What is the inspiration of the story?
It sounds odd, but I had a lot of strange, but memorable dreams from about 16 on. I wrote a lot of them down. When I was searching for ideas beyond the basic idea of an adventure I keep getting drawn back to those dreams, and using elements of them, the tale grew from there. An example of one is the wing slapping meeting of the white owl in Eyfod Forest, another is the elf scene by Foxsong Lake.
Is there a message in your book, Heart of the Messenger, that you want readers to grasp?
I think several. The first is that you don’t have to be an epically awesome hero to make a difference, everyone is a hero in their own life. Little things can make a bigger difference than big things. Meka, who considers himself as the strongest and best, does nothing but cause pain and grief on purpose. Another message woven into this tale is, regardless of what you want to do, sometimes there are not other options, it is your reactions to situations presented to you that count.
From the historian side of me, I have incorporated the idea that history leaves us with only a simple view, what is remembered is often a dangerous one liner that heartlessly removes all the emotions and influencing decisions of the moment. We must learn to read between the lines to find the truth that is often hidden, be it on purpose or by accident. Likewise, that good and evil are never easy to define. I have Baol, a ruthless assassin, every now and then as a gentle-hearted hero, where as Begard, the knight in shining armour, regularly shows he is more controlled by greed and personal glory than noble ideals. Similarly, dark-hearted priestesses are clad in the white, symbolic of purity.
Finally, I think the overarching message I am trying to get across is ‘Would you take on an Adventure that would change your Life, and the World?’
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