LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

The Heart and Soul of the Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper Series

Eloria and Deralius, “Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper: The Legend of Mother-Wind”

GENRE?

I recently posted on Notes about the impossibility of classifying my serial fantasy saga Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper. I have had several publishers pick up the rights to this series (albeit temporarily) and all of them have asked the same question: WHAT IS THE GENRE?

This is an important question in the publishing industry for marketing and demographic purposes. While all fantasy stories carry similar elements of world-building, lore, elements of magic, war, and adventure, COTK (Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper) is emotionally centered around a romance saga that lasts many thousands of years.

I’ve always loved mythologies and even classical “gods among us” stories. As a kid, I cherished reading superhero comic books. Greek Mythology until this day still fills my heart with wonder. What I enjoy most about these stories is the clever interplay between the fantastical and the romantic. From Cupid and Psyche to Paris and Helen of Troy in the romantic tragedy of The Iliad, the heartbeat of so many of these great stories is in romance and the chaos and destruction that follows when a “flame” goes awry.

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WHAT IS COTK?

While Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper is an exhaustive and vast story universe with many myths, a large cast of characters, and plenty of heroic and fantastical narrative threads, the heart of this entire universe is based around the romantic relationship that I’m currently establishing between Eloria and Deralius in episodes 3 and 4 of the COSMIC MYTHOS.

Everything in this story universe is centered around that relationship. Even after this present book of COTK, “The Legend of Mother-Wind” is finished, all other stories will still find their gravitational core from this specific backstory.

As the gods of yesteryear wane with time, their symbols still endure, allowing their memory and spirit to carry on many thousands of years after their death. Those symbols, fables, philosophies, and even religions inflame passions, forge cultures, and spark conflict amongst competing worshippers and rival civilizations.

What you are about to read in Episode 1 is the beginning of, “The Legend of Mother-Wind.” In this book, I’ll set the stage for, what Yuedhra, our ancient elvish storyteller likes to call, “The Tale of All Tales, The Legend of The Eternal Scar.” (our next serial series on Substack).

There will be blood, war, chaos, magic, elements of horror, but also a damn good love story. I’m a dude. I love wars, action, sword fights, and magic, but I also love love (if that makes sense). Love causes us to do heroic things and sometimes even stupid things that we will regret. It is in between that sweet spot of heroism and stupidity where our story begins.

Eloria broke her promise to Deralius at the portal of the Eternal Scar a long time ago. One thousand years have passed. Civilizations have grown and fallen after The Age of Utter-Light ended. Our jilted lovesick lover enters the fray. Now that Deralius is free from that hellish prison, but is still bound by the destructive entity of The Black Chain, all he cares about is finding his first love. But did she ever love him back? Was that even love in the first place? How will we find Eloria 1,000 years after her arrival in the world of Zailar? Is she in hiding or is she ruling over mortals?

All these questions and much more will be answered in episode 1 of The Chronicles of The Tale-Keeper. The first book of COTK, THE LEGEND OF MOTHER-WIND!

TO START FROM THE BEGINNING, READ EPISODE 1 NOW.