bel-nemeton

OVERDUE: The Unofficial Playlist

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Long before I wrote fiction, I was a music journalist and music historian. Those origins bleed through to my present in my fondness for creating playlists to accompany my published works as well as inviting my guest bloggers to do the same for their creations. Over the years, I’ve discovered such playlists have a remarkable ability to viscerally convey the style of a story and encapsulate an author’s influences and approach in a way that words do not match.

A playlist for Overdue: Mystery, Adventure, and the World’s Lost Books, presented a challenge in this regard, but also an opportunity. While Overdue contains my latest work, the novella-length “Provenance,” it is an anthology. Alongside my story are nine other, very different stories by nine other excellent, very different authors.

In short, Overdue is an anthology of stories about quests to recover history’s lost and forgotten books – a concept that seems to have resonated with authors and readers (both of whom tend to be bibliophiles). The anthology is set in a shared-universe joining together my Bel Nemeton series with the world of M.H. Norris’s All the Petty Myths.

The stories in Overdue run from Mythos horror to romance and from supernatural techno-thriller to YA coming of age. For this post, I reached out to my co-authors, inviting them to contribute a track or two or three about their story for this unofficial playlist and say a few words about each selection: was it something reflective of the plot, the characters, the tone, the setting, or even just something they listened to while writing the piece?

Authors, of course, are busy creatures. Not all of them had the time to respond to my request (though, to my great delight, most did). In those cases, I have taken the liberty of including tracks I think fit the story, and why. Where appropriate, I have noted when the selections and commentary are mine and not the author’s.

“On with the playlist…“

One of the great advantages of doing a playlist in a format like this is the ability to link to videos which are visually interesting as well as presenting the music. Where multiple links for a track were available, as long as the audio quality was acceptable, I went with the most visually compelling. This allowed me to include some real gems: in addition to music videos (official or fan tributes), we have televised performances from KEPX studios in Seattle and the seminal 1970s music program Burt Sugarman’s Midnight Special. We also have some amazing live performances from Prague, Gdansk, and two shows from London’s celebrated old Wembley Arena.

So, that’s the setup. Now, to paraphrase the late, great Casey Kasem, on with the playlist…

WICKER MAN, by M.H. Norris (selections and commentary courtesy of the author)

1) “The Promise of Action,” by Joseph LoDuca

It’s from The Librarians soundtrack. this was an album that I had on a lot while writing and working on this collection because for me, it captured the feel I wanted. Helped keep me in the spirit.

2) “The Jurassic Park Theme: 65 million years in the making” by The Piano Guys

It’s screamed Rosella at me since they released it. This is her style of music.

WHOLLY HOLY by Kara Dennison (selections and commentary are my own)

3) “Parsifal, Act II” composed by Richard Wagner, arranged/performed by Giorgio Ravoti

Wholly Holy is the quest not only for the legend-shrouded Kyot’s Parzifal, which Wolfram von Eschenbach claimed as the source for his own work, but for the Grail itself. As such, a selection from Wagner’s Parsifal seemed a natural inclusion. But rather than watching a bunch of overly-dressed musicians sitting in a concert hall, I thought we’d do something a little different. Who knew Wagner did such good prog rock/space rock?

4) “Return to Innocence” by Enigma

Enigma’s distinctive blend of electronica, ambient, and new age sounds inevitably pairs well with stories, such as Wholly Holly, which contain elements of the fantastical, allegorical, and magical realism. In this case, however, I find a more direct connection. The song’s progression, especially when expressed in tandem with the imagery of its offical music video, very much parallel’s Faye’s own journey from innocence to disillusion to wonderment.

PERPETUAL HAPPINESS by Heidi J. Hewett (selections and commentary are my own)

5) “Such Reveries” by Duncan Sheik

Yes, Perpetual Happiness is a globe-trotting adventure about the search for a lost volume of the Yongle Dadian. But what really makes the story work, and makes it special, is the relationship between its protagonists, Doctors Carl Rosenstein and Hyacinth Button. So much of the backstory of that relationship plays out in Carl’s memory: what their shared past means for their present and their future, what who she is means for who he is, and vice-versa. Sheik’s song of picturesque, powerful moments in a relationship, seen only through memory, felt like a perfect fit.

6) “Forever Young” by Alphaville

As Perpetual Happiness begins, there is no doubt that Carl is feeling his age: physically, mentally, and emotionally. While not so obvious at the outset, perhaps so is Hyacinth. Throughout the story, memory and present offer juxtapositions of youth, age, and the blessing and curses of each. At the same time, the lost volume of the Yongle Dadian dangles the tantalizing possibility of immortality or at least extending lifespan. All those threads are woven together in Alphaville’s new wave classic.

LOREDANA’S CHALLENGE by Liam Hogan (selections and commentary made with author’s guidance)

7) Main theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone

When Liam suggested something from Morricone for its “instrumental, Italian western vibe,” the hipster in me wanted to go anywhere but the obvious place. But my mind kept coming back to Morricone’s best known piece. Its signature eight note refrain has become musical shorthand for showdowns at high noon. Loredana’s showdown, a battle of wits between chef and critic unfolding in a once grandiose restaurant in the Alps now fallen on hard times, is of a very different sort from that of a Spaghetti Western. But, nonetheless, a showdown it is.

8) “The Marriage of Figaro” composition by Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte

A lovely diegetic selection. Throughout the story, we are periodically made aware of an offscreen dishwasher with a fine baritone voice, literally heard but not seen. It’s one of those little touches which makes Loredana’s Challenge not only so compelling but feel so genuine.

THE BOOK OF THE WAYS by RC Mulhare (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

9) “Meet Me In The Alleyway” by Steve Earle

I listened to the soundtrack to HBO’s True Detective: Season One on repeat while writing my piece (also some elements of the series rubbed off onto the story, particularly the Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane nature of the plot, even the climactic scene in my piece gave a tip of the hat to the climatic scene at Carcosa in the penultimate episode of TD: Season One). This gritty, Tom Waits-esque blues piece jumped out at me. The lyrics fit the general air of wheeling and dealing over occult stuff, plus the genre fit Jake Booker like a chambray shirt.

10) “Madness Is My Destiny (Orchestral Version)” from Dreams in the Witch House: A Lovecraftian Rock Opera.

I consider this one the main title/end credits theme for “The Book of the Ways”. I finished principal writing on this piece during breaks at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival when the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences hosted them at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode island. This piece kept playing as trailer music for a preview that played before their short films blocks and it wriggled its way into my mind.

Check out RC’s full playlist for “The Book of the Ways.”

BRING THE FIRE by Michael O’Brien (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

11) “Revolution Industrielle” by Jean-Michel Jarre

This is an electronic instrumental piece. The work speaks to me of labor and creation, and the progression of our mechanisms from clockwork and steam to digital pulses and video. I find it a profoundly moving piece because our technology has always been extensions of ourselves, and it fits my story in the way it reflects the hacker’s and maker’s desire to make physical laws do things they’ve never done before.

12) “Atom Bomb” by Fluke

Wildly different from the previous choice, this is a bass-heavy track about a woman with the plans and means to dominate the entire world. The unnamed woman is clever, charismatic, and determined, with access to resources beyond the imagination of an ordinary person. While this obviously doesn’t directly reflect Naomi – she just wants to dominate the 5v5 ladder in the latest season of Overwatch – my brain does make the connection. [JB Note: There were two excellent options for the video here. While one spoke a little more to me, I went with the one that seemed to speak to the author’s aesthetic and interests]

UNDER COVER by Sean M. O’dea (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

This wonderful rap medley is poured over a country western beat like spicy honey over a flaky biscuit and I think it represents both the cultural confluence that is Houston, Texas and has the right tenor in terms of lighting up an explosive action scene.

14) [Middle Act] “The Influencers” by Bootsy Collins (featuring FANTAAZMA, Snoop Dog, Dave Stewart, Wiz Khalifa, & Westcoast Stone)

This is a tough one as a secret team of eclectic operatives gallivants across ancient continents in search of a book that is equal parts danger and magic. Nothing says eclectic gallivanting like Bootsy!

15) [Final Act] “Beaty Beats” by Beats Antique

This one was on repeat as I wrote the volatile final scene in a mythical city beneath the Arabian desert between cultists, foreign mercenaries, and tech-savvy secret operatives. “Beaty Beats” captured all these variables. A song that is definitively Middle Eastern laid over a downtempo, electronic foundation and infused with a little hip-hop. It’s a song that makes me want to curl up with a smoking hookah and a thrift store copy of 1,001 Arabian Nights.

CLUE TO THE PAST by Karen Thrower (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

16) “Fate Has Smiled Upon Us” by Marc Streitenfeld, from the Robin Hood soundtrack

I always liked this song, the title would remind me how lucky Lawrence was to be able to find the manuscript in the first place, and make it out alive!

17) “Trespasser,” Dark Solas Theme, by Trevor Morris

Nice, dark, perfect for Hazel on her own quest to destroy the formula.

18) “Chevaliers De Sangreal,” by Hans Zimmer, from The Davinci Code

This song plays at the end of the movie when Tom Hanks character realizes where she is, and when he kneels on top of her tomb it’s this really special moment,(at least to me) and I always felt like finding the manuscript was Lawrence’s special moment, worth the reverence that Tom Hanks portrays in that scene, the thing he had hoped existed and finds it truly does.

PROVENANCE by Jon Black (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

19) “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” by Pet Shop Boys

This song is all about not doing it the right way. It’s about cutting corners and ignoring rules (and laws) to go straight for the main chance and the big score. That’s something the two protagonists and even many of the secondary characters of Provenance can relate to: Cassidy and Hierbabuena’s masterwork forgeries. Jake Booker’s shady treasure hunting past. Even Jen Gerson’s ambition to become one of the world’s foremost linguists, without decades of playing academic games and without a doctorate, differs from the others more in goals and tactics than spirit. I had hoped I might find an alt-country cover of “Opportunities” as a nod to Jake Booker. Perhaps its just as well I could not, PSB’s Wembley performance is so delightful.

20) “Heroes” by David Bowie (with Queen, Mick Ronson, and Ian Hunter)

This is a diegetic selection, literally the song playing on the car radio in the final scene of Provenance as Cassidy and Jen drive into the unknown, questing for the real Sefer Bohem. Both Jen and Cassidy have within them the raw material to be heroes but, up to this moment, their limitations, quirks, and foibles have held them back. Provenance leaves the question unanswered: will their mutual idiosyncrasies cause the nascent partnership to explode in a hot mess or, working together, will each finally unlock their potential to be heroes?

IN THE HEARTS OF LADS by Fio Trethewey (selections and commentary courtesy of author)

21) “Hocus Pocus” by Focus

I was introduced to by the film Baby Driver. Yes, whilst the film itself has aged poorly due to quite horrendous acts by the actors, the soundtrack was able to lit a fire underneath me and “Hocus Pocus” was no exception. It’s upbeat rock anthem felt very much like the boys zooming away out of danger, whether that’s whilst they’re being chased down in Bristol, or dealing with the goons across the United States. It never failed to get me in the mood to write these lads.

22) “Song 2” by Blur

This has a more personal connotation for me. When I was a young student I had a wonderful teacher, and the day we left our school with university in our sights and out of his care he gave us all a CD. This was a playlist of about 20 songs, all of which were songs of his that he grew up with or had a special connection to. The first song was this one. Without fail whenever I listen to it, I feel like a teenager again with the world before me. It really was a good fit for the playlist. [JB note: There were several good options for video on this one, but I was unable to resist the dialback to the old Wembley Arena a full decade after the earlier video]

23) “The Goonies” theme by Dave Grustin

This is a little different to the other two. A orchestral 80s tune that is a softer instrumental, that builds into epic horns and slows back down again. If you’ve not seen The Goonies, you may have been living under a rock but as that was one of the original inspirations for the story it would be remiss not to talk about it. In case you don’t know, it’s an 80s adventure film by Steven Spielberg about a group of kids who are trying to find missing pirate treasure – whilst being chased by a family of murderous thieves. 

When I listen to the song, not only does it also make me feel young again, but I feel the musical beats connects the emotional paths of the boys that they are going through. My story is about four very different boys, who find themselves connected by the internet, connected by their fears and dreams and are able to go on their own grand adventure together. Grustin’s music is able to weave a musical theme for us does make me feel connected to Duncan, Hobbs, Lucas and Austin when I listen to it and make me wonder how these boys are doing now, 7 years later! 

Check out Fio’s full playlist for “In the Hearts of Lads.”

Overdue: Mystery, Adventure, and the World’s Lost Books, from 18th Wall Productions, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and other eBook formats.

How to “Dr. Frankenstein” Extinct & Poorly Documented Languages for Fiction

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The Pictish language (or dialect, see below) was spoken in what is now northern and eastern Scotland approximately between the Fourth and Tenth centuries, when it was eclipsed by the language which evolved into modern Scotts Gaelic. Very few records of Pictish language have survived, mostly as brief mentions in Irish or Welsh sources.

That presents certain difficulties for one of my w

orks in progress, a novel tentatively titled Caledfwlch, the second book in my historical fantasy/progressive pulp series Bel Nemeton. The Picts feature very prominently in Caledfwlch. As part of bringing that people and their land to life, I wanted to be able to use some “Pictish” in the story.

I’ve turned that quest into a blog post not only because some of my readers may find it interesting but also in hopes it might be useful to other writers seeking to use a poorly documented extinct language in their work.

First, a few caveats on the scope of my project. I am not so ambitious as to try to go Tolkien/Star Trek on the problem and create a fully functional language. My goal is much humbler, to be able to drop the occasional word or phrase into the text for effect. Also, I am not attempting to recreate the actual, historical Pictish language. With such a miniscule sample size, that task has proven beyond the abilities of the world’s best linguists. I know I have no hope of doing so (nor do I have the time or inclination). Rather, my objective is creating plausible facsimiles of fragments of Pictish for use in fiction.

Here is how I tackled the problem.

I began by looking at how Pictish relates to other languages, living and dead:

Yes, there are a few claims that Pictish was a non-Indo-European tongue…or other outlier hypotheses. But the overwhelming academic consensus is that Pictish was an Insular Celtic language and a member of the Brittonic/Brythonic (P-Celtic) sub-family. From there, opinion appears about evenly divided whether Pictish was a dialect of or a sister language to Common Brittonic. Either way, that means the surviving languages descended from Common Brittonic (Breton, Cornish, and Welsh) are the closest living relatives to Pictish.

From there, I made an assumption (a well-reasoned one, I hope): geographical proximity suggests, of those three living languages, Welsh is likely to have been the most similar to Pictish. That geographical argument is strengthened if one considers the now extinct Cumbric dialect of Welsh, which was spoken in northern Britain and southern Scotland.

So I used Welsh (Old Welsh or Middle Welsh when available) as my jumping-off point for Pictish. There are a number of sources for Old and Middle Welsh online. When I couldn’t find relevant Old and Middle Welsh information, I turned to the plethora of Modern Welsh resources as well as good ol’ Google Translate.

Locating a Welsh translation for the word or phrase I wanted, sometimes I used it directly as Pictish. Other times I shifted a few sounds. Again, I understand this is not a linguistically sound way to actually recreate an extinct language. But I am hoping it creates a plausible, if utterly fictitious, facsimile that helps bring that fascinating people to life in my novel.

So, my solution to using a poorly documented extinct language was to identify the closest living language (or nearest well documented extinct language) and use it as inspiration for the language I was trying to recreate.

So, yes, at the end of the day, I am not so much trying to “Dr. Frankenstein” the language as I am making a hand puppet out of the corpse’s fist and hoping that will engage the suspension of disbelief of my readers. Nevertheless, I hope this has been entertaining and possibly useful for my readers.

Follow Jon at @BlackOnBlues on Twitter.

Bel Nemeton Q&A: Part V

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The following installment concludes my Publisher’s author interview for the short story “Bel Nemeton.” The template for my upcoming novel of the same name, “Bel Nemeton” can be found in the anthology After Avalon, from 18th Wall Productions.

Q) Your story features brief scenes with Merlin in the distant past. What
were those like to research and write? In fact, your story builds itself from a complicated web of real historical fact.

How was the whole research journey?

It is possible I did just enough research to get into trouble. If hope any archaeologists, historians, or linguists that happen to read “Bel Nemeton” will forgive my errors in the interest of narrative license.

With that caveat, it was a wonderful opportunity to research and highlight many interesting things occurring in the Sixth century.

Giving life to the complex and cosmopolitan civilizations along the Silk Road, such as Sogdia, was particularly enjoyable.

It was my goal to transfer the delight of that research and discovery directly into the narrative itself through the eyes of Vivian and Jake.

Readers who enjoyed that aspect of “Bel Nemeton” will be happy to learn the upcoming novel significantly expands the attention given to Merlin’s wanderings and exploration of the world of the Sixth century.

Please check out earlier answers in previous blog posts. Follow Jon at @BlackOnBlues on Twitter.

Bel Nemeton Q&A: Part IV

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The following is part of my Publisher’s author interview for the short story “Bel Nemeton.” The template for my upcoming novel of the same name, “Bel Nemeton” can be found in the anthology After Avalon, from 18th Wall Productions.

Q) Tell us more about your two leads, their relationship, and what
inspired them.

Dr. Vivian Cuinssey is a professor of Celtic linguistics. Jake Booker is a two-fisted treasure hunter. While the “academic” and the “man of action” are common archetypes of contemporary pulp, one of the great joys of writing “Bel Nemeton” was playing both leads against type. Vivian comes to the table with considerable moxie and a willingness to dust it up with the bad guys. Conversely, as the story progresses, Jake reveals that, underneath his action hero exterior, beats the heart of a nerd.

Initially an alliance born of convenience, Vivian and Jake’s relationship evolves into a symbiotic partnership rooted in mutual respect – none of which prevents the obligatory barbs and banter which are de rigueur for an action-adventure duo.

Interestingly, I began writing “Bel Nemeton” without plans for romantic tension between the leads. Regardless of intentions, as I wrote, it was clear there was chemistry between them. While it’s not heavily emphasized in the story, it is definitely there.

I have been blessed to have a lot of strong, capable women in my life, many of whom are academics. As cliché as it is to say, especially my mother. These women provide much of the raw material for Vivian Cuinnsey. Jake Booker emerged more organically. I began without a strong conception of who Jake was and he gradually revealed himself through the process of writing.

Drop in on Friday for the interview’s conclusion. Please check out earlier answers in previous blog posts.

Follow Jon at @BlackOnBlues on Twitter. ,

Bel Nemeton Q&A: Part III

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The following is part of my Publisher’s author interview for the short story “Bel Nemeton.” The template for my upcoming novel of the same name, “Bel Nemeton” can be found in the anthology After Avalon, from 18th Wall Productions.

Q) Merlin is one of the most influential and long-standing of Arthurian
characters. What inspired you to use him–and send your heroes on a
globetrotting quest to find his tomb?,

Of all Arthuriana’s characters, I felt Merlin had the widest potential for an “After Avalon” story. I envision him as a Dark Ages proto-Renaissance Man, with a whole world of possibilities open to him. Taking that sentiment literally, I imagined Merlin wandering the length of the known world seeking to fill the void left by the fall of Camelot with new experiences and encounters.

Initially, I conceived of Vivian and Jake primarily as a lens to reveal Merlin’s travels as they searched for what would be the archeological discovery of the century. As I began writing “Bel Nemeton,” however, they quickly assumed a life and agency of their own.

Drop in on Wednesday for another question from the interview and check out earlier answers in previous blog posts.

Follow Jon at @BlackOnBlues on Twitter.

Bel Nemeton Q&A: Part II

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The following is part of my Publisher’s author interview for the short story “Bel Nemeton.” The template for my upcoming novel of the same name, “Bel Nemeton” can be found in the anthology After Avalon, from 18th Wall Productions.

Q) Other than your story, what is your favorite Arthurian tale (regardless
of medium)?

A) I have a special fondness for the 2004 film “King Arthur,” starting Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. I appreciate its late Roman/early Dark Ages setting and its exploration of the interplay between the various cultures in Britain at that time, including Celtic, Roman, and Saxon. Those are elements I explore in “Bel Nemeton” as well.

Though I am confused by why all the Saxons in the film have American accents.

Drop in on Tuesday for another question from the interview and check out earlier answers in previous blog posts.

Follow Jon at @BlackOnBlues on Twitter.

Writing a Sixth Century Road Trip

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I am still doing research for “Caledfwlch” and will be for many more months. I have, however, also begun writing. As with “Bel Nemeton,” the second book in the series features a split perspective with part of the action split between a contemporary time frame and a Sixth century Arthurian one (other, shorter, perspectives may also be introduced, I haven’t decided).

Part of the Sixth century storyline involves Myrddi (Merlin), Bleys (Blaze), and Arthur (for reasons of aesthetic preference, I’ve kept the king’s name in its familiar form rather than reverting to its Celtic versions). Traveling overland from a nebulously placed Camelot (there are so many suggested locations for a historical Camelot, none of them terribly convincing) to Pictland.

It would be entirely possible to fast forward through all that and simply resume narrative upon arriving among the Picts. If this was a short story, I certainly would. In a novel, however, I can afford to give some detail to their travels, using the opportunity to bring the world of Sixth century Britain to life, provide some character exposition, and insert a little derring-do.

The research underpinning this part of the story has been every bit as challenging as the research into the Picts (see my previous post). There is, of course, no authoritative map of Britain in the early-to-mid Sixth century. Even determining what lands and kingdoms Mryrddin and his party would pass through on their journey requires sifting through vague and contradictory information before making my own assumptions (possibly shaded a little by dramatic potential).

To the best of my ability, their travels will take the thrio through Powys, Pengwern, Elmet, Reghed, Damnonia, and Dal Riata before entering Pictland.

Along the way, each of those lands will get a little bit of color, if not a small story. Pengwern contains an abandoned Roman city whose name appears to be a Latinization of the Britonnic term for “City of the Werewolf” (really). How could I not play with that? Elmet, I think, will be Bleys’s home turf, good for some exposition about the history of Myrddin’s tutor. Reghed is often considered to be the “Gorre” of Arthurian legend, which gives some hints about what I may do there. Unlike the previous lands, which were are all Brittonic or Welsh, Dal Riata is the land of the Scoti (Gaelic speaking invaders from Ireland from which the name “Scotland” is ultimately derived). So there’s some good opportunity for cross-cultural tensions and, I think, maybe a bar brawl.

After that, it’s into Pictland and Sixth century Wally World (just kidding, mostly).

Knit-Picting

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Book Two in the series isn’t due until May 2016. Nevertheless, I’ve already begun my research. The story will feature the Picts prominently. Delving into what is known about the Picts has been both fascinating and challenging.

Of all the Celtic peoples (acknowledging of course, that even the term “Celt” is anachronistic) of the Isles, the Picts are arguably the most enigmatic. Aside from archeological evidence, almost everything known about Picts comes from other peoples … and even that is not a large corpus of information. So it might appear to be an open question, what was a Pict?

In the absence of a large volume of hard data, it appears many people have treated the Picts as a blank canvas on which to project their own ideas, hopes, and fears. Often, this leads to depiction (no pun intended) of Picts as a kind of uber-Celt, with every trait common associated with Celts exaggerated. Others portray Picts as the ultimate “other,” ignore solid evidence as they portray Picts as non-Indo-European (to say nothing of Celt) and an outlier or exception to much that is commonly understood about human society.

Popular conceptions of the Picts … as technologically primitive, socially primitive, and extremely warlike appear deeply ingrained in both popular consciousness and mass media – from Robert E. Howard to the 2004 Clive Owen/Keira Knightley film “King Arthur.” There may be a kernel of truth in the last aspect, sources from multiple cultures describe Picts as notorious pirates and, certainly, they were one of the barbarian groups troubling Rome and even southern Britons. It is difficult, however, to build a case they were more “barbariany” than other barbarians. Conceptions of technological and social primitivism, however, are utterly erroneous. Archeological evidence supports that Pictish material culture and technology were on par with their other Celtic and Saxon neighbors. In fact, in some areas, notably metal working and artistry (Pictish art tended toward the naturalistic, in contrast with the stylized forms of their neighbors) a case could be made they were slightly ahead of the curve. Socially, while Pictland apparently lacked the larger settlements of southern Britain, its political and religious systems were also on par with their neighbors.

At this point, as presented in my story, the Picts will adhere strongly to the model supported by archeology and other scholarly research … while also featuring a nod to those more fanciful conceptions of myth and legend (especially of the Robert E. Howard variety).