Bond Trilogy extras

Writing a trilogy based in a secondary world like the Weave, Bounty, and The Deep is not only a labor of love. It’s hard work!

As I wrote, I found myself pausing to sketch topography, concoct new recipes and healing potions, develop armor and “Hive Queen” couture, and even create a new language. Most of that doesn’t end up in the book. 

But that’s why we have websites! Here, I’m including some of those yummy extras. If there’s something you’re curious about, drop me an email and ask!

SHAPE LANGUAGE

Warriors use shape language to speak, especially on the battlefield when silence is crucial. There’s a violent reason why they can’t use their voices. To ensure that a captured warrior can’t be interrogated by the Weave’s Legion, the Captain-mothers remove their sons’ tongues when they leave the nursery to join their warrior-brothers and become adults. Shape language isn’t based on a real-life sign language but I’ve always been impressed by the beauty of signed language like American Sign Language. Much as many countries have their own spoken languages and dialects, they also have their own sign languages and dialects. There are hundreds of distinct sign languages and variations within those languages based on race, ethnicity, class, and other factors.

MAP OF THE WEAVE

As a young reader, I LOVED the maps that came with books. Maps of real places, fantasy maps, maps of a streamside (as in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows), maps of a real or pretend city: ALL OF THE MAPS (I wrote about my map fan-girlyness here). When I started The Bond, of course I drew my own map. BUT… the map wasn’t very good, so I sulked. And sulked. I was lucky enough to come across the web page of a talented writer and map-maker, Travis Hasenour. Please check out his fantastic maps (among them, the one he crafted for “The Bond” trilogy). 

The Bond takes place in an alternative world that looks a lot like northern California’s Trinity Alps crossed with the Andes. Kate Seger put together this fabulous trailer. Music is licensed through Story Blocks.