Themes of Verdan Part 1 (Get to Know the Author)

On the surface the Verdan Chronicles is intended to be a fast paced adventure.  My goal is take twists and turns and throw obstacles in the way of the heroes and villians and then turn things upside down.  In other words, I want this story to be fun; fun for the reader and fun for me to write.

But what I've also done is create a diverse and expansive world.  It's not our world, but I also want a certain amount of familiarity to which the reader can relate.  In order to do that, I have to build an infrastructure and sort of an operating system in which my world exists.  In other words I have to build a society of laws, religion, politics, economies, prejudices and all the other themes prevalent in our every day lives.  I think I've done that.  I also try to do it as organically as possible within the context of my world.

Now, here's the disclaimer.  I'm going to discuss many themes explored in the Verdan Chronicles.  At no time is it my intent to tell others what is right or wrong or in any way to disparage or show a lack of respect for any groups in our society.  This is a work of fiction.  But it's also impossible for me to say that my beliefs and positions don't influence my writing.  So the following paragraphs are intended to introduce readers to some of the themes they will find in the series.  I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but there will be some.  And while I'm not trying to sway readers to follow my beliefs, they will be out there for those of you who so choose to read.  Again, no offense is intended for those who believe otherwise.  Let's begin.

Racism - It's alive and well in Verdan, but perhaps not like you think.  Color of skin is not an issue in Verdan.  I may describe some individuals as having fairer or darker complexsions, but it has zero bearing on the story.  Any character in this book could have any color skin and it wouldn't change who they are; at least not in my mind.  Racism in Verdan is between humans, elves, dwarves, goblins and dragons.  

Just like in our world some people will apply labels and make assumptions based on a characters race.  Some races will be violently targeted as a result of these prejudices.  I don't think there are any easy answers for this.  If you want to understand how I feel about it, volume 5 will provide some clues.  A king has banned some races from living in his kingdom.  A crisis ensues and many people die.  Had the ban not been in place, lives may have been spared.  That's my belief.  Diversity makes us stronger, but only when we embrace that diversity and work toward common goals.  Prejudice creates fear and distrust.  That works in both directions.  In the end, it has to all be about mutual respect, and that's a trait I try to impress upon my heroes, even though they may stumble on occasion.

Sexism or misogyny - This is also very much alive, but I hope it doesn't take long for you to realize that this book will contain many strong male and female characters.  While some characters could just as easily be written as male or female, most were intentionally written as they were.  Let's start with the most important character in the book Celecia.  Could she have been male?  In general yes, but not when you break down her story.  Very early in the series she is subjected to a lot of emotional turmoil.  Those events would have taken on a different tone had she been male.  The story would have worked, but it would have been a different story and it would have overlapped too much with Terek's arc.

I can't state enough how important it was for me to have strong female characters in the series.  The focus of many of my covers are female.  Some of that is intentional but it's not because of some sexist desire to attract adolescent males with pretty women on the cover.  Part of the reason I enjoy Amy's work so much is that her characters are beautiful, but they are not unrealistically proportioned "barbie dolls".

Getting back to Celecia.  Her journey is central to the entire series.  I've tried to provide her character with a lot of depth, but yes, she does like beautiful things, she likes to wear dresses and she likes to shop.  She may engage in these stereotypical female activities, but that's the point.  Looking and acting like a girl does not make someone weak.  She grew up in an isolated community with few places to shop.  She's attracted to boys and likes to make herself look pretty.  

Yet her relationship to boys or men does not define her.  You could make a stronger argument about the men in her life to say that their lives were defined by her.  Does that make them weak?  People don't generally say that about men.  What makes Celecia a strong character to me is her sense of "self" and her moral beliefs.  Those beliefs are defined by how she was raised and she won't sacrifice those for anyone.  If necessary, she is willing to give her life in defense of those beliefs.  That makes her a strong character to me.  I try to treat all my characters in a similar vein.

I think I'll end this first installment here.  In future installments I plan to discuss terrorism, environmentalism, religion, politics, media and sexual preferences.  I may find other things to cover.