An Interview with Fero from The Wolf Pack

 It's been a while since I did a character interview, so I decided to track down Fero from The Wolves of Vimar Series and ask him a few questions


Me: Thank you for agreeing to talk a bit about yourself,

Fero. I know you don't talk much about where you came
from, but please fill me in. You were born beyond the
Three Seas, I believe.

Fero: Yes. I was born in the land of Beridon. That is not only
beyond the Three Seas, but also beyond the Great Desert.

Me: Tell me about your family.

Fero: My father was a sandalmaker in the village where I
was born and grew up. I was the eldest son. I have three
sisters older than me. My parents were delighted to have
a son at last as in Beridon, girls are deemed to be of little
worth.

Me: That is shocking.

Fero: Yes. I now realize how bad that is. How much talent
is being wasted in that country I can hardly begin to
contemplate. It wasn't until I came to Grosmer that I really
learned the value of women.

Me: I suppose, growing up with that way of thought you
wouldn't think it unusual.

Fero: No, but I am ashamed now for my past, my family and my countrymen.

Me: What was life like in Beridon?

Fero: It was hard. We were not actually in the Great Desert, but in the summer there was usually a drought. Frequently our animals and crops died and we went hungry. However, in the past, we had learned about irrigation and so it was not as bad as it had once been. Only in really bad drought years were we in very bad conditions.

Me: Tell me about your family.

Fero: I haven't seen them for many years. I hated sandal making but my father thought that,  as the eldest son, I should follow him and take over the family business. I would then marry a girl of their choice and look after them in their old age. I hated that idea and was something of a rebel. I took every opportunity to go out into the wilds and it was on one of those forrays that I met an old druid.

Me: Did you decide to bevome a druid yourself?

Fero: Oh, no. I am not a very religeous man, although I do revere Grillon, the god of nature and wild things. The old man taught me much, but even he could see that I was not cut out to be a druid, so he sent me to a ranger friend of his.

Me: What did your family think of this?

Fero: My mother would have been quite happy with this. I had two brothers now and they were both happy to go into sandalmaking. My father was completely opposed and forbade me from going. Mother couldn'yt go against him as he would have beaten her and it would still have made no difference to his thoughts. He beat me too, and tried to lock me in my room.

Here Fero laughs.

Fero: He should have realized that he couldn't really do that as my brothers had to come in and out!

Me: What did you do?

Fero: Well, I escaped, of course. I gathered my things and went to tell mother that I was going. Father came in at that moment, just as I was going out of the door. Mother called 'Goodbye Fero. Don't forget us.' Father pushed her back indoors and I heard him say 'Go in, woman, we have no son called Fero.'


Me: That must have been very hard. What did you do then?

Fero: I went to join my new master. She was very good and understanding and taught me well, until one day she deemed my apprenticehip was ended and I was to go out and make my own way in the world.

Me: Where did you go?

Fero: Firstly I wandered Beridon, then decided to go and look at the Great Desert. I almost died of thirst then. I was completely lost, but a tribe of nomads found me and saved me. I was sunburned, blisters all over me. They tended me and then took me travelling with them. I learned to wear the long enveloping robes they wear and to keep out of the direct sun as much as possible. They wandered eventually to the seaport of Candor on the Inner Sea. I had never seen a large expanse of water and it fascinated me. I got passage on a ship crossing to Grosmer. I worked my passage, of course, and eventually came to Bluehaven. Here I abandoned my new career as a seaman and wandered around the south of Grosmer for many years, doing jobs here and there. Sometimes I would pick fruit, grapes or peaches or oranges. At other times I was scouting for caravans. Then one day I was with a group of young men who decided to go to Eribore. I joined them, intending to cross the Western Mountains and see the Horselords on the plains.

Me: Did you see them? The are supposed to be quite a sight when they ride their horses.

Fero: No. I have wondered and wondered why I took that path towards Hambara, but I can't tell you why. Just a sudden impulse came upon me and I left my companions and turned east instead of west. If I had not done that, I would not have met Carthinal and the others. I wonder what the outcome of their quest would have been if they were not 8 questors as the prophecy had said? Would they still have found the Sword or would the quest have failed? Also, I would not have met Randa either.

Me: Thank you for your time.

My Visit to Another Blog

Today I'm being featured on Auden Johnson's blog talking about the inspiration for The Wolf Pack. pay her a visit, and as well as reading my post, you might find something else that inerests you.

Here's the link.

http://audenstreasury.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/guest-post-how-dungeons-dragons.html

35 Words That Do Not Follow Plural Rules

Today I'm going to discuss a few words that don't form the plural by adding the letter 's'. These words come mainly from foreign 'imports', although a lot are very old. Some people are confused by these words and use the plural as a singular.
So here we go.

 Singular: Bacterium        Plural: Bacteria
 Singular: Phenomenon        Plural: Phenomena
 Singular: Medium            Plural: Media
 Singular: Datum            Plural: Data
 Singular: Criterion            Plural: Criteria
 Singular: Cactus            Plural: Cacti
 Singular: Fungus            Plural: Fungi
 Singular: Stadium            Plural: Stadia
 Singular: Nucleus            Plural: Nuclei
 Singular: Syllabus            Plural: Syllabi
 Singular: Focus            Plural: Foci
 Singular: Thesis            Plural: Theses
 Singular: Crisis            Plural: Crises
 Singular: Index            Plural: Indices
 Singular: Appendix        Plural: Appendices

It is becoming more acceptable to hear 'stadiums', 'syllabuses' and 'indexes', although they grate on me, personally.

Now for some that don't change for the plural.

 sheep
 deer
 fish (although the word 'fishes' can be used if referring to a number of different types of the creatures. e.g. There was a great variety of fishes swimming around on the reef.)
 aircraft
 moose
 offspring
 species
 salmon
 trout

Now what about those that are completely different in the plural? Here we have the following:

 Singular: Child            Plural: Children
 Singular: Man            Plural: Men
 Singular: Woman            Plural: Women
 Singular: Mouse            Plural: Mice
 Singular: Goose            Plural: Geese (N.B. The plural of 'mongoose' is not 'mongeese', but 'mongooses'.)
 Singular: Die             Plural: Dice
 Singular: Foot             Plural: Feet
 Singular: Louse             Plural: Lice
 Singular: Ox             Plural: Oxen
 Singular: Person             Plural: People
 Singular: Tooth             Plural: Teeth

Help Please

I've written a book under the pen name of Emily Littler.

It's a historical novel set in the time of Roman Britain. I decided to put it up on Kindle Scout. Kindle Scout is exactly what it says. Kindle scouting for authors who they then publish (rather than the author self-publishing.) They act just like the mainstream publishers in that they give an advance, (although small!) and do all the formatting and marketing as well as producing an audio version and foreign language translations.

In order to select the books, they hold a ballot. The book (s) with the most recommends will be accepted. All you need to do is click on the link below and then click on the button to nominate or recommend my book.

You can read extracts from it before you click, so you're not nominating something you've not seen.

Please find a few seconds to help me. The link is below.

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/UZ8KQW66M6H8/

Thanks
Viv Sang

Aspholessaria

The days passed. Asphodel worked and Vass went out with the people he called his friends. One day he brought them home with him. Asphodel did not like them and after they had gone, she told him so. Vass laughed at her and said that it did not matter. They would get them money and riches.

'When, Vass?' Asphodel asked him. 'I see little coming in yet.'

Then one say, about a week later, he placed a bag of coins on the table.

'I told you I'd get money, Asphodel, didn't I?' he said.

'Where has this come from?' she asked. 'There's as much here as I earn in two days.'

'Ah, from selling stuff,' he replied.

'Selling what?'

'Stuff.'

'Where did you get it from? You didn't steal it did you?'

'Steal?' Vass's eyes widened. 'Why would you think I stole it?'

Asphodel walked to the table and picked up the bag.

'Because I can't think of what you had to sell that would bring this much money,' she told him.
She put the bag down again.

'I need to know where you got the 'stuff' you sold, Vass.'

Vass turned away from her and stomped to a chair.

'You sound like my mother, Asphodel. My friends gave it to me to sell. They took some of the money and I had the rest. Now give it a rest. We've money for the rent with some left over. I'm going out again.'

And with that he strode from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Asphodel worried. She worried about where the money came from and what Vass had been given to sell, and she worried about Vass himself. He seemed to be changing. He was out much of the time and when he was in he was not as loving as he had been.

Asphodel waited, and waited, and waited. She went to bed. In the early hours of the morning she heard the door open and Vass came in. He was full of energy and sat on the bed.

'That was the most amazing evening, Asphodel,' he told her. 'We went all over the city and my friends took me to some places I'd never have been able to find without them there were lots of taverns hidden in back streets and I couldn't have got back on my own.'

Vass paused to take a breath. Asphodel rubbed her eyes and sat up.

'One tavern had a bear in a cage at the back and you'd never believe what it could do and they had a talking bird--I don't know what kind, but it was colourful--it was swearing like a...a...oh, I don't know. Someone who swears a lot.'

'Vass,' said Asphodel, 'slow down. I can hardly make sense of what you're saying.'

Vass laughed. It was almost a giggle. He stood up and began to jump around the room like a child.

'Oh, I feel so great, Assy. I could do anything. I can't sleep. Come out with me.'

'Vass, I need to sleep. I've got to go to work tomorrow.'

'Oh pish to your work. I can earn enough for us both. Look, I've got a bag of money here.'

He pulled a rather thin bag out of his pocket and put it on the table. He looked crestfallen for a moment, then he laughed.

'Oh, look. I seem to have spent it all. I wonder how that happened?'

Asphodel got back into bed and turned over.

'Asphodel, come out with me, please.'

The girl took no notice of him and so he eventually left once more, picking up the meagre money pouch as he went.

This went on for several weeks. Vass had initially been selling grimlo, a powerful drug. Then one night his friends has persuaded him to try some himself.

'After all, you need to know what you're selling to the punters,' one of them said.

Soon Vass was spending more money on buying the drug for his own use than he was getting from the sales. His 'friends' demanded their share of the sales, but Vass did not have enough to pay them for the drugs he bought from them. He was also drinking heavily.

One day, he came to Asphodel and demanded she give him money.

'Vass, you've been spending money we can't afford on your drinking and, I suspect, drugs too. That was the 'stuff' you were selling, wasn't it?'

Vass looked her in the eye.

'What if it was? It got us money, didn't it? We needed money too.'

Asphodel sighed.

'Vass,' she said, 'you've not brought any money in for an age and you've spent all my earnings. I don't have any money. We are in debt and are likely to be thrown out of this hovel because we have no money to pay the rent.'

Vass narrowed his eyes.

'Then give me some of your precious jewellery to sell. I can get some more grimlo from my friends and sell it for more than a necklace is worth. That'll get the rent and more.'

Asphodel reluctantly handed over one of her gold necklaces and Vass left. She left soon afterwards for her own work.

Later that day, when she arrived home, she found Vass sitting on a chair in the apartment. He looked at her as she came through the door.

'I need some more jewellery,' he said abruptly. No greeting nor kiss.

'Where's the money you promised when I gave you the last piece?' demanded Asphodel.

Vass made no reply, but stood up and walked over to her.

'I need some more,' he said. 'That wasn't enough. I needed to pay my friends for what I've already had. Now I need money to get more.'

Asphodel looked him in the eye.

'Well, you're not getting it from me. You've spent all my cash and my wages and are now spending my jewellery. You aren't going to sell any grimlo, are you? You'll buy some more from your so-called friends and use it yourself. You're addicted, Vass. Those people saw you coming. They trapped you nicely. Get you to start off selling the stuff and promise great riches, then they get you to try it yourself, and bam! you're addicted and spending all your, no my, money making them rich.'

Vass's eyes blazed.

'Give me your jewellery.'

He reached towards the cupboard where the jewellery was kept.

Asphodel stood in front of it.

'No!'

Vass raised his hand and swiped Asphodel across the face, then he punched her in the stomach and left her doubled over in agony as he reached into the cupboard and took the pouch of jewellery. As he stormed out of the room, a ring fell from the pouch and Asphodel crawled over to pick it up.

An Update on My Writing

Well, yesterday I heard that Viv's Family Recipes is now available in a paperback edition. You can buy it from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=viv%27s+family+recipes&sprefix=Viv%27s+Famil%2Cundefined%2C243&crid=3MHWRA19L54AH

and

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vivs-Family-Recipes-V-M-Sang-ebook/dp/B00IARRS50/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1486219904&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=viv%27s+family+recipes

or your local amazon site.


I sent the manuscript of Elemental Worlds off to the editor, so things are beginning to move on that one. I think it's the best one yet. No ideas as to when it will be availabe though. I'll keep you in touch. We need to agree a cover, too. As soon as we pick one, I'll reveal it to you all for comments.


On February 10th you can get The Wolf Pack free from Creativia, and on February 14th, Viv's Family Recipes is also free. Take advantage of these offers and many more from 1st to 14th February. You can see the books at Sahara Foley's website.

http://saharafoley.com/creativia-publishing-free-books-from-february-1st-thru-the-14th-2017-creativia/