Figuring Out The Science

In the midst of creating this world, I realized that it needed a scientific side as well. It also needed to keep some level of historic accuracy as far as scientific discoveries went.

A simple example: At the time of the plague in Europe, no one really knew how it was spread. That was one of the reasons it was so deadly. If I have a character start washing their hands and such, I've jumped quite a bit into the future. "Sanitary" isn't really a word one associates with that time period.

This lead to another question from myself to myself: are the Immortals in any way ahead of humans as far as scientific discoveries? The answer here is yes, but not by much. In fact, by the time we get to the present, humans and Immortals are about even in the "discovering things" category.

Then came a third question: What makes the Immortals, well, immortal? I could take the easy way out and just say "magic" or something, but I want to get a little more complicated. Their genes are different. Just as their are genes for eye color, possible mental illness, and height, there are genes that make one simply not age...or just age very slowly.

In humans, this is a mutated gene that often leads to aging disorders like progeria, DKC, and the like. In Immortals, the gene is always inherited and combines with another gene common in all Immortals to create the immortality. This isn't pure immortality, though. Immortals can age, but it happens so slowly that it is almost at a stand still. The twins are over 400 years old by the end of Book One, but they do not look over 20 years old.

Here's the kicker; there are certain substances that hold off aging, so Immortals have the option to age a bit for appearance purposes or continue looking 18. For Dark Ones and Vampires, it is blood. For Shadow Walkers and Felians, it a being's life force. For Night Wolves and Werewolves, it's flesh (so sorry, no vegan or vegetarian Night Wolves exist). And yes, for all of them, human is best because of the genetic similarities.

I probably went into this WAY more than I needed to, but it helps to know the rules of your story. Fans of your work are less likely to, I don't know, come after you with torches and pitchforks that way.

The Immortal Language

There is a language amongst the Immortals clans (all of them) that is a beautiful combination of several known languages put together. For now, I have called the language Manchen-ni. The language is not spoken often in the series, but many Manchen-ni words pop up during the story, mostly as nouns. For example, the words Sapir, Krudos, Doushen, and the rarely used fecha are Manchen-ni words.

FYI: Fecha is a Spanish word for the calendar date. It has a totally different pronunciation and meaning in the Immortal world. Immortals prefer a meaning closer to the Portuguese meaning, which is similar to "noise." The Immortal version is not as nice, though.

The language is actually not spoken as much as it was thousands of years earlier (blame the whole Tower of Babel situation on that), but it is still spoken as a common language for those who cannot, or will not, speak English. Many of the "younger" Immortals hardly ever use the language but have heard it enough to understand it. They prefer to use their native languages and English. The twins, for example, start out speaking only German but later become very proficient in English. They recognize Manchen-ni, but do not know it enough to regularly speak it.

The Elders are required to know it, understand it, and speak it. The Ambassador's Guild is not required to speak Manchen-ni, but they must be able to understand it. This also goes for anyone else working with or for the Sapir (the title given to the Guild and the Elders).

So, in summary:

The twins and their Handlers: understand Manchen-in, do not regularly speak it

The Elders: understand it and speak it

Elizabeth: understands it and can speak it

All additional characters in Great Hall: can all understand it, do not regularly speak it

All additional characters outside Great Hall: some can understand it, none speak it

Humans: have no freaking clue about the language...YET...

Back On Deck

Okay, after a VERY long break from this blog and my main story due to a zillion things going on, I am finally starting to get back into the swing of this series.

I think authors need to do this sometimes; step away from their biggest project for a little while and get things in order and in perspective. There were too many distractions, and that was making it impossible to really get anywhere with the story. I wrote a second possible climax, one more in line with the twins' personalities, but I still wasn't totally sold on it. That's when I decided to take a break.

The really good parts of Forbidden Children seem to all be in the beginning, up until they prove themselves worthy of respect. After that, I realized that the rest of the story was nothing more than fodder. Was it interesting? Yes. Was it necessary to the series? No.

Herein lies the toughest part of writing; you have to know when the story ends. Books Two and Three are solid because they are hard hitting from start to finish. There are no dull moments, no flashbacks, nothing of the sort. My problem with Forbidden Children is that the twins' background does not need an entire book. It pains me to say that, but it is true. A lot of Book One can be blended into Tainted Blood, the first half mostly. I realize now that the second half of FC was for my own personal amusement. The most important parts of the twins' journey had already been told.

This is what really hindered me for the last month: I didn't know what to do about Book One, and once I started to realize what had to be done, I freaked out. The idea of basically throwing out an entire book of a series scared me to bits.

So here is what I think will happen: Book One will be saved, but I will now focus my energy into Book Two and see if the two can be weaved together. More than likely, most of FC will be saved for a novella or something similar. Maybe it will be posted here eventually. In any case, I am done with FC for now; the best parts have been written.

On to Tainted Blood and Book Three: War Of The Undying...

The Doushen

The Doushen is an Immortal term loosely translated as "those who serve." It is pronounced DOO-shin.

The Doushen was first created by Vladimir's predecessor, Easu, sometime in the 1100's. Easu brought together seven of the most deadly and skilled Dark Ones for the sole purpose of pushing the Crusades forward and leading the humans into an epic battle against the Muslim world. Easu was viciously Christian, and had ties to Pope Urban II. I won't go into the massive history lesson, but I'll just say that when Easu finally stepped down in the late 1400's, Vladimir had other plans for the Immortal zealots that the Doushen represented.

Vladimir is Christian as well, but he was strongly against overpowering other religions. In less than a decade, he swept the Doushen clean and recruited a new set of Dark Ones. The entire focus and purpose of the Doushen changed from defending the Cross to defending and enhancing the Immortal world itself. The new members of the Doushen learned several languages and traveled to other parts of the world to establish trade and connections between Great Hall and other Immortals beyond Europe.

By the time William and Thomas arrived on the scene, the Doushen had completed yet another revamp. They were being trained as investigators, spies, and bodyguards. This ended up becoming their permanent identity. The twins rarely see any Doushen members for most of the story, but once they learn of the group's involvement in the investigation of Jack The Ripper (who ended up being an Immortal), their interest in the group is raised.

The twins make it a personal goal of theirs to eventually join the Doushen; to them, membership into such an elite group would almost guarantee that they would earn the respect of the Immortal government.

Of course, joining Vladimir's inner circle is easier said than done...

Beyond The Twins: Back Story

I'm going to be honest; most of the back story for this novel was discovered by pure "what if" questions. It was not part of this elaborate plot line I had thought up, completely fleshed out, at midnight on some idle Tuesday. It is the "what if" moments, though, that can either take your story to new heights or sidetrack it straight to paperweight status.

For a novel like this, the biggest piece of back story was world history itself. When I realized that a huge piece of this takes place around World War II, I got a little scared. How in the world was I going to take such an influencing event and accurately portray it in about six chapters or less? Better yet, what aspect should I focus on? If you have really solid characters, they will answer this question for you. William and Thomas couldn't care less about Germany invading random countries, and while they find the Holocaust extremely upsetting and horrific, they are not trying to save all the ethnic groups in a daring rescue mission (which, oddly enough, they still get caught up in). They have two reasons for getting involved, and both reasons start out as being a bit self-serving.

The characters' backgrounds are another source of back story. In the last month or so, I have started asking myself a lot of questions about Elizabeth and how she fits into everything. Little things that I wrote about her that seemed insignificant then are now becoming glaring and mysterious questions. My advice to you is that if you see this happening, don't get upset or think you screwed up. Your characters are trying to tell you something, and you would be wise to listen.

The lack of character back story can be a story in itself as well. I haven't really developed any major biographical points for the two NightWolf Handlers, and for awhile that bothered me. I thought that maybe I hadn't fleshed them out enough, or maybe they weren't even needed. Then I looked at everything from their points of view and discovered something; this adventure with the twins is the most excitement Georg and Gustav have had ever. The NightWolves themselves think little of their lives beforehand because they were simply going through the motions. Basically, the G's were in the middle of a midlife crisis when the twins stumbled into the picture. That is never directly stated in the novel, but their sheer fascination with the twins indicates that this is a welcomed detour in their lives.

I say all of that to say: don't fear the back stories, the subplots, and the writing left turns (or even U-Turns). I got over my fear and plunged straight into my fourth draft of this novel, and so far I have loved every second of it.

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.

Brother versus Brother

This is the first time ANY part of my novel has been put on display. This happens while the twins are confined to the Immortal HQ in Ireland for 75 years. Someone needs anger management classes...

    The argument started out stupid enough.

            Thomas and William were discussing their plans for the free day; William wanted to stay inside, while Thomas wanted to venture to Dublin. The heated debate continued as they walked to the weapon room to do some training on their 

    “Why in the world do you want to go to Dublin?”

            Thomas shrugged. “I just want to get out of here.”

            William frowned. “Why? We’re safe in here, there are no humans to attack.”

            “God, it is the same argument every time!” Thomas groaned. “I want to test our progress, and you want to stay locked away from the world.”

            “It is safer.”

            “Will, forget safe, okay? I want to live.”

            William glanced up, his eyes narrowed. “I am living.”

            “No, you are sitting around here staring at the walls.” Thomas started heading toward the door. “I’m out of here.”

            “You cannot just leave.”

            Thomas laughed. “Of course I can, just watch; I will go to Dublin with Georg or Gustav.”

            “No.”

            “And just what are you going to do, stop me? Are you coming along?”

            William started flexing his fingers. “No.”

            “Fine, then I am leaving.”

            William growled, and Thomas glanced back. William’s eyes were very light brown. “You are not leaving me here by myself,” William said in a low voice.

            “Watch me.”

            William hissed, causing Thomas to turn completely around. William’s eyes had turned yellow, and he hissed fiercely at Thomas.

            “Wonderful,” Thomas muttered. Aloud, he said, “Will, snap out it.”

            William’s growl grew louder and claws appeared in the place of his fingers.

            “William!”

            William roared once, staring at Thomas but not seeing him. Thomas gave a deep sigh, and then pulled a lance from the wall. “If you won’t snap yourself out of it, then I will have to do it, brother.”

            William, sensing an attack coming, dropped to all fours and hissed loudly at his twin. Thomas closed his eyes briefly, fighting back a threatening tear. He never thought that their lack of self-control would lead to this, to brothers fighting each other.

            Thomas’s eyes snapped back open and William launched himself at him. Thomas held up the lance, blocking William. William grabbed the lance, trying to pull it from Thomas’s hands.

            Thomas focused on staying in his calm mode; going crazy at the same time as his brother would only lead to both of them getting seriously hurt or killed. Thomas jumped back, and William lunged at him again. Thomas dodged this attack, leaping over William and smacking him across the back with the lance. As William hit the ground, Thomas felt the searing pain of the blow swim across his own back as well. He frowned; it would be hard to subdue William if he himself was affected by every blow he dealt.

            William climbed back to his feet, his hair flaring around him. Thomas grimaced; his twin was pissed. William jumped at him again, this time catching Thomas off guard when he went around him and hit Thomas across his face. Thomas hit the ground about 15 feet away. He felt something warm ooze across his face; he was bleeding. Thomas raised his head enough to see William, who was furious that a similar gash had appeared on the side of his face as well.

            Thomas seized the moment. He jumped up and attacked, pinning his brother to the opposite wall, the lance held against William’s neck.

            “Stop this, Will!” Thomas cried. “Come out of it!”

            William gave a loud hiss, struggling against Thomas.

            Thomas gave another sigh; he knew what would take William out of the rage, but he hesitated to do it. It had worked on the two of them before; a sudden stab of pain from a serious injury. Of course, if he did this, he would suffer the exact same injury. Thomas narrowed his eyes. He had to, for sake of his twin brother.

            “Forgive me for this, Will,” Thomas said in a whisper. In one quick, fluid motion, Thomas dropped the lance, pulled out his dagger from his belt, and stabbed it into William’s arm. The dagger cut straight through, digging into the stone on the other side.

Yeah, I stopped there because I'm mean, lol. Let me know what you thought of it, and I'll finish the scene in the next blog (there's not much left).

The Soundtrack

Yes, this story has its own soundtrack in my iPod. I think a lot of writers do this; it gets me and keeps me in the mood to write. Here are some of my favorites and why, in no particular order:

1. "Madokara Mieru" by Corner Stone Cues. Hands down, my favorite piece on the playlist. It captures the mystical feel, the element of suspense, and the journey of the twins.

2. "Nara" by E.S. Posthumus. Most people know this as the theme song to "Cold Case." To me, it sums up the entire Immortal world and all of its dynamics.

3. "Fully Alive" by Flyleaf. A former teen client of mine introduced me to this group. I just love the music and the idea of the twins living "fully alive."

4. "Local God" by Everclear. I just picture the four main characters slumming it and getting into trouble in some random town in Germany, lol.

5. "Ein Wiener Walzer" by Adiemus. This is a waltz and goes directly to a scene in the story.

6. "Before The Worst" by The Script. First, I got to meet this band and they are great guys. Second, pretty much sums up Thomas' love life.

7. "By Your Side" by Tokio Hotel. Someone sharp-eyed probably saw this coming a mile away. All about the four best friends.

8. "Un Bolero Azul" by Adiemus. Germany just before and during World War II. At least, that's what I think when I here this haunting, march-like song.

9. "Beautiful" by Eminem. I know, I was surprised too. The chorus is amazing, though. If William and Thomas wrote a rap song, it would sound like this. 

10. "Main Title Music" by Marco Beltrami. This is from the "Angel Eyes" soundtrack. It is such a sad piece. I listened to it while writing a troubling death scene.

There are a bunch more, but these are the ones I listen to the most. There are 52 songs in all in the playlist, and they span the music spectrum. I'm not the only one who does this, right?

So...why call the blog Marked?

I know, this should have been the first blog entry, right? 

William and Thomas, as part of their punishment, are Marked. This is basically a painfully applied tattoo with the Immortal symbol for whatever Deadly Sin they committed. I won't say the sin here, but you can probably narrow it down. Anyway, this Mark tells all other Immortals that the twins have been VERY bad and should been treated as the complete psychopaths that they are. It is like the Scarlet Letter; everyone knows you seriously sinned, and everyone can avoid you if they wish.

Thankfully, it doesn't stay on forever. If the twins stay on the straight and narrow, and avoid killing anyone in a blind rage, then the Mark can be removed. For them, it has to stay on for most of the story, which equals a few centuries. Only the Elders can apply and remove the Mark. 

The Mark has meaning for the twins as well; it serves as a mark of shame and a reminder of the consequences of losing control. They convince themselves that, as long as they are Marked, they cannot go to Heaven if they die (there are only two ways to kill Immortals; cut their head off or disintegrate them). This Mark becomes a motivator for them, to do all they can to get it removed. 

The Elders

All societies have leaders, people who have absolute rule or simply the last word. For the Immortals, there are four leaders representing the Immortal clans. They are purposely a range of cultures, races, and viewpoints. They pass final judgement if needed and give final approval on laws. William and Thomas get to know most of them fairly well. I'll briefly introduce them.

Vladimir: this is the Dark One Elder, and he is by far the most visible of the Elders. He is the voice of the Dark Ones, hails from present day Russia, and is the oldest Elder. Vladimir is a character that has lasted through all 15 years of brainstorming, because he is classic, smooth, witty and wise. He becomes one of the twins' father figures.

Saynan: She is from modern day Japan, and is the ShadowWalker Elder (you won't hear much about the ShadowWalkers in this novel). She is also the only female Elder in history. While she puts on a cool exterior, Saynan is very passionate about issues of ethics and equality. She becomes something of a mother figure to the twins.

Claudis: He is a Moor, and the NightWolf Elder. It is often assumed that he is gruff and unyielding, and while he has his moments, he is loyal to what he believes in. Claudis likes to play devil's advocate in meetings and debates, but he does it to get others to think about their choices.

Romain: Hails from present day Spain. Romain is the leader of a widely scattered  and hunted clan, the Felians. He is gone from Great Hall often, off to track down his brethren. As a result, he is not in this story much. He appears to be a mix Claudis' no-nonsense attitude and Saynan's compassion.

Where the twins walk...

In the brainstorming days and months, I envisioned my twins seeing the world, traveling to foreign lands, and getting into misfit-like situations all along the way. Then I realized how that would ruin their entire story; their confinement and lack of control over their lives is part of their struggle. Their roaming is confined to about three different parts of the world for this story:

1. Germany: This just makes sense. It is their home, and no matter what happens, they always return back to where they began. They live in southeastern Germany and witness the country's growing pains, its highest and darkest moments. Through it all, they never stop calling themselves Germans. 

2. Ireland: This is where they serve out their time for their crimes, at Great Hall in Northern Ireland. The twins mature the most here; they make lifelong friends, learn to control their instincts, and strengthen their already tight bond. This is also the setting for some of the funnier moments of the story.

3. Washington DC: William and Thomas are assigned to a school in the United States' capital, much to their surprise. This transfer is the most important location change in the novel because it sets the stage for the climax of the story and also answers a few important questions concerning the twins' family.

Father and Sons

The subject of the boys' father is one that I wasn't planning to expand on, but as usual, the characters had other plans. Their father, who goes by the name Mykal for now, left when the twins were about 9 years old. While Mykal sent money and material goods back to his family regularly through couriers, he never came back to the small house in western Germany.

This lack of a father figure becomes obvious as the twins push through their years at Great Hall. During that time, they acquire at least three father figures to substitute the one they lost. Also, William's neediness balloons to almost frightening levels that Thomas has to constantly deflate. During this time, the twins are facing their inner demons, including the one screaming that their father never loved them.

Fast forward a few centuries. The twins suddenly have research at their fingertips, and they use it to track down their father, hoping to confront him. Naturally, the fateful meeting does not go as William and Thomas planned.

As far as how their relationship (if any at all) pans out, I will only say that the meeting between the twins and Mykal is a needed and respectful one. 

The Handlers

While they are first dispatched by the Elders of the Immortals to kill the twins, the NightWolves that eventually become The Handlers grow a friendship with their targets. For now, their working names are Georg (no, I didn't forget the "e") and Gustav. That will probably change simply because they are inspired by actual people, and those are the actual guys' names. Actually, all four of my main guys are based on actual, internationally known people. Yeah, names will change. Anyway, these two are a good 200 years older than the twins, have wives and (eventually) children of their own. They are both very good at their job and are an assassin team. Each brings something to the table: Georg is the lead tracker, able to find the most elusive target using all of his senses. Gustav is the muscle; while they are both excellent fighters, Gustav is the more fierce of the two. Both have a low tolerance for nonsense, a penchant for finding the best beer in the region, and a desire to serve their Elder.

Georg and Gustav agree to look after William and Thomas because they have faith in the twins and sense that there is potential greatness in them. Like the twins, Georg and Gustav get a kick out of going against the grain in a logical manner and do so often. Still, the Handlers are highly respected in their Clan and never lose their influence with the NightWolf Elder, Claudis. In fact, Claudis eventually turns to their way of thinking when it comes to the twins.

These two focused but outgoing NightWolves round out the leading "Boys Club" of the first two novels. 

The Sapira

Much like the Congress of the United States or Parliament in the United Kingdom, the Sapira is the governing body of the Immortals. This group has at least one representative from every nation that has Immortals. While the Ten Commandments are the basic rules of Immortal life, the Sapira created laws "inspired by God's divine intervention" for the Immortals to follow.

The members of the Sapira usually stay in their home countries, although about 25 of them remain at the Immortal headquarters, Great Hall, permanently. The Sapira meet regularly about three times a year, but can also be summoned at a moment's notice in emergencies and in dealing with major violations of Immortal law. The Sapira not only vote on lawas, but also act as a jury of peers during major trials. A two-thirds vote is needed for a law or sentence to pass.

Members of the Sapira have to be at least 275 years of age. The senior members, some of whom are founding members of the Sapira, have the most power and are allowed to debate or invite other younger members to debate. The Sapira's verdict or vote can still be overturned by one governing body that is above them...The Immortal Elders.

What are Forbidden Children?

Forbidden Children is the title of the first book in the series. It follows twins William and Thomas, the only known Forbidden Children on Earth. 

Immortals in the series usually do not become Immortal until they reach around 18 years of age (think of it like puberty). At that point, they gain their immortality, along with some additional abilities. This is called the Cross Over. Until they Cross Over, children of Immortals are as vulnerable as human children. In the case of William and Thomas, who were born to Immortal parents, they Cross Over very early due to unfortunate circumstances (I will explain this in an upcoming blog). At 14 years of age, they have immortality, heightened senses, and animal instincts. They are also not in control of themselves due to the sudden influx of power. The twins soon start attacking humans, seeking blood.

Forbidden Children are considered an abomination of nature. There are no previous records of the existence of such children in Immortal history; such creatures are merely the stuff of legend until the twins become immortal. A big part of the book involves the governing bodies of the Immortal world deciding the fate of the twins: teach them to control their instincts, ignore them and leave it to the humans, or destroy the twins themselves.

Angel Note: Send questions, and I will try to answer them in upcoming blogs. Again, I appreciate the visit!

Greetings!

This blog is for a series that I am writing, The Immortal Ones. I will use it as an introduction to the characters and plots that are included in the stories. I will also do an occasional post about the writing process itself. The first novel, Forbidden Children, is currently in the revision stages. 

I will probably include some fun things on Marked, including character "interviews" and blog entries, background about various events and settings in the series, and scenes that likely won't make the final version. God willing, the full novels will see the light of day sometime before I leave this Earth. 

Anyway, feel free to give feedback and thank you for taking the time to check out Marked.

Angel Marie