Character Sketches are one of many elements during the inception of any work. The truth is, I have never outlined a character for they are living beings I am remembering, not characters I am creating. I met Wing whole, as a man. I saw him standing beneath a tree. It was fall and I watched as the last leaf on the tree fell and floated silently to his booted-feet. Seeing him brought on a rush of memories that I began to write down over the next few months. The first draft of what was then called "Merehr" was 260 pages. I was sixteen years old.
What follows is a short introduction I wrote to Wing and Nien and the novel a couple years back. I wish I had an artist that could sketch them, but I have not yet met that person. I am excited for the day I do. In the meantime, the wonderful artist Ran Valerhon, who's work I fell in love with many years ago, created this book cover for the second edition (see attached). This digital is still one of my favorites.
Wing and Nien —
One black, one white, Wing and Nien are brothers living in the small valley of Rieeve. Here, only one book is read and only one religion is practiced. No one is allowed to travel into Rieeve and no one is allowed to leave. Wing wants to stay in their small valley but knows he may be forced to leave. Nien wants to leave but knows he has to stay. Amidst a people filled with fear and polarized by prophecy, Wing and Nien believe they were brought together for a reason. Until the night comes when everything they’ve known is taken from them and their world destroyed. Forced into a life they never could have foreseen, the brothers learn that evil comes from within as well as without. And that the truth is rarely what it seems, emerging from places unexpected, and manifesting in ways never imagined.