I asked Charles what his motivation was behind the story and to tell me a little about himself. And this is what he wrote:
... I am just a man, nothing more than any other. My father died when I was
very young, however I was lucky enough to have a Godfather who took the
place of a father figure. He is my pseudonym. I have seen a terrible
amount of suffering, and experienced a great deal of it personally. I
would not wish my life on anyone. Nietzsche said something that is true
for the soul, though not for the flesh.
My motivation in writing Malmaxa is simple - I envisioned a better world, stripped of many things that make people behave poorly, along with a mechanism to enforce these restrictions. Realizing the nature of people is to put themselves into their favorite characters, I used a fantasy setting to compel the reader to face moral questions from somewhere other than the safety and comfort of current society. In doing so I take great pains to not give visitors to my world any guidance as to what the "right" choices are.
For example, the first character I introduce is the antagonist. The reader finds themselves inside the mind of Adelmar {From the Germanic elements adal "noble" and meri "famous".} who is recollecting his truth. The reader should identify with Adelmar and his thought processes, intuitively understanding his plight - they do so willingly as they have no one against whom to contrast him and don't know he is the "bad guy". One of the thoughts Adelmar has is "Dreams of glory, gone – for there could be no heroes, without conflict." In the crucible of Malmaxa, and sadly within the eyes of many in our world, this doesn't seem to be unreasonable. Yet it is utterly fallacious. Adelmar is the antagonist, yet he has been made so by the truth, as he perceives it.
My motivation in writing Malmaxa is simple - I envisioned a better world, stripped of many things that make people behave poorly, along with a mechanism to enforce these restrictions. Realizing the nature of people is to put themselves into their favorite characters, I used a fantasy setting to compel the reader to face moral questions from somewhere other than the safety and comfort of current society. In doing so I take great pains to not give visitors to my world any guidance as to what the "right" choices are.
For example, the first character I introduce is the antagonist. The reader finds themselves inside the mind of Adelmar {From the Germanic elements adal "noble" and meri "famous".} who is recollecting his truth. The reader should identify with Adelmar and his thought processes, intuitively understanding his plight - they do so willingly as they have no one against whom to contrast him and don't know he is the "bad guy". One of the thoughts Adelmar has is "Dreams of glory, gone – for there could be no heroes, without conflict." In the crucible of Malmaxa, and sadly within the eyes of many in our world, this doesn't seem to be unreasonable. Yet it is utterly fallacious. Adelmar is the antagonist, yet he has been made so by the truth, as he perceives it.
 |
| Click to go straight to Amazon |
Beltamar's War - short description
Malmaxa, a world ruled by six Divine Laws – immutable and absolute. “None shall speak for the Gods”, the principle these laws precludes organized religion, but not belief. Thrown headlong into a remorseless, perpetual conflict you soon discover Malmaxa is more about character than place. Malmaxa is complex, foreign, barbaric, intriguing, astonishingly different – yet disturbingly familiar...Extended description:
Envision a world ruled by six Divine Laws, immutable, and absolute.Liaju longs to receive her twelfth marks – arcane symbols etched within her flesh, by Divine Decree. Though these mystic marks grant access to her first matching Convocation, Liaju is plagued by troubling dreams. Visions, revealing the precipice her people, the Seizen, unknowingly approach – along with a possible path of escape, obscure, hidden and locked. Only Liaju holds escape's elusive key, a key as incomprehensible as it is frightening. Self-sacrifice. Must Liaju relinquish all to secure the Seizen’s survival?
Eden, a mischievous child, succumbs to temptation and leads her cousin astray. Their path leads through terror and death, to ultimate understanding. Trickery reveals treachery – for Eden’s misdeed unveils a monstrous murder.
Thrown into a perpetual, remorseless conflict you soon discover Malmaxa is more about the Seizen than place. Sorely troubled, barbaric, complex, and intriguing as Mal... (Read more)
Other Promotions.
I am already committed to donating 10% of all proceeds to charity and would like to extend similar offers to worthwhile causes. If any bona-fide non-profit organizations are interested in promoting my work to their membership please contact me via the email address mentioned on this page.
About C.G.Ayling
Musing misuser of words, lover of lyrical literature, author, occasional contrary thoughts. An honorable man’s name, in memoriam. You will find Charles on twitterSingle purchase gains access to all formats.
| Format | Full Book | Sample First 10% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample | |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample | |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample | |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample | |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
Posts
CG Ayling - your fantasy world sounds utterly profound and philosophical! I had to re-read the blurb here many times! It is after midnight now and I'm still reeling!! Yay! All the best! Take care
ReplyDeletex
Old Kitty - You're right there, it does sound philosophical - wonderfully so! Thanks for leaving a comment :)
DeleteThank you, to both of you. You've touched very nicely on a very important element of Malmaxa {least to me, its author} Hope you enjoy the samples enough to sink your teeth into the tail {sic} and be carried away, unable to release your bite, until you become unwilling to... let that be the way you enter my world.
DeleteWendy, your generosity in posting this is overwhelming. I can't thank you enough.
Ooh, sounds really cool! And the cover looks awesome and unique.
ReplyDeleteThanks SC - Yes, it does look unique indeed. Thanks :)
DeleteI'm rather proud of the cover. Designed it, learned how to create computer art with a great free program called Paint.NET (the most expensive I can afford!), created the artwork (I'm not an artist, of that variety), and used my favorite middle daughter, as the model.
DeleteMy brother dislikes it, my nephew may redesign it for me.
C.G.Ayling (Charlie) - You are more than welcome. Anytime. Glad to help.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an intriguing read - reflecting our morality via a fantasy setting always makes us see things from a new angle. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving a comment, Jemi :)
DeleteGreat, perceptive comment! I once said this to my brother, about Malmaxa "The world within it is little more than a crucible in which characters are shaped and formed."
DeleteLooking back, I think that is true of any tale, by any author.
I agree with Kitty, Maalmaxa has left a disturbing mark, and I'm wanting to read more. I suspect I will a lot from reading this story. Thank you, Charles.
ReplyDeleteHi, Wendy!
:) Interestingly, maalmaxa is closer to how I say it, than the short "mal".
DeleteThank you for the comment, I'd love to hear more, feel free to ask me anytime (twitter is the fasted way, a day... or two, to reach me) or here, is also good.
Sorry, typed the comment without my glasses on. Can't see a bloody thing.
ReplyDeleteJoylene - Hi back :) Make sure you keep those glasses handy.
DeleteThat's a beautiful cover. It takes passion and drive to learn how to do so much yourself.
ReplyDeleteGood job.
Thanks for leaving a comment Wally.
Delete...definitely intrigued, and yes, great cover ;)
ReplyDeleteEl
To those who like the cover, thank you! It was difficult, but rewarding. I means a lot to me to hear others appreciate it, and I can promise those of you who read the book, you'll find it is true to the tale. Here's a quote from Beltamar's War, regarding the marks of family.
ReplyDelete"But toppie is my mother’s father, so I don’t wear his symbol, save within the confines of my heart."
Where do you wear your marks of family? We all have them, though not etched within our flesh. If you're like me, you wear them in your heart, treasuring their touch within your memory.