Meet the Books - All about Caoimhe!!
12:22 AM |
Hello all!
Okay, remember when I said that I hadn't written any of "Caoimhe" back when I did the Motherly Writer's Award last month?
Guess what...
I LIED.
I forgot that I HAD written a few scenes for that WIP previously. They were hiding on my computer, completely off my radar. *facepalm*
I've been kind of itching to work on this WIP again, for some odd reason. SOI has kinda reached a standstill right now. And for some odd reason, as I was searching for music and aesthetics, I kept finding ones for "Caoimhe"....
I thought that it was high time that I talked about some sort of writing around here anyway (even though I have 4 tags that are waiting to be completed). And "Caoimhe" really has not been properly introduced...even in my WIP page.
So I thought I would kill a few birds with one stone and do a page for the "Meet the Books" link-up.
What is "Meet the Books", you may ask? This is a blog linkup that has been started by Belle Anne @ Worlds of Ink and Paper. It is similar to Beautiful People, but it introduces the whole book rather than the characters. Which is honestly much better for my situation!
The rules are really simple - just answer the questions, and link back to Belle, which you can do on her latest "Meet the Books" post HERE.
And now, onto the questions!!!
1. What is the genre?
High fantasy. Because of the fact that it features a cave portal, a language of it's own, still has knights and kings, has a teen protagonist and is inspired by Tolkien...I figured that that fantasy was the best fit for it.
2. What is the title?
Hahaha...
It didn't have a "title" until a couple of days ago. It was simply known as "Caoimhe" for a long time.
But I'm pleased to announce that I finally found a good title for it.
May I introduce to you....
3. How is it written? What is the POV? Are there multiple or single POVs or MCs?
Third-person omniscent/omnipotent, which is my "normal" POV to work from. There is a single MC, but plenty of other characters.
4. What gave you the idea for this book?
I couldn't sleep one night, so I turned on Adrian von Ziegler's first 2 hr compilation of his Celtic music.
My imagination went wild...I saw vivid scenes in movie form. I managed to get snatches of it on paper, and I've been working heavily on my characters and creature races ever since. I really should work more on my plot...since well, that's what the worst part is....
Needless to say, I've been a fan of Adrian von Ziegler ever since.
5. Who are the characters?
Ummmm....this is a highly detailed section, be advised!!
Abigail “Gail” Samantha Duncan: She is an 18 year old girl,
whose story begins in the contemporary age. She has two siblings, a sister and
a brother. She doesn't believe in fantasy novels that her best friend is
obsessed with. She is obsessed with being a techie junkie.
She has long brown hair (begrudgingly so at first, in order
to please her mother.), Caribbean-blue eyes, stands about 5' 4”, and has an
hourglass figure.
During the course of the novel, she is renamed Caoimhe
Morigenne. Morigenne was a name I made myself, but was inspired by Morrigan, the name of
a pagan Irish 'goddess' of war. Caoimhe, also a Celtic name, is derived from
the Gaelic element caomh, which means 'beautiful, gentle, kind'. The
Celtic pronunciation of the name is Kee-va, my pronunciation is Kay-ma.
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| Oh yeah...and I should mention that she also becomes a Shield-Maiden |
Duncan family: Parents are Alan and Bethany. Besides Gail,
there are 2 other children, a son named Ben and a daughter named Vickie.
Maeve Carwyn: Best friend of Gail. She is nuts about
anything medieval or fantasy. She is a very good artist and writer. She has
very long red hair, green eyes, and is taller than Gail.
Maeve is Irish and means intoxicating. Carwyn is Welsh and
it means 'blessed love'.
Conlaoch Leofwine: He is a 25 year old man, who lives in the
mythical land of Aistaraina (eye-stah-rye-nah). He is the eldest son of King Ealdraed, and has
been preparing to be a great warrior and protector of his land and people. He does have a couple pet wolves.
He has dark, short hair, very little stubble, has a rugged
look to his face. Also has a small, rather insignificant scar that runs at an
angle near his eye from an old training-exercise accident. He stands about
5'9”, weight around 180 lbs. His eyes are a dark misty grey.
The name "Conlaoch" is of Irish origin, and means “chief lord”.
Leofwine is comprised of two Germanic elements: leof (which means
desirable, friendly) and wine (which means friend). His nickname Conrí
is also Celtic, and it means 'wolf king'.
Bradach Leofwine: He is a 20 year old man, brother to Conlaoch and is the younger son of King Ealdraed. He is a reckless youth,
who doesn't care much for the public life that Conlaoch seems to crave. He is
more concerned about meeting a young woman and showing his father some radical
new ways of breaking traditions without causing any harm to himself. Hair
ranging from a dirty blond to a dark brown, his eyes are an unusual bright
shade of green. Same build as Conlaoch, but only is 5'7”.
The name "Bradach" is Irish and it means 'broad-cheasted'.
King Ealdraed Leofwine: He is an older king who married a
very young princess named Janina. Together, they raised 6 children. (the
princesses are married to other heads of state, with the exception of
Sieglinde). Despite being the head of Aistaraina, he is a minor character. He
has white hair, grey eyes, a slight stoop because of his age. He used to be
taller than Conlaoch. He is very kind to Caoimhe. The name "Ealdraed" is Anglo-Saxon and
it means 'old counsel'.
Queen Janina Leofwine: The wife of Ealdraed. She married him
when she was quite young. She originally was from the Kingdom of Duventoliel.
The name "Janina" is the female Finnish equivelant of John. It is
pronounced YAH-nee-nah. Duventoliel is Elvish for "southern island" or "Nevis". It is pronounced Doo-vehn-tole-ee-ell.
Sieglinde Leofwine: A daughter of King Ealdraed and Queen
Janina, she is the younger sister of Conlaoch and Bradach. Together with
Aderyn, she gives Gail some much needed female company. She is about Gail's
age. She has light brown hair and dull green eyes. She is 5'5” and weighs about
the same as Gail. The name "Sieglinde" is derived from Germanic mythology and it means
'gentle or soft victory'.
House of Santiel: A noble family that is responsible for
Caoimhe's well-being and education, but also crave recognition and more honor
from the royal family. They are minor antagonists, except for Aderyn (who becomes a good friend to Caoimhe). The
family consists of Tighearmán Santiel, his wife Mediriel Gormlaith Santiel and his children: Dáirine (Santiel) Aranethan, Aderyn,
Rohediran, Morwen, Arthonnen, Briallen, and Beriohtarion.
The name "Santiel" is Elvish and it means lady of the garden. The name "Tighearmán" is Irish for 'little lord'. The name "Mediriel" is Elvish for 'friend' (pronounced Mell-dear-ee-ell) and the name "Gormlaith" is Irish for 'illustrious lady'. The name "Dáirine" is Irish for 'fruitful, fertile'. The name "Aranethon" is Elvish for 'young royalty' and it is pronounced Ar-ah-nehth-on. The name "Aderyn" is Welsh for bird. The name "Morwen" is Elvish for dark. The name "Roherdiron" is Elvish for 'horse master' and it is pronounced Roh-hair-deer-on. The name "Arthonnen" is Elvish for 'noble born' and it is pronounced Arth-oh-nehn. The name "Beriohtarion" is Elvish for 'protective warrior' and it is pronounced Bear-ee-oh-tahr-ee-on.
The name "Santiel" is Elvish and it means lady of the garden. The name "Tighearmán" is Irish for 'little lord'. The name "Mediriel" is Elvish for 'friend' (pronounced Mell-dear-ee-ell) and the name "Gormlaith" is Irish for 'illustrious lady'. The name "Dáirine" is Irish for 'fruitful, fertile'. The name "Aranethon" is Elvish for 'young royalty' and it is pronounced Ar-ah-nehth-on. The name "Aderyn" is Welsh for bird. The name "Morwen" is Elvish for dark. The name "Roherdiron" is Elvish for 'horse master' and it is pronounced Roh-hair-deer-on. The name "Arthonnen" is Elvish for 'noble born' and it is pronounced Arth-oh-nehn. The name "Beriohtarion" is Elvish for 'protective warrior' and it is pronounced Bear-ee-oh-tahr-ee-on.
Keitha Brynjar: Caiomhe's teacher. She is one of the last
remaining Mistresses of Training for Shield-Maidens (Female defenders). She is skilled in
everything from weaponry to knitting. She has a rather full figure, strawberry
blond hair, chocolate brown eyes and rather thin lips.
The name "Keitha" is a rather modern Celtic name. The name "Brynjar" is Norwegian
for “armour battle”.
Roswitha Morigenne: The old aunt of Keitha, she makes the
formal adoption of Caoimhe. She is one of the most trusted Shield-Maidens. The name "Rosewitha" is derived from the Germanic elements hrod (fame) and swinth (strength).
Orthorien Haisthilt: The great evil master who created the
Giselberts. He is extremely tall (about 6'7”) and is very muscular. Like
Conlaoch, he also sports a scar; but this one is bright red and runs down the
length of his once-handsome face. He has burnished black hair, and eyes that
are bright gold.
The name "Orthorien" is Elvish for Jarvis (which means conquerer). It
is pronounced Ore-thore-ee-ehn. The name "Haisthilt" is derived from the Germanic elements haist (furious,
violent) and hilt (hilt as in sword hilt)
Besides a few minor characters, this is all of them :).
6. What is the setting? The time period?
The setting is in the mytical land of Aistaraina (eye-stah-rye-nah). The name is Elvish and means "blessed and gracious". It was originally a colony of a kingdom of ancient Elves, and it was named for an Elven princess.
The time period is thousands of years after the creation of this fantasy world. It would be contemporary with the Middle Ages of our world. I haven't quite figured out the "reckoning" of this world just yet.
7. Who is your favorite character so far?
Probably Gail/Caoimhe. If you'd like, you can read her BP profile HERE.
8. What is your favorite scene so far?
I haven't written that many scenes. I must say, that of all the ones I did, Caoimhe's "adoption" scene is one of my favorites so far.
9. Any themes of music for this book?
Um....yeah. About 2 hours worth. *Refers you up to the 2 hr video previously mentioned*.
There is also a playlist on my Spotify devoted to this WIP, that is currently about 5 hours long.
10. Any drawings or asethetics?
Besides the potential cover that I shared, I also have a secret Pinterest board that I store all of my image aesthetics on. I'm an "okay" artist...but I don't hold a candle to my lil bro. I haven't had him draw anything for this book yet....I gotta finish writing it. (He did help me with the cover though!!)
11. Any snippets?
Well, if you insist, I'll share a couple:
Gail could only attribute puppet strings to the fact that
she could even get into the door when she arrived home at 11:30 pm. She had a
splitting headache, which she couldn't figure out the cause. After all, the
police only came by the party twice because of the noise! Was it the 5 Long
Island Ice Teas that she drank upside down to claim Jerry from Bianca? Nah, had
to have been the 3 hours of video games. Which was good, because that could be
easily cured with a couple of Advil.
Mindlessly, Gail started for the kitchen as she not only
changed songs on her iPod, but checked her phone for text and Facebook messages
and pulled up a sci-fi book on her Kindle. Suddenly, she was sucked down into
the carpet by a thing with ten legs….or was it a bag with a picture of a poufy
plastic bag fort-like thing?
Must have been the iced tea. She didn't remember her parents
owning such an object.
Gail disentangled herself from fort-like thing, and
proceeded to crash headlong into some metal boxes. Gail groaned. Where were
these monsters coming from?
“Oh, you're FINALLY home!”
Gail tried to scrunch down further into the old cloth seat. Of course, it HAD to be the most gorgeous park ranger greeting them to the stinking state park.
“You know he can still see you, Abby.” Vickie's
condescending tone ever mismatching her angelic face as she filed her nails in
the typical tween fashion. Gail only stuck her tongue out at her sister.
“He saw that, too; Abby.” Vickie's taunting tone
merited a slap. Instead, she only got a Look from Bethany Duncan before turning
her smiling eyes on the hot ranger as he handed some papers to her husband.
“Here are some maps of the campground and park; plus a flyer
about our new photo contest.”
“Photo contest?” Alan Duncan perked up. Any contest that
would showcase the talents of his beautiful wife and intelligent children off
to the world was of interest to him.
“Yeah, we figured we'd ask the public to help spruce up our
brochures. Nothing like a rusty archway on a brochure to make you run the other
direction.”
'Oh yeah, you can say that again, dude' Gail thought sarcastically as she raised
her eyes to the sky.
12. Strong point in the story?
Umm...I think my characters are probably the strongest thing I've got going for me right now. The world-building actually is coming better too - which is really unusual because world-building is not easy for me.
13. Weak point in the story?
The plot....
Oh my goodness, the plot.
I have some themes, and some good conflict points. But they are not meshing...like at all. So far, it's turning into a really cliche fantasy/Tolkien/Lewis like plot.
14. What are your plans for it?
Well, the first plan is to finish it. And then hopefully publish it.
15. Any particular habits that you only do for this book?
Ummmm, not particularly. Except spend hours and hours looking at language and linguistics (if that can be called a habit).
Oh by the way, here is the website I got all of those Elvish names from: http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/elvish.html
16. If this book was going to be made into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?
Well, now that's an interesting question...
Because all the actors/actresses that I think would probably fit the roles are either dead or too old.
And I can't even imagine any actors that I know taking the role of my characters.....
(Hey,maybe ya'll can help....does any of my characters remind you of any actors/actresses you know??)
And with that, I finish my lengthy introduction of my first "proper" novel, and my favorite WIP.
Now, I'm off to fix that horrible little blurb that I put in that WIP page of mine...
What do you guys think of From the Cave? The blog link-up? Chat with me in the comments!
Scribblingly yours,
Catherine
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18 comments
WOW this book is gonna be so cool. I love the characters and the snippets. It sounds like so much fun :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYour book sounds amazing, and it's so cool that Celtic music inspired you! :D
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWow. This sounds like an awesome story! XD And I have to mention how gorgeous the name Roswitha Morigenne is!
ReplyDeleteHope we get to hear more about this story as it progresses. :)
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DeleteThis novel sounds awesome, Catherine!:) I love that you chose Irish names for your characters.
ReplyDelete-Quinley
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DeleteCool! I think I would like Conlaoch especially - he sounds like the sort of character I usually attach myself to. :)
ReplyDeleteNice authentically Celtic feel to it, Catherine, and amazing job on the link-up! Thanks so much for participating!
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DeleteOoh this looks so cool! I can't wait to hear more about it!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that you write in omniscient POV. It doesn't get much attention these days.
Also, pet wolves are always a good thing. :)
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DeleteOoooh I love how you dug so deeply into the meanings of the names! It's truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAlso I really enjoyed the snippets you shared. I want more!
xx
Mira
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DeleteWhat a fun link up! I love the Celtic inspiration. =)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLove it! I wish I could write like that :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your title thingy :) so colorful and pretty.
xx Saige @ randomalley.blogspot.com
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