Why I Wrote EternalI wrote Eternal as I felt I had an exciting, inspiring story inside me that was screaming out for attention – to share itself with the world. The concept for Eternal was born during a game of Rory’s Story Cubes with my son; from nine simple images on dice, a story began to unfold – initially a very short story. However, it soon took on a life of its own, and as I began to write, a continuous stream of ideas and plots flowed through my mind; simultaneously the characters started to develop and come to life.
The character Vala is ostensibly based on myself – my younger alter-ego with awesome powers. Elvar is a representation of my ideal man; Jelly and Max are supportive, wonderful friends and Vala’s parents are sympathetic and caring with a close relationship with their daughter. Eternal is a fantastical adventure set between two realms – the human world and Candalia, the fae realm. It weaves together magic, Arthurian legend, perilous adventure and romance. However, at the heart of it are the relationships between the characters and the personal struggles they face. Nearly all the main characters are aged between seventeen and twenty-two, and magical abilities aside they face the same challenges as the majority of their contemporaries. There is a strong emphasis in Eternal on the importance of family and friends, particularly on how relationships grow and change over time. |
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The story opens with Vala and her friends, Jelly and Max; it is clear from the outset that they each have a close bond to one another and at the darkest hour, Vala’s friends are there for her – even risking their lives to help her. The characters of Jelly and Max are not based on particular friends of mine but their qualities encompass all the wonderful attributes of my friends as a whole. I am hopeful this is something that readers of all ages can relate to or if they can’t, realise they should find better friends.
Vala meets her love interest, Elvar, who is fae, early in the story. It is Elvar who reveals to Vala her fae heritage and helps her to come to terms with who and ‘what’ she is. Right from the start, Vala and Elvar have an instant and powerful chemistry. Both characters are initially very inexperienced in romance, though their relationship develops quickly, both in emotional intensity and sexually.
Alongside this, Jelly and Max begin a romantic relationship together, so Vala is experiencing all of these new developments at the same time as her friend. I have portrayed the more sensual facets of Vala and Elvar’s relationship with great sensitivity and care. I do believe I have approached this matter differently to most other YA literature on the market. In most YA books I have read, the female protagonist is nearly always virginal (as is Vala at the beginning), but continues to remain so over many months or years or until she marries her love interest. In contrast, there are a number of YA novels where the female protagonist is already sexually experienced and conducts herself in a promiscuous, indiscriminate way. I feel for the majority of readers both these extremes are unrealistic and make the characters difficult to relate to. To me Vala and Elvar’s relationship is loving and healthy – I believe I have conveyed this appropriately and made it very relatable.
Vala is a strong female protagonist who with the help of her friends and family, is able to overcome adversity, ultimately facing her fears and the antagonist of the story, the malevolent Spindler, with courage and strength. She is also a normal teenage girl with insecurities, desires and aspirations that make her character likeable and easy to identify with – an inspirational, yet believable heroine.
Eternal also explores Vala and Elvar’s relationships with their parents and siblings – again, I have included many elements that are easy to relate to and may even elicit a laugh or two.
Eternal fills a niche in the market for a story which combines a strong Arthurian flavoured Romantic Fantasy Adventure but that also delves deeply into the relationships between the characters and the more everyday struggles they face. It is a life-affirming, positive story about overcoming adversity, self-discovery, relationships and romance blended with magic, peril and the realisation that ‘there is no magic more powerful than that of love’. Eternal interlaces all these together in an exciting and highly readable form.
Vala meets her love interest, Elvar, who is fae, early in the story. It is Elvar who reveals to Vala her fae heritage and helps her to come to terms with who and ‘what’ she is. Right from the start, Vala and Elvar have an instant and powerful chemistry. Both characters are initially very inexperienced in romance, though their relationship develops quickly, both in emotional intensity and sexually.
Alongside this, Jelly and Max begin a romantic relationship together, so Vala is experiencing all of these new developments at the same time as her friend. I have portrayed the more sensual facets of Vala and Elvar’s relationship with great sensitivity and care. I do believe I have approached this matter differently to most other YA literature on the market. In most YA books I have read, the female protagonist is nearly always virginal (as is Vala at the beginning), but continues to remain so over many months or years or until she marries her love interest. In contrast, there are a number of YA novels where the female protagonist is already sexually experienced and conducts herself in a promiscuous, indiscriminate way. I feel for the majority of readers both these extremes are unrealistic and make the characters difficult to relate to. To me Vala and Elvar’s relationship is loving and healthy – I believe I have conveyed this appropriately and made it very relatable.
Vala is a strong female protagonist who with the help of her friends and family, is able to overcome adversity, ultimately facing her fears and the antagonist of the story, the malevolent Spindler, with courage and strength. She is also a normal teenage girl with insecurities, desires and aspirations that make her character likeable and easy to identify with – an inspirational, yet believable heroine.
Eternal also explores Vala and Elvar’s relationships with their parents and siblings – again, I have included many elements that are easy to relate to and may even elicit a laugh or two.
Eternal fills a niche in the market for a story which combines a strong Arthurian flavoured Romantic Fantasy Adventure but that also delves deeply into the relationships between the characters and the more everyday struggles they face. It is a life-affirming, positive story about overcoming adversity, self-discovery, relationships and romance blended with magic, peril and the realisation that ‘there is no magic more powerful than that of love’. Eternal interlaces all these together in an exciting and highly readable form.