The Novel Approach is please to welcome author Lexi Ander on the Songs of the Earth blog tour. Enjoy Lexi’s guest post and then be sure to enter her giveaway. Details and the Rafflecopter widget are below.
Good luck!
Pieces of the Past
I love world building because it feeds the geek in me. Taking a point of interest and researching all the hows and whys makes me a very happy girl. Sometimes it’s equal parts fun and frustrating, especially when looking into ancient history. The internet is great but the validity of the data can be questionable. Even so, some real gems can be found, especially if I get my hands on archeological data—lists of what was found at grave sites or in buried forgotten cities. Statues and earthenware, descriptions of motifs on vases and bowls, the layout of temples—all of it stirs my imagination and give me tidbits of details to add to my stories.
It is from these that I have drawn seem aspects of Sumeria’s Sons such as the use of copper, lapis lazuli, and the color red worn when mourning. There were some things that couldn’t be transferred over, such as clothing. Everyone wore wraps or robes with bare calves, sometime without sandals. This is a detail that someone couldn’t get away with in modern times without drawing attention and turning a few heads.
Being a prince, I wanted Tristan to have formal wear that set him apart and sorta screamed, “I’m your king!” and yet still be able to blend in with human society if needed. The clothing of ancient Sumeria wouldn’t do, so I looked around and pulled inspiration from other places. What tickled my fancy was the formal wedding dress from Pakistan and India. Absolutely gorgeous. I used the design as a basis for creating formal clothing that Tristan would eventually need.
Even though there are hints of the Lycan’s origins doesn’t mean everything has a Sumerian flare. I think the guys look best in their Levi button flies, broken in cowboy boots, and Stetson hats but around them pieces of that past are there to remind them of their origins. It’s no different than my great grandmother’s carnival glass sitting in my china cabinet or the wall sconces that came from my husband’s grandparent’s home. What has been handed down in your family?
Bonus: Just recently there was an article in Newsweek Tech & Science that featured four songs that were taken from ancient Sumerian cuneiform tablets. The songs are being sung in a language 3000 years gone and is quite beautiful to listen to.
Thank you for stopping by and reading! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway before you leave. ^_^
Book Title: Songs of the Earth
Series: Sumeria’s Son #2
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Length: 49.000 words
Genre : Paranormal, Fantasy , Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 7 , 2015
Cover artist: LeBurden Design
Blurb: Thrust into the role of Prince of the Lycans, Tristan strives to find his footing in a life suddenly rife with secrets and lies—and danger. Betrayed by a Goddess meant to safeguard him, desperate to protect his consort and their growing tribe, he can only prepare for the worst and struggle to hope.
And then the worst comes to kill them…
Buy Links: LT3 Press | Amazon US
About the Author: Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.
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The BIG Giveaway: Click the Rafflecopter widget for your chance to win one of the following prizes
First Prize: $20 Amazon Gift card, $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Songs of the Earth, swag (pens, bookmarks, coffee cup)
Second Prize: $20 All Romance Gift card, hard copy of Songs of the Earth, swag (pens, bookmarks, coffee cup)
Third Prize: hard copy of Songs of the Earth, swag (pens, bookmarks, coffee cup)
Fourth Prize: e-book copy of Songs of the Earth
Fifth Prize: e-book copy of Songs of the Earth
cool. ^_^