The experience of writing a second novel, a sequel, contrasted sharply from the first. While some aspects were easier – after all, I was building on an established base of characters and settings—introducing new characters and plotlines while developing existing ones presented challenges of its own. It was also the first time I’d had to create on a deadline and the combination of writing/illustrating a 500-page novel while also teaching high school tested my limits. Fortunately, I’d learned a thing or two from writing The Hound of Rowan and The Second Siege required considerably less reconstructive surgery. Here’s the Inside Scoop on The Second Siege:
General Facts:
·
I wrote The
Second Siege throughout 2007 and created the illustrations
during the spring of
2008.
· The Second Siege underwent far fewer drafts – two or thee – and is, I believe, a better written book than The Hound of Rowan
·
In
addition to the writing process, I also learned a great deal from
illustrating The Hound of Rowan: chiefly how the
original drawings translated to a printed book.
I’d been frustrated by the loss of detail in the more
delicate drawings and resolved to make The Second
Siege’s illustrations a bit simpler in their composition and
bolder in the application of ink. I
think this worked well and that the reproductions represent a notable
improvement over those in the first book.
Experience is a good
teacher.
Character Tidbits:
·
The
biggest difference most readers probably notice between the first and
second books are the massive strides that Max and David make in their
abilities. At the beginning of the
first book, Max is an athletic but largely “normal”
boy. By the end of The
Second Siege, he is literally a one-man army who drives back
hundreds of opponents in the Sanctuary gorge.
David makes a similar, if not greater,
progression. Some readers have
expressed frustration that I don’t elaborate more on Max and David’s
specific abilities or the training that goes in to developing
them. This is not an
oversight. Even among Rowan’s gifted
residents, Max and David are prodigies, geniuses in their own unique
ways. I once read a book on the
brilliant physicist Richard Feynman in which the author made a very
interesting distinction between two types of
genius. The first genius was an
individual with tremendous horsepower – a lofty
IQ. These individuals arrived at a
difficult destination much faster than you or I could, but at least we
could conceive of how they got there.
The second type of genius—people like Feynman—were
magicians. Their methods were far
less accessible and infinitely more impressive as their sudden,
profound epiphanies often left their colleagues utterly
baffled. Max and David fall into
this category. By definition, you
and I cannot dissect or reliably quantify their
abilities. They are beyond us and
will periodically flash surges of ability that represent a
discontinuity from what they have done before.
The Irish hero Cuchulain was also this way: a youthful
prodigy who, when enraged, was utterly unable to contain the divine
power within him. At these times, he
shone with a light so bright that his enemies could not look upon
him—much like Max in the
gorge….
· The witches were inspired by a number of tribal cultures and the matriarchal societies of the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres in Frank Herbert’s Dune series. When covering them with tattoos, I thought of the resurrection scene in the first Conan film and a scene from the first Omen movie in which a priest attempts to shield himself from evil by wallpapering his room with the Bible. It seemed very logical that someone who feared the influence of evil spirits would seek to layer every inch of his or her person in protective measures, be they spells, wards, amulets, etc.
·
The
hags – Mum and her older sister Bellagrog – become major characters in
The Second Siege and will continue to be throughout
the series. Mum’s frantic
insecurities and Bel’s bullying charm make for a welcome dose of humor
in what might otherwise be a dark tale.
When conceiving of Bellagrog, I tried to imagine a crude,
swaggering bruiser whose observations, although often cruel or
tasteless, contain kernels of hard fact.
She’s everyone’s worst nightmare of an older sibling:
domineering, immovable, and (worst of all!) very
funny. The hags serve a greater
purpose than mere entertainment value, however, as readers will
discover in the third
book….
·
While
the hags are a treat, so are Mr. Sikes and
Astaroth. I imagine that many
authors enjoy writing for villains much more than
heroes. Villains are simply more
fun, having a wider range of options available to
them. They can send shivers down the
spine, contribute to a rising sense of dread, and even force us to
question our own assumptions and identity.
Unfortunately, in a lot of popular media, villains are
merely evil for its own sake and labor under a blind instinct to
destroy. That’s
boring. In fact, I think the truth
is just the opposite: I believe most villains consider themselves
misunderstood and fancy themselves creators who operate utterly outside
conventional morality. If some eggs
get broken while they make their omelet, so be
it. With Astaroth, I wanted to
create a villain with a sense of honor (he does not destroy Max when he
could have done so) and always tells the
truth. He’s also a demon, however,
and no matter how human he may look, I always wanted a simmering,
shifting element of menace to be present. Astaroth’s name and some
basic characteristics were taken from books such as the
17th-century grimoire The Lesser Key of
Solomon. Such books were
created at a time when scholars made many attempts to decipher and
classify the hierarchies of both heaven and hell.
Astaroth was designated a “Duke of Hell” and assigned
certain attributes, such as a beautiful but ruined form, a noxious
odor, and the ability to share deep secrets and arcane
knowledge. He also had a very
particular seal, which we see in The Second
Siege.
· Agent William Cooper assumes a much greater role in The Second Siege, shepherding Max and David through Europe on their quest for the Book of Thoth. I wanted Cooper to be a more complex character than the cold killer we might have assumed him to be. In his interactions with the Lorcas and, later, Max and Miss Boon, we see a thoughtful, noble, caring soul. This is a slow revelation for Max who exhibits what I’ve often discovered in interactions with my own students: that young people often view adults as always having been crotchety old timers. It’s hard for Max to imagine Cooper as a young man, unscarred and unbowed by the grim experiences that shaped his later life. Senor Lorca’s story of Cooper’s encounter with the Fomorian will enable Max to empathize with the Agent in way that he had not been able to before. Cooper’s become a big favorite among readers and I have a sneaking suspicion that my mother has developed a crush on him.
·
The
characters of Scathach and Lugh, whom we meet in the Sidh, are detailed
in Irish mythology and the tales of Cúchulain.
Lugh, the Irish sun deity, was a latecomer to the Tuatha
de Danaan, and tipped the scales in their battles against the Fomorian
Giants. He was also the father of
Cúchulain and I chose to handle Lugh and his somewhat distant
personality as I thought a fading god might behave.
Lugh is initially curious about Max,
but no more. Lugh leaves Max’s training to his
servant. That servant, Scathach is
more accessible. In Celtic
mythology, she was an expert warrior and the woman who trained
Cúchulain in a variety of obscure and somewhat mystifying
skills. These lessons included the
“Salmon Leap,” the “Measured Stroke,” and the “Champion’s
Cry.” While undoubtedly impressive
skills, their names don’t translate terribly well to a modern audience
and thus I’ve chosen to simply exhibit them from time to time rather
than enumerate them in detail. I
can’t imagine getting the desired reaction should Max threaten an
opponent with his dreaded “Rope
Feat.”
·
I
featured the Spanish city of Salamanca for a variety of reasons.
It is an old city, the site of one
of Europe’s oldest universities, and is visually striking with many
buildings quarried from a stone that lends the city’s plazas,
promenades, and little alleys a stately grace.
I visited Salamanca while chaperoning students on a trip
to Spain and it stoked my
imagination.
·
The Frankfurt Workshop –
its layout, amenities, and philosophies – presented a particularly
entertaining series of challenges. I
am a visual person and wanted the Workshop to exist on a certain
massive scale that combined elements of old and new, natural and
man-made. Its pyramid structure,
Grecian temples, and massive redwoods are an interesting juxtaposition
against hovering pods, computer screens, and mechanized
farmhands. My editor, Nick, has
suggested we could set an entire series in
there….
·
The
Summoning Circle where David manages to bring Astaroth served several
purposes. It allowed me to
illustrate the changing, mysterious nature of Rowan’s outer fringes and
it also allowed me to entertain an idea regarding sites such as
Stonehenge. The great stones that
surround the clearing are not mere curiosities, symbolic relics, or
even ancient astronomical aids; they serve as a sort of mystical
megaphone that lends strength to David’s summons; a chorus of powerful
voices call Astaroth as opposed to one alone.
The scene is also reminiscent of the German tale of Doctor
Faustus, who summons Mephistopheles. In many treatments of the tale,
Mephistopheles appears as a jesting figure, gaudily dressed, much like
Astaroth in his Peliqueiro
outfit.
The Cutting Room Floor:
· Fewer characters or scenes were scrapped in the writing of this book. One scene, however, involved the golem guardian that Bram had placed to guard his key within the Frankfurt Workshop. As readers know, we see little of the golem except the unseeing trophy of its head after the Workshop had managed to dispose of it. I had originally conceived of a scene in which Max would evade or defeat the golem and rescue the key in a heroic manner. I scrapped this, however, because I wanted to move the story along and give the Workshop greater leverage in their negotiations with Rowan. Sorry, golem.
