nav'aria Archives - K.J. Backer

Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin is only days away from publishing!

I am extremely proud of both of my novels, but in different ways. If you have connected with me before, you know that book one was an arduous process, but if you’re new to Nav’Aria here’s a little more about my #writingjourney.

Taken from a recent Facebook & Instagram post:

I’ve met some wonderful new readers at events recently, and the same questions keep popping up. “How long have you been writing?” or “How long did it take you to write this book?”

I always laugh (and if you’re familiar with my story you know why). Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir took me 8 YEARS, while Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin took me just 3 MONTHS!!!

Initially writing was “JUST my hobby”. I started the book on a whim in 2011… but it wasn’t serious. It was a fun outlet, and I secretly hoped that “someday” it could be something. Yet I didn’t really think much of it… at least not at first. I was a recent college grad, newlywed, and new teacher. I was traveling internationally. I was chasing after the life I thought I wanted. Now hear me, I did want it. I loved it! Teaching high school history was one of my greatest joys, and I believe it shaped me as an individual, and now as a parent. But the dream of writing and publishing Darion’s story was always there too hidden away.

Once we met our daughter in 2017 everything changed. I took a break from teaching to help her acclimate to her new home/life/family and realized that I now related to some of my characters. You see, Nav’Aria has a lot of adoption themes. I’ve always loved older kids and adoption and that is felt in my writing, so to see it then playing out in my home was truly inspiring.

As many of you know, I pumped out the rest of the novel in a 2-week span in 2017 (NUTS!), and then began exploring the world of query letters, traditional vs indie publishing, and all that good stuff. Fast forward, Nav’Aria: The Marked Heirpublished on Jan 1st, 2019. So, there you go. The journey has given me an interesting perspective and story on its own.

Book two though, is a whole different beast. 😊 Rachel Hollis, author and influencer, often says, “Go all in!” I decided to do just that. And I did it. THIS YEAR while riding the publishing/promotional waves, and unexpectedly having to homeschool my daughter, I wrote the sequel… in 3 months!

By March, I had finished the first draft of Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin and began my revisions, then it headed to my early beta readers, then to my editor, back to me for rewrites, back to the editor for proofreading, then to another beta reader, then to the formatter. That’s allllll been approved, and now we’re awaiting the paperback “author copy”. Once I get the greenlight on that, we’re in business!

So, this novel was written, edited, and WILL PUBLISH ALL IN 2019. Like… what?! For 8 years I trudged along with a manuscript, thinking I’d never finish it, or be able to do it again. And now I’ve done it. I’ve completed two books.

I’m telling you all of this for a couple of reasons….

First, I am darn proud of my #writingjourney.

I learned SO much during the writing/publishing process with book one. And with book two, I was able to put what I had learned to the test. And you know what, it’s a better product. It’s better writing. It’s been a smoother process. All of it is BETTER. But it couldn’t have happened without the painstakingly slow and bumpy ride I had with book one. This is what we call GROWTH.

Second, you may not be a writer but I hope you can still take it from me, “GOING ALL IN” and believing in a dream is worth it!

It probably won’t be easy, but if you want something bad enough, I have a feeling you’ll keep after it as many other DREAMERS have. Think of your favorite musician, athlete, writer, public speaker… rarely does someone get handed their dream on a silver platter. Those dreamers had to put in the time and learn from each set-back along the way. So try… and know that you’ll fail or mess up, but that’s okay. Because the next time you go to do something, it will be a little bit better. Just as Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work,” so too can we learn from every mistake and crush those goals.

I hope you enjoy my second book baby Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin. I am excited to share much more with my upcoming novel (the conclusion of the Nav’Aria trilogy), and to see where this book leads me next on my writing journey.

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” -John Maxwell

The fantasy genre is THRIVING, and definitely resonating with readers and viewers in 2019. We have superheroes, dragons, wizards, fighting polar bears, Aes Sedai, and hobbits coming at us from every direction!

Have you seen all the announcements of upcoming shows coming to HBO and Amazon!? #GOT set the stage for epic television. Here’s to a new era!

So, let’s break it down

What is it about Fantasy that draws people in? What is it about Fantasy that connects with people?

Fantasy is my FAVORITE genre. I have always loved the wonder and magic of various realms, while I have also always been fascinated by World History and other cultures. What you’ll find so often in Fantasy books/television, is that many of the themes, ideas, and settings are based off of history.

• Take Wings of Fire, for example (a popular MG dragon series that I’m reading with my daughter), the dragons are at war, and POWs are used for entertainment as they fight to the death in a stadium. Umm…. hello, Roman history!

• Or what about The Chronicles of Narnia? Mr. Lewis set The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during World War II, and we read how the children face dire circumstances that parallel the war in a foreign land. Edmond falls preys to the tyrannical witch’s schemes, Peter challenges her dominance of Narnia in battle, and Lucy symbolizes all that’s worth fighting for.

• And then there’s “Game of Thrones” (A Song of Ice and Fire) who’s devoted viewers have blazed to the forefront of Reddit threads and social media with new theories, criticisms, and obsessive fandom. You could liken much in the series to the powerful, wealthy Egyptians, Romans, or even Tudors, the desperation and poverty to the “Dark Ages”, and inner-house rivalry to the “War of Roses”.

Another beautiful element of Fantasy is the reinforcement of valuable lessons, as we see in Harry Potter, for instance. As a MG, YA, or Adult reader, we can read the series purely for fun, and yet, also be reminded of the value of love, family, friendship, redemption, and staying true to our beliefs. We see enough of our day-to-day lives, that we sometimes miss what is right in front of us. By following Harry’s journey into Hogwarts and beyond, we can learn from his selfless mother’s love and Harry’s courage, revealing how we are tempted in our own daily lives to look the other way or live apathetically.

The momentary lapse into fantasy, gives us a new lens to look at our reality.

***

Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir

“What’s it about?” A woman asked at a recent book signing.

“It’s fantasy…”

The woman batted her hand, saying, “bleh… I hate that stuff. It’s not real.”

Though I didn’t take offense, it did make me ponder on what is “real”, especially in my own writing.

Identity

Book- More than anything Darion longs to know where he came from, who his birthparents are, and discover his “purpose”. He wants to feel like he belongs.

Life- As an individual, an educator, and now as an adoptive mom, I have seen this very real longing to know one’s identity—and purpose, and I believe it will connect with readers of all backgrounds.

Family Love

Book- In Nav’Aria, we follow two families closely: Darion’s and the First Horn’s family (unicorns). In these families we see sacrifice, loss, jealousy, the duality of love, loyalty, and more.

Life- In our daily lives we experience (or witness), sibling rivalry, family feuds, a mother’s love, adoption, grief, forgiveness, anger, infertility… we see it all. We feel these things, and therefore, can empathize with the character’s in a very real way.

History

Book- As a History teacher, you know I’m going to include historical themes! Narco is a tyrant; Vikaris is a valiant war hero; the Stenlen captives are enslaved and treated abominably; the Callers are puppets of propaganda and indoctrination…. We see war, tyranny, nomadic clans, the making of a civilization, alliances, treason….

Life- As we’ve learned from the World Wars, tyranny is terrible, war isn’t glamorous, and the lasting effects of a massive conflict linger for generations. We presently live in a world battling human trafficking, corruption, terror, poverty… we know what reality can hold.

“Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make. If men were ever in a state in which they did not want to know or could not perceive truth (facts or evidence), then Fantasy would languish until they were cured. If they ever get into that state (it would not seem at all impossible), Fantasy will perish, and become Morbid Delusion. For creative Fantasy is founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as it appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact, but not a slavery to it. So upon logic was founded the nonsense that displays itself in the tales and rhymes of Lewis Carroll. If men really could not distinguish between frogs and men, fairy-stories about frog-kings would not have arisen.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien on Fairy-stories

By reading Fantasy we can still tap into reality, exploring real-world issues, but in a fresh way. And these examples are only the “tip of the iceberg”… but for now, I’ll conclude with this:

If you haven’t read much Fantasy (or Sci-Fi), I’d encourage you to try it. There is truly something so unique and profound about reading issues that we face today, set in a mythical or fantastical realm.

Many of our greatest thinkers have taught in the fantastical, the satirical, the mythological, and/or in parables to challenge our current political systems, social injustices, and ways of thinking.

If you want some book recommendations, check out the fantasy section in my recent blog post “My First Love”.

I hope you enjoy Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir, and can learn from the Marked Royals and Unicorns of Kaulter… I know, I have. The novel is available on Amazon, and locally at This House of Books (in MT).

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