"I met a lot of things on the way that astonished me" ~ Tolkien

Working on the final Blade book has caused me to pause and look back at where it all started. It is an odd thing that such a series could have began back on a cold, Thanksgiving weekend night. We stood out in the snow, under a clouded sky, dressed in my ranger cloak, and I said the name of something incorrectly. Very likely the something had to do with Aragon's sword. I can't remember exactly, only that I said "the broken blade." Friends laughed and someone made the off hand comment that a book could never be titled "The Broken Blade."

Bare in mind I am the same person who was told I could not sleep with a cloak as a blanket my whole life and have set out to prove that statement wrong. Often it is a top blanket as I live in cold states, but still.

I would ask if a whole series and world could grow from such a teasing challenge, but over ten years later and here we are.

The first of the books, titled The Broken Blade because I guess I live at that level of petty, started with the idea of a plot I always loved but didn't think was believable - a quest for a sword. What better combination for me? Seeing as how I love both quests and swords. The rest fell into place and changed over time, becoming a world I am still exploring, full of characters I adore.

The Blade books are set in the world of Oleander - and yes, I have named the world and each kingdom after a poisonous plant. (Can I blame this on my weird knowledge of poisons? Let's just say yes even though that is very likely not true. *Cough*) Oleander has seven kingdoms in it. Once upon a time the kingdoms were united, but then the high king fell in battle and left no heir behind. Therefore, over time, the kingdoms fell out of contact with each other, were not united, and in some cases forgot the others even existed.

(Yes, I do have a series planned for each of the kingdoms, with a climax of one final book which brings the story to a close.)

The Blade books take place in the kingdom in which the high king dwelt so long ago, Nightshade. I knew so little of this world and characters when I started. I think originally there were only three Blade Boys, but they quickly grew to the seven they are now. Some of them came from other books, and two were once one character who was not mine, given to me for a short time, then reclaimed by his author. By then he had become two separate characters of my own. (If you think that was a weird statement you should be in my head with many of my other characters and how they came to existence.)

I thought it might be fun to share a little of Blade Boy information and who they were and who they are now.

First I must mention the two, who used to be one who were not mine, but given to me, and then returned. (I do hope that line made your head spin, it would please me greatly.)

Ryder-Adair and BenArgon were once upon a time a character named Rean-Hammon. He existed when I met one of my very few best friends. (One of two. This can also be confusing. As I consider my adopted sisters best friends...this should be a topic for another time.)

Rean-Hammon was a character of my best friend's sister. We all adored him muchly. And when she gave up writing the book he lived in she gave him to me so that I could...keep his legend going? However, experienced authors know what us young ones did not, a character changes when he is not with his author. Soon Rean-Hammon was not Rean-Hammon so he returned to his author. However, while with me he helped in, creating? Becoming? Naming? Who knows...Ryder-Adair and BenArgon.

Ryder-Adair is a young village boy who is dyslexic, though since he lives in a middle ages fantasy world where dyslexia is not known he and others just think he is stupid. (Not his father though, Jarrod thinks his son is brilliant.) Ryder can not read or write, he can only write RA, and the R is always backwards. On top of this he is short for his age which he is very insecure about. He is very unsure of himself and comes off cowardly in the first two books. However, he has hidden traits which I was so delighted to discover with him.

BenArgon is the son of one of Nightshade's lords. The lords have no claim to the throne but still hope to establish themselves as king. BenArgon's dad stood in opposition to this plan and for it was killed in a fire which was set to his house. BenArgon was also in the home and his father died saving his life. BenArgon also did not escape unscathed, but was blinded. He was made a lord in his father's place and, with the help of his mother and friend, quietly works to take up the cause his father was killed for.

Next is Trystan, who was removed from another book I was kind of co-authoring but didn't progress more than two chapters. Trystan was an elf in the other book, but when I moved him to the Blade books I did not think he was so did not write him as such. At the end of book one, in the really rough draft, he revealed he was still an elf. In book two he kindly informed me he is what is known as a dark elf. (Why not tell me this in book one? Easy, that would make life less complicated for me and the Blade Boys strive to not allow easement into my writing life.)

The dark elves, I was informed, did not live in a kingdom, but inhabited an island. They were first called the dark elves because of their black hair and dark skin color - unlike other elves who are fair of skin and light of hair. The name took on a double meaning when, during one of the wars when the high king lived, the dark elves took the side of the lord of the dark country. Ever after their descendants were seen as traitors. Their island is often attacked and the elves captured and taken to the other kingdoms to be made slaves. BenArgon's father disapproved of this. He bought Trystan for the sole purpose of freeing him. Even though freed, Trystan remained with BenArgon's family, severing as a guide and friend to the blind lord.

(That sounded noble. Trystan is very wise, but he is also 100 percent done with BenArgon's nonsense and is never afraid to call the young lord out for his....not at all lordly sense of humor.) Trystan has become something of the long suffering but very tired uncle of the group. He usually has Aragorn's done with everyone expression.

Next is Fagan. Fagan came into this book from no other book and has stayed in this book. I didn't really understand him though, even though he wasn't from another story so one would think figuring him out would be easier. Fagan appeared in chapter one, defending Ryder-Adair from the school bully. He then did several things to confuse me, because I guess being defender of those treated unjustly would have been letting me off easy. In the words of Faramir, "I think we understand one another at last." (Don't quote me on that. I still haven't published the series, so it is not beyond the realm of reasoning that these dear Blade Boys still are hiding secrets from me.)

Now we have the twins. I will be honest here, the twins came into creation when I found out Rowling killed Fred. I hadn't even read the books or seen the movies, but was so upset that a twin died that I had to create my own so that they wouldn't die. *Spoilers I guess*

Jasper and Jaysen used to have far too similar names. They were Jesper and Jasper for a long time until a friend kindly pointed out this made it hard to tell who was who. Therefore, Jesper became Jaysen. The twins are my dears and have given me few problems - except for the one they give everyone. Both are completely identical and use this to their advantage. As babies, their parents thought they had mixed them up at one point, because even their parents find them identical. Therefore, the brothers like to switch names since "This way, we at least get to be the right one every once in a while." They didn't even tell me who was the older one until last year. (Now I know....*Evil grin*)

Finally we have Striker, or Stryker as his name is likely to be changed in spelling. I am one of those authors who shouldn't have favorites but does. Peter Jones from Haphazard is clearly one of my favorites...Stryker is the other.

Stryker never lived in another book and never had another name. He was more open than the others at first. I knew, this is really an unfair comparison to the others and I take back what I just said. Stryker came to me with no memories of his past life, so therefore shared nothing with me as he knew nothing. (I didn't even know his real name until a few months ago when my youngest sister forced it out of him.) (This is the kind of stuff I have to put up with as an author of these boys.)

The more I think about it the more I wonder what is wrong with me that Stryker is one of my favorites...oh well.

Stryker's name was stolen. I was once on this homeschool blog and there were these two brothers who blogged and never told anyone their real names. The younger brother went by Striker and I loved that name. He one day left the blogging world and I so kindly stole his name. Because....I am like that.

And there they are, my Blade Boys. I would share more but that would lead to spoilers. Maybe next time I will share a little of the Oleander world. Drag you into this insane kingdom with me, because I am like that.