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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Andi Van on tour for Magic Wept, the new release in The Mages’ Guild Trilogy. Welcome, Andi!
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Once upon a time (the early 1990s), before the dawn of the internet as we know it, there was a BBS (that’s “Bulletin Board System”, and we had to use actual phone lines to dial into them via modem) in which I ran a role-playing group set in a mages’ guild. My character’s name was Trivintaie, and she was a redheaded mage with a penchant for mischief.
Yes, she was THAT Triv. The same Triv that starts off the whole Mages’ Guild Trilogy.
When I decided to revive her and write the trilogy, I knew I couldn’t make her the main character. Her time had passed, and too many other people had taken part in creating her guild for it to really be mine. So I set the trilogy a thousand years in the future and gave her world a new hero.
What I didn’t expect was that I’d pack it with such a diverse set of characters, most of which reflecting some part of the rainbow. It was completely unintentional, but once I realized it was happening, I was thrilled. One of my goals was to give young adults—and adults not quite so young—characters that maybe they could identify with in a way they might not have been able to before.
So I’d like to introduce you all to some of the new characters in the second book of the trilogy, Magic Wept.
But before that, I wanted to let you all know that there is indeed a giveaway. I will be randomly generating three winners on September 30th, all of whom will receive a plush purple cat (because nothing says magic like a K’yerin plushie—Tasis’ familiar is just full of himself enough to agree with that sentiment) and an ebook copy of Magic Wept. You can enter the giveaway at
http://andivan.com/magic-wept-blog-tour/.
And now, on to the characters.
The character I’d like to introduce you to today is Emlynn. Emlynn is a very short giantess.
Yeah, I know, it sounds funny. But it’s true.
Giants, in the trilogy’s world, are roughly twenty feet tall when they’re adults. Em, who is fully grown, is seven feet tall. This is like having a fully grown person the height of the average toddler. Among the giants, she’s made fun of for her height, and is understandably touchy about it. I hadn’t intended it when I created her, but I’d like to think she serves as a reminder that physical differences shouldn’t matter, and people shouldn’t be judged on them. As the saying goes, it’s what’s inside that counts.
As far as what she represents as far as the rainbow is concerned… Well, things are more vague with the elves and giants. Gender absolutely does not matter to them, in terms of attraction, and Em is no different. And while I could absolutely call her bisexual here, I’m actually going to go with pansexual, which I tend to think of as including genders outside of what’s thought of as the standard binary. (Don’t worry, my bisexual friends, your turn is coming.)
I adore Emlynn. She’s got a huge heart, and once she’s around people who love her as she is, she absolutely shines.
(Fun fact: MamaVan—that would be my mother—LOVED the giants in the first book, and demanded more of them in the second. I’d already planned on that, but I had yet to name Em when she did, so I decided to name Em in her honor. The name Emlynn is actually a mashup of MamaVan’s name.)
Like with Jorget, I had a choice of pulling an excerpt for Em from the beginning of the story, or from the end, where she’s gained some confidence. For her, I opted to pull something more from the middle. She’s starting to come into her own, and it’s showing, but she’s also not completely sure of herself.
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Excerpt
“I have my strength,” Emlynn said, ignoring Reikos’s comment about Daro. “And a few spells, though the ones I know are basic and likely not much help in a fight, not unless I can get close enough to blind someone with light.”
“I can cast fireballs,” Jorget said, sounding rather pleased with himself.
“From the ceiling,” Emlynn said under her breath, though she gave Jorget a bit of a grin when she did to let him know she was teasing. Apparently he got the message, because he stuck his tongue out at her.
“Yeah, let’s not try any levitation spells,” Kelwin said with a grimace. “And Jorget, please, for the love of the Maker, do not try to teach Tasis a fireball spell. He just put that guild back together. I’d rather it didn’t get burned down already.”
Jorget made a noise of protest, but Reikos cut through it by addressing Emlynn. “You said something about light?”
“Yes,” the giantess said with a nod. “It’s more convenient than having to carry a torch or a candle.”
“Are you okay being up front with me? Because we’re going to need that light.” Emlynn nodded again, and Reikos continued. “Good. I want Jorget and Kelwin in the middle.” He looked at Kelwin and gave him an apologetic smile. “I know you can fight if you need to, but I’d rather not give Tasis an excuse to tear me apart later.”
“It’s fine,” Kelwin said, having expected it. He was fairly useless if they came across a serious threat anyway, and this way he could keep an eye on Jorget. The guy was definitely talented, from what he could tell, but he had no idea how to focus. Some time on the isle with Triv and the others would take care of that, but that would have to come after their foray into the depths of the mountain.
There was a flutter of wings, and Bahz landed on Emlynn’s shoulder. The bird had to be heavy, and his talons had to be gripping the giantess painfully, but she merely turned her head with a look of vague surprise on her face. Did the girl ever show strong emotion? I know the way, Bahz said. It’s safest if I’m up front as well.
“Of course,” Reikos allowed. “Well, then. Let’s go exploring.”
“We’re all going to die,” Jorget muttered to Kelwin as they found their place in the middle of the small group.
Kelwin tried to swallow down his laugh with only moderate success. “So optimistic,” he said. “We’ll get out of it alive. If we don’t, Tasis will resurrect me just to kill me himself.”
“Necromancy is forbidden,” Emlynn reminded him from the front of the group, Bahz still riding on her shoulder, quite at home there.
About Magic Wept…
Jorget has no surname, no blood kin, and no hope of using his magical ability while he remains at Archai Castle, where the mad king reigns. With magic still outlawed, every experiment he performs could cost him his life. So when his mentor, the royal priest Denekk, is ordered to send Jorget on a journey to find a magical weapon, the young man jumps at the chance to prove himself. What he doesn’t realize is that things are never as simple as they seem.
Kelwin Tiovolk has settled into life in the Mages’ Guild of the Dragon’s Claw with his beloved, guild leader Tasis Kadara. But when word arrives that the king is searching for something to destroy the guild, he knows he has to leave behind the comfort of his new home to save what Tasis worked so hard to rebuild.
With enemies around every corner, Jorget and Kelwin need to pull off a miracle in order to save the guild. Luckily, they’re more than ready to stand strong together and keep what’s precious to them safe.
About the Author
Andi Van is a foul-mouthed troublemaker who lives near San Diego with a baseball bat that’s forever being used for things other than baseball, and a fondness for rum and caffeine (though not necessarily together).
Andi is fluent in three languages (English, sarcasm, and profanity), and takes pride in a highly developed—if somewhat bizarre—sense of humor.
Social media info:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefiantAndi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defiantandi
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