I had an interesting idea for my fantasy series and it concerns the idea of mistresses and illegitimate children. In my medieval research, I discovered that Vikings and Normans frequently had many mistresses in addition to their lawful wives. As a result, they would have a lot of illegitimate children. William the Conqueror was one such illegitimate child and look what became of him. This was before Christianity insisted that having mistresses and illegitimate children were shameful. To the Vikings and Normans, there was no discernible difference between “illegitimate” or “legitimate” children. They would often give their illegitimate children their own land, wealth, titles, and lands. Also, I discovered that the ancient Chinese emperors had concubines and since my fantasy series takes place in an empire, all of these concepts would fit well with the setting. I am thinking of incorporating these ideas in my fantasy book, but with my own unique twist to it.
While I was at the medieval reenactment, I got to reconnect with my Viking roots by playing the Viking equivalent of chess. It was a very straightforward game and my team won in the end. I might take this into consideration for my fantasy book.
Good news! I have completed my first giveaway as an author today. A winner was declared; a very nice woman from Virginia who frequently participates in online giveaways in order to get new items for her kids. I hope she and her family will enjoy the prizes I have sent them. This has been a great marketing tool that has captured the attention of over 500 people. I may try this again in the future.
I discovered something interesting about Wednesday. In Viking culture, Wednesday was known as Odin’s Day because it was associated with Odin, the All-father of the Norse gods. I realized that in a strange way I still celebrate Odin’s Day due to my Viking heritage. The reason for this is because Wednesdays are when I receive new comic books and when I meet with my Writer’s Meeting. I may not get into any fights or offer human sacrifices to Odin like my ancestors did, but I think these good things that happen to me on Wednesdays could be Odin smiling down on me. Who knows?
I am about to begin writing the next phase of the siege battle in my fantasy book. At this point, the siege has been taking place for several weeks so a lot can happen in that amount of time. Both the invaders and defenders will have taken casualties and their tactics will have changed over time. It is going to be an interesting battle to write especially with what I have learned about siege warfare. I will keep you updated on any further developments.
For some time I have been planning to build the setting of my fantasy book around a supercontinent. A supercontinent is essentially the only giant landmass on a planet. The most famous supercontinent is Pangea, which eventually broke apart into the seven continents that exist today. I like the idea of a supercontinent because is symbolizes a form of unity. If Pangea never broke apart, our nations would have been brought closer together. In my fantasy book, the supercontinent will be divided up into many kingdoms under a single empire. This would be similar to how England and Ireland were divided up into petty kingdoms. Due to my past as a prehistory buff, this would be a good way to reconnect with the distant past.
At the end of the new trailer for Season 7 of Game of Thrones, we got to see the size of Daenerys’ Dothraki horde and Drogon. A plot leak revealed that the Lannister/Tarly army is going to be ambushed by Daenerys’ Dothraki horde after sacking Highgarden. After seeing this image, I realized that the Lannisters and Tarlys are going to be ambushed by THIS! They have no chance against over 100,000 savage warriors backed by a dragon the size of a Boeing 747! Robert Baratheon said that only a fool would fight the Dothraki out in the open because that is where they are at their deadliest. Because the Lannisters are accustomed to using treachery and cunning to win their battles they are not used to a fair fight. Because they are being ambushed, they will have no choice but to fight fair and out in the open. I look forward to seeing a one-sided massacre this season and watch the sense of hopelessness the Lannisters will feel as they realize the futility of defying Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne! It is the Field of Fire all over again!
Heraldry always played a significant role in medieval history. It was to display a noble house’s status, rank, and pedigree. During the War of the Roses, the House of Lancaster used the red rose as their heraldry while the House of York used the white rose as their heraldry. During the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor used the red dragon of Wales as his heraldry while Richard III used a wild boar as his heraldry. The Tudor Dynasty used a rose that was both red and white as their heraldry. I am thinking of utilizing heraldry in my fantasy book and they will serve as a form of symbolism for each emperor, king, and nobleman in the story.
Grady P Brown - Author 