Where are the Myths and Monsters?
Of Myth and Monsters
by A. F. Stewart
I love myths. I love ghost
stories. I love the idea of sea monsters. So when I decided to expand my
original piece of short fiction and create my novel, Ghosts of the Sea Moon, I wanted to combine those loves into the
plot. I wanted big and grand, and well, mythic. And, as the original story was
loosely based on tales of ghost ships with a sprinkling of Greek myth, I thought
had a good start.
For me myth and epic fantasy are
a excellent fit, both often utilizing the hero quest archetype and the classic
protagonist battling monsters scenario. Ghost stories and sea monsters also
play their part in fantasy and even more so in the other genre I write, horror.
It seemed to be the perfect idea to write a mythic fantasy saga at sea with a
bit of a dark side.
It didn’t exactly turn out like
that.
First, my gods. I based my
pantheon on the Greek Gods (one I even named Cylla in homage to the Greek myth
of Scylla and Charybdis). I
dreamed of powerful creatures doing epic battle across the sky. However… As it happens epic battles
between gods can be quite destructive and I didn’t want to lay waste to my
world (I ended up writing a series and I needed my world intact). That wasn’t
the only problem. Most of my gods seemed
disinclined to involve themselves in mortal affairs, only making brief
appearances. And the two main deities? They behaved—gasp—more human than god, just an average pair of warring, dysfunctional
siblings, albeit ones with magical powers.
But that left the darker aspects, right? The
sea monster and the ghosts? Not quite. Because Ghosts of the Sea Moon isn’t all
that dark (surprising considering my previous books). The ghosts decided they
were regular average people, mostly shipwrecked sailors, stuck in the world of
the living for unresolved emotional issues. That is if they weren’t eaten first
by the sea monsters, creatures who did
turn out as I first envisioned. Yes, my sea monsters are suitably ferocious and
threatening (a Kraken even makes a fleeting appearance in the novel). But that
still left me with a semi-mythic mishmash of squabbling gods, creatures and
ghosts.
And then the Nightmare Crow
showed up. (This is also when the novel turned into a series. That crow was
sneaky and wanted more story.) Somehow he turned the novel into a whole, pulled
all the loose bits tight and made the plot come together. And when I finished,
maybe I didn’t have what I intended, but I had a book.
So instead of a dark epic quest, with
a stalwart hero battling frightening monsters amid threatening gods, I wrote a
sea-faring adventure fantasy. A conflict involving a roguish captain and his crew, against a mad Moon Goddess partnered with a sinister crow, and the fate of two worlds hanging in the
balance. I guess the best-laid plans
of myth and monsters just have a mind of their own.
Ah, those best-laid plans. I'm so glad there's a series, and I'm eager to follow it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the Outer Islands, gods and magic rule the ocean.
Under the command of Captain Rafe Morrow, the crew of the Celestial
Jewel ferry souls to the After World and defend the seas from monsters. Rafe
has dedicated his life to protecting the lost, but the tides have shifted and
times have changed.
His sister, the Goddess of the Moon, is on a rampage and her creatures
are terrorizing the islands. The survival of the living and dead hinge on the
courage and cunning of a beleaguered captain and his motley crew of men and
ghosts.
What he doesn’t know is that her threat is part of a larger game. That
an ancient, black-winged malevolence is using them all as pawns…
Come set sail with ghosts, gods and sea monsters.
WHERE TO FIND IT:
Books2Read
link (all non-Amazon retailers): https://www.books2read.com/u/ml5GvM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A steadfast and proud sci-fi and fantasy
geek, A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada and still calls
it home. The youngest in a family of seven children, she always had an overly
creative mind and an active imagination. She favours the dark and deadly when
writing—her genres of choice being fantasy and horror—but she has been known to
venture into the light on occasion. As an indie author she’s published novels, novellas
and story collections, with a few side trips into poetry.
WHERE TO FIND HER:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/afstewartauthor/
Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/348788975590362/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/scribe77
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afstewartauthor/
Website: https://afallonblog.wordpress.com/
Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/OGrTT
The Captain
Captain Rafe Morrow paced the quarterdeck
of his ship, Celestial Jewel, the
signs of an oncoming squall setting him on edge. Blustering wind rattled the
sails and the crew’s nerves, their usual jaunty hubbub reduced to grumbling and
snipes. Trouble travelled on that wind. Rafe could smell it woven in the air,
and his blood prickled with a sense of worry. The ship trembled as if with
warning. He glared at the sky and its darkening clouds painted amber and
crimson from the setting sun. A storm sky coming ahead of a full moon meant
dark magic and sea monsters would prowl the waves this night.
The
Moon Goddess will hold sway tonight.
A trickle of blue energy raced across the
back of his hand at the thought.
Damn
her…and her beasts.
On the breath of a sigh, he whirled to face
his crew. “Storm’s coming, boys. Doesn’t bode well, not with the moonrise
tonight.”
“How long, Captain? Will we be in the thick
of the weather or just what comes after?” A rough-edged sailor, Pinky Jasper,
spoke up, but all ears of the deck crew listened for an answer.
“It’s coming within an hour or two, out
from Raven Rock, by my reckoning. After nightfall by certain. We’re heading in,
boys, but we’ll likely hit the edge of it.” He heaved a breath, exhaling.
“It’ll be a bad one even for this crew so expect trouble.”
A shiver of tension settled over the deck.
Some of the crew cast worried glances at the sea and each other. Others
shivered, and a few more whispered prayers. Storms brought bad memories and
nervous anticipation to the sailors of this ship.
“Which port then, Captain?” The mariner at
the ship’s wheel chimed in. “Might make Abersythe if we head north.”
“We might, Anders. But we head east. We’ll
race the edge of the tempest, but it’s closer and the ship will find better
shelter anchored at Crickwell Island.”
“Aye, sir. Laying in course to Crickwell
Island.” One-Eyed Anders turned the wheel and the ship’s bones groaned. Others
of the crew adjusted the sails, and the
Celestial Jewel leaned into her new bearing headed east.
Instafreebie preview (download the first
four chapters free): https://www.instafreebie.com/free/cu9nx
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