Healing Lance - Quick Facts
Originally posted during Healing Lance blog tour
What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about him or her.
Brutus! You can’t tell from the blurb of “Healing Lance” but there is an awesome horse that Lance befriended when he was a child. The best part about Brutus is that he’s no average horse. He is “divine” which means he has god blood in him. He’s intelligent, stubborn, and has quite the personality. He was a delight to write, and I still giggle at certain scenes when he and Lance argue. No, he can’t talk... but he certainly communicates.
Are there underrepresented groups or ideas featured in your book? If so, discuss them.
With three kingdoms forming my Nifdem Empire, I had plenty of room for diversity and variety, in both culture and people. I had to limit the scope at times but I strove to add as much as I could to really flesh out the setting. The southern kingdom of Cairon was founded many generations past by desert tribes. They are dark-skinned with their mythology modeled after that of Ancient Egypt. The western, island kingdom of Grekenus, is based on Ancient Greece in mythology and culture. The people have more of a Mediterranean appearance (golden skin, dark hair, eyes, etc.). The northern kingdom of Swenen is inspired by Old Norse and Viking culture, so they have a more Scandinavian look. The capital city of the empire is the Hill of Tarran, which is a melting pot for all the kingdoms. While “Healing Lance” is wholly based in Cairon, the rest of the trilogy explores the other kingdoms. Later in the trilogy, I also touch a bit on the question of identity and how a person presents themselves. I won’t go into too much detail, but I was always striving to offer a variety of folks, both heroes and villains, to make the world believable and solid.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
Well, that’s a question... I wanted to write a story about forgiveness, redemption, and compassion. I wanted to create a story about finding oneself and understanding one’s purpose. Lance’s life sort of gets a “reset” after he breaks out of the numb funk he’d lived in for most of his life. Now he has to confront all he’s done and atone. The best part of his character is that he wants to atone. He fully acknowledges his deeds and wants to redeem himself in the eyes of the world, as well as his own. But I also wanted to incorporate the ideas of myths and legends and how they permeate through the centuries and often influence or inspire us. I enjoyed creating a parallel between the myths and legends of the world I created and the actions of my protagonists. Whether I achieved all that I wanted to will be left to the readers. Yet I am completely satisfied and proud with the end result.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Realizing I would never finish “Healing Lance” before I finished at least the first draft of the subsequent books. Seriously. I couldn’t complete the foundation of the trilogy before knowing exactly the breadth of the journey and how it was going to end. I wrote the first draft of “Healing Lance” and then wrote “Forgiving Lance.” Then I went back to the first book and tweaked/expanded the text. Then I revised “Forgiving Lance.” Then I wrote “Avenging Lance.” And then, yet again, I went back to “Healing Lance” and revised. Back and forth, back and forth. This is the very first trilogy I have ever written, and this process (despite the tedium) felt like the right way to approach it. All three books can stand well enough on their own. They each have their own conflict and plot and yet each continue the main story forward to its ultimate conclusion. It might be a while before I write a trilogy again....
What inspired you to write this particular story?
“Xena: Warrior Princess.” Not kidding. That show inspired the entire trilogy and each book takes a couple of story cues from a specific “Xena” episode. I was a young child in the nineties when “Xena” happened and the show entranced me. Yes, I knew it was campy even then, but still, the themes it worked with resonated inside my young storyteller heart. I’m so happy I finally have the skill and motivation to bring the end result of such inspiration into being.
Who has been your favorite character to write and why?
Since the obvious answer would be Lance, Gust, or Brutus, I will choose from the rest of the cast. I have to say that Ylva was the most fun to play with. She is introduced in “Healing Lance” and plays a much larger role in “Forgiving Lance” and “Avenging Lance.” She is one of the antagonists and a sheer delight to write. She is a no-bs vicious seductress and is completely comfortable with herself. I have to admire her confidence. Yes, she’s one of the bad guys, but villains are often more interesting than the heroes.
Stay safe, stay sane, and may dragons guard your dreams,
M.D. Grimm
