Guest post by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
I became a diehard Beatles fan after watching the Anthology miniseries in 1995. Their
group dynamics inspired me to write a fantasy story (though by now it’s evolved
into a series) about a group of four people who perform magic together. Each of
these magicians, called Avatars in my book, obtain their power from a God or
Goddess associated with a season. (Spring and fall have goddesses, while summer
and winter have gods.) I thought this was a unique approach.
Then a friend
recommended I read Bujold’s The Curse of
Chalion series. I didn’t get around to it until January 2013. Although the
start was a bit slow, the ending was amazing. However, I was a bit chagrined to
learn Bujold also has deities associated with the seasons. Another unfortunate
similarity involves country names: her main country is called Chalion, and mine
is called Challen. Part of me feels I should change that since her books came
out first, but I’ve lived with the name since the late 90s and find it hard to
shift. I suppose I could stage a takeover or revolution to change the name if
necessary
So, what makes my Four Gods and Goddesses different from
Bujold’s deities, or any other deities? Well, I didn’t base my Four on a
specific mythology but developed them from scratch. (Of course, everyone has
mythology floating in their unconscious, so there may be some hidden influence
from that.) One thing that is different about my Four is that They do not
present Themselves as a family. While the Goddess of Spring and the God of
Winter are close, there is no mention anywhere of Them actually marrying each
other. Spring and Winter are older than Summer and Fall (Fall appears as a girl
between ten and twelve), but the former are not the latter’s parents. The Four
have a unique origin, but this is not described in Their religion or made known
to Their followers. Kron, the main character of Seasons’ Beginnings, suspects the Fours’ power is related to that
of Salth’s, his arch-enemy. The Fours’ origin won’t be made explicit until the
last book of the series.
The Four are not the only gods and goddesses in my world. Each
country has its own God, Goddess, or combination, and each deity has a certain
sphere of interest that affects the country’s history. The Four of Challen have
chosen Their interests specifically to help Their people. Spring has the gift
of healing, Summer, plants; Fall, animals; and Winter, weather. The Four have
each gifted three Avatars with Their associated magic and directed the Avatars
to use this magic on Their behalf. Some of the Four have secondary interests.
For example, Winter is associated with death (Challens speak of the dead as
visiting the God of Winter before they are reborn), and Fall protects women.
How do Challens worship the Four? Every solstice and
equinox, there is a soltrans (ceremony of season change) at the main temple in
the capital city, during which the Avatars for the old and new seasons stage a
mock combat. (The Four don’t fight among Themselves, but the show pleases the
audience), and everyone reaffirms their links to the God or Goddess of their
birth season when they get married.
There may be many other weather gods or animal goddesses out
there, but they are all tied to specific times and place. Each deity, whether
fictional or historical, has a unique meaning in the culture He or She is part
of. If your fictional world features religion, it’s important to show how that
affects the culture. A deity imported from a conquering culture will have a
different impact than a native one. If you develop your gods and goddesses with
as much care as you do your other characters, and you weave Their influence
into your world, your gods will be unique.
***
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. Other published works by Sandra include Twinned Universes and several science fiction and fantasy short stories.
She is a founding member of Broad Universe, which promotes science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.
Sandra can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads
SEASONS’ BEGINNINGS: Kron Evenhanded is an artificer, able to enchant any man-made object, but he finds people more difficult to work with. When he visits the city of Vistichia, he encounters Sal-thaath, an extremely magical but dangerous child created by Salth, another magician Kron knew at the Magic Institute. Kron attempts to civilize Sal-thaath, but when his efforts lead to tragedy, Kron is forced to ally himself with a quartet of new deities and their human Avatars. Together they must defend Vistichia as Salth attempts to drain its life and magic. But Salth has Ascended halfway to godhood over Time. Will Kron’s artifacts be enough to protect the Avatars, especially the woman he loves, or will Time separate them?
You can buy SEASONS’ BEGINNINGS at:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQI9COY
Createspace (paper): https://www.createspace.com/4923126
.
You can buy SEASONS’ BEGINNINGS at:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQI9COY
Createspace (paper): https://www.createspace.com/4923126
.
