Setting the Stage

by Bey Deckard

One of the best things about writing alternate-world stories is coming up with setting. I’ve travelled quite a bit and have a background in history, two things that really helped me to create what (I hope) come across as plausible and interesting settings in the Baal’s Heart books. I’m going to take this opportunity and talk about a few of them today.

The Ship

 The majority of the pirates’ time happens aboard Baal’s Heart, the pirate ship that Baltsaros captains. I call it a corvette (yes, that’s where the car got its name!), which is a small, manoeuvrable warship that’s similar in size and function to a sloop-of-war. When I first set out to write Caged, I had planned on basing the pirate ship on the HMS Beagle, the Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop that took Darwin on his expedition (to go along with Jon’s theme of evolution) but in the end I settled on something smaller because I wanted a reduced crew. That being said, the Heart is a corvette that’s not very corvette-y… Only a few of them in real history had the raised quarterdeck that holds the captain’s quarters, and most of them were slightly longer and had more guns—the Heart is a measly 78 feet in length and has only 8 guns on deck. However, the few alterations I made to the ship do mimic the ones that were done to the aforementioned Beagle… I still wanted a nod to history there. Just little details to make me happy, really.

Madierus

Oh Madierus… beautiful jewel-like island in the middle of a warm, turquoise sea. The island is partially based on Barbados, an island in the Caribbean that I consider my home away from home. However, unlike Barbados, Madierus is a volcanic island… I literally just wanted an excuse to write the waterfall scene, and a crater/old lava tubes seemed like the most fun way to write it. Now, though I don’t do a lot of description of the island itself beyond the basics, I can say that it’s also based on the islands up north at the mouth of the St. Lawrence… high and rocky on each end and grassy/forested in the middle. Only instead of pine trees, we have palms. Much nicer, in my opinion.

The palace on Madierus is mostly set in blues and gold to contrast with Baltsaros’s habit of wearing blacks and reds to show that it is really Abetha’s domain and not his. The covered walkway that leads to his tower, however, is of northern design (Baltsaros’s homelands) and plays a role in the events of Fated.

Baltsaros’s birthplace

 I’m not going to name it here… it’s part of the story in Fated. However, I will say that it’s partially based on where I grew up in Northern Québec (pine trees, cold, and blackflies!), on Ragnar Lothbrok’s harbour in Kattegat (hello Vikings!), and… well… Ancient Greece (you’ll have to read Fated to understand why that last one is!).

All over the books exist references to parts of our world’s history, all mashed together to make the world and timeline of Baal’s Heart unique from our own. You have medieval English dishes presented alongside Northern African ones, Moroccan covered markets paired with Mayan temples, antique concepts like the firmament contrasted with the advent of electricity… a world where Ancient Egyptian ways of treating chest wounds are still used and 19th century hypodermic needles have already been invented.

Yup… setting is really fun to write, and with these books, had a great time of it!

Check here for more information on Baal’s Heart.

About Fated:  Blood and Redemption

With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together.

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet

Release Date: April 11, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Be sure to check out Jen’s review of Fated!

About Bey Deckard

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires, and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.

You can find out more about Bey on his Website, Facebook or Goodreads.

As part of this blog tour, Bey is giving away an ebook copy of Caged:  Love and Treachery on the High Seas (Baal’s Heart Book 1)!! To enter, just click the link below!

 Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!