Mar 2, 2022
The Sword-Witch's Heart went live two days ago! And I once again failed to have any significant deleted scenes, so have some Radiance series resources instead for Worldbuilding Wednesday :)
This post is going to be Patron-exclusive for one week before I make it public. Exclusive WIP chapters for my next novel, Prince and Assassin, will start March 9. No spoilers, but there might be magic tigers ;)
Map of Charain
Confession time: maps and geography are not my strong suit. I keep track of directions and travel times as I write, and I sketch maps while I outline, so the towns and things on this map are generally where they should be. But "generally" is definitely the key word in that sentence! This is more of an artistic suggestion than a definitive map.
Radiance Character List & Timeline
The link below will take you to a google spreadsheet that's been published to web, so nobody will see you peeking at it and it won't take forever to load :)
The first tab is the character list, which is relatively spoiler-free. Clicking the second tab at the top of the page will take you to the timeline, which is definitely not spoiler-free. I'd recommend not clicking the timeline tab unless you're caught up.
The character list demonstrates two things: I like using a mix of real-world names and invented fantasy names, and I don't like giving characters surnames unless I have a reason to. My goal is a relatively smooth reading experience -- I don't need readers tripping over a complicated three-part fantasy name for a stablehand who shows up in one scene, for example.
It also has the side benefit of minimizing the number of words I've had to record myself pronouncing for my audiobook narrator's reference 😂
One thing the timeline illustrates is that I really thought The Necromancer's Light was going to be a 30,000-word novella when I outlined it. I didn't plan much time into it. The fact that the book even lasts as long as nineteen days (minus the epilogue) is the result of me adding extra "three days later" etc notes here and there in editing.
The Paladin's Shadow and The Sword-Witch's Heart are a little more leisurely, timespan-wise, and definitely more sensibly planned.