Morality and the Flawed Hero

When we write a tale that involves human beings, it is likely morality will enter into it at some point. What is our responsibility as authors, when it comes to telling our tales? Do we sugar-coat it and pretend our heroes have no flaws or do we portray them, “warts and all?” For myself, I gravitate to tales written with guts and substance. Give me the Flawed Hero over the Bland Prince any day.

In Huw the Bard I describe a murder, committed in cold blood. I take you from what is the worst moment in Huw’s life and follow him as he journeys to a place and an act which, if you had asked him two months prior, he would have sworn he was not capable of committing. Sadly, this is not the lowest point in his tale. It is, however, the beginning of his journey into manhood.

Does my writing the story of this terrible act mean I personally advocate revenge murders? Absolutely not. I have lived for 64 years, and my view of life is that of a person with some experience of both the joys and the sorrows which living brings us. I believe no human being has the right to take another’s life, or do harm to anyone for any reason. Still, I write stories about people who might have existed, and who have their own views of morality. In each story I write, I try to get into the characters’ heads, to understand why they make the sometimes-terrible choices which change their lives so profoundly.

I have a responsibility to tell the best story I can, even if I am writing for my own consumption. This means sometimes I stretch the bounds of accepted morality, and make every effort to do it, not for the shock value, but because the story demands it. It is entertainment, yes; but more than that, I want the tale to remain with the reader after they have finished it. If I am somehow able to tap into the emotions of the moment and bring the reader into the story, I have achieved my goal.

In the forthcoming months, I will be launching another book in the Billy’s Revenge series, set in the world of Waldeyn, Billy Ninefingers. Billy appears at the end of Huw the Bard and is the man the series is named after.

Having just inherited the captaincy of a mercenary band known as the Rowdies, Billy is on the verge of having everything he ever wanted. However, an unwarranted attack by a jealous rival captain seriously wounds him, destroying his ability to swing a sword. Desperate to hold on to his inheritance, Billy must build a new future for himself and the Rowdies despite his disability. In keeping with the theme in this series, his tale explores the way we justify our actions for good or ill, and how his worst moments shape his life.

Toward the end of this book, Huw’s story converges with Billy’s, a small glimpse his life as a mercenary. Some of my other favorite characters will also make appearances in Billy’s tale of trouble and woe because his story and the Rowdies are the backdrops to their story.

Due to a family emergency over the summer, I was delayed in beginning my final revisions on Billy Ninefingers, but he will launch in the first week of December, in time for Christmas.

 

Cover Reveal For ‘Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar’ And A Quick Word About PaintNET

The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar by Rachel Tsoumbakos FINAL COVER ART 940 resize

Now that Christmas and New Year’s has come and gone and the school holidays are nearly over here in Australia, it is time to get serious about edits for my upcoming book, Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar. But, before that can happen, there was just enough time to create the cover!

Thanks to some awesome input from my fellow Myrddin authors, and, in particular, Connie J. Jasperson, there has been many hours spent relearning how to use PaintNET. So, what does the cover for Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar look like? All the details are below.

 The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar by Rachel Tsoumbakos FINAL COVER ART 940 resize
[Image via © Nejron | Dreamstime.com/Rachel Tsoumbakos]

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha And Ragnar Blurb

 

Lagertha was known to be one of the wives of the famous Viking, Ragnar Lodbrok. But did you know they first met each other at a brothel? And just how long did their marriage last? Was Lagertha really the revered shield maiden we see her as today? The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar aims to unravel all these secrets.

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar is so much more than a history book though. While Part One examines the historical facts, Part Two brings their whole story to life with an historically accurate novella of their lives.

Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar aims to discover just how much of what we know of the shield maiden, Lagertha, and the famous Ragnar Lodbrok in popular culture today is actually true.

The Truth About series explores the historical fact from present day fiction in regards to the Vikings and other key historical figures that existed in the Viking era.

You can add Vikings: The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar to your Goodreads reading list. Also, once the next stage of editing is completed (I’m around the halfway mark for this), I should have more idea of a release date, which means you will soon be able to pre-order The Truth About Lagertha and Ragnar on Amazon. Make sure you sign up to the Myrddin Publishing blog so you will know as soon as pre-order is available!

Also, for some fun facts you might not know about Lagertha and Ragnar already, you can check out my previous post on these two Vikings here.

So, What Is PaintNET Anyway?

If you have ever wanted to use Photoshop but just can’t afford the money or time to learn how to use such an enormous program, PaintNET might be just your thing. It is a freeware product designed by the people and for the people. This program is part of GNU, another free software operating system. While PaintNET is a great resource for those designing book covers and manipulating images, it is not entirely a full version alternative to Photoshop. If you want that, you will need GIMP, which is very much the freeware equivalent of Photoshop. However, if you — like me — have tried Photoshop and become completely overwhelmed with all it can do, PaintNET is nice alternative. It is very much a bridge between what can be done in Microsoft’s Paint program with a few added extras and the full Photoshop experience.

[Image via © Nejron | Dreamstime.com/Rachel Tsoumbakos]

Hunted Heart cover reveal

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
I met a friend online who gave me a prompt for Hunted Heart. Her idea was to have a strong heroine as the Hunter from Snow White who is given the job of killing the
prince. Heartbreak, magic mirrors, and poisoned apples all wound themselves
into the plot, and fifty thousand words later I had an adult take on the fairytale.
My publishing group, Myrddin Publishing, does a charity publication each year in
December. This year my Myrddin effort is Hunted Heart and all royalties will be donated. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon, and you can add it to your reading lists on Goodreads.
When Tali is hired to cut out the heart of Prince Kas, the huntress can’t refuse. Tali realizes there is no escape from the dark magic of the queen’s mirror, even though her own feelings for the prince are far too complex to understand.
As they try to run from their shared destiny, Tali and Kas have to rely on their wits and each other as hunter becomes prey and hearts are won and lost.
A genderbent Snow White for adults (18+ only.) All royalties go to Save the Children.
My illustrator did a lovely job with the book. Here is Lisa Daly’s cover for Hunted Heart:

 

About the author: Alison DeLuca is the author of several fantasy and steampunk novels. Currently she lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter, where she wrestles words and laundry.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and
Goodreads.