The Temple Trilogy Nearly Complete
January 19, 2012
In just a week or two, Book V, “The Temple of the Exploding Head” will be out and that will do it for the “Temple Trilogy”
It’s been a grind and the end result barely resembles the original draft I finished back in 2009. As with anything, the story morphed, went off in unexpected directions and changed before my eyes and quite beyond my control. What began as a small coming of age story, became a complex treatment on what it means to be a hero and all the responsibility that comes with it. I changed characters, amputated body parts (literally) and fussed with the villains without pause for nearly three years Now that the final piece of this puzzle is ready to hit the shelves, I can finally says it’s done.
LoE Second Series kicks off with the "Sands of the Solar Empire" in April (promo piece in production by Fantasio)
Book V, The Temple of the Exploding Head will be out by the end of January, 2012
copyright 2012, Ren Garcia
The Horned God
December 12, 2011
The Main bad Guy of the Temple of the Exploding Head trilogy is the diabolical Horned God. Although his role in the story has changed much since the first draft, his appearance has always been firm in my mind: A gigantic half man/half deer monster full of lust and fury.
"Kay Faces the Horned God" by Carol Phillips
And then, came 1977 (I think). There was this book at the Hallmark store of all places, sitting on the spinner that I wanted desperately but my folks wouldn’t buy me. I washed cars, mowed lawns, did dishes until I had enough to buy it. The book was the first edition AD&D Monster Manual. I swear I read it cover to cover a dozen times (it’s still sitting in my bookcase to this day).
The scariest monster in the book for me, was the Peryton, a harpy-like monster sporting a stag’s head with a particular taste for human flesh. An amazing thing: though it was a winged, deer-headed monster, it cast the shadow of a man. I thought that was really cool and creepy.
Peryton
When I began the process of envisioning the Horned God, he came together in my mind in two basic forms, one a stag with a towering set of antlers and as a Pan-like hoofed man with an angry deer’s head.
I’m not sure which one give me more shivers.
copyright 2011, Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips
The City of Many Forms
December 2, 2011
I discovered as I went through the various drafts of The Temple of the Exploding Head trilogy that I had an issue with some of the bad guys.
"The City of Many Forms" by Carol Phillips
One of the hallmarks of the Kestrals–they were strange and unknowable. As they are aliens, I wanted them to be just that: alien. Alien thought processes, alien logic and methodology, I wanted them to be odd and inscrutable. I believe I accomplished that, however, the end result was rather lackluster. The Kestrals were weird, but in a very flat, boring sort of way. Plain and simple: they weren’t very interesting bad guys.
The drafts continued and it was the Elemental Spirit they worshipped who became the true villain of the story: the horrid Horned God who lived in a temple deep in the ground. As the Horned God’s role increased, the Kestrals got pushed to the side and forgotten, turned into mere henchmen in the Horned God’s evil schemes.
Eventually, I added the plot device of the Secret-Talker, a god’s dictaphone recording for all time everything they have done, good or bad. It was the addition of the pursuit of the Horned God’s Secret-Talker where our old friends, the Kestrals, came back into prominence.
Stellar map of Atrajak of Want detailing the location of the City of Many Forms (Eve Ventrue)
But then I wondered …
With the City of Many Forms, I could have my cake and eat it too. I could keep the Kestrals weird and creepy, but I could also use the city to demonstrate their purpose and intent and make it plain without ever actually having to say what it is. Walking its streets, I could transform the Kestrals from mere henchmen to pretty cool villains with a clear agenda. With that, I dove headfirst into developing the City and exploring its secrets. It grew into a place of mis-matched architecture and deep-water canals that I based off of an old map of Atlantis I’d once seen with skies full of golden monsters.
After you visit the City of Many Forms, you might wish I’d left the Kestrals alone.
Book V: “The Temple of the Exploding Head” will be published by Loconeal Publications in late December, early Januray 2012
copyright 2011, Ren Garcia, Carol Phillips and Eve Ventrue
Lt. Kilos: the Sidekick
November 23, 2011
Lt. Kilos is the consummate sidekick in The League of Elder series. A Brown peasant from the city of Tusck on Onaris, Ki has been at Captain Davage’s side for over thirty years. She’s been a part of every LoE book so far.
"Kay Fights Lt. Kilos in a Bar" by Carol Phillips
As the focus of the League of Elder shifts from Captain Davage and Countess Sygillis to their son, Lord Kabyl and his cousins, it seemed natural to me to send Ki down the line to Kay’s side. There is a comfort factor that comes with Ki, and I wanted her there with Kay. Ki brings a lot to the table, she’s got her massive SK pistol for devastating firepower, she has her infallible Tweeter bird familiar and she has her amazing husband, the mysterious Professor A-to-Z who can find answers to virtually anything.
The problem with Ki is her very nature. She’s loyal, yet she’s skeptical and slow to give her loyalty. She loves being part of a group, yet she generally dislikes people. Additionally, Ki still considers Kay a child. She was his childhood mentor (Kay recalls he had a long-lasting “crush” on Ki), and even now that Kay is a young man she still views him as a child.
With Ki, she can like you, be fond of you and all that, however, she’ll really not respect you much, that’s just how she is.
The key to securing Ki’s services goes back to one of her most basic character traits: Ki is, at her heart, a brawler. She grew up fighting in Tusck, was a wreck in the Marines and was a well-known troublemaker in the bars dotting the Blanchefort village wharf (her association with Lord Blanchefort gave her immunity from the village magsitrate). As such, Ki will never truly give respect until you’ve bounced your fist off her face a couple of times. Captain Davage challenged her to a fight upon their first meeting in order to gain her respect. Likewise, Countess Sygillis and Ki were in the gym settling their differences constantly after Syg came aboard the Seeker. So, in order for Kay to win Ki over, it was inevitable that he take her on.
So, in a wharf-side bar, Kay and Ki duked it out, and after it was over, Ki saw Kay in a new light, and, as she did for his father, she stood at his side and entered the Temple of the Exploding Head.
copyright 2011, Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips
What makes a Monama a Monama?
November 3, 2011
The House of Monama figures prominently in the Temple of the Exploding Head trilogy. Who are the Monamas and what differentiates them from the rest of the League??
“Sam” by Fantasio
This painting of Sam by Fantasio illustrates most of the various physical differences.
HAIR: Monamas have an incredibly thick and fast-growing head of hair that they normally wear down to their ankles. Their hair is invariably coal-black. Aside from their heads, Monamas are quite hairless.
NAILS/CLAWS: Monamas sport a formidable and iron-hard set of fingernails that can hack through a wooden door. Both male and female Monamas wear their nails rather long as they consider their nails a mark of beauty.
EYES: Monamas are well-known for their jet black eyes, including a lack of eye whites.
Note Sam’s black eyes, thick hair and claws hidden under her gloves (Painting by Fantasio)
PALLOR: Monamas are ghastly pale. Living in a perpetual fog by the lake, their skin is often chalk-white in coloration. Those select Monamas that choose to come out of the fog can develop a slight rose tint if they stay in the sun long enough.
BELLYBUTTON: Monamas lack a bellybutton. They find Elder’s belly buttons extremely seductive.
GIFT-LIKE ABILITIES: All Monamas have a number of Gift-like abilities that work when they are touching the ground. When elevated or away from Kana, these abilities vanish. Monamas can “Blink”, or teleport themselves vast distances. They can also transmit their thoughts across the ground and communicate without technology from far away. They also can transform themselves into various humanoid guises–Monama females are much better at it than the males. Monamas also are adept at seeing the future with a high degree of accuracy. Monama males are better at it than the females–female Monamas must partially bury themselves to see the future.
ANUIAN/CONOX: There are two distinct types of Monamas. The most common are the Conox, or “Lesser Monamas” who are rather small and thin of frame, standing on average about 5’2 – 5’5. Much less frequent are the Anuian, or “Greater Monamas” who are significantly bigger, stronger and faster than the Conox, standing about 6 feet tall. Anuians are much more full than the Conox and have markedly different facial features. The Conox, however, appear to be heartier than the Anuians, being a bit less susceptible to cold temperatures and can manage the rigors of space travel much better. The Anuians also require six months in the womb, as opposed to the Conox who require only three.
Anuian Monamas were once very common in the southern lands of Kana, but were said to have been wiped into extinction by a “compelling alien force”. They now only exist in rare birthings amid the Conox, where they must finish their gestation in an “Anuian Jar”, an external womb made of clay and brine.
HEAD SWARM: Monamas tend to fall into a profound, trance-like state when faced with traumatic situations. They call the trance “Head Swarm” and once in it they are difficult if not impossible to revive.
Sam wearing her “Snugs” pendant (Carol Phillips)
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COLD: Any temperature below 60 degrees F is quickly fatal to a Monama. Even bundled up, the cold will render them sluggish and eventually kill them. Lady Poe of Blanchefort created a Silver tech pendant called Snugs (with the image of a hummingbird on the face) that creates enough warmth for a Monama to survive in the cold without limit. Take away the pendant, however, and the Monama will be dead within minutes.
STRENGTH/SPEED/ENDURANCE: In comparison to Elders, Monamas are incredibly strong. An average Monama is about ten times stronger than an average Elder, though the Elder Gift of Strength can usually match Monama strength. They also have amazing, jaguar-like speed with the endurance to match.
VULNERABILITY TO SPACE TRAVEL: Monamas do not do well when removed from Kana. Extended trips through space can be quickly fatal to them. They can survive on other worlds, however, they lose most of their gift-like abilities until they are returned to Kana.
LANGUAGES: Monamas speak a group of regional languages spoken nowhere else in the League. The Sisters at one time considered making the speaking of their native Anuie, Conox and Systrel languages illegal due to the fact that the Sisters cannot read the Monamas minds via the Stare, however, more reasonable heads prevailed. The people of Hoban find Monama accents very soothing. Monama bards and storytellers are popular on Hoban.
A Berserkacide (Carol Phillips)
EVIL NATURE: Although Monamas generally have very kind and modest personalities, they are convinced that they all carry within them a dark spirit of evil that is just waiting to come out. In their ancient writings they speak of the days when they were four-armed and evil and that the Gods in Jade and Sapphire freed them. The prospect of turning into a raging Berserkacide haunts them.
GODS IN JADE AND SAPPHIRE: The Monamas believe the benevolent Gods in Jade and Sapphire removed their ancient evil nature from them, along with their second pair of arms. They also believe they once bore the gods’ children.
SEX DRIVE/FECUNDITY: Monamas are well-known for their libidos and for their fecundity. They can have up to twelve children at a time in only three months. It is said Monamas can become carried away to the point of being dangerous when having sex.
copyright, 2011 Ren Garcia
Carahil and the Library of Time
November 1, 2011
Book V in the Temple of the Exploding Head series begins in a strange place.
"Carahil sees the Temple of the Exploding Head" by Carol Phillips
At the Library, they meet the Proprietors: a mysterious pair named Fiddler Crow and Queen Wendilnight. They are admitted and allowed to see the story of their lives.
…And Carahil is appalled at what he sees. An Age of Blood where the Gods are gone and an insane evil spirit has lease to do what he pleases leading, eventually, to the end of the Universe. Carahil sees himself framed for crimes he didn’t commit, and then, of all things, he sees himself being eaten alive in a city of Many Forms.
The Proprietors see Carahil’s distress. He asks them if he can do something about this, if he could “fix” this bad future that’s coming. Fiddler Crow tells him it’s not possible to change the future and he will simply have to live with it.
However, Queen Wendilnight takes pity on Carahil and offers to help him in return for their service at a later time. Carahil and Mabs agree, and Queen Wendilnight shows them into the Time Tunnel Room. There, Carahil comes face to face with the time tunnel responsible for creating the bad future: the Temple of the Exploding Head and the Horned God who lives there.
copyright 2011, Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips
TOTEH Characters: Wilhella Cormand-Grande
August 6, 2011
OF ALL THE DOUR AND RATHER DANGEROUS RANKS OF BLACK HATS, WILHELLA CORMAND-GRANDE OF WAAM IS TRULY UNIQUE.
"Wilhella Cormand-Grande and her first husband Scrib Tiffin" by Eve Ventrue
A lover of the bright lights and social scenes of Waam, Wilhella forces her way into the light of day and demands the people there pay her heed. She contributes frequent editorials and other writings to the local media. When she chooses to exit her temple and walk the streets with her Shadow tech entourage she often leaves a trail of dead chefs and mutilated tailors in her wake. She loves good food and fine clothes … and she loves killing people too.
She inhabits a high-rise temple in Waam-Core. Her temple sits squarely in the center of a busy highway, forcing traffic to go around. She often throws lavish parties at her temple and invites guests from all over to attend. It is not wise to refuse an invitation from the Mad Black Hat of Waam.
Wilhella invented a new type of Shadow tech known as a Whamic. A Whamic is a type of Shadow tech that may be transmitted along the skywaves. It is most often associated with junk e-mail messages that come to life, jump out of the holo screen and attack the opener. She eventually refined Whamic to the point where she could send them via hand-written letters as well, where the ink on the page could come to life and kill.
copyright 2011, Ren Garcia and Eve Ventrue
TOTEH Characters: Paymaster Stenstrom
July 7, 2011
"Lord Stenstrom of Belmont" by Eve Ventrue
Stenstrom isn’t the normal sort of modest, unathletic fellow occupying the role of Paymaster. At 6’7 he is a towering man, taller even than Captain Davage. He is the son of the famed Fleet captain Lord Stenstrom the Older who commands the warship Caroline. He carries the traditional LosCapricos weapons of his House, the NTHs, a pair of pistols said to be capable of slaying virtually anything with a single shot. He also wears a long dark green coat once worn by the defunct Hoban Royal Navy–Stenstrom is rarely seen without his HRN. As a final odd note, Stenstrom wears a small mask covering his eyes.
He hails from the House of Belmont, an old Zenon House on his father’s side and the House of Tyrol on his mother’s. The House of Tyrol are an odd, silver-haired lot living on the eastern coast of Esther, and consider themselves a tribe apart, through no official recognition has been given to them as such. Stenstrom’s mother, Lady Jubilee of Tyrol, is a notorious socialite and suspected witch. Her indomitable personality is well-known–she was under Public Wergild for over twenty years, meaning someone had formally posted a vendetta against her. She bore Stenstrom’s father 29 daughters ahead of him as a result of an oath she took. She feared for the life of her husband as he spanned the stars in his Fleet ship and swore he would have no sons until his boots were firmly planted on the ground for good; thus twenty-nine Belmont daughters. It has been said that Stenstrom the Older had to resort to sorcerous methods of his own to gain a son, purchasing a questionable tincture on Bazz said to ensure the birth of a son, and thus Stenstrom the Younger was finally born.
Private Taara de la Anderson is one of Paymaster Stenstrom's closest friends (painting by Eve Ventrue)
His mother was said to be enraged upon his birth and swore to murder him in his crib, though she quickly came to love and adore her handsome son. Seeing the younger Stenstrom clamoring to follow his father to the stars, Lady Jubilee took steps … extreme steps to prevent him from joining the Fleet. Stenstrom has hinted she put him to an obscure ritual known as the Tyrol Blood Oath. Plunging a red-hot dagger into his heart, she made him swear he’d never join the Fleet as either a crewman or officer, least his wound burst open. She updated the Blood Oath over the years, adding the Astro Merchants, Billings and Merchant Marines to it. She was convinced the stars were no longer in his future.
A Tyrol Sorcerer
Paymaster Stenstrom is well-known for his ability to perform a number of feats considered to be Tyrol Sorcery taught to him by his mother. Though he has no Gifts of the Mind, he can fade into the shadows and pass unseen. He can also make small to medium-sized items appear and disappear with just a wave of his hand.
Flight From Bern
As a youth, Stenstrom went off to school at the University of Bern studying accounting (a pre-approved course of study). A disinterested student, his fiancée, Lady Lillian of Gamboa whispered in his ear and told him of a way to get around his mother’s curse. His oaths had made no mention of joining the Fleet as a civilian and she hit him upon the notion of becoming a Fleet Paymaster. The requirements of the position demanded he be an attorney or an accountant of vast tenure. Having no tenure, Stenstrom fled Bern upon his graduation and went into hiding in Calvert, accumulating his tenure at the barrel of a gun. Soon he secured a job as Paymaster aboard the Sandwich, a rusting Fleet frigate, which was illegally running Kanan grain spirits to the Xaphans. Due to his House standing and his fortune, he was not well-liked aboard the Sandwich and was widely shunned.
Lt. Gwendolyn, Lady of Prentess, threatened to knock Stenstrom's teeth out (painting by Eve Ventrue)
Stenstrom’s Mask
Along with his HRN coat and his NTHs, Paymaster Stenstrom is known for wearing a black mask at all times. The mask was a source of constant speculation until he revealed the mask contains several magical pieces of metal folded up in the cloth called “hermelins” which prevent his soul from being torn apart by demons sent by his mother. Without his mask, he’ll perish in short order.
Paymaster Stenstrom is introduced in Book IV as Captain Davage’s Paymaster aboard the New Faith. He will become the Main Character in the League of Elder Second Series starting with Book VII, The Sands of the Solar Empire, coming soon.
Copyright 2011, Ren Garcia and Eve Ventrue
Book V Cover Update
June 29, 2011
"The Temple of the Exploding Head" by Carol Phillips
We had a number of challenges to address with this particular cover. First of all–how do we convey the sheer size of the place?? The Temple is a mile long and half a mile wide–that’s a rather large area to say the least. It’s also a thousand feet high and filled with over 100,000 bad guys: the Vatican has nothing on the Temple as far as size goes. To tackle this problem, Carol opted to give the place a slightly more confined, penned-in feel while giving clear indications that there is a lot more Temple than what can be seen at a glance. Also, there’s a constant thunderstorm raging inside the temple, which Carol has boiling up in the heights (I always remember my mother saying to come in from the rain where it’s safe–where no harm can come to you. I wanted it storming on the inside of the Temple as if to say: “It’s NOT safe in here!)
More Designs (Carol Phillips)
Pillar detail (Carol Phillips)
As Carahil has been a usual fixture of the past books, he’s present here in this one as well: can you see him???
I’ve always had a love for the work of Keith Parkinson going way back to my unprincipled D&D days in college and I wanted the cover to be as beautifully creepy as his works used to be (Keith Parkinson’s passing was a great loss for us all)
And then there’s Kay hiding behind a pillar, a fly in this evil ointment. Sort of like when the criminologist comes on in Rocky Horror Picture Show and everybody boos, his presence indicates that the party’s over.
copyright 2011 Ren Garcia and Carol Phillips
My friend, author Michelle Davidson Argyle, needed volunteers to promote a Blog tour to assist the victims of the Earthquake/Tsunami/Nuclear disaster in Sendai, Japan, and I am happy and honored to help.
Take it away, Michelle:
One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded hit the city of Sendai in the Tohoku region of Japan on Friday March 11. The magnitude 9.0 quake unleashed a deadly tsunami that slammed into Japan’s east coast, leaving a swathe of devastation in its wake. Thousands of people lost their lives, and many are still missing or injured. Thousands more have been left homeless and destitute.
As a testament to the generosity of the world’s citizens, emergency appeals have been swiftly set up in the aftermath of the quake, but I’m sure many of you, as we did, had the same thought: our donations seem so puny. There must be some other way we could make a difference!
With that in mind, Stories for Sendai was born!
The Stories for Sendai Anthology is a collection of 19 short stories and one poem. Some are inspired by the events of the earthquake in Sendai; others are simply stories of hope and inspiration. All are uplifting and worth reading. Please consider buying a copy of the anthology and spreading the word about this wonderful, uplifting little book. All proceeds go to relief efforts to aid Japan.
Stories for Sendai will soon be available in paperback or Kindle format.
You can find a list of the contributing authors and their stories here (http://storiesforsendai.blogspot.com/2011/05/final-line-up.html)
You can visit the Stories for Sendai blog here (http://storiesforsendai.blogspot.com/)
coypright 2011, Michelle Davidson Argyle
The Temple of the Exploding Head 