Y'know, I've been meaning to ask. In Oath, it seems as if you've ret-conned Korryn as a Verrakai that's been body-changed. Since he's got his memories of what happened in Deed, it's implied that he was that way even back then. What's not making sense is the situation in Deed now: if Korryn is a Verrakai and with mage-powers to boot, why did he allow himself to go through the punishment?

Korryn thought he was a noble's bastard in SHEEPFARMER'S DAUGHTER and rather suspected his father was a Verrakai. He was right. He had no mage-powers then. When he was thrown out of the Duke's Company, he became part of the criminal element in Verella for awhile, where he was scouted by then-duke Verrakai (Haron Verrakai) as a possible agent. Not as useful as someone who could pass for respectable, but still, every conspiracy has need of cannon-fodder. Korryn's now-flaming hatred of Phelan and all things Phelani made him a natural for certain kinds of tasks. He proved willing to do anything he was asked, and was proud of being accepted as a Verrakai. After a few years he was offered the chance to accept a "rider," and because of his other knowledge base and his Verrakai blood, Haron decided to order that he be left some segment of his own personality--subordinate to the dominant elder Verrakai but still his own. (This also made it easier for the dominant to act like Korryn...and allowed the dominant to let Korryn deal with the unpleasant physical stuff. The dominant never suffered from stomach aches, colds, etc.)

It is only after this transfer that Korryn had access to any mage powers, and his dominant controlled them. Korryn's own personality was proud of being chosen, glad to serve (although some magery of the dominant enhanced that willing submission, of course.) Korryn was sent to the south as a spy, and hired on as a caravan guard as a good base for such spying.

Wow. Thanks for the explanation -- I'm guessing that we'll find this out at some point in the story (or even a short story?). The 22nd can't come fast enough. :)

Not sure what it is you'll want to find out...??? I mean, we already know what happened to Korryn: he's now dead.

Sorry, I should've been more clear. I meant to say, "I'm guessing we'll find out about the backstory you just gave me at some point in the novels or a short story".

Maybe...but only if it's plot-relevant to the long arc at that point. The books already have Korryn's backstory--in _Sheepfarmer's Daughter_, he's said to have boasted that he was a lord's bastard. To me, anyway, the implication was that he'd consented to be an ancient Verrakai's pony sometime in the past 3-4 years.

So very excited, I've already pre ordered :D

Re the transfer query, is it much like a split personality where there is a weaker and stronger personality within? I would assume the transfers to children of the Verrakai would utterly destroy the developing mind however with an adult transfer where the recipient is willing I would expect some form of memory retention would be available.

Whether a Verrakaien invader destroys the mind of the person being invaded depends on circumstances. The children who sickened and "almost died" were invaded totally--their original personality and soul, if you will, were killed and the invading Verrakai entered at the moment of death. The same is done with many unrelated adult victims (such as the groom invaded by Dorrin's father.) Even a willing recipient would not be granted any personality or memory unless there was a reason for it; although the invader could dominate most minds, there was always a chance that the once-willing recipient could have a change of heart and force a struggle.

The most likely to be allowed to remain are those who are a) at least half-Verrakai by blood, b) have shown exceptional loyalty to the family, c) have an unusual or complicated knowledge base hard for the invader to access, and/or d) are destined for some role in which physical suffering is likely (because the invader can retreat from sensory input if someone else is handling that.) Another possibility, though rarely done as a complete invasion (usually only as a magical compulsion) is to leave a victim aware but with no control of his/her body, forcing him/her to heinous acts. When this is done, it's followed by a complete takeover, or by a transfer out and killing the victim.

My pre-order is in and I'm having a hard time waiting!

Mine, too, ditto and likewise! Amazon UK expects to post it on about the 25th.

Hm. I might put off my monthly book-buying trip at Book People until after then....

And if you did, you might find some signed copies lying around, if they've actually ordered any in.

Wizards are the larval form of dragons.

Consider that any sufficiently powerful wizard can alter his form.

Consider that any wizard is going to piss people off. (Otherwise, what was the point of all that work, right?)

It follows that, in the fullness of time, a wizard is going to develop a form that travels fast, is really hard to hurt, and can do huge amounts of damage really quickly.

This was my core premise writing Godspawn-- a story about a boy who grows up to be a dragon, written 2007-2009 (and turned down by the agent who originally asked me to write a novel; }:< ). The Don Maass agency is looking for a buyer. If you want to see more about the notion, a little nagging would not be amiss.

That's your idea and your book.

With all due respect, this is not the right place to be flogging your book.

sorry

Thanks for telling me and I hope you like it!

Congratulations!

Thanks!

Hmm, not sure where my comment went (thre weren't any at all when I made it). LJ loses them sometimes.

Anyway, I've pre-ordered via Amazon UK (who have a release date of the 24th, 2 days after the US one -- whether this is correct or Amazon having 'interesting' database problems again[1] we will see). Looking forward to it whenever it arrives.

[1] Like emailing me to tell me a book on order will be delayed by a month, when they've just sent it. Or the latest, displaying on my "unfulfilled orders" page a week or so ago that a book is both "being packed, so you can't cancel it" AND that the expected delivery date is end of April -- it actually arrived a day or so after I first saw that, with their page still trying to tell me the same information. I wish they'd talk to themselves. Then again, I talk to myself and that doesn't help much either...

Comments, like email, can go walkabout on the electronic dance floor and end up lost.

Thanks for pre-ordering...and I don't begin to understand the complexities of online ordering with Amazon, even though I do it (or, actually, my husband does it for me nearly always.)