Last blog tour, I listed inspirations for Time Captives. However, I had to cut it
off because I was running into stories that specifically inspired The Crossways. Now it’s time to list
those inspirations.
Dragons of Starlight
by Bryan Davis. This series is what convinced me that it would be okay to throw
a little sci-fi into my fantasy. It’s primarily a fantasy story, but there are
a few elements that have more of a science fiction feel. Also, the stardrops
provided the visual inspiration for the Bremsi and the Redona. They have
completely and totally different properties and purposes, though.
The Door Within by
Wayne Thomas Batson. Good dragons. Previously, my experience with fantasy
dragons had consisted primarily of dragon Eustace and Smaug, so I didn’t know
how awesome it would be to have dragons who were actually good.
Ilyon Chronicles
Facebook posts by Jaye L. Knight. The very awesome main guy of Ilyon Chronicles, Jace, is a former
gladiator, so Jaye would often post things about gladiators on the series Facebook
page. Seeing all that, I was inspired to throw a little Ancient Rome into my
worldbuilding in the form of gladiators.
Doctor Who Series
2, most specifically “School Reunion.” Tuck
Everlasting did a really good and thorough job of exploring the downside of
immortality in this life, but still, certain implications didn’t hit me until
the Doctor said to Rose, “You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I
can’t spend the rest of mine with you.” And since there are several couples in Time Captives that I shipped as soon as
they met, this certainly came into play. And honestly, the outcome is worse
than “Doomsday.” At least “Doomsday” had “Journey’s End” to come, for Rose,
anyway. Poor Doctor. Now I want to cry for him, just thinking about it. :(
The Bronze Bow by
Elizabeth George Speare. This is one I didn’t realize until later. Leah E. Good used a line from the book for her “Guess a Quote” game, and so I flipped
through the book, reliving this awesome story. All of a sudden, it hit me that
there are quite a few similarities in personality between Adriel and Daniel. They’re
both stubborn and angry and rebellious and resentful, hating the oppressors of
their people and struggling with doubts about their faith. There’s a pretty big
difference between them, though. Daniel’s relationship with his sister Leah is
strained at best, while Adriel’s sister Rae is the most important thing in the
world to him.
The True Confessions
of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. This is principally because I couldn’t really
find any books on sailing. I looked to this exciting and mysterious book for
tips on writing a sea story. The
Crossways is completely different, but the shipboard scenes probably have a
slight Charlotte Doyle flavor to
them, that and Pirates & Faith.
So there you have the primary stories that influenced The Crossways. Don’t forget to enter the
giveaway and check out the rest of the blog tour!
I'm currently half way through The Dragons of Starlight! Yeah! And now that you mention it, I can see the similarities.
ReplyDeleteI like it when authors do posts like this, especially when I've read/watched what inspired them, then try to connect them. :)
Do you like Dragons of Starlight? I did, though there were a few things that were a little too weird for me. I liked Echoes From the Edge better. Have you read any other Bryan Davis books? I'm pretty convinced he's a Whovian. :)
DeleteI like it too, which is why I decided to share it. What's especially cool is drawing connections to stories and then discovering that that's where the author got the inspiration.
I like the series a lot! And I've only *ahem* read the first Echoes From the Edge, but I hope in November (Bryan Davis is having a writing seminar/book signing/book sale nearish me) to get the other two. ANYWAYS, I LOVED Beyond the Reflection's Edge. I also love DioM, OoF, and CotB, and Reapers. :)
DeleteGreat! It's a good story. That sounds awesome. Signed copies of Echoes from the Edge while meeting the author is way more cool than checking them out from the library like I did. It's so good. I haven't read any of his other books yet, but my sisters read DioM and OoF. Too many books, too little time!
DeleteI (er, three are mine, one's my sister's, and the rest is my family's) have all twelve of the DioM and the follow-ups. My Beyond the Reflection's Edge I got in a contest Bryan Davis held, and it's autographed.
DeleteBryan Davis is my favorite author, and all of his books that I've read I (my family) have as paperbacks. :)
Yes, too many books and too little time!! :P
What a fun post! It's neat to see the books that inspire other writers. Very cool! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it!
DeleteInspirations are always fun, and I can see a lot of those in the book.
ReplyDeleteI'm just commenting to let you know that I haven't forgotten today's post, but it probably won't be up until this evening. I didn't finish my second read until the wee hours of this morning, and haven't had time yet today to write it up.
Alright. Your edits made it better, I hope. :)
Delete