Whenever I write a new story, like most authors, I do a great deal of research, whether it is genre, time, clothing, or music, whatever pieces need to fit the story just right. Sometimes it sparks my creative juices, other times, like with my dragons and gargoyles, I find, research for mythology is sorely limited, and it can cause a creative roadblock.
This was the challenge I ran into with my Double Dragon 1NS series, so in response, I created what I envisioned as my own epic urban fantasy. The first in my serious, Double Dragon Seduction, I introduced my own mythology and folklore about Chinese zodiac and dragons. The rest of the books in it, I play on the mythology as the obstacle for the heroes and heroines to overcome.
Is mythology fact or fiction? My personal belief is it’s a blend of both. Legend, folklore, fables…call it what you may, but it all means tales that were handed down by our ancestors, be it for their faith, or experiences.
Sometimes, tales are based on events that were reported to have actually happened. Of course, as every story does, over time and with each telling of the tale, details tend to get exaggerated or altered, depending on who and how it gets depicted.
Who doesn’t love a great romantic tale? We all know the Disney line of princesses and their HEAs, but also stories like King Arthur, Zeus and Hercules, Aphrodite, or even Egyptian princess Cleopatra…this is only scratching the surface of the endless list of fantastical creatures we have come to love throughout history.
Writers often craft phenomenal, captivating legends for their invented worlds–but without the awarenessof already established mythology, it seems the uniqueness gets lost in the shuffle, amidst the characters and setting. It just becomes part of the story.
From our
readers, tell me, am I wrong on my perception? I want to know, what do you
envision as epic urban fantasy? What makes new mythology stick with you, after
you’ve read the story and tucked the book away? Without having knowledge to
draw from when reading about mythical creatures, does it steal away from your
experience of the newly created world and make learning new rules and details
too much? Does there have to be an element of familiarity for you in order to
buy into the story?
Please,
leave your comment for a chance to win a copy of Double Dragon Seduction,
(don’t forget to leave your email address so we can contact you for your prize!)
Also: Join me on May 31, 2013 for my
Cover Reveal for my latest story in the
1NS Double Dragon Series:
Dragon’s Breath !!!
Dragon’s Breath !!!
Happy
Reading!
Kali
Willows
Familiarity is not required for me. Please don't enter me - I already have my copy of DDS. Thanks.
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