Elves!
The Gemstone Chronicles has elves! Good ones, bad ones, Light and Dark Elves, the series has them all. Where did that inspiration come from? Well, the real Aidan and I were out gem hunting one day and we were discussing the magical properties of gemstones. Aidan, who enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi, said that I should write a book with gemstones and elves. I agreed and The Gemstone Chronicles series was born.
It took time to research elves and what I found fascinated me! Many of us know about the elves from Tolkien’s classic books, but they are deeply embedded in many traditions around the world. Santa Clause has his elves. They are pervasive in Norse mythology. In medieval times, the elves were intermingled with fairies and the terms became synonymous. Native American mythology has elven stories. Indian mythology even has a version of elves, according to my research.
What about the names?
Being a fan of Tolkien, though, I found a Tolkien alphabet online and used that to translate family names into the names of the elves used in the books. Not only are my grandchildren are featured human characters in the books, but sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and parents and in-laws are in them, too, only disguised as elves! Descriptions of the creatures were probably the hardest part of developing the characters. I wanted to stay somewhat true to the stereotypical version of the elves, but I wanted to put my own stamp on them. I wanted the Light Elves to be beautiful and regal looking. The Dark Elves (or Drow) are also beautiful, but with a somewhat sinister twist. Instead of immortality, though, I made them long-lived but mortal.
As with their appearances, I struggled a bit with personalities. I used some inspiration from the Vulcans of Star Trek fame and tried to make them somewhat emotionless. I want to let them develop more human characteristics as the story unfolds, You, the readers, will be the judge of whether I was successful!
Elves in The Gemstone Chronicles:
Now, I want to introduce you to my elven friends! The main elf characters in The Gemstone Chronicles series are:
Findecano Saralonde- the first elf that the humans meet. He was freed from his fairy cross prison by Aidan and Maggie.
Alatariel Lissesul – lead elven scout and brother of Luthien and Lotheth Lissesul
Luthien Lissesul – elven scout and sister of Alatariel and Lotheth
Valandil Lissesul – the greatest elf swordsmith and forger of the Elven Sword
Enelya Leralonde – Dark Elf and one of Findecano’s captors
Elerosse Silimaure – Dark Elf and another of Findecano’s captors
Artanis Amandil – elven scout
Naesse Tasartir – leader of the Elven Council
If you want to find out more about these elves, their human friends, and their adventures, be sure to read The Gemstone Chronicles series.
The adventure begins with Book One: The Carnelian and continues in Book Two: The Amethyst and Book Three: The Emerald! The final book of the series, Book Four: The Ruby will be released in late November 2013!
Find the Books:
Find The Gemstone Chronicles at the following links:
Book One: The Carnelian:
Book Two: The Amethyst:
Book Three: The Emerald:
Connect with me:
You can connect with me at the following:
Do you have a favorite elf character? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Great job, Bill. The backdrop of elves was cool to learn.
Thanks, Steve! I see from your pictures that y’all are having a ball up in the NW! When you get home and have nothing to do, you need to design The Gemstone Chronicles video games!