Wednesday Word: Theurgy

theurgy |ˈTHēərjē| nounthe operation or effect of a supernatural or divine agency in human affairs.• a system of white magic practiced by the early Neoplatonists.DERIVATIVES theurgic |THēˈərjik| adjective.theurgical adjective.theurgist nounORIGIN mid 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek theourgia ‘sorcery,’ from theos ‘god’ + -ergos ‘working.’

I nicked this word straight from Grand-Wizard Terry Pratchett to use in my own story. Magic is all fine and well for common use, but institutional purposes—like police reports—you need a more officious-sounding term.

Stuff About World Building

Charmed and Dangerous finally hit the shelves today, and I figured I’d blather about world building a little. Not because I’m an expert, but reading the other stories in the anthology I kept going oh, that’s brilliant, I wish I thought of it! And it started me thinking about world building. So much of what makes a speculative fiction story solid is behind the scenes.

One Hex Too Many centered on magic, the fae only got a mention, but they were already in the background, waiting for their chance to step out. They’ll get that chance in the sequel. Here are a few tidbits about them.

In this world magic is real and paranormal creatures share it with humans. The history if this reality was much similar to ours up till the industrial revolution. At that junction the encroachment of human technology forced a portion of fae kind deeper into hiding, some withdrew completely—they might have even gone extinct, though one never knows for sure. Others responded to the challenge by stepping out of the shadows, make their presence known beyond all doubt.

As you might expect, humankind had a mixed reaction to the arrival of these emigrants of another dimension. Preternatural Beings (official term) still haven’t fully integrated into human society, but the Fae Rights League is working hard to change this. Some fae do better than others.

The strength and resilience made ogres perfect for strong-arm jobs from body guards to mob enforcers. The drawback of employing ogres is that you can buy only their services, not their loyalty. That belongs only to their clans. Ogres are also smarter than they look, and are staring up their own businesses—something not all humans find agreeable.

Trolls are as strong, if not stronger, than ogres, but their solitary nature and idiosyncratic ways keep their interactions with humans minimal. They are masters of adaptation a can seamlessly blend into their environment. Griffin Park, across from the river from New Sky is the home of sever rock trolls and forest trolls. There’s at least one city troll living in Faetown, but he spends the daylight hours looking just another brick wall.

Well, that’s it for now. I might prattle on about goblins and pixies at some other time.

Charmed and Dangerous is available on Amazon - BN - iTunes - Kobo - Smashwords (ePub) - Payhip (multiformat, accepts PayPal)

Wednesday Word: Balaclava

I was listening to Star Trap by Simon Brett when the word came up, and left me puzzled. So I stopped the audiobook, opened the dictionary app, and got a mini history lesson.

balaclava |ˌbaləˈklävə| (also balaclava helmet) nouna close-fitting garment covering the whole head and neck except for parts of the face, typically made of wool.

ORIGIN late 19th cent.(denoting a garment worn originally by soldiers serving in the Crimean War): named after the village of Balaclavain the Crimea (see Balaclava, Battle of).

Balaclava, Battle of |ˌbaləˈklävə| a battle of the Crimean War, fought between Russia and an alliance of British, French, and Turkish forces in and around the port of Balaclava (now Balaklava) in the southern Crimea in 1854. The battle ended inconclusively; and is chiefly remembered as the scene of the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Charge of the Light Brigadea British cavalry charge in 1854 during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. A misunderstanding between the commander of the Light Brigade and his superiors led to the British cavalry being destroyed. The charge was immortalized in verse by Tennyson.
Most I recall of my high school history classes is boredom and the recitation on names and dates. All I actually know of history is from books, films, and television.

The Charge of the Light Brigade sounds like humongous military fuck-up worthy of Black Adder. Although George McDonald Frasier gave it a good go too in Flashman at the Charge. Sir Harry Flashman is the perfect anti-hero, an unabashed coward who constantly finds himself in the heat of the battle, despite his best efforts to avoid them.

My favorite though is Astrid Amara's Devil Lancer. Probably because it's full of dark paranormal mystery and steamy m/m goodness.

As I was searching for images on Pinterest, I discovered that the Crimean War was also Florence Nightingale's first big job.

Wednesday Word: Bollix & Bollocks

bollix |ˈbäliks| vulgar slang verb [ with obj. ] (usu. bollix something up) bungle (a task).pl.nounvariant spelling of bollocks.bollocks |ˈbäləks| (also ballocks or bollix) vulgar slang, chiefly Brit. noun1 [ in pl. ] the testicles.2 used to express contempt, annoyance, or defiance.ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: plural of bollock, variant of earlier ballock, of Germanicorigin; related to ball.
Another word I want to steal from the Brits. The greedy imperial bastards keep hogging the best ones. Bollocks to them, I say.