Indie Book Club discussion

Congrats to B.! This month's fantasy selection is Hemlock and the Wizard Tower!

To get this started off, I'm going to ask the now typical Hollywood question. Bill, if you were tasked with casting your book as a movie, who would the main characters be?

I'm still strongly considering writing "Merit for President" on my ballot in November. :)

Thank you, Jeff! Thank you to the Academy, etc. etc. OK, so here's the deal. I'm getting together an essay about the writing of Hemlock and the Wizard Tower including historical figures that some of the characters are based on, and a list of symbols and metaphors that I knowingly employed. I'm also working on a floor plan of the Wizard Tower that I will try to get done this month. Both of these items will be posted here first.
I will also work on my movie cast.

Note that this book is now free, so anyone who is interested can grab a copy. The only exception is the UK. I haven't managed to get it free over there yet.

This may not be the most diplomatic line of conversation, but it ends in a compliment, so bear with me. I sampled Hemlock months ago. I couldn't get into it due to the disjointed timeline and set it aside. Somewhat more recently, I heard that you had rewritten the first chapter and I decided to try again a few weeks ago. The opening is far more engaging now, so well done. I commend you for having the guts to go back and make a major change like that. I hope it pays off for you.

Thanks, Steve. I think a number of people had a similar experience to your first one. It took me a while to figure it out because most people who have that experience with a book just move on to the next one--there isn't much feedback to the author in that scenario. Thanks for sharing your experiences. And I appreciate you giving the book a second chance!

OK, here's my preliminary casting choices. Not too many younger actors on the list (I have to find more time to watch contemporary movies!). I'd love to hear what other people think.

Hemlock: Milla Jovovich (young version)
Safreon: Clint Eastwood (aged around 60 and heavier)
Falignus: Timothy Olyphant (young version)
Gwineval: Ron Perlman (He's good in makeup, right?)
Samberlin: Harry Dean Stanton
Miara: Emma Thompson
Tored: Anthony Quinn (circa Auda Abu Tayi from Lawrence of Arabia)

And the voice for Merit?

Got a fresh copy of #2 loaded on my iPad. Thanks!

I thought about it, but Merit's voice is mechanical. Not sure if that would translate into a real voice performance or not. If was performed by a person, Michael Cera might be a good choice.
My wife is arguing my Ron Perlman choice for Gwineval. I had originally chose Kyle McLaughlin--and that may be a better choice. I'm not sure Ron Perlman is neurotic enough...

I'm only about 30% through the story (and I did get the newer version) so I haven't met all of these characters yet, but I love some of the actors just 'cause I love some of the actors. I really like Perlman and Thompson, so am all about them. And Jovovich and Olyphant I like, too.

Very cool, Mia. If you like those actors and actresses then hopefully there will be some other aesthetic synergies to be discovered in the story as well.

Will definitely be keeping them in mind while I'm reading now.

I always pictured Merit's voice something along the lines of C3PO's.

Ok, I'd suggest Anthony Daniels as Merit.

Jeff, if C3PO is your vision of Merit then that's a beautiful thing. I can see similarities in the gait. The book does say that Merit's voice is composed of the noise from emissions of steam and other mechanical noises acting in concert. But they are only words on a (virtual) page, and readers get "artistic license" just like authors do.

Good point. That's why I always love to hear what other people's opinions are when it comes to a character you've already envisioned in your head. Most of the times the comparison is pretty close. Other times I'll think of myself, why so-and-so is perfect! Why didn't I think of that?

Is Hemlock's character based on anyone you know?

By the way, Bill, I just created a new series, "The Maker's Fire", and added both Hemlock books to it. Might take a little bit for it to show up.

I always thought including your books in a series looked really cool on your author profile.

Hope you don't mind!

Thanks for the Librarian magic, Jeff.
I believe Hemlock is a composite of various pop culture heroines mixed with aspects of the strong women in my life mixed with some parts of me as I was as an adolescent. You wouldn't think this mix would lend itself to the creation of an intuitive "compass" to gauge her behavior with, but I do feel like she's taken on a life of her own in my mind. It's not hard for me to write her.

What was your inspiration for Falignus? I remember thinking that I couldn't decide if I wanted to hate him or like him, and he ended up being somewhere in the middle. Unusual for me, as I usually hate the antagonist character and can't wait to see how he bites it in the end.

I remember thinking this guy is nothing but pure evil. The name itself conjures an image of pure malice (for me) and I found myself thinking (on several occasions) okay, he's not too bad. Mostly. :)

"I'm not bad--I'm just drawn that way." Falignus does have a story behind him. I have a friend who is very interested in military history. He's also a Franco-phile, which means that he's very interested in Imperial France and...Napoleon Bonaparte. I've read several books about Bonaparte that were lent to me. He is a fascinating figure and not at all like the modern caricature he's become. He was a very smart man with many positive qualities. Of course he was also cruel and ruthless--but no more so than his historical contemporaries. And it's not like a Hitler situation where he was a mass murderer of civilians (other than the incident where he cannoned a mob that was storming the Senate--but they were engaged in an act of sedition). His dream was to unify Europe. But he ultimately let his pride cloud his judgement. Bonaparte is the basis of the Falignus character. I tried to make his portrayal as nuanced as the real Bonaparte came across to me as I read. I've blogged about my thoughts concerning having a "shades of grey" villain versus a purely evil villain. I think it can weaken a story to not have a dyed in the wool bad guy (or gal). Hemlock Book III will be have a very evil villain...

Grats on the selection B. I thought I had already said that, but apparently I forgot lol. Hopefully I'll have some time to jump into the discussion at some point in the month.

Thanks, Scott! I'm very honored that the book was selected!

Grats on the selection also, B. I will rack my brains for a few interesting questions, though it seems like forever since I read it!

Ummm ok, first question.... Why a female lead?

Hi, Rob. Thanks for asking this excellent question. This story started with an imagined image of a female heroine storming a Wizard Tower. Where that image came from is hard to pin down. I assume it was the cumulative effect of the cultural zeitgeist as it resonated in my mind. The Fifth Element was definitely a part of that brain stew. So was the animated MTV series Aeon Flux. This last point just came to me, and I can see a lot of parallels to Hemlock's adventures there. I'd never connected those particular dots, so thanks again for the question.

I've noticed Hemlock has a lot of spunk. She seems to have coined the phrase "It's my way or the highway".

Is that something you had originally planned on writing into her character or did it just develop that way? You have mentioned before that part of Hemlock is based on you. :)

Jeff, yes, Hemlock is definitely not afraid to use her power. And given that she is young, she might seem a bit volatile. (view spoiler)[In the events leading up to the attack on the Tower she finds that as she pushes herself into increasingly perilous situations, her powers seem to reveal themselves in greater magnitude. She doesn't have a sense of the limits of her power. So she's confident. Very confident. She hasn't tasted defeat. And she's suffered on the streets. She has a chip on her shoulder, for sure. Her perspective changes somewhat as the story advances, but this is her basic point of reference. She later learns that she's descended from the powerful founder of the City itself, and that that bloodline carries a great deal of power with it. But she has no true mentor who understands who and what she is. And there's no traditions to guide her through her journey to maturity other than shadowy tales from a distant past. This is something I kind of imply rather than show (or tell) in the book--perhaps to its detriment. But there you have it. (hide spoiler)] Thanks for another thought provoking (for me) question.

Here are some comments about some of the things that inspired me when writing Hemlock and the Wizard Tower. These are being presented as a crude sort of "reader's companion", and in the hope that some may find them of interest. Because they are meant for those who have completed the book, the below are enclosed in spoiler tags.

(view spoiler)[
I started writing Hemlock and the Wizard Tower in aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008. I was feeling a lot of uncertainty about the secretive actions of those in power in the U.S. government. Towers, Ziggurats and the Tanna Varran vertical towns were meant to be allegories for layers of society and the exercise of hidden power at the top of hierarchical structures. The Wizards, in particular, are meant to be an allegory for the shadowy actions driving the monetary policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve. In this regard, Oberon and potions are a metaphor for fiat currency money.

Some of the characters and cultures in the book are inspired by real life figures and peoples. The Tanna Varrans are a mix of Arabians, American Indians and Tibetans. The relationship between the Wizards, Witches and Tanna Varrans is somewhat akin to the relationship between the Middle East and the West in the modern world (very loosely based). In this sense the Oberon functions similarly to oil, etc. "The spice must flow."

As I mentioned in a more detailed post above, Falignus is based on Napoleon Bonaparte. Samberlin is based on Talleyrand (look him up if you're not familiar with him). Tored is a composite of many heroic "lieutenants" from various points in military history (eg: Marshall Lannes, Benteen).
(hide spoiler)]

And Mercuria? I always got the impression that relations are strained between her and Hemlock.

There are some moments of strain between Mercuria and Hemlock in Book I. Having Hemlock as a big sister isn't easy. I think this is the first discussion about Mercuria that I've engaged in. Cool. She's certainly not a major character, but she does have a part to play in the overall story.

Is Mercuria a full-blooded sister? Was just wondering if she shares all the magical traits with her sister seeing how (view spoiler)[Mercuria reveals in book II that she's also learning magic. She says that she's the most talented in her group. So clearly strong magic runs in the family. (hide spoiler)]

Ooo, just thought of something else. With regards to (view spoiler)[Hemlock taking over the leadership of the Wizards, is that something you originally planned on doing or was it more spontaneous, thinking hey, wouldn't it be funny if Hemlock was suddenly in charge of everything? (hide spoiler)]

Jeff, the Mercuria questions will be answered in Book III. :)
In answer to your second question: (view spoiler)[Hemlock's control of the Wizards at the end of Book I kind of flowed from the convergence of characters and the Wand, and the actions of Samberlin. I do just get ideas sometimes, but I prefer letting plot points proceed from character motivations and actions. (hide spoiler)]

Ahhh! :) Do you have a working title yet to the third book?

Also, with regards to the wands of the Imperator, do you plan on covering the retrieval of all seven wands? Which leads me to another question... How many books do you have planned for The Maker's Fire series?

Also when will there be print editions available? Followed by when will you be signing those print editions in say Central Ohio?

Book III is tentatively titled "The Maker's Fire" and is intended to be the end of the current story "arc". That's not to say that further books will be out of the question, but they would be different...

Scott and Jeff, I have a signed print copy of the whole series in mind for you. I'm really focusing on writing Book III now. But after I complete the series, I will definitely be producing printed versions. Thanks for your patience (and interest)!

Very cool B. I actually went to a book signing tonight and was thinking of authors who were somewhat local and I know you and other Jeff (lol) are in PA so I checked Amazon to see if you had print copies available. I think with your cover art they would look pretty amazing in paperback form.

Also fantastically awesome on the signed print editions!!!! If you need any cover quotes for them let me know and I'll do my best to hook you up. BTW just an FYI I will be reading book II again soon to get my review done. Since you changed some stuff from the beta I wanted to get it out of my head completely and reread so I didn't get confused on what was beta and what was live.

Yea, it was amazing seeing Jeffery in person and getting a signed copy of Ephemera. It was a good book too, so that's just icing on the cake.

Bill, that's totally cool! Thanks for thinking of us!

You know, somewhere in the book you should have a "Merit for President"! In my books, on one of the opening pages I have "King of SSX Tricky", "BLNT Lives!" (Rock Band name), etc.

It's only on the print edition. :)

Interesting idea, Jeff. I'll have to think about some ways to spice things up for the print edition. :)

In other news, I've been working on my Minecraft version of the Wizard Tower, but I'm a bit behind schedule. I will keep going and publish some movies when I finally finish it. I have the first and second floors created, and the first floor interior is pretty well done. It's pretty time consuming, and I probably should be writing instead... Oh well.

I thought they were funny little tidbits that if a reader were to read it, or find it, then they'd think WTF and just move on. It's like an inside joke.

I just naturally figured "Merit for President" would be an awesome line to throw in there somewhere!

Big J

When you do the print release you should make "Merit for President" buttons and stickers that you can hand out for promotion!!

We'll have to see what happens with your suggestions for a Merit "easter egg" in the print edition...

I want to thank everyone involved in having Hemlock and the Wizard Tower featured as the book of the month for the club. Scott and Jeff are foremost on that list, but others who voted or commented also deserve thanks.

Much affection to everyone; now, onward to September!

Kudos for writing a very cool novel!!

Finally started/finished! Better late than never though I missed all the chit chat =( I'm moving on to the second and look forward to it. Thanks!

Sorry for the late reply, but I'm glad you enjoyed the novel! And I'm always available for chit chat. :)