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Oct32023

Destination Research

I spent some time over Con-tinual, where I’m a regular panelist, talking about traveling for research. In May I got the chance to visit Greece with my friend Helen Corcoran. Unleashing two fantasy authors on such an inspiring setting was a dream come true.

I wanted to share some of the some sites we visited to bolster my research for Dark Moon, Shallow Sea.

We went to a lot of amazing places, but I’m going to focus on the more obscure ones. The Shallow Sea is a crucial piece of the book’s setting so spending time on the Aegean was essential.

I definitely didn’t feel it was “wine dark” in any way, even by night. We spent one night at Nea Makri, a seaside town where the Athenians go to get away from the heat but it was early enough in the season that we didn’t encounter any tourists but ourselves. It gave me the chance to see how the locals lived and the food was excellent. I couldn’t resist the chance to sneak a copy of our books down to the water to get some shots:

The ancient Greeks lived with a keen awareness of the sea, of its danger and its gifts. They hated drowning. It was a death they loathed. I imbued the inhabitants of my world with a similar dread, as well as a very angry storm goddess, but also with the appreciation of the beauty you find in water:

Helen’s book looked just as striking there:

Our last stop of the trip was at Sounion, south of Athens on a cape. It’s famous for its temple of Poseidon and the very scant ruins of a temple of Athena. The sunset is especially beautiful.

The rocky shore and sparkling water dotted with islets really captured the feel I wanted for my fictional land of Aegea’s eastern coast:

We didn’t limit ourselves to the shores. Religion and the conflict between competing faiths play a huge role in Dark Moon, Shallow Sea. Worship of Phoebe, the murdered moon goddess, and her Mysteries are an essential part of the plot, so Helen and I trekked west, into the north of the mainland, and visited Dodoni. This is one of those sites I have wanted to see my entire life. First, it has an oak tree oracle sacred to Zeus, but like so many places touched by myth, it predates him. Since I used the exiled Greek Titans as the gods in Dark Moon, Shallow Sea I particularly wanted to find traces of their worship.

The temple of Themis still shows its foundations and the oracle of Dodona is believed to have once been dedicated to Rhea (Zeus’s mother) and/or Gaia (his grandmother) much as Apollo’s oracle at Delphi was once held by Phoebe (Titaness of the moon). We had the site almost to ourselves and it was well worth the time and going out of our way to visit it.

I spent some time listening to the tree and was charmed to see that people still leave coins as offerings:

The site’s remote setting lent it an air of peace and we walked it for a good while:

The site wasn’t just the foundations of the temples. The theatre was in decent shape and undergoing some careful restoration/preservation efforts:

I did not get a picture but as we were leaving and visited the little gift shop a gray cat walked in with something orange in her mouth. As she approached the shelf behind the counter we heard her babies crying and realized that she was carrying a kitten in her mouth. Outside we saw the orange dad and guessed she’d taken the baby to show him and say “see? it’s yours.” It was one of those little moments I like to put in my books to give them a bit more grounding and a touch of reality.

The plants that grow at ancient sites can tell you a lot about the history and sometimes, the mythology. Holly at a giant’s grave in Ireland for example, helped me know he was a Winter King.

Speaking of religion and sites, Eleusis is something more people should see. Near to Athens and home of the Mysteries, which we still know very little about (as they were secret upon pain of death), the site sprawls along a hillside in an industrial town. The museum has gotten a makeover since my last visit and I was pleased to see some great artifacts, including same ancient cloth in a drawer you can pull out and view.

Eleusis was dedicated to Demeter and the search for her daughter Persephone. As they are tied to the seasons and cycles of planting and harvest, iconography reflecting this is everywhere.

This site was important to me as Dark Moon, Shallow Sea includes a visit to Thiva (named after another place in Greece that you’ve likely heard of as Thebes). In the book Thiva is a bread basket, a green fertile island blessed by the goddess Rhea (or was until…well, spoilers).

Red poppies are common everywhere in Greece, but their significance at Eleusis shouldn’t be missed. Poppies were given to Demeter to help her sleep when she couldn’t rest, being too frantic to find her missing daughter:

Greece is plagued by earthquakes, which the ancients attributed to Poseidon. Unfortunately, this along with time and the razing of the Pagan temples at the command of the Christian emperor Theodosius means that the ancient sites are largely in a state of disrepair. Some were spared if they had been converted into Christian churches but time and war have often worked their wear on these as well. Aegea is much like that. The gods (the Greek Titans) arrived there after their exile by their children and found the world already inhabited. They began a war of colonization against the gods who preceded them. Ruins dot Aegea and one bit of graffiti states “this world was old before the gods arrived.” Eleusis’s scale and decline helped influence my take on the book’s world.

Little bits of the ancient faith still bubble up, peeking like bones from the earth. An example of this is at Eleusis, where offerings to the Hades and Persephone, as gods of the Underworld, are still left at this small cave entrance.

Much of the ancient statuary of Eleusis was looted or destroyed, but the museum holds two truly significant pieces. One caryatid, whose sister was removed and who used to hold up the roof and one of Antinous, the beloved of the Emperor Hadrian, who died tragically and was deified. Hadrian loved Greece and was inducted into the mysteries. Statues of Antinous abound and I collect pictures of them. My favorite is in the Vatican.

Part of Demeter’s rites was to reenact her search for her daughter. This annual march began in Athens, at the gate of the Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery (which is a must see in Athens if you get the chance). Helen and I took a picture at the gate (though we did not reenact the march to Eleusis):

Another import site near Athens when it came to my research is Brauron. Sacred to Artemis and in a marshy spot, snakes abound (hence the metal walkways). This is another museum that has gotten a big glow up since my last visit and its history is fascinating. Worship of Artemis (as was dedication to Dionysus) provided women a way of existing in Athens’ patriarchal society (and to some measure an escape from it) but at the same time the cult also acted as a way of graduating girls to womanhood and taking their place in society. Girls often left their dolls and playthings there as an offering to demonstrate this transition. Brauron is largely my inspiration for Eastlight, a small island in the eastern Shallow Sea (from the book’s title). We visited Brauron on our last day and it was a peaceful spot, though the groundskeepers were very worried about the snakes (and that made me less contemplative than I would have liked).

There is also a small statue of Hecate, crossroads goddess of witchcraft. In Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, Phoebe is the goddess of secret knowledge and prophecy (usually through dreams). Her role as the moon also meant I wanted to look more closely at Artemis. Hecate, as a triple goddess, is often depicted as the three in one:

Ancient altars were often round and looked like wells. Artemis’s altar from Brauron is in poor shape and has been reconstructed as best as they could. This kind of broken iconography was a big inspiration for me and how I wanted religion to work in the book.

That’s it for my Destination Research: Greece posts. Thank you for reading along. You can find Dark Moon, Shallow Sea everywhere and in every format on on Oct 31, 2023. Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran is out in Europe and in the US soon!

Sep122023

The World of Dark Moon, Shallow Sea. Part III: Tethis

The city of Tethis bears the distinction of being the only polis in Aegea named for a deity. Perhaps the Tetheans wished to appease the Mother of Storms and Waves and hoped that honoring her would quell her wrath. Perhaps they simply know that their close ties to the sea means she is always near to them.

Tethis has long held a bitter rivalry with Versinae, their seafaring neighbor to the north. The two compete for control of the eastern trade waters and shipping lanes across the Shallow Sea, especially those running to Delia’s western shore. Some say the rivalry was born of economics. Others say there is bad blood between the prince of Versinae’s family and the admirals who make up Tethis’s ruling council. Whatever the origin, tempers run hot.

Whatever fealty the Tetheans have pledged their goddess, it has not spared them the worst of the Grief. The ghost mist lies thick upon the city’s interconnected islands, driving the Tethean navy further into Versinae’s claimed waters. Once the Grief rose the Admirals began a desperate measure: all Tetheans drink silvered water. It has the effect of bluing their skin but is meant to make their blood less palatable to the dead. Whether or not this technique is working has yet to be proven, but tensions between Tethis and Versinae continue to rise. Conflict between the two powers seems inevitable and so far only the Hierarch’s balancing authority has prevented open war.

Aug92023

The World of Dark Moon, Shallow Sea. Part II: Ilium

No Shadow Shall Stand Against His Light.

The credo of the worshippers of Hyperion is echoed everywhere in the god’s chief city. Lying on Aegea’s southwestern shore, dominated by the largest of his domed temples, it is said you can never be lost in Ilium. The temple rises above all else, like a second, smaller sun. It stands at the center of everything, with all roads running towards it.

Broad plazas, marked by obelisks, act as markets and centers of gossip as well as commerce. More temples are found here, often to the other gods, but Hyperion is most loved in this city, and that is forever apparent. His knights are often seen walking the streets, on their way to whatever duty presses them. His priests and priestesses are similarly common, their yellow robes setting them apart. Only occasionally does one glimpse an Inquisitor, robed in brown and almost always alone.

If one is fortunate enough to attend prayers at the great temple they might spy the Hierarch, the head of the faith, and the voice of the god in this world.

His visage is never far as Ilium’s coin is the Hierarch, and stamped with the likeness of the high priest.

There have been, in recent years, some discussions among the princes of the other poli, questioning the Hierarch’s role in temporal affairs. They whisper that his power has grown too great and too concerned with affairs of the world and not of faith. These never get far beyond whispers however. Since the death of the moon and the fall of Phoebe’s towers, there is no counter to the Knights of Hyperion, no dissenting voice loud enough. Nor, many would say, should there be. The knights wield the god’s fire, and with it, are able to drive back the Grief. Some would argue that the knights are the source of the problem, as they killed the moon, but none would dare to say such in Ilium.

Map and art by Jake Shandy: https://jakeshandy.com/

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton available October 31, 2023 from Blackstone Publishing

Jul172023

The World of Dark Moon, Shallow Sea. Part I: Aegea

This world was old before the gods arrived.

It has been found in many a text, and curiously carved into the ruins on Eastlight. Aegea certainly proves it true. The continent is dotted with ruins of the previous culture. The gods, exiled to this world by their children, named it after the sea of their homeland and began a war of colonization against the native deities, who they labeled demons.

More than anything, the war between the divines left its mark upon the land. Hyperion’s son, Helios, died in battle. His fall severed the continent with a deep canyon and left a desert, Teshur, where once there a garden stood.

All of this was ancient history by Phoebe’s death, but ruins have a way of creeping out the ground, and Hyperion’s knights remain vigilant against the demons’ return.

Aegea is divided into poli, city states, each of which have their patron deity and many of whom contend with their neighbors over resources, which are dwindling since the moon’s death.

The landscape varies from rock shores to flat plains. There are mountains to the northwest and veiny river systems to the east. All of this lends itself to microclimates, though these are often attributed to after effects of the gods’ war.

Aegea’s most prominent feature in these years is the Grief, a creeping mist of blood-hungry ghosts who rise each night, chasing the living to the shelter of a fire, if they can afford it. The Grief is the unfortunate side effect of the moon’s demise, something the knights of Hyperion stress is a necessary evil after the Hierarch, the head of Hyperion’s faith, declared that it must be so.

Whether or not that is true, the cycle of life and birth is slowing. Aegea is dying and the night may come when there is no one to worship neither god or demon.

Map by Jake Shandy: https://jakeshandy.com/

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton available October 31, 2023 from Blackstone Publishing

Jun152022

One Last Spin at the Winter Carnival

A colorful ferris wheel with the cars in rainbow (Pride) colors.

The third and final season of Love, Victor is out today. I don’t read a lot of YA or consume a lot of teen dramas lately (I’ve mostly just grown out of them and feel too old to connect with the teen mindset), but I love this show. I especially liked season two, as they delved into more interesting discussions about sex and coming out and the class differences between Victor and Simon.

I really appreciated the parents’ story, how they handled Victor coming out and struggled with loving their son and their faith (something I could relate too far more than I could with Love, Simon or a lot of the other stuff out there).

My sweet spot with a television show is when they can unpack characters and flip your understanding of them. I love when someone shows depth or motivations that changes your impression of them.

It was especially nice to see Ana Ortiz as Isabel. I hadn’t kept up with her since Ugly Betty and she got to do more in this, playing Victor’s devout mom who really struggled with his coming out in regards to what her priest was saying.

The class stuff resonated too (which makes sense when you think about what my books are about) as Victor is interacting with classmates who have a lot more privilege than he does when it comes to money. I really connected to Felix and what he struggled with in regards to his home life. Love that kid and just wanted to hug him and solve all his problems. Anthony Turpel did a great job in that role.

I’m excited to take one more spin with these characters and I think I’ll also be ready to say goodbye. Three seasons is a good run and far too many shows drag on and don’t know how to end well.

Sep302021

Poetry

Once upon a time I was a poet. It’s actually what brought me to Colorado, a scholarship to the University of Denver for my poetry (that promptly got cut and devastated me). I don’t write them very often anymore, haven’t in years, but last night that bit of the machinery woke up and spat this out, so I thought I’d share:

Apr292021

Homecoming

May be an image of railroad and tree

Sometimes I wonder if I got Adam Binder right, if I’ve fully forgotten my backwoods roots.

On Saturday I drove Brian out to where I grew up, over the dirt and gravel road, past piles of burning trash and scrub oak logs in the Oklahoma drizzle. There were plenty of trailers, shells of mobile homes.

When we went past the property where my grandparents lived at the top in their pink brick house (we lived in a trailer at the bottom of the slight hill) I saw grandma’s irises still there, gone a bit wild and blooming.

Part of me wishes I’d taken pictures. Part of me wishes I’d stopped and asked whoever lives there now if I could pay them to dig up a few bulbs. No need for either really. That past will always be part of me, and now it will always be a part of Adam and his books.

Besides, I have a few of grandma’s irises planted here in Denver and every year or so I add a few of my own. 

Mar132021

Slides for ACC – Worldbuilding from the Fatal Flaw

Mar32021

Slides for the OCLS Emotional Resonance in Fiction Workshop

Dec222020

Hades: Live, Die, Kiss

Image

I have a love-hate relationship with live, die, repeat, rogue-style games, Dark Souls in particular (so pretty, so brutal).

Hades gives me a very different feeling though. Each time Zagreus returns to his father’s house he unlocks a little more story, a little more of his secret past, and each foray out into into the Technicolor Underworld brings encounters with characters from Greek mythology and the chance for romance with a Fury or a god of Death (one guess which I’m pursuing).
So much so that I often look forward to dying just in the hope that I’ll encounter Thanatos on his balcony.

The thing that seals the deal for me though is the music. Finding out that the composer, Darren Korb is also the voice of Zagreus really made it all sync up (and I dream of him narrating one of my audiobooks). That said, it’s Eurydice’s tune, Good Riddance, sung by Ashley Barrett, that haunts me. It has since I first encountered her in Asphodel: