Behind the Scenes - the creation of Alfheim Haven

I don't know where I got the idea for Alfheim Haven but I thought it might be fun to talk a little about the world I created for my fantasy series.

I had just read Susan Carroll's the Bride Finder, and I fell in love with the blending of historical and fantasy. I guess you can call her book an inspiration, a catalyst for writing The Keeper of Moon Haven. In addition was my grand scheme to connect all my previous books in some way. That was a bit more daunting and challenging, and still a work in progress. I have written science fiction futuristic, time travel, fantasy and historical westerns. The Dragon King does reference the magic as do my time travels.

I have also always had a fascination with astrology and the myths regarding moon phases. A blue moon is a second full moon in one month. But I wanted something more special so I discovered a time table for all the blue moons occurring in the month of October. Most occur at a span of nineteen years but there are a few special cases. This gave me my timeline.

Old fairy tales are full of tales of the fey, leprechauns, elves, gnomes and the like. But as the years progressed, sightings faded. It made sense to build an alternate realm where these creatures could co-exist. Having two full moons in October created the perfect window of time when the faery realm was accessible to the human realm. But there had to be an escape route, an alternative method of reaching both worlds which is where Beletania's Diary comes into play. When read aloud in the human realm, the creature being read about will appear in the human realm.

I also had to create characters who had a reason for traveling between worlds. So - if you're wondering why Surt took a human baby into Alfheim Haven to raise as his own, it's because eventually Melody will want to know more about her human origins. Or why I left Christopher with the Keeper when he needed more than Lucian could give? I'm hoping Christopher and Melody will have their story some day.

Oh, hmm and why did I put Beletania's Diary back in the human realm? Who knows but again, I needed another bridge between both worlds for upcoming tales. Unfortunately, I write slow but I have begun two more in this series. Not sure when I'll get them done but ....