THE MAGI BLITZ (Day 2)

Welcome Back!

For those of you that have read the book, if you'd like to find out which element you would control, take the quiz below!



For the rest of you, let me briefly explain the quiz:

The Magi world has a power that allows them to control the four elements:  fire, water, wind, earth.  A good portion of the story deals with the main character, Elijah Hawk, figuring out how these elements relate to him and which speak to him the most.  With the help of my friends Corey and David, I have put together a quick 10-question quiz will tell you which element you would be more likely to control if you were trained at Savenridge. 

So what would you study?

Profiling The Magi - Elijah Hawk

Elijah Hawk:  Main character

Age:  13 

First of all, let’s start with the name.  While The Magi is not a religious story, there are many religious references throughout.  I’m sure there are some I’m not even aware of yet, but some are obvious starting with the names of the main characters (children only).  Elijah, along with most of the other children in the story, is a biblical name.  I found it more difficult than I imagined picking the name for my protagonist.  I wanted it unique yet subtle, and Elijah just stuck out to me for some reason.  The purpose of the name Hawk I can’t give away at this point because it has significance beyond just a last name.  If you read the story, you’ll probably be able to figure it out, especially at the end.  However, I also like the sound of it.  I would say that about 90% of all the names in the series have significance to me.  Some are named after loved ones, and some are just named after people that have inspired me during my life, and Elijah is on that list. 

In many ways, Elijah takes on the role of the common teenager.  More than anything, I wanted to create a character that we can relate to (yes, “we” meaning everyone, not just teenagers—but teenagers especially).  I think we can all relate to Elijah’s insecurity with his physical appearance at some point in our lives.  It’s rare to find someone who accepts who they are from the get-go (especially at 13), living their life completely secure with their appearance.  They’re out there, but it’s rare!  However, Elijah finds out that he has superior abilities (I won’t give these all away now) and others more than accept him for those strengths.  I don’t pretend to have figured out all the truths about life, but I firmly believe that people are attracted to strength, and I also believe that we all have strength somewhere.  Therefore, when used and cultivated, our strengths can overshadow our insecurities, which is one of the themes I tried to bring out when writing The Magi, and Elijah in particular.

Elijah is also an inquisitive character—something I believe I subconsciously took from my own personality.  In high school, I can remember being laughed at for asking so many questions.  I’m sure it was annoying to my friends and especially, although I never picked up on it, my teachers.  I found that Elijah was just as inquisitive, and I actually find that one of his most endearing qualities (hm…I wonder why?).  You can even read some of his inquisitive nature in the first few chapters that are posted on the blog.

Finally, in taking on the role of the common teenager, I wanted Elijah to be found in the middle of the crowd.  He’s not a natural leader.  He shies away from attention that he cannot control.  He’s intelligent, but not brilliant.  However, what makes Elijah so special is his compassion, which is a total antithesis of his enemies, the Maliphists, and is one of the few human qualities that is a choice. 

I wrote Elijah not to represent the common teenager.  I wrote him to be a model.  He’s not perfect.  He has his flaws (who doesn’t?), but he truly wants to do good and has real empathy for all he comes in contact with (including his enemies).  I hope that for all who read The Magi, I will have succeeded in creating this model.     

Chapter 5 is up!!!

5 of 21 chapters are up on the blog.  Just go to the READ PARTS OF THE MAGI tab at the top and click the link.  Let me know what you think. 

Kevin

Two Ways to Experience the Archives

Now that I have a few posts under my belt (just a few), I thought I’d clarify a few things that may not have been so obvious to many readers. 

The purpose of the blog is to give a little supplemental information to my novel, The Magi.  It’s the back story behind the book.  However, if you haven’t read it, some of the jargon might be a little confusing unless you really work to do some research.  So there are two ways to approach the blog:

1.       If you have read the book, enjoy the archives.  As the days go by, some of the archives will begin to connect directly with the book.  Some will just give some of the history and back story of the Magi.  You’ll also see some archives come up in future books.

2.       If you haven’t read the book (which at this point is the majority of you), you can approach the archives as a story of a people you will meet if you (hopefully) read the book.  And when you take the journey with Elijah to Savenridge, you’ll know more than the casual reader.  Either way, the blog is meant to build the world of the Magi.

In order to make some of the jargon clearer for those of you who haven’t read the book, I will begin a posting series called “Profiling the Magi”.  Here I will give small amounts of information on the characters, places, and names that will come up on the blog.  Some of the information may give away the experience of being introduced to these people and places in the actual book, so if you plan on reading it at some point and you don’t want this information yet, you may want to steer clear of those posts.  I’ll put in a spoiler alert in case you fall into that category. 

Thanks again for all the support.      

Kevin

Chapter 4 is up!!!

Lots of anxious sitting while I wait for my daughter's surgery to be over.  Might as well put up a chapter.  Here's chapter 4.  You can visit the Read Parts of the Magi page or click here:

http://kevinmturner.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/chapter-4.pdf

Chapters 1-3 are up as well.  Let me know what you think...

Kevin

Archive: Maliphist's Youth (1050 AD)

This document was discovered earlier this century by Arthur Waterhouse, a Magi historian now living in Savenridge.  As all the Magi are aware, the tyranny of Maliphist, the man, which is estimated to be in the middle of the 12^th century, was the darkest point in Magi history.  His oppression led to the Magi Wars, which killed off almost all of the Magi.  It resulted in the separation of the Magi from the common people and the division in the Magi that still exists today.  However, what was not known until this document was discovered, were the signs at such an early age that Maliphist had tendencies towards evil. 

The Magi always wondered what their world would have been like if Maliphist had been stopped at an early age.  It was the general belief that he changed all of a sudden from good to evil in his early adult years.  However, as you will read, this dictation from Maliphist’s mentor shows that he may have had these tendencies early on.

Here is a brief letter from his mentor, named Simeon, to the trustees of the local Magi council:

            “I am writing to inform you of some concerns I have about a young boy named Maliphist.  To this day, I have never seen a youth that can do what he can do.  He has the world at his fingertips.  The other day, he summoned a large column of fire and was able to control it like an extension of his arm.  It was incredible!  Most children his age aren’t even close to training, but he uses the elements like he was an elder.  However, I am concerned with his mind.  He informed me the other day that he wished for me to leave him alone and let him work with the elements on his own.  What makes me the most nervous is that when I’m around him, I want to give in and let him.  Please advise on further action.”

                                                                       -Simeon (about 1050 AD)

If there was a return letter, I have not yet uncovered it.  I will do what I can to locate it to see what was done with Simeon’s concern.

Announcement from a Blog Reviewer

Go check it out!

http://www.bookreviewsandnews.com/2011/09/announcing-magi-debut-novel-by-kevin-m.html

Chapter 3 is up!!!

Chapter 3 is up.  Make sure to sign up as a follower by either clicking on the "JOIN THIS SITE" button on the right or sign up your email address.  Once you sign up, you need to confirm the link from your email.  Thank you!

Let me know what you think!  kevinmturner1@gmail.com.

Kevin