Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion

I HAVE NO LIFE BUT THIS


I have no Life but this —
To lead it here —
Nor any Death — but lest
Dispelled from there —

Nor tie to Earths to come —
Nor Action new —
Except through this extent —
The Realm of you —



Emily Dickinson

Woo hoo! Oh, btw I changed my title too, since XXX was already taken, and Nicole wouldn't let me call it "Sex N' Stuff." Now it's titled "No Life But This," courtesy of Emily Dickinson.

Astrid wrote: "Woo hoo! Oh, btw I changed my title too, since XXX was already taken, and Nicole wouldn't let me call it "Sex N' Stuff." Now it's titled "No Life But This," courtesy of Emily Dickinson."

Always the last to know, that's me. ;-P

Maybe we should each share the poems that inspired our stories?

Lisa wrote: "Josh wrote: "Maybe we should each share the poems that inspired our stories?"

That would be really cool. As a way to hold us over for the release? : )"

Yes, we'll have to find some ways to keep you all amused for the coming months. ;-)

Ooh good idea. It's funny, I'm not a big poetry fan myself, but while reading through poems to find one that would truly represent my story I found a whole bunch that I really liked. Anyway, here's the poem I chose:

I have no life but this,
To lead it here;
Nor any death, but lest
Dispelled from there;

Nor tie to earths to come,
Nor action new,
Except through this extent,
The realm of you.
- Emily Dickinson

Aaaand I just noticed that was printed at the top of this page by you Josh. Thanks. Thanks, eyes.

Astrid, you can't get too much of good poetry.

Lisa wrote: "Astrid wrote: "Ooh good idea. It's funny, I'm not a big poetry fan myself, but while reading through poems to find one that would truly represent my story I found a whole bunch that I really liked...."

Lisa, there are two ways to read any poem. One is simply to read for the texture of the words, the rhythm, the images. Like most of us listen to music And the other is to read for content and meaning. Either way is valid.

Josh wrote: "Astrid, you can't get too much of good poetry."

Oh, yes I can. I can definitely get too much poetry. Maybe I was damaged as a youth. Too much Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, or Beowulf. Too much Beowulf has been known to do terrible things to a child.

Or maybe it's because my favorite poetry book is Very Bad Poetry by Ross and Kathryn Petras. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64...)

Fear not, grand eagle,
The bay of the beagle!

Astrid wrote: "Josh wrote: "Astrid, you can't get too much of good poetry."

Oh, yes I can. I can definitely get too much poetry. Maybe I was damaged as a youth. Too much Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, or Beowulf...."

:-D :-D :-D

I think we should all do trailers of our stories. I've seen one of your book trailers. ;-P

Josh wrote: "I think we should all do trailers of our stories. I've seen one of your book trailers. ;-P"

My trailers would probably offend all who like trailers. Wait, what am I saying? My trailers would probably offend *everyone*.

All the more reason to create one, Astrid!

lol my youngest just told me today he's going to try and learn how to make music videos (he watches a lot of them - mostly anime based ones), so I told him he could do my book trailers, once he knows how to :)

Blaine D. wrote: "lol my youngest just told me today he's going to try and learn how to make music videos (he watches a lot of them - mostly anime based ones), so I told him he could do my book trailers, once he kn..."

Oh lucky you, Blaine! I bet they'll be lots of fun.

Astrid wrote: "Josh wrote: "I think we should all do trailers of our stories. I've seen one of your book trailers. ;-P"

My trailers would probably offend all who like trailers. Wait, what am I saying? My trailer..."

Astrid shares my same weird sense of humor so I think all her stuff is brilliantly funny.

@ Astrid

Very Bad Poetry is one of my favorite books ever.

Astrid wrote: "My trailers would probably offend all who like trailers. Wait, what am I saying? My trailer..."

Your trailers are hilarious. But they're not really trailers for advertising so much as parodies that people who have already read the story can enjoy.

So...Aztecs anyone?

What a ride!!!!!

I liked this couple a lot. Deven was awesome, it was fascinating seeing how he tried to cope with his new life and even if the story was short, there's a growing arch in his character, because he had to change his vision of life, to override his instincts and to question his loyalties. I don't know if Silas changed, but the constant exposure to Deven was very beneficial, because it brought out the best in him, even if he was maybe trying to resist it.

The Aztaw world was very interesting and I'm really enjoying how each one of the authors is expanding and interpreting the Irregulars universe.

“I just got fisted in all the wrong ways.”

Best. Quote. Ever. ;-)

Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "What a ride!!!!!

Thanks! Its was fun to research, and to write. :)

Cat wrote: "“I just got fisted in all the wrong ways.”

Best. Quote. Ever. ;-)"

:) The only way I can ever write my fisting novel.

Astrid wrote: "Cat wrote: "“I just got fisted in all the wrong ways.”

Best. Quote. Ever. ;-)"

:) The only way I can ever write my fisting novel."

:-D

I have to say I found the world building on Astrid's story so amazing. Probably because I've read so little fantasy with an Aztec background. It really gripped me.

I think Aztec culture is fascinating and frightening at the same time.

So here's a question I was thinking all the time I was reading Astrid's early draft -- what made you choose Aztec mythology and Aztecs for your world?

I would love to repeat Josh's question and concretise it - how much the Aztaw culture in the story is influenced by the real Aztec mythology and how much is made up? I don't know anything about Aztec culture, so from my point of view such a question is justified. :)

I was deeply impressed with the story and especially with Deven's struggle to fit in a world he never knew. I have to say that I didn't get why everyone was saying that Agent August was a jerk - he actually looked pretty likeable to me. Well, it was annoying that he called Deven 'pretty boy' at the beginning, and he wasn't as nice as Gunther, but other than that, he had several vulnerable moments and I had a lot of respect for the fact that he valued life over everything, but would still do the right thing when it mattered.

As an ignorant foreigner I have to ask: how do you pronounce 'Deven'?

Josh wrote: "I have to say I found the world building on Astrid's story so amazing. Probably because I've read so little fantasy with an Aztec background. It really gripped me.

I think Aztec culture is fascin..."

I'm not 100 percent sure how I ended up with Aztecs actually... I think it started with an older story idea I had ages ago, about a pantheon of gods from all the religions, and in that original research I came across some interesting gods from the Aztecs. So when I sat down to write this story, I decided I wanted to pick a culture that was new to me and not used often in fantasy. Plus I love researching stories, and since I knew next to nothing about Aztec beliefs at the beginning, it was really fun going through books and old manuscripts and learning more.

Plus, once I'd set on the idea of "sacrifice" being my theme for the novel, it seemed like a perfect fit. :)

Cat wrote: "I would love to repeat Josh's question and concretise it - how much the Aztaw culture in the story is influenced by the real Aztec mythology and how much is made up? I don't know anything about Azt..."

Hi Cat!

Well, a lot of the imagery is from the Aztec culture. I looked through books and ideas kept popping up regarding certain traditions or symbols and I'd be like "yes! I must borrow that!". So Night Axe is actually the name of Tezcatlipoca, and I modeled much of Night Axe off the god himself - down to the missing foot and mirror that reflects back pain. Many of the images are traditionally Aztec - the pen in Deven's hair, for example, is from Aztec art, where scribes would have a pen in their hair to show them as educated. The ritual to summon the vision serpent is from them. Tzimimi were also inspired by Aztec creatures serving another god. Crossroads are locations of power, and cenotes are powerful as well. And of course, time is indeed sacred in Aztec and Maya cultures, and they developed very complex sets of calendars, from which I developed the whole aspect of time portals and re-writing calendars.

But the grossness of floating blood vessels into live sacrifices? Unfortunately all from my nasty head. :)

Pronouncing Deven...it sounds like "Devon" which is a region in England. Rhymes with Kevin.

Wow, what an imaginative story! I don't think I've read something based on Aztec or Maya mythology before. It was really interesting to get a glimps at the Aztaw realm and the completely different view of (after-)life. Things that we would see as inhuman were normal day-to-day life for them but they still just lived their lives how they knew it.

I suffered with Deven when he struggled through life on earth where everything was new to him and even the smallest things were hard to comprehend. All those unwritten social rules must have made his new life a daily challenge I wouldn't want to face. All the values we take for granted, especially an appreciation for life itself, he had to learn new. I liked how we could see him fight and coming up with strategies to cope. He still nearly lost if it hadn't been for Agent August. I wonder what made him so perfect for Deven. Was it because August was used to judge people by their capability to solve a given task and not by their looks or behaviour?
August had this way to make fun of himself that made him look way less selfconfident and made me smile. Maybe in his own way he, too, was challenged by living in polite society?

Probably off topic, but Simon Levack has written a series of four books set in the Aztech culture, crime mysteries but with a lot of cultural and religious references. I have no idea how well researched these books are, but they are certainly different from most mysteries out there, and enjoyable too.
Shadow Of The Lords

Calathea wrote: "Wow, what an imaginative story! I don't think I've read something based on Aztec or Maya mythology before. It was really interesting to get a glimps at the Aztaw realm and the completely different ..."

I think this must be how any refugee must feel when being transferred to a new life in a new country, where nothing makes sense and you are homesick for something you had to leave and can't return to. And you have this conflicting feeling of wanting to go back and at the same time knowing the place you long for is the same place you had to leave because they will not have you because of your political or religious beliefs. Like Deven, he is homesick for a place that is "bad" in many ways, but still it was home for so long. Like a friend of mine who is homesick for East-Germany during the communist era, not because she is a communist or would like that era to return, but that is her childhood with its sigths and sounds and smells and it is no longer there to go back to.

The different situations of Deven and Archer made me think a lot, because Deven - I like the refugee idea, Anne - is homesick for a place he didn't belong to, but he called home for a long time, while in Archer, even if I don't think he admits it, maybe it's Rake that hints to it, there's a longing for the faerie realm, from which his family was banished. I think almost all the protagonists of the stories treads between worlds and they are looking for a place to belong (or a person to belong to?). There's a taste of melancholy in every story, I think.

Anne wrote: "Probably off topic, but Simon Levack has written a series of four books set in the Aztech culture, crime mysteries but with a lot of cultural and religious references. I have no idea how well resea..."

Ooh, sounds interesting. I'll put it on my TBR list, thanks!

Anne wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Wow, what an imaginative story! I don't think I've read something based on Aztec or Maya mythology before. It was really interesting to get a glimps at the Aztaw realm and the comp..."

Hi Anne,
Yes, so true about the refugee comparison.. the problem of longing for a home that is ultimately terrible for you. And the amazing way time can dim the ugly and highlight the beautiful memories of a place... your mind makes it so easy to forget all the terrible and focus on the parts you miss.

Thanks for reading!

Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "There's a taste of melancholy in every story, I think..."

I think you're right, which is why I love all the stories so much. It makes them much more real. :)

Astrid wrote: "And the amazing way time can dim the ugly and highlight the beautiful memories of a place..."

Like....UZBEKISTAN?!?

you know you want the plov

Astrid wrote: "Thanks for reading!
"

It is me who should thank you all for writing, I enjoyed the stories immensely.

Nicole wrote: "Astrid wrote: "And the amazing way time can dim the ugly and highlight the beautiful memories of a place..."

Like....UZBEKISTAN?!?

you know you want the plov"

It's true. Sometimes I forget entirely about the boob grabbing and replacing my mailed objects with other random objects and only remember the plov. And the watermelon. And the bread.

Anne wrote: "Astrid wrote: "Thanks for reading!
"

It is me who should thank you all for writing, I enjoyed the stories immensely."

:)

I finished reading "No Life But This" last night and I still have the vivid image of Deven hurriedly drawing the mystic glyphs in circles on the dusty ground, on the splashing water... I absolutely loved those scenes!!! I also enjoyed the peek into Aztaw, the tension building up as the story proceeded and the feel of contradictory longing and homesickness.

I admire you all for creating this wonderful world of Irregulars and like somebody said earlier - it's awesome how every story brings something special of its own to the world building. Thank you, Astrid!

Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "I think almost all the protagonists of the stories treads between worlds and they are looking for a place to belong (or a person to belong to?). There's a taste of melancholy in every story, I think.
..."

This is so true. I felt it myself reading through the other stories.

Johanna wrote: "I finished reading "No Life But This" last night and I still have the vivid image of Deven hurriedly drawing the mystic glyphs in circles on the dusty ground, on the splashing water... I absolutely..."

Yay! That's what every author wants to hear, I imagine, that a certain scene or image from the book resonates with readers. Thanks so much for reading and commenting! :)

I've finished re-reading "No Life But This".

It was an original idea to get inspiration from the Aztec culture. You managed well to blend that aspect with the modern world.

I really liked how Deven's diversity is emerging from his behaviour, and how he perceives it. The difficulties he experiences in adjusting to Earth are very believable. Luckily he goes through a slow change, finally ceasing to see Aztaw as a kind of home. I appreciated that the reason behind August's aloofness comes out indirectly . The final scene shows a great mastery of suspense: I had to stop myself jumping forward. I could imagine it like in a movie.

A question: how should we interpretate the Dickinson's quote: an invitation to live the present moment? Or is the reference more the love side of the poem?

Antonella wrote: "I've finished re-reading "No Life But This".
Both work, which is why I think this poem fits. It's not only about love - and how I imagine Deven feels, knowing only one way to be. At first this is self-destructive, the life he knew which was so unforgiving and unrewarding - and then he meets August and realizes there are other things to live for, a present that will reward him. But I also think the poem has a little bit of an obsessive, myopic point of view which also describes Deven, because I could totally see him going from dedicating his whole live to Lord Jaguar, to now dedicating his whole life to August. Something his therapist will have to work out with him. :)

Thank you for answering, dear Astrid.

I hadn't thought about the fact that Deven should still go and see a therapist even though he has found love...

One of my favorite things about this story was watching Deven struggle to belong to the earth realm, including how he dealt with the sun. And it was funny seeing him trying new foods too.

I think you're right though that all of the characters in all four stories struggled with identity. With who they are and where they belong in the world.

Jordan wrote: "One of my favorite things about this story was watching Deven struggle to belong to the earth realm, including how he dealt with the sun. And it was funny seeing him trying new foods too.

I think..."

I think that's the overarching theme -- and part of what makes the inhuman characters so...human.

Next one of the Irregulars Holiday Codas is here:

Love in the Tundra by Astrid Amara

Astrid is guest blogging at Dark Faerie Tales and wrote a vignette starring Deven and Silas!

http://darkfaerietales.com/fantastic-...