I'm starting to question the wisdom of my current blogs. I feel like I'm out on a limb with no idea how thick the branch is I'm sitting upon. I mean seriously. what the heck do I know about racism or sexism? I'm caucasion and male. Well, I am writing fantasy. The only thing I can promise you is that my blogs are real and honest. I may not be an expert on these things, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about them and having opinions. Doesn't everyone? At the core of my belief system all men and women are created equal, regardless of any labels people try to place on them later. That goes for elves and dragons as well. :-)
Politics - Let's go really out on a limb. How is politics handled in Verdan? The world I created consists of many nations and kingdoms. Most of the people at the time of The Fourth Age are ruled by a monarchy; a king and/or queen. Parthea is a religious state and Kyrotha is a failed republic. Taiga is more of a collection of tribes and Chirncy is divided up into separate territories; each controlled by a pirate lord. As time goes on, we will eventually see the spread of democracy and some hybrid type governments.
The danger in my discussing politics at this time is because of the heightened tensions created by the current presidential election in the real world. In general, I have a distrust of large governments and corporations. No, I don't really think there are as many active conspiracies as some would propose, but I do think a lot these large entities are too absorbed by self preservation and self interest and not enough in the people they are supposed to serve. In this respect, some kings and queens feel as if the common peasant's purpose is to serve them and some rulers understand that their role is to serve the will of the common people. I try to present both types of leaders.
I do believe that in a democracy too many people vote out of fear and that the politicians purposefully play upon those fears. If Jamut were real, I'm sure his power would be tenfold what it is in Verdan. What I see are people whose daily lives are guided all too often by fear; fear of losing a job, fear of losing whatever meager wealth they've accumulated; fear of losing themselves. Political campaigns are sometimes almost strictly based on fear and all too often elections are won based on fear. In Verdan, Celecia and Dakoran are my beacons of hope. Much of the story is their journey and while they suffer setbacks like anyone else, I always try to keep hope alive within them.
I don't want to divulge too many spoilers, but my draft of Volume 9 was completed over a year ago. While I continue my efforts to see the original nine volume story published, I've found that I enjoy writing and I enjoy expressing possibilities in this playground I call the Verdan Chronicles. Current events and politics have driven a lot my thoughts lately and I want to express them as creatively as I can. Last year I've started writing down some notes on how the Verdan Chronicles might continue. And so they will.
I can't promise to publish the subsequent volumes. Once again I'm writing for me. Self-publishing takes effort and if you want a good end product it takes even more effort or more money. In my case it's taken a fair amount of both. If enough people are interested in the Verdan Chronicles to generate the necessary revenue to fund more books, then they will be published. Honestly, that's not asking much. For every 100 readers willing to buy my books I can pay to publish another book. So I guess that's the bar that's been set.
Just to wet your appetite, Volume 10 is titled Whisper in the Universe. It starts five years after the end of Volume 9. It's taken that long for the events of Volume 9 to be wrapped up. It will follow some familiar and some new characters as they embark on another set of challenges. You can also count on there being a running theme to explore what it means to be a leader and how decisions can affects the lives of others. I plan to examine the possible results of some tough decisions. It will be the start of another three volume arc and I already know how it will end. I don't think anyone will see this coming. Of course no one will see or read about it if the chronicles remain in obscurity. But I guess that's up to you.