A Writer’s Best Friend

I remember something I read about Tolkien once, about how he said that sometimes Frodo and Samwise were his best friends because they completely understood him and they never questioned him. I identified with that. I feel that way about my characters sometimes, too. Aw…shoot, not just sometimes, all times. I love my characters, even the ones I hate.

I confess that I’ve never actually read one of Tolkien’s books all the way through. I know. I know. That’s a crime for a fantasy writer, but I was afraid to read him. Afraid I might be influenced. I didn’t want to be. Then of course the movies came out, but I had already written rough drafts of my novels and had them waiting to be typed and stuffed in dresser drawers. I did, however, read ABOUT Tolkien. I liked him as a man before I ever knew him as a writer.

So it is that when the world is a cold and foreign place to me I turn to the inhabitants of the world I created, the world that lives between the covers and even the one that is still bound with a leather cord, awaiting the day that I type the manuscript and send it in. It’s funny to me. This world, the “real” one, often has too much insanity, is too illogical and often seems unreal. That’s when I turn to the one I created where every thing, no matter how extreme or dramatic, always makes sense to me. I only hope that in the process, it entertains a few other people.

Some facts about Nintu:

Nintu has two moons: Upas and Ulapas

Upas is smaller than Ulapas and it’s orbit is a primary factor [as it travels through the twenty nine major constellations as opposed to our twelve zodiac] in determining navigational courses.

Ulapas has a stronger pull on the tides and is responsible for the determination of months.

A year on Nintu is slightly shorter than a year on Earth, having 287 days.

A day on Nintu is approximately 27.5 Earth hours long.

There are about 22.11 days in a Nintuian month. Nintu has 13 months. They are:

1. Mawana

2. Tu

3. Tray

4. Sumnar

5. Karuna

6. Sesta

7. Sempton

8. Ochtum

9. Nin

10. Mer

11. Xia

12. Yunon

13. Lyca

Josef’s birthday is the 24 th day of Septom

Kamna was born around the 5th of Tray

Daneela’s birthday is the 7th day of Karuna

Troc has no idea when he was born.

A’ven was born on the last day of the year,

 

Welcome to Nintu

the setting for Dragon’s Heir and its sequels.