What’s in a Name: The Subtitle of Book I

“Is this a religious book?”
“Uh… no, why?”
“Well, your subtitle seems to suggest it.”
“I don’t write theology, I write science fantasy. I believe you need to avail yourself of a dictionary.”
 
As I was nearing completion of the first draft of Book I back in 2015, I began mulling over an appropriate title. Originally, I was considering something whimsical, such as ‘The Saga of Ardis,’ when an idea struck me to turn one book into multiple. With this in mind, ‘Chronicles of Ardis,’ felt like a working main title, leaving me in search of a catchy subtitle. After a few weeks, one word started to hit just write, a word which felt almost like a bane.
 
If you recognize the word ‘concordance,’ then you might know it to be synonymous with a ‘Biblical Concordance’ (of which I do own.) Which by definition is ‘an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text, usually with citations of the passages in which they are found. However, this isn’t the only way that the word is used. With a modest bit of research (and search on Wikipedia,) you also find a bilingual concordance which is simply ‘a concordance based on aligned parallel text.’ Scrolling down a little, you also find that concordances are frequently used in linguistics when studying a text.
 
Wikipedia aside, there’s also the definition of the word, taken from the online Miriam-Webster Dictionary:
 
Concordance (noun)
 
1: an alphabetical index of the principal words in a book or the works of an author with their immediate contexts
 
2: CONCORD, AGREEMENT (Note: both words have definitions as well.)

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A simple Google search will also show:

noun: concordance; plural noun: concordances
 
1: an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text, usually with citations of the passages in which they are found.
"a concordance to the Bible"
a generated list of instances in which a particular word occurs in a digital corpus, typically with the context also provided.
"clicking on any word in the source text produces a concordance"
 
2: FORMAL
agreement or consistency.
"the concordance between the teams' research results"
 
3: MEDICINE
the inheritance by two related individuals (especially twins) of the same genetic characteristic, such as susceptibility to disease.
 
Origin: Late Middle English: from Old French, from medieval Latin concordantia, from concordant- ‘being of one mind’
 
I think it’s safe to assume that I went for the second option found in either of these definitions. Nevertheless, it has brought a degree of wry amusement over the years. For instance, at one point, if you were to go to Amazon and put into the search box “Chronicles of Ardis: Concordance,” not only would it not come up, but it would bring up a search of over 700 books not even remotely related to my own, but said books were theological. I suspected the reason behind this was the subtitle.   
 
Lastly, I’ve heard more than one person ask a variation of the question written back at the beginning. Funnier still are the people that argued with me about the use of the word, as though it was locked into one thing alone. While that might be initially understandable, considering how it’s mostly used, it should come as no surprise that this word by itself had more than one meaning and can be used in other contexts. As for my own use of it, it stems from the idea that those gathered had ‘reached an accord being of mind in their thoughts and deeds.’ I had considered other words, such as harmony, accord, and the like. However, they failed to grab my attention as the word concordance did.  
 

Memory Excerpt, Book II

A few weeks ago, I did an Author's Spotlight interview with the local Library. Toward the end, I was asked to read a book excerpt. Rather than drawing from the one that was already published, I went for something out of Book II, Chronicles of Ardis: Reckonings. 

Admittedly, a few things did come to my attention as I read it; both dialogue and narration felt a little off. Therefore, I sought to rectify that issue with a few tweaks. Thankfully, my publisher at the time hadn't begun working on my trio, so I was able to send it to him without issue. 

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“Well, Kemlir, did you, do it?”
            “You know he did, Sarnas, why bother asking?”
            “The question was a matter of formality, little brother,” she lightly chided. “there’s no real harm in asking. So… you did transform, right?”
The sixteen-year-old blondish-haired teenager glanced up at his eighteen-year-old sister, who was joined abruptly by their ten-and-a-half-year-old brother in a flash of orange light that flickered vividly like a flame. Kemlir raised a brow briefly toward the smiling kid and then looked back at his perceptive sister as if she already knew the answer. The middle child of the trio lingered on her face a few more seconds in thought, glanced one more to their brother, and then turned away.
            “No,” he swallowed. “I couldn’t. I just… I know I can, I can feel myself trying to change, but each time I do, I overthink and it just… it fails.”
            The three stood quietly in the courtyard of Wuldred Fortress. Around them, soldiers and other personnel went about their daily routines, some stopping briefly to take note of the Ice Fang siblings, with an occasional nod and gesture before wandering on. A few caught Kemlir’s pained expression, hesitating at first before continuing on their way, even speeding up out of the courtyard in due haste. His siblings were there, they reasoned, there was no need to approach, much less bother them, unless something was required. And being who they were, it was reckoned that they were reasonably self-sufficient enough to handle whatever came their way.       
            “Then, you’ll do it again next week.” Vordril decided.
            “And you’ll succeed.” Sarnas nodded confidently.
            “Wait, what?” Kemlir almost stammered. “I’ve tried three times already—and failed each time!”
            “Because you’ve anticipated it,” his sister intoned gently. “you need to let it happen; don’t bring the transformation about forcefully, just allow it to take place.”
            “But you also need to take everything you’ve learned from those attempts, reflect, set yourself aright, and you’ll succeed on the next go around.” Their brother added in an almost sing-song fashion. “Simple as that!”
            “Well, if you think it’s so easy, why don’t you do it!?”
            “Actually, Vordril’s incapable of the transformation.” Sarnas glanced toward their little brother thoughtfully. “Mother said he possesses the trait but is unable to utilize it. However, if he were to marry and father any sons, there’s an almost certain chance that they could.”
            “He can’t because he’s Thashinir… like you, Sarnas.” Kemlir half-whispered enviously and glanced over at the young Degnan off in his own little world.”
            “Wait… me… married!?” The hazel-eyed kid wrinkled his nose at the thought. “Ewww, you can’t be serious! Aren’t girls covered in weird diseases and carrying like seven kinds of plague?”
            Kemlir chuckled.
            “Yeah,” Sarnas lunged forward with full intent on putting Vordril in a headlock, only to find him on the other side of the courtyard with his tongue sticking out. “I can do that too you know!”
            “Is that so?” The boy grinned wickedly. “Seems I recall someone being too busy for such ‘childish games.’” Vordril intoned in a mock-serious fashion. “Or was that too old? Anyways,” he smirked. “You never could catch me, why, I bet Kemlir could do a far better job than you!”
            Sarnas’s eyes narrowed. A smile slowly crept across her face as she glanced back at Kemlir who nodded, and then back at Vordril. “You’re on little brother; ready or not, here we come!”
            The sounds of laughter echoed throughout the courtyard and the game was afoot. Edrim, joined by his wife Alceris, watched quietly from the window, smiles playing lightly on their faces. Flashes of fire—a combination of deep yellow, orange, and reddish-orange flame—signaling translocation events, danced lively across the courtyard as the intermittent teasing continued. Though comparatively a novice to his translocative-adept siblings, Kemlir was demonstrating marked improvement after the formal lessons he received. Reflecting, the High Chief of the Southern Wastes concluded that his eldest son would inevitably succeed in taking on the semblance of their totem animal. He too took a little longer than expected after which it became as natural as breathing. Let time work its perfect way; there was no reason to rush into things right now…