I may have gotten a bit metaphysical during the creation of The Shadows of Dark Root. I always knew I wanted Maggie and her companions to journey to the Netherworld, only I wasn't sure exactly how that journey would go. I suppose I saw more camping in my head (ha-ha). What I did know was that it had to be Maggie's journey, the climax to not only the storyline but to Maggie's personal growth as well. I knew she couldn't argue her way through things or throw temper tantrums or start fires (although that all did come in handy). But she needed to learn to use her magick in new ways. She needed to come into her full power and strength in this book, and what better way than a journey to hell and back?
Astute readers will notice the chapter headings on this book are not song titles, as has been the tradition. Because this was a different kind of book than the others, set in a different world, I wanted the titles to reflect that. So I chose to use the Major Arcana from the Tarot in order, to mark Maggie's journey from Fool to The World. That doesn't mean Maggie knows everything after, only that one journey has ended and another began.One thing that caught me by surprise when writing The Shadows of Dark Root was how in love I fell with the Goddesses I was writing. Its so much fun to take their personalities, and make them your own. I especially enjoyed writing Lilith! She oozed sex appeal, playfulness, and an almost childlike innocence. But she is not a woman you want to cross! And I haven't ruled out her making a future appearance in Dark Root. Another character I had loads of fun with was Hecate. I did a lot of studying on her, and found multiple myths and points of view and I fused what I could and created a fun version, I think, both wise and mischievous. These ladies sure gave Armand a run for his money!
This book was so different from the others I knew that I was taking a risk in presenting it. And I know there are readers out there who wished I had stayed in the town of Dark Root. But there is no growth without new challenges, and I took on this quest not only for Maggie but for myself. I had never written high fantasy before, but I have enjoyed it and I love nothing more than reading and studying myth and the occult and ancient religions so it came out much more naturally than I anticipated. Maggie and her companions forged ahead, and came out purified on the other side.
As for the Michael incident, I'm sorry. I know. The emails I get usually say something like "I hated Michael in the beginning but then I started to like him and then you did that!!!"
Trust me, it was hard for me too! I loved Michael as much as I initially hated him. But I had always intended for him to be saved, not by God, as he initially thought, but by his own deeds. The fact that some of you cared that much for this person at the end of this series makes me excited as a writer. And for those of you who still didn't like him, I know its good riddance, haha.
I'll be posting more on my thoughts on some of the books I wrote. I intend to post more on The Shadows of Dark Root as well, as there was a lot of brainpower than went into this, and even more intuition and strange synchronicities.
Happy reading everyone!
April Aasheim
