It’s been three years since I participated in A to Z Challenge. As time-consuming as writing daily posts was, it was also tons of fun, so I decided to give it a go again.
This year, I have a very special theme that already gets me excited.
The world of Kinyal – home of epic fantasy
Kinyal is the setting of my novel, By the Pact. It’s a world where some make pacts with demons to access magic while others try to take it directly from the demon world or resort to only use stones imbued with demon magic to power their inventions, and even though not everyone uses magic, the world is full of it in one form or another. Part of Kinyal suffered a devastating event when a demon-summoning went wrong, it shaped the current power balance and politics.
The novel itself focuses on Kamira and Veelk, an unlikely duo of an arcanist with a pact and a mage-killer, who discover that the truth about the cataclysm that ravaged their continent is different from what the high mages claim it to be. Meanwhile, demons destroy a magic-powered kingdom on the other continent, forcing magic-addicted refugees to flee across the sea. Their presence adds yet another boiling point to the already volatile situation.
Until recently, I used to call By the Pact a sword & sorcery novel due to its adventurous and often light-hearted “mood”, but the complexity of the politics in the plot and the scope of events along with multiple points of view throughout the novel made me realize it’s actually closer to epic fantasy.
A to Z Challenge Posts
As I’m in the process of the final rewrite of By the Pact, in this year’s A to Z challenge I’ll be sorting through my world building notes and sharing spoiler-free tidbits about the setting.
What can you expect? Insights into the magic system that offers three different ways of accessing the energies from another world, descriptions of various factions, their interests and history. Religion and other aspects of culture.
The posts won’t be long as I want to keep them interesting rather than detailed, and it’ll be possible to read them out of order. As some topics will overlap or relate to one another, I’ll do my best to link them accordingly as they appear.
I hope you’ll enjoy this series of posts, and if you’d like a taste of the world before the A to Z challenge starts, two of the stories from my free short story collection are set in Kinyal. The Arcanist and the Mage Killer and Scourges, Spells, and Serenades tell of the early adventures of Kamira and Veelk.
You can get the collection by signing up to my monthly newsletter.
All posts in this year’s challenge (links updated with new posts):
Arcane Magic || Barriers and Circles || The Cataclysm || Devanshari || Essence || Free City of Kaighal || Gildya Magna || High Magic || Imbued Stones || Juamha || Kamira Altrainne || Languages || Mage Killers || Nightflies and Other Creatures || Origins of the Idea || Politics || Qinyalarethe || Religion || Suzhaul || Tivarashan || Unclaimed Lands || Veranesh
Wow – what a fabulous and exciting prospect. I’m really looking forward to hearing more about this project:). Duly signed up…
Thank you, Sarah. I hope you’ll enjoy them. 🙂
Melfka,
Your A2Z theme sounds intriquing and I’m sure it’ll delight fantasy readers of all ages. Thanks for visiting and for your readers who love art, then you’re invited to check out my Theme Reveal. I’m looking forward to crossing paths with you throughout next month’s blogfest celebrate! 🙂
Thank you :). I hope to keep it interesting for everyone (since the novel isn’t available).
Your novel sounds interesting and I’m looking forward to reading your posts!
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Fascinating idea for magic sources. Looking forward to your posts!
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy them :).
Sounds exciting! Can’t wait to hear more about your magical wirldbuilding. Thanks for visiting my blog.
I love the idea. I look forward to reading about this magical world.