In my trilogy, “The Chosen One of Allivar”, I have tried to surpass the greatest battles ever written. I wanted this battle to involve primitive weapons when weapons were not technologically driven. I took the liberty of designing a few of my own weapons and put myself into the mind of Leonardo DaVinci. I created a character named “Murlach” who was in the military service of the King. He has a brilliant engineering mind and is asked by Arimar (the lead character) to develop weapons that will kill a vast number in the final battle. This is when writing is fun, not work.
As an author I did research of ancient battles which involved catapults, siege towers and machines, the various forms of swords, pikes, etc. This also required thinking of the military tactics, defensive positions, walls, moats and even biological and psychological warfare of ancient times. This research increased my knowledge of the world, but opened up many scenarios that I hope will make the reader sense how brutal war actually is.
The concept of this trilogy was inspired by my love of the epic tale of The Lord of Rings”, but I wanted my very own premise. I recalled the recounting of a story of an ancient siege described here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Masada. Consider this and other great stories like the Alamo or the stand at Thermopylae. These three stories have something in common: brave men and women making a stand. Unfortunately, they all end in tragedy and loss. Yet, they all risked this “loss” for something greater than themselves.
So as you read the trilogy and wonder why it took ten years to write, understand that an author must spend lots of time doing research if he/she is not an expert. We must outline our plot and ask the question, “Will this make sense for the reader?” We must develop characters that you will become emotionally attached to so that you share in the emotions of “loss.” We must also develop battle scenes describing the horrors of war so that we understand war is not a video game. It cannot be simulated or substituted. It is real and horrible.
As you read books one and two, just know that you are being setup for an emotional and visual roller-coaster in book three. The pouring of the armies of darkness onto the fields of the Armaderron to lay siege at the wall of Masara was written so that you are left guessing if it will ever end. In that end, my goal is to leave you with thoughts on the very meaning of life and the precious nature of it.
