Secret Keeper - themes and tropes

With Secret Keeper publishing on the 1st of September (9 days!), I thought I should give the readers who like a little inside scoop a bit of an introduction to the series.

Personally, I only read the cover synopsis after reading a book. I try to pick my reads based on as little relevant information as possible, just enough to know it’s my genre and hopefully a preferable style. I just love the excitement of going in blind and discovering the plot and pivotal events as they unfold and getting to know the characters.

That said, as the author, and for those who like to have a little more to go on before committing to hours of reading, there are a few notes I can make that will hopefully help you make the decision to pick up my book. (Coming September 1 2022)

Its hard to be objective about my own work when I am so personally invested in it, but here are a few points of note. I have tried not to include spoilers...

Themes:

Fate and Destiny - In the Madreanan culture, fate is the portrayed default experience, the path of destiny being a greater experience, only found through conscious choice to live a greater life than what fate would deliver, thus fulfilling the purpose of being a Madreanan clansman - a warrior's path. This theme (and I think, themes in general have this effect) is what perhaps shades this book with a touch of realism. It is used in fantasy and escapism for sure, and especially a typical hero’s journey, but as the author, for me it was driven more by non-fiction works.

Belonging - A very familiar theme for many, but one that ties in with the ideas of fate vs destiny - a safe comfort zone (that might not necessarily be satisfying) vs the path of possibility through struggle and achievement. The main characters both face struggles of belonging in this novel, having to face upheaval and discomfort with the entity with which they wish to belong to, before being able to feel truly worthy to be part of the larger self/existence/entity, be it family, culture, or nation. Viggo feels like an imposter among his own, and to battle this before he is swallowed in resentment, he realises he must face his own battle.

Magic:

Magic is important to this story, however, it is a subtle aspect of Secret Keeper (book 1). When I wrote the first draft, there was no magic, but there has always been a hint of magical realism in the manuscript, (and a hint of Norse/Viking inspiration). By the final copy, I have made the magical realm of this world more obvious, however it remains more subtle than what will be revealed in the following instalments to the trilogy. For the first book, I didn't want to let high fantasy magic simplify my writing or distract from the basic themes of the book. My focus, for better or worse, was on a hero's journey and my intention was to weave as much realism as possible, nodding to my love of historical fiction.

Overview:

Netalia has drawn Viggo into a larger world, many of the dangers of which, only she sees - a raging battle that she is inextricably tied to. Nothing can waiver her from her cause and purpose. As Viggo's journey begins, his perceptions of the world constantly change as he tries to see the dangers facing not only him on his path, but also his homeland, weighing the costs of his sense of duty, the promises he makes, and what it will take to fulfil them.

It has been my focus since beginning this book to write a fantasy story tilted more towards realism, compared to the escapism that first got me started in creative writing. Partly, I wanted to test my writing without leaning heavily on typical, high-fantasy, magic tropes (which I love by the way). I had a certain story I wanted to deliver and it has been a milestone to get it to print. I find my writing seems to be more free going on from this story and I think my writing has changed in style to the point where I don't think I would write quite the same story again! That said, I love the world of Secret Keeper and am having so much fun writing book 2!!

As I plan for this to be a multi-part series, I intend to delve deeper with each addition into the abstract and fantasy realm, building on the groundwork of book one and multiplying the stakes and consequences of the overall story.

Without bringing the story itself under any more scrutiny, I leave you with this glimpse into my perception of what I wrote this book about. I hope you find more in it, and that you are entertained enough by book one to continue the journey.

Thanks for reading!