Smith

What?

Gerant is a homeless boy in a town in The Empire and becomes intrigued with a smith working his craft, ending up being apprenticed to him. During that time, he discovers an ancient parchment that talks of long-lost techniques to craft incredibly light and strong sword blades, which he becomes fascinated with. After his apprenticeship, he moves to The Capital, where he has further opportunities to try these long-lost arts. He gains some success along the way, meets a girl and is becoming known for producing superior smithing work, particularly blades. Then events take a series of unforeseen turns…

Where?

The Empire is somewhere in a parallel universe, with an icy north, sub-tropical south, a large mountain chain to the west and the coast edging to the east. Largely rural, there are scattered towns and villages and two larger populaces, Pearl City in the south and The Capital on the coast. The initial parts of the story are set in the town of Ashford and then shift to The Capital, the administrative and commercial centre, where the ruling aristocracy reside.

Who?

Some of the key characters are:

Gerant. Having grown up as a homeless orphan, he becomes fascinated with smithing and particular sword making. Not only does he develop into a very competent smith with expertise in making weapons, he grapples with becoming a member of normal society after a troubling and unusual childhood.

Sveg. A smith and artisan in the town of Ashford. Sveg is originally from up north and has developed a strong reputation in the district as an expert in his trade. He has decided he is happy being a big fish in a small pond and is content to give up chances of wider renown in the cut-throat setting of The Capital.

Marion. Married to Sveg, with a daughter, Bree. Marion is trained as a nurse and works at the town infirmary. She has a strong personality and is someone who knows what she wants and has ‘modern’ attitudes and values, yet loving and caring for those she values.

Maestro Trantor Shagreen. A noted artisan in the lost wax technique used in metalwork. Arrived with a bang in The Capital some years ago and is now highly regarded and sought after by clients, mainly the aristocracy, that have the coin to splurge on his designs and pieces.

Molly. The young housekeeper/governess at the Shagreen household who Gerant meets on his arrival at The Capital. Molly shows interest in this naïve young smith and a friendship develops. One thing leads to another, with the usual trials and tribulations of what becomes true love.

Fang. Gerant first meets Fang, a large brindled mastiff, on a solo journey inland from Ashford. Circumstances mean that Fang attaches himself to his new friend and they become constant companions. Gerant has to learn how to accommodate his acquisition, often with interesting consequences.

Some context!

Only read further if you are happy to be exposed to some small spoilers…

The questions are those that I think people might be interested in. Down the track, there might further questions that readers ask that I will update and answer in due course…

Q. What is The Empire and is it based on anything historic?

The Empire is what I imagine or have read about what parts of pre-industrial Europe might have been like. No electricity or cars, trains, etc. The seasons and wildlife are roughly familiar to that sort of setting. The types of occupations and social structure are broadly similar to what we have seen in those times. I wanted something that is clearly not from this world but a parallel type of experience.

Q. How do you keep track of things for consistency in the plot?

I have a number of lists that I fill out. One is the list of characters in the order of appearance, if for no other reason to keep track of names (if a character appears intermittently in the story) and also that the names I use and character details are sufficiently different from each other. I also track locations and even a list of food and goods and what they are worth. There is nothing worse than buying a loaf of bread for the equivalent of a diamond ring!

Q. Are your characters based on real people?

No. However, they might share a name with someone I have known or some physical features or behavioural quirks. Largely it is what I am trying to portray in a character, which defines (to some extent) what they look like, what they are wearing, how they speak, behave, etc.

Q. There seem to be quite a bit of detail of things like sword making. Is it made up?

You can make a lot up (I truly admire the works of Iain Banks and the scope of some of his concepts) but I enjoy researching aspects of real-life lore and experience and adapting it to my story. For instance, a lot of sword making in the book is based on my reading of this classical technique, still carried out by Japanese and Spanish artisans. Apologies to those experts who pick up flaws in my description! In another example, the tusktooth is broadly based on the narwhal and hunting by traditional peoples. Parts of the sword-making lore laid down in the parchment that Gerant finds are based on some traditional techniques. Others, like the four words of power, and the parchment itself, are totally a figment of my imagination!

Q. What other ideas for books have you got?

As well as Smith, I have ideas for another three novels. For the next one, I have written the beginnings of the first chapter and have the plot sketched out. I will provide updates if any of these others really kick off and I get into some further writing and the projects develop…