Q and A: Cursing

Where does the curse blood'ura come from?


Writing the curses of Centernia was as enjoyable as creating the creatures and places.

Blood'ura is an abbreviation for Blood of Aurora, very similar insult to the Shakespearian zounds, meaning Christ's Wounds.

There is a joy in creating insults that are really close to the english in cadence and consonant sounds. I have growing library file where I collect these bad-sounding yet technically completely innocuous words. My favorites? Maggot suckin', bloody shunt, rock sucker, goat screw, tick and jackhole.


In the next book, will we learn more about the fallout between Jessica's parents?
Yes. There is definitely a lot more story to unearth from the past. The scars run deep.


Why did you decide to write Return to the Castle? Where do you get your ideas?

I get asked this question a lot. I wrote Return to the Castle because I had to. The characters have a comfortable residence in my mind, and they tell me their stories, and it seems wasteful not to write it all down.

Ideas flow freely, but good ideas need to be cultivated. Sometimes I look at Centernia like an overgrown lush garden. Some ideas are beautiful, and need to be given space to grow, perhaps a trellis to climb upon. Some ideas are interesting, just placed in the wrong spot, overshadowing other more delicate ideas. Some concepts are just terrible, and it's difficult to find the strength to uproot them and cast them aside.

As far as where specific ideas come from, it's all the real world re-written, re-invented, mashed together. My mind constantly files away concepts to be used in Centernia. For example, the castlefolk are heavily influenced by the values of my Italian immigrant heritage. The castlefolk are a culture within a culture, governed by their own traditions. They have a great deal of pride in who they are, fight amongst themselves, but will band together against adversity.



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