I was so honored to be tagged by Sky for this questionnaire! I hope you don’t mind reading another post about my book. ;)
1. Who are the main characters?
Aviyah, who has lost almost everyone she loves, and princess of the royal city. Hadar, King of Ramath-Gilead, an old man who is worn with time and care. Joash, a young man whose parents have both been murdered, who now seeks revenge upon those who have destroyed his world. Nadir, an old and aged prophet who stands alone as one who knows and obeys the truth, to his own danger.
2. How did you get the idea for this story?
The idea has been there for about three or four years! I believe I had just read Lord of the Rings and loved the medieval setting – so I started writing a book in the same type of world. That turned into a futuristic sci-fi novel that I began writing with my brother, which then turned into The Return of Justice. At that point I stopped and left it for a few years. Coming back to it in November of 2011, I came up with the idea of turning it into an allegory, where the nations would be like Israel in the Bible – rebellious until the Lord broke them. I had been reading part of Jeremiah and it struck me how amazing the story of Israel and Jeremiah was, and it was then that I thought of doing an allegory. The only things that have carried over from The Return of Justice and the sci-fi version are Joash and his mother, and two or three city names. I completely changed everything else!
3. What genre is this story?
Allegorical fantasy. The only resemblance the people/nations bear to Israel is their hearts and devotion to idols. Other than that, the story is set in a medieval-type world where horses are used for transportation, and the most common weapon is the sword. Houses are very simple, with thatched roofs, and the social setup is similar to the Lord-and-vassal structure, in that peasants always stay peasants, while nobles are always noble. People rarely rise in rank.
4. Describe your book in three thoughts:
The nations of the Earth have turned from the worship of Adnoai and bow only to their idols. Yet instead of obeying the voice of the prophet and repenting from their ways, Hadar, King of the royal City, and the people of the nations persist in this worship. When an enemy nation comes against them and utterly destroys all the armies, to where will they turn?
5. The bit that describes an obscure piece of real life best:
[Aviyah to a noble lady] “For all you have done, my lady, I thank you with the greatest gratitude. It has been pleasant to me to rest in your house and to be treated with such great kindness.” But her eyes spoke then what her mouth could not, for there was in them great thanks for the gentle, motherly ways of the lady, the caring way in which she had taken care of the lonely and motherless girl. And the lady understood, for she was possessed of great discernment and saw the unspoken words in the girl’s eyes. *not quite an obscure piece of life…but I couldn’t find anything else…=D*
6. The funniest line said by a side-character thus far:
Well. There actually aren’t any funny lines so far. Thinking about it, I should probably have some comic relief in there…I’ll get to work on that! =D
7. Your favorite piece of description:
The City of Light rose up out of the valley of Arye, its great walls stretching along the valley and up the mountain. At the highest point stood the mighty castle, an emblem of wealth, power, and royalty; the place of the ancient kings. It faced East, bathed now in golden light as the morning sun rose above the tree tops, filtering through the yellow, orange, red, and gold leaves. Dark green evergreens covered the slopes below the palace, forming a natural wall of protection that came after the stone wall, for it was two walls that defended the place, one that encircled the city itself, and one that surrounded the palace. Beyond the last wall lay the farms and fields, bordered by the great forest. Yet this was no ordinary forest; this was the forest of kings, the forest with tall, noble trees planted two thousand years ago by Avner, still glorious in their great age. They towered above the land, their royal robes of scarlet and gold stretching out and spreading far until the touched one another’s. Straight and tall they were, with thick trunks and deep roots, not soon cut down. They were the royal guard of the mighty City.
8. Your biggest fear in the writing of this story:
That I won’t develop Aviyah enough. For some reason my main character is always the hardest to write when they’re a girl! I am having such trouble with her – she just keeps squirming away from me and WON’T be pinned down.
9. Last full sentence you wrote:
“Adonai shall hear you, if you would ask Him for mercy, for it is from Him that you must beg forgiveness, and not me, for I am only His messenger.”
10. Favorite character thus far:
Hadar. I just like how he is quiet and grave, but honors his men and values their lives and their service. He’s so much easier to write than Aviyah – I think I really know who he is.
11. What books have been written or have you read that are similar in style and flavor to your novel?
I really, really, really hate to say it…Lord of the Rings. I don’t ever want to be accused of being a copy-cat, but like someone said, nothing is completely original. So the general style is somewhat like LoTR, but the story line is definitely different. (That’s how I justify it. ;) )
12. If it was destined to become a book on tape, who would you wish to read it?
I’m gonna have to go with Sky on this one – Liam Neeson. I love his voice!
Alright, I tag:
Sarah from Oh, Restless Bird
Emily from The Little Things in Life
And anyone else that might want to!
