Krystine Kercher author of Christian fantasy

Commies!

Say hello to Krystine Kercher, author of multifaceted, thought-provoking Christian fantasy series. Today she joins us to discuss the universal subjects of good and evil as well as gender roles in speculative spiritual fiction.

MJN: One of the readers expressed gratification over the general "good triumphs over evil" in your novels. But there are so few clear-cut happy endings in history. And sometimes it takes a while to see the results of good work. Sometimes good triumphs, but the casualties are horrendous. What is your personal definition of "good triumphs over evil"? Obviously, when you write fantasy, it's easier to manipulate the outcome to fit the desirable idea of "good guys" winning.  

KK: On a day to day basis, good triumphs over evil even when we fall down on the job or fail spectacularly as long as we keep going to our knees in repentance then getting back up again and pressing on. Triumphing over evil is a daily battle that takes persistence and intentionality.

From a wider, eternal perspective: God has already dealt our enemy the fatal blow, but he's still very dangerous and he isn't going down without a fight. You might say we're in the "mopping up" phase of an ongoing war... If we get sloppy, we can still lose battles and there will be some casualties along the way, but with God on our side, we've got the high ground and the end is in sight. Now we fight hard to the finish!

MJN: Most fantasies are set in some sort of loosely defined historical period and ethnic mythology. Your idol, J.R.R. Tolkien, relieved heavily on Norse esthetics to create his realms. In the Exile series, we tap into Middle Eastern motifs. 

KK: There is a lot of archaeological evidence for active trade routes between Scandinavia and the Middle East. When I started researching, I became fascinated with the idea of how these two very different cultures would interact, plus I'm really interested in everything Byzantine. The Byzantine Empire was a major player in European and Middle Eastern politics for 1100 years, and yet today most people are hardly aware that it existed!

Those 1100 years were crucial to the formation of western civilization, having a huge impact on our calendar, determining which books would be included in the Bible (and in what order), and setting the stage for the western world's interactions with the Middle East even today. Byzantines made significant contributions to the fields of architecture and science as well as the art of war.

There are historical and mechanical artifacts from that time period that are really fascinating too! I'm looking forward to including some of these nifty inventions in my stories where appropriate.

MJN: How do you tread the fine line between writing Christian-themed fantasy without sounding too moralistic? That's what many Christian authors struggle with. 

KK: I practice that golden rule of writing wherever possible: show, don't tell. 

I give my characters freedom to explore their faith and lack of it, their virtues and their flaws. Of course, actions have reactions and consequences, and they can be downright painful, but writing those scenes well is what makes characters come across as more human, more real. That, I believe, illustrates the beauty of the Gospel: Christ didn't come to save us because we're perfect; He came because we're flawed and broken, and desperately hurting. God's grace and mercy, and His divine intervention provide a sweet, healing counterpoint to the jangling misery caused by our brokenness and failure.

The more honesty I can infuse into my characters, the less moralistic they come across. Also--not everyone in my books chooses to follow God. Some do; some don't; some follow more poorly than others. They're people like us, trying to figure life out. God doesn't always bail them out of their messes, either. 

It is very important to me not to sugar coat my stories.

MJN: Tell me about the gender roles in your books. Mythology is filled with goddess-like heroines, while documented history has not always been kind of fair to women. Do your heroines adhere to the "woman of valor" ideal in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, or do they have more in common with their pagan counterparts of the pre-Christian myths?

KK: When you mention "women of valor, the biblical account of Jael driving the tent peg into Sisera's head comes to mind, as does the account of Deborah leading the people of Israel to war, Queen Esther, and Judith from the Apocrypha. There are definitely women of valor in that tradition represented in my books, although there are plenty who embrace a more traditional role too. 

There are also people worshiped as gods and goddesses, but while they were created immortal and perfect, they now have a broken, damaged side and vulnerabilities too. 

Probably the biggest group that collectively breaks the traditional gender roles mold is the mermaids (see A Shadowon the Land and King's Ride), who are ruled by a queen. Because of the nature of their realm and the requirements it places on them for survival, mermaids take on most of the leadership roles in their society and do most of the work outside their cities while their men stay closer to home. 

In Astarkand traditional women's roles come with a twist: Kandian women may look decorative at court and be expected to marry to cement political alliances, but at home they run their estates and keep track of the finances, and are capable of organizing a refugee encampment or a royal feast at a moment's notice (Eiathan's Heir). Maeve, the Duchess of Firewind, even rides with Bjorn to rescue her stepson and her city from an evil plot.

Then, there's the seeress, Kera, whose role as a prophetess means that the Horsethain treats her with great respect. Although she's just a slip of a girl in Galthain's Bones, I think we could consider her a woman of valor. 

On the Horse Plains, women among the Traders train with swords for self defense because life on the road can turn dangerous with little to no warning. Although she is expected to fill a more traditional role, Bjorn's sister Melora sneaks away from home to train with the Trader women. Plains women are also famous for being accomplished horsewomen.

In contrast to the more liberal and flexible society on the Horse Plains, women of Dracaena are seldom seen outside a harem unless they are slaves or without a male protector, and they avoid talking to men who aren't members of their family or their immediate household. In spite of this (or because of it?), married men in Dracaenan society have a tendency to be rather henpecked.

Men's roles generally tend to be more straightforward but there are some notable exceptions: 

Bjorn's training for knighthood also includes learning how to mend his own clothes and how to cook and clean, and other chores traditionally seen as "women's work." Bjorn's mentor, Sir Kyle, is his father's trusted right hand man, but one of his most important jobs is training and mentoring Bjorn, which means he comes in for a lot of babysitting Bjorn and his cousins and friends.

Men and women in Horse Plains society share the effort of raising children. Bjorn's father is highly regarded because he's a good Horsethain, a great war leader, and he's a large, powerfully built man, but the feat he's best known and appreciated for is raising his sons well. With seven sons this is no easy task!

MJN: The covers of Astarkand feature an armored knight. On the first two books you just had the armor and his hand. On the third cover you actually see more of his figure, though his eyes are still covered. It's like he is gradually revealing himself more and more to the reader. Was that intentional?

KK: This progression was more serendipitous than intentional. I could make it intentional now...but...I need the right model to continue the theme! Any offers? (hint hint)

I could really use a model with blond curly hair like Bjorn's and real chain mail, etc. to add that realistic edge to bring the photography to the next level from pretend to "real to life". I could also use stock photos of a few appropriately dressed women in medieval costume who are not in embarrassingly awful poses... I can't pay much, but for the right photos, I would be willing to pay something--if the photographer and I can come to an agreement on what's reasonable. 

Housing Elephants - interview with Eleanor Lloyd-Jones

Greetings, commies!

Today's guest is a self-identified daydreamer from Wales - and her name is very, very Welsh. Meet Eleanor Lloyd-Jones, the author of Housing Elephants, exploring the pitfalls of obsessive love.

If two lost souls were to collide and a love so deep was born, it would surely take a herd of elephants to tear them apart… 

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MJN: The word "dreams" pops up in your bio and the synopsis of your novel Housing Elephants. Dream - unless it revolves around something other than finding cure for cancer - has almost become a "dirty" word. Dreamer as opposed to Doer. Some people are addicted to the idea of having an unreachable goal. So even if they manage to turn one dream into reality, they feel a void that needs to be filled. So they come up with a new far-fetched dream.

ELJ: I think having a dream and a goal to each is healthy. It keeps you striving and working hard, even if you never quite get there. If it is something you really want, why not do everything in your power to make it a reality? That's what I feel I am doing with my writing. To become a best seller is a dream of mine. At the moment i feel it is rather far-fetched, but it doesn't stop me going for it, for pushing myself so that I am a little closer each day... Does that make sense? I do also sit around and daydream, but I think that is something else entirely! Ha! 

MJN: You list U2 and The Beatles as your old-time favorites (great taste, by the way). Your character Eve also seeks refuge in arts and music from her overbearing mother. Do you believe that a person's music library is like a psychiatric medical chart, detailing his/her past tribulations?

ELJ: Ha! I like the idea of it being like a medical chart! I suppose if you were to list them in some sort of chronological order it might look like that. I certainly have music that is linked to my state of mind at certain times in my life, as I imagine lots of people do.  

MJN: Here is a quote from your synopsis. "Love can suffocate, and love can turn to hate."  I am so glad that you bring up that sobering point. Nobody wants to admit to it, but I think that there is an element of manipulation and obsession to almost any relationship, even if it's 90% healthy. But some people deliberately avoid commitment, because in the past every relationship had turned out to be toxic. Some people just know that they are not capable of healthy love, so they prefer not to wreck any more lives. Do you think a human being is able to reprogram him/herself and learn to love in a healthy, balanced manner?

ELJ: Yes I do. I believe very much that we are shaped and moulded by the people we surround ourselves with, and that like a piece of whittling wood, we can be carved. Our fears can be chipped away, our insecurities smoothed out and sanded down and we can be varnished and polished into a more trusting version of our former selves. 

MJN: Housing Elephants is your debut novel. Your first book always holds a special place in your heart and on your writing resume, even if you go on to write ten more books or just one more. I am always fascinated by the backstory behind each author's first novel.  There are so many variables. Some novels have been written on a whim. Others are product of decades of emotional toil. Sometimes the author is also the protagonist. Sometimes the author is just an observer. When writing Housing Elephants, did you lean on your own experiences or those of people around you?

ELJ: It started out as a 2000 word short story that I did for a creative writing course. The protagonists, Eve and Billy, were very loud in my head though, and demanded, even commanded my attention. So i began to write more about what they were telling me. It turned out that I had got them all wrong. They were completely different to the characters I had started out with, and I have to say, they wrote most of the story for me. I know that might sound weird to a non-author, but the characters come live. There were times when I thought I had the story all mapped out and BAM they would change it all up. Some feelings and emotions were written from experiencing them myself, but for the most part, the experiences, that the characters go through are fictional and from my imagination, which is pretty vivid at times!

MJN: At the end of the book description you put a warning: Contains scenes that some readers may find upsetting. I find that modern readers are very jaded and find very few things shocking. The popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey is proof of that. My understanding is that readers expect certain elements from a specific genre. For instance, if a novel is labeled as a romance, they expect a happy ending, and any deviation from it will be "upsetting". Obviously, if a reader picks up a book about zombies, he/she should expect some gore.

ELJ: Yeah... there are some slightly disturbing issues dealt with in my book, but done sensitively I feel. I just felt I needed to put that there for those readers who might not have a strong gut. Unfortunately, not all love stories have happy ending though do they! Especially not ones about REAL life... mine is about real life. Real people and what really happens to real people... hehe!