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July 20, 2004
A Mirror's Shard
A Mirror's Shard is my original fantasy novel that I started working on at the end of 2000.
The story takes place in 9th Century Lughdon, an alternate history version of Lyons, France (once known as "Lugdunum"). The point of departure for the history is 900 years earlier, where the Romans decide to return to Republican rule and withdraw from Gaul instead. Certain Continental Celts get organized and take on imperial rule with Lugdunum as the capital.
The protagonists are a pair of teenagers who have grown up close to each other, developing a friendship along the way. Kern, a boy of Celtic origin, is three generations descended from slaves and is the son of a baker. Gertrue is the daughter of ethnic Greeks, her father a metal smith and mother a devout Titanian, a religious order with a matriarchal lean.
Kern stumbles across a dying man, from whom a strange curse, a.k.a. "The Mirror's Shard," emerges and plants itself into Kern. The forger of the Shard is a magical and mysterious beautiful demon named Odessa Helipatilliga, who wants it back.
Now, I finished the first draft, in which Kern and Gertrue were only twelve-or-so years old. It truly drew from the story, and I wanted to add a love angle that made older children work much better.
But I haven't worked on the story in quite some time. I have piles and piles of paper with notes sitting on the edge of my rear desk, but I seem to have a "block" in returning to it.
At least I'm writing something. That's what Karen told me; and I keep it with me. I'm writing something...something of my own, and I will get back to this. Just writing about it here has helped me.
Update 9/17/04: Read the Prologue here: Prologue!
Posted by Bastique at July 20, 2004 12:08 PM