One Often
Overlooked Element of World-Building
A Guest Post & Cover Reveal by Melissa McPhail
Every author should understand world-building. Whether
engaged in the writing of genre or literary fiction, an author crafts a unique
world with each novel. Even when set in the present day, the novel’s events
layer a new dimension upon our visible reality. It’s the dimension of those
characters, of that story, but it should feel as real to the reader as his own
tangible environment.
One overlooked element in world-building is religion.
Often when religion isn’t factoring into the plot of the story, the author may
fail to mention it. Yet when we take a look at how religion influences our
daily lives—even when we ourselves may practice no particular faith—it’s clear
that religion of some nature is part and parcel to nearly every culture that
inhabits this earth.
Religion influences our daily interactions with others
(moral codes, traditions) and for many, it determines at least in part the way
they spend their mornings, nights or weekends. It even influences the words we
swear (or curse) by.
Religious symbols and icons are prevalent in society,
from cathedrals to dollar bills to the skylines of Earth’s most ancient cities.
Sadly, in today’s culture, the subject of religion provides unending fodder for
politicians, litigators, pundits and malcontents; yet these detractions aside,
the belief in something greater than ourselves continues to offer spiritual
succor for a majority of the world’s population.
Whether you as the author practice any faith, it’s
impossible to escape the cultural foundations the world’s religions—from the
pagan to the divine—have established through the centuries. Why would life be
any different for other cultures, other worlds, other lands? Or for your
magical vampire hunter detective?
Don’t overlook this valuable tool for making the world
of your novel more real to the reader. The inclusion of some religious
mention—whether mystical, magical or mythological—can bring greater depth to
any story and create instant bonds of reality between the reader and your
characters.
With that said, happy writing!
The Cover Reveal
& Giveaway
Are you ready for the reveal of the new Cephrael’s
Hand cover? Because here it is! What do you think? Does it do a good job
conveying the fantasy genre? Is it a book you’d be attracted to in the store?
Does it make you want to learn more?
Thank you for helping us celebrate! If you’d like to
see the new covers for books 2 and 3 in the series stop by www.MelissaMcPhail.com,
and check them out.
Guess what else? The author is offering a special
giveaway as part of this grand event. Check out the Rafflecopter form below
(it’s also available at www.novelpublicity.com/cephrael-cover-reveal/) to find out how you can win a Kindle Fire. Hooray!
Oh, and don’t miss learning more about Cephrael’s
Hand and where you can pick up a copy—that’s below too.
“All things are composed of patterns…” And within the
pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:
In Alorin… three
hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the
blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline:
Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three
centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine
D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his
race. But first he’ll have to find him.
In the kingdom of Dannym… the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future
as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is
slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the
man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for
vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a
mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord.
In the Nadori desert…tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier
named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when
disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell
begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them. Honor-bound to serve
the First Lord in return for his life, Trell continues on his appointed path,
yet each day unveils new and stranger secrets that eventually call into
question everything he knows.
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