Random Quotes

After much debating (okay, about three minutes), I decided to post some of my favorite quotes from the book thus far, including a few that popped up in the last few days. In no particular order:

“How did you not notice that the train was in fact a ‘death train’?”

“How didn’t you?”

“Are you actually trying to blame me for this folly? Georg, you are over a century older than me. I have youthful ignorance, what’s your excuse?”

-William and Georg

“I will make this painless for you, Laura. You are right; I have no doubt that you are going to Heaven, and that I am going to Hell.”

-Thomas

“That one man was not innocent. He tried to kill that girl.”

“Yes, and then we did the job for him, remember?”

-William and Thomas

“Dark Ones seem pretty content to live in the shadows, as if them and the other Immortals should hide from humans. I have never understood that. Immortals were created first, then humans. There was a reason for that; we are the top of the ladder. Humans are nothing more than ignorant beasts of burden and a food supply.”

-Elizabeth

"She is probably at least a century.”

“And? I like my women older.”

-William and Thomas

“We work for him [Claudis]. We’re kind of like his…attack dogs, I guess.”

“Gus, that’s a horrible way to put it."

“We are, though, aren’t we? Or maybe we are just the ones that clean up messes.”

-Georg and Gustav

Take It Away, Boys...

(William and Thomas spend about 15 minutes using the computer to research old German photographs and play the 'do we know them' game.)

William: So, um, I guess we can start now?

Thomas: Now's as good a time as any.

William: Very well. Well, hello to all of you in...the real world, I suppose.

Thomas: The Internet is not the real world.

William: What about all of those people who keep talking about Second Life, and The Sims, and all of those other online communities?

Thomas: Trust me, it is not the real world.

William: Oh, well, anyway...let us introduce ourselves. My name is William, I look 20, but I am 417 years old.

Thomas: I am called Thomas, I also look 20, and I am also 417 years old. We're twins, you see.

William: I think they can see that, Thomas.

Thomas: No, they can't. Angel doesn't have that web camera contraption.

William: Ugh. That ruined my entire entry.

Thomas: In any case, we are here to answer questions, give a few first hand accounts, and if William has his way, completely ruin this blog.

William: I will not ruin the blog. I barely know how to use it.

Thomas: I rest my case. So William, do you think this author covered our story nicely?

William: She left out that time we crashed that party while we were at Georgetown University.

Thomas: Well, um, I think that was for the best.

William: Are you kidding me? It was amazing! You drunk that one kid under the table...

Thomas: Okay, that's enough of that.

William: ...you do not remember that? I remember it quite well...

Thomas: Let's end this, now.

William: Why? We just got started. Vladimir is not going to get mad because you beat a 19 year old at drinking.

Thomas: You forgot that we are supposed to abstain from alcohol because it lowers our inhibitions.

William: ...

Thomas: So we are going to sign off now.

William: Yes, we are going to go now. We've said too much. Can we delete this?

Thomas: If you have questions for us...

William: ...something that doesn't involve any form of alcohol...

Thomas: ...then comment below or contact our scribe, Angel.

William: I'm serious, can we delete this?

Age Old Battle: Good Versus Evil

 Good versus evil is the most basic but most powerful battle in the real and imaginary world. Sometimes it is an obvious battle, like in the Harry Potter series or in Brian Jacques' Redwall series. In this novel, it is much more blurry.

 The biggest dilemma I faced with this story was creating the climax, the high point. It was actually the last piece of the plot puzzle written. I had the beginning, the rising action, the point of no return, the ending, and no climax. There was no climax because I had no obvious battle. It took quite some time to identify the one thing that could defeat William and Thomas. I knew that Elizabeth was not a direct threat (yet), and no one was trying to kill them (yet). So what could make up this epic climatic battle?

 The twins themselves.

 Anyone who knows a set of twins knows that they seem to either really love or really hate each other, often doing both at the same time. They are not living examples of good and evil as much as they are living examples of the human condition itself; a constant tug and pull of wills, desires, hopes, and wishes. That is what the main battle of this story is: the battle of the human condition. It is one of the most complex battles to write about because there is no clear winner or loser, only achievement of a certain level of existence and acceptance. 

 The series will eventually lean more toward the traditional good versus evil fight, but even that is compromised and open to debate. No one side is completely right or wrong, just as the twins' two sides (humanistic and animal) are not right or wrong. 

 I say all of that to say this: there aren't any true villains, in my opinion, to boo in this series. There are only different viewpoints that can easily be regarded as good or evil, depending on who is looking at them. Be mindful of every character in this series outside of the viewpoint characters, William and Thomas. 

Religion and "Forbidden Children"

 About four people on the planet have seen the prologue to this novel. The Prologue is the story of how the Immortal Clans came into existence, and it runs parallel and with the Christian story of Creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah. 

 Most Immortals (and all of the ones featured in the novel) believe in a Higher Power. Most refer to that Higher Power as God, but the Immortals accept any name given to that being (God, Allah, the Creator, etc). To them, all of those names refer to the same being. Immortals are not as stringent as humans when it comes to religious beliefs; they feel that every culture is entitled to their set of beliefs and celebrate the similarities between major religions rather than the differences. 

 The Higher Power belief is very strong in the Immortal world, but I chose not to go too much deeper into their spirituality with the fear that it would take away from the Forbidden Children plot (and later the Tylea's Blood plot, which is the working title for book two). And yes, the vampires and werewolves believe in a Higher Power as well. 

 This, of course, brings up the ever touchy subject of religion in fictional works. Heads of different religions appear to be wary of the questioning or altering of their beliefs, even in a work of fiction. Look no further than some of Dan Brown's novels and the reaction of the Catholic Church to see an example. I believe that many writers don't go in trying to attack a particular religion (although some do); we go in to write a compelling story, and religion is one way to make a story compelling. 

 Rest assured that even though religion does pop up often in Forbidden Children, I am not trying to attack or dismiss a religion. I am introducing you to a world different from your own, beliefs different from your own, and a general world view that is different from your own.

The Art of Friendship

I once heard that we tend to change friends (leave some, get new ones) every seven years or so.  I don't think this is a hard and fast rule, but it highlights how fleeting friendship can be, especially if you have very little in common. By that rule, the friendship between the twins and the two NightWolves should end in 1613.

 Immortals have a different concept of relationships; friendship is highly valued, and once one is deemed a friend, it takes extreme betrayal to destroy it. This is one of my favorite things about these four. They meet under distressing circumstances, and yet a supportive bond is formed when Georg and Gustav realize that the twins are not the monsters everyone thought they were. They take a chance on William and Thomas, and as a result, a centuries-long friendship is started. 

 So what does their friendship look like? It involves a bond between families, comical banter, wise words, and saving lives. It also looks like a bunch of guys hanging out with some high quality ale or beer, snapping good-natured insults at each other. It includes godparents, project buddies, and guard relief. They are sparring partners, babysitters, advisers, and coaches to each other. Out of all of these titles, though, one overpowers them all: Friends.

"Are you looking for the Holy One? I am in the next seat. My shoulder against yours." ~Kabir