Thank you so much for having me and letting me
talk about the coolest part of this series, the world building. I have to say
that building the world for this trilogy has been more challenging than any
other series I’ve ever written. There have been so many discoveries along the
way, but let’s stick to the Top 10 World Building Moments that led to what we
have now.
10. The
Solar System
It would be silly of me not to mention it. This solar system is how the
whole idea behind the book began. I wanted to do something wildly different, so
I took the coolest solar system that I’d been building over the past several
years and said, “Let’s write a book.”
9.
Understanding the Seasons
Looking at this system (which is hanging from my
ceiling), you can see that everything is going to be different. Day, night,
seasons, years, everything. The biggest impact was winter, which spans up to
five years at a time. It’s like a mini ice-age every turn. So in order to
survive this, all the cities and civilizations had to develop around the
ability to move. This led me to thinking. What are some of the different types
of cities we could have that would allow us to be mobile?
8.
Discovering the Air Ship
The easiest way, of course, is to be on a ship. That was kind of a no
brainer. My favorite steampunk element is the air ship. I love ‘em! I knew as
soon as I said “steampunk”, there was going to be an air ship.
7. Figuring
Out How to Keep the Ship in the Sky
But this led to several troubling questions. I couldn’t rely on what
other authors had done because they were alternate histories of Earth. We’re on
a different planet. Who’s to say they know what hydrogen is? Were they able to
study elements the same way we did? I’m sure someone somewhere on their planet
is doing something similar, but were they able to make the same leaps?
The answer I came up with was yes and at the same time no. Life on this
planet is very symbiotic. So with that in mind, my next question was, what
creature could I put in the sails of this ship so that would allow it to float?
I discovered that I have a secret love affair with the jellyfish. Even I didn’t
know this, but every time I dipped a toe into research mode, it came out
“jellyfish”. So on this planet, we have several different types of jellies, one
of which is the air jelly.
5. Keeping
the Air Jelly Alive
Now, in my travels on this newly developing world, I came across some
interesting knowledge. The air jellies volunteer to be harnessed to the air
ships and in return, the airmen keep them safe from the sky cats! We’ll get to
them in a minute. But this also opened my mind to the vast ecosystem of the sky
and how the air ship has to somehow incorporate that in order to exist.
I tripped upon this fantastic website called The Featured Creature,
where I discovered the Chinese Dragon Worm and the feather
starfish. At this point, my brain pretty much exploded. Between this and the Blue Dragon nudibranch, which keeps the toxicity of the jellyfish to a
minimum so they’re not inadvertently killing the crew, I had a pretty good
start to a working ecosystem.
4. Killing the Parasites
When you have an ecosystem like this, you’re going to have parasites.
Actually, Miss Think and Miss Sunshine pointed out how cool parasites could be.
I think they were trying to gross me out. They succeeded that night, but it got
me to thinking. Parasites really do happen everywhere. What would happen if
a…iridescent feather worm started infecting the ship? What if they preyed on
the red feather worm that the El’Asim fleet relies on to feed their air
jellies? What if one of the air jellies at one of the iridescent feather worms
and was poisoned by it?
SistaPITA decided that we needed
to have spitfyre falcons to protect the ships. The leaders of the El’Asim go to
the volcanoes of the Koko Nadi Islands and chose one egg each spring. Once the
egg hatches, they raise the falcon and bond with it. It really changed the
whole feel of the ship. It was a family before, but all of a sudden there was a
great bond, one that you could hear as well as see.
3.
Discovering a Volcano City
When Egolda City was destroyed, I didn’t know what to do with all the
survivors. I was like, “Doh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t plan for this. You guys
might be hooped! My bad.” But then I was listening to MerBear, a coworker of
mine, and she was telling me a this peacock rock. You’ll have to Google it.
It’s absolutely stunning.
At the same time, I was watching a documentary about volcanoes. Since
this world is mostly air and water, studying volcanoes was a good idea. I
learned about lava tubes, and those two ideas collided in my brain! We
uncovered a newly formed series of islands riddles with lava tubes, with walls
covered in peacock colored algae. Inside these tubes and series of caves was an
entirely self-sufficient ecosystem. Egolda City survivors were saved!
2. The Most
Versatile City…EVER
As much as I
loooooooove the air ships, I have to admit that the coolest cities are on the letharan. These guys are massively HUGE
jellyfish that can house a city the size of Denver! The trunks become the
columns of the city. The finer tendrils are like the arms that help to raise
and lower the platforms of the each level of the city. The veins of the
jellyfish line the walls, and the “lights” are the jellyfish’s blood which
glows in the dark, radiating from blue to green to yellow to orange to red to
pink to purple and back to blue.
I admit. I’m torn. I don’t know whether I should love this city more or
if I should remain stubbon and continue to love the ecosystem of the air ship.
The lethara are able to reside above
the ocean. The smaller ones have to remain in constant contact with the water,
but the older ones that are several hundred years old can actually rise into
the air. They typically don’t, but that doesn’t mean they can’t.
They’re also able to completely submerge without harming the people
living inside their city. The lethara has
a film that drops from the medusa (hood or bell), that envelopes the entire
city. Oxygen is created through the type of synthesis as the jelly pumps the
ocean water through his veins. He’s cognizant, aware, and able to communicate
to his citizens.
1. The
People
The greatest world building element for this series has been
discovering the people. Each tribe, each Great Family, each religious sect, they
have their own rhythm, language, set of values. It was so very interesting to
meet each of them, and I think I convey that in the book, especially in book 2.
We speak each other’s language as a sign of respect. We honor each other’s
ways.
This book truly has been a great challenge to write, but it has been
incredibly rewarding at the same time. I hope you enjoy! And thank you again
for stopping by!
Fall of Sky City
by S.M. Blooding
Genre: New Adult Fantasy, Steampunk Adventure
About Fall of Sky City:
In a world governed by the opposing forces of the mystical House of Tarot and the tribal Great Families, Synn is caught in the crossfire. He witnesses the slaughter of innocent people, and the devastating murder of his father. This act awakens his Mark of power, a Mark greater than any the world has seen in a very long time.
Queen Nix thought she won a great prize when she destroyed Synn’s father, the leader of the strongest Great Families. She had no idea she’d be doubly blessed by capturing his son. However, before Synn can become her treasured weapon, before she can use him to bring the rest of the world to its knees, she must break him and bind his soul to hers.
She does her job with brutal brilliance. Synn’s mind is broken and his soul is seared to hers in an unbreakable bond.
That doesn’t stop him from wanting to be free. She may have broken his mind and claimed his soul, but he will find a way to destroy her.
Experience a world of ships that sail the clouds and cites buried beneath the ocean, and survive the fiery battle brought forth by those who control the forces of nature!
About Author SM Blooding:
SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, Ms. Bird, the Chicken and SistaPITA. It's quite the zoo. She’s taken a break from the piano, which Ms, Bird is quite happy about, and now knows more than one word in Arabic. Basically, she can say hello, good-bye, give it to me, and hurry up!
She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.
Follow SM Blooding:
Giveaway:
The Author is giving away a $50 Amazon GC. Fill out the form below to Enter!
Sara Michaels is single again. And she’s celebrating her thirtieth birthday with a complete spa makeover and a day of boutique shopping with her two best friends. After a ten-month battle for freedom, a long weekend in Nashville, Tennessee is just what she needs to erase the memories of a broken heart.
Winter's Magic
Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.
After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.
Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women he’s dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick’s past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret. 
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