Windsong & Requiem - Of a Great Deep
by Chad Hunter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Pirate fantasy, Mature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The year is 1716. The world is in the Golden Age of Piracy and fabled ships sail the seven seas. One such vessel is the Requiem, captained by the young but wise, brave but dubious Nabopolassar “Bo” Travis. Alongside his first mate Ghassan, quartermaster Winter Burke and navigator Glover, Travis seeks treasure, female company and good drink. The Requiem’s legendary adventures are filled with tales of monsters and myths - all of which are true. Now, someone or something is sailing the seas in search for a treasure chest – a chest that holds unknown riches which only promise to change the world forever. Captain Travis, his crew and a beautiful young map reader must brave the dark and the deep to find the treasure. Will the Requiem find the X on the spot before the infamous Captain George “Bloody-Face” Fiddick does? Will Travis uncover the secret behind the cursed black ship which changed his young life forever? And will the treasure chest truly be full of riches or does something far more insidious lie in wait? Ready your flintlock. Sharpen your sword. The Requiem awaits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Lights flickered. The wind would regularly wheeze its way in enough to play with the
candles that kept the hidden lair bright enough for reading, for planning and mainly enough to keep George Fiddick's men from walking off cliffs and cavernous drops.
George Fiddick or George "Bloody Face" Fiddick as he had come to be known, sat on a
chair that was long since stolen from some ship long since raided and sunk. The tomes and
books, art and items that filled the room in heaps here and there were also all pieced
together from adventures on the seas long ago. No particular details rang clear in Fiddick's
mind. Everything seemed to lump together. And that was life now for the aging man more
so than the exactness of details remembered in his younger days.
A mountain of a man, Fiddick filled the whole chair as he leaned back into it. The wood and
upholstery of the pirate's throne groaned under his size. His brown coat and dark pants
matched the massive beard that covered his chin. The hair on his face was still smooth and
wavy and mostly dark, unlike the thinning and graying hair atop his head. Of all the colors
that comprised Fiddick, most focused on the red that regularly gushed from his nose. It
darkened on the handkerchief in his bear-claw hand. It was not battle wounds and swords
slicked in crimson that had earned him his moniker. "Bloody Face" was pejorative and it
stuck. Now Fiddick let it be what it was - a terrifying legend to all who sailed. When
captains and crews, privateers or navy saw the Crimson Lady, it was unmistakable. The
mighty ship ruled seas and oceans with her black flags each with a red insignia shaped of a Great Deep woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I asked Chad how he did his worldbulding and here is his answer:
World building, for me, is probably the most difficult aspect of fiction writing. Regardless of the setting and genre (horror, fantasy, thriller, etc.) you as the author are laying out aspects of this realm, this environment. While fantasy/horror/sci-fi give you so much room, they can be the most difficult worlds to build. By entering those genres, all the rules and layouts of what your audience knows and expects goes up in the air. You have to ground them.
Case in point, for Windsong & Requiem – Of a Great Deep, I was semi-bound by the fact that I wanted it to be in our world as we know it but with elements of the supernatural. With just that vein of monsters, magic and so on, I was unshackled by most normal rules but I still had characters who were human and could be hurt like any human being, I had ships that had to obey the laws of ships and more.
So, in order to do my world building, I outlined the novel as much as I could. For Of a Great Deepand any novel such as those I’m working on now, I write the ending first so I know where I have to get everyone by the end of the book. Once I know that, I know what kind of world and setting will allow them to do just that. Simultaneously, I do, what feels like, a ton of research and “muse immersion.”
Research normally involved reading information. I am a huge fan of libraries so I took out multiple books on pirates and books of pirate fiction. I am also a fan of the Eyewitness books and their mixture of images and descriptions helped with my interpretation and insertion of data, people and things into the story.
Muse Immersion! I coined that phrase! I find multiple items that put me in the mindset of writing what I’m writing and have them in sight as I create. So, for Of a Great Deep, my desk had plastic pirate skeletons, an eye-glass, two fake pirate swords and fake costume treasure. I played pirate games and watched some classic pirate films. Like the muses of mythology, these items inspired me and eased the transition from school drop-offs, email replies and housework to being in the boots of Captain Bo Travis.
I also keep a few journals where I write my rules down so that I can refer to them quickly. What type of ship is the Requiem? How fast is the Crimson Lady? What are the weaknesses of the Kraken? What is the unique way the Celestial Galleon arrives every time? I think it’s important to have your world’s rules on hand every time you write. Avoid having to remember everything. Take that stress off of the brain and let that room in your mind be for writing.
Most of all, I had fun doing the world building! These places, these people and their things became a part of me andI became a visitor in their world. Keep your world’s rules simple so that you don’t overburden yourself and you don’t have to repeat the rules over and over. Your reader will accept your world without being reminded that it is different.
Now, go create! The world – YOUR world awaits!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Chad Hunter was born in East Chicago, Indiana. Raised by a single mother in the city's Harbor section, he is the youngest of four. Growing up in the Midwest and a proudly self-proclaimed "Region Rat," Hunter has written and published several books and novels. He has written for magazines and newspapers throughout North America and has been published in several languages. His writings have been called sophisticated yet humorous, sharp witted and unrelenting.
Most often, Hunter's writings have been considered so wide and diverse that they span a scale that would include multiple writers with multiple forms. In addition to being a published author and journalist, Hunter is also a professional speaker. Having presented to high schools, colleges and various other audiences, his talks and discussions center around the positive impact of literary and creative presences in one’s life. A large portion of Hunter’s focus is on the uncanny strength of human connectedness which is emphasized via the lens of writing and creativity.
Working in genres including dark fantasy, memoirs, science-fiction and anecdotal collections, Hunter weaves tales of monsters, heroes, zombies, wedding planning, technology, pirates and even black parakeets. With over ten books under his belt, If anything binds his varied styles, it is Hunter's theme of the human condition, humor and family closeness - all to the backdrop of romantic love, vibrant remembrance and even monsters themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION :
Chad Hunter will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks all! Glad to be here!
ReplyDeleteWhat book would you like to see a sequel to? Thanks for hosting. The book looks interesting. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed following this tour and look forward to checking out this book!
ReplyDelete