

Christie Craig said...

Thanks for joining us at Killer Fiction. I found character charts helpful when writing my three book series. I forgot someone's eye color and had to flip through the first book to find it.

CC

Judith Keim said...

Great, Toni. I've written a family saga and you're right, I had to make a chart of who, when, where!!It was fun though, and it's a good story. Good luck with your book. It sounds fascinating.

Mary Ricksen said...

Toni, I need to get one of your books soon. I am dying to read one!!

How do you keep all the stories straight in your head? My goodness I'd be gettin' confused. You write like crazy!!

But you manage to do it with flair, and talent. Good luck.

Toni V.S. said...

Thanx all for the kind words. It gets pretty hectic sometimes. With two pseudonyms, I'm having to do charts on myself and them, too!

Mary Marvella said...

good blog and killer trailer! Toni is amazing with complicated plots!

Anonymous said...

Great trailer! Book's not too bad, either... :)

JL