Hello Lovelies, I am privileged to bring you a delightful post from the masterful A.F. Stewart as part of her release tour for the second book in the Saga of the Outer Islands. So get comfy as we turn the time over!
Anyone who knows my work, knows I love to use myth and folklore in my stories and the Saga of the Outer Islands books are no exception, with Greek mythology and seafaring folklore as the basis of my inspiration. The Greek myth came into play for my pantheon of gods, but for the mysterious sea monsters lurking under the ocean, especially for book one, I went straight to folklore. Now, the most obvious one to start with is the Kraken, which, in my opinion, is a must for a good seafaring fantasy. The Kraken stems from Nordic folklore and the most famous account was written in 1180 by King Sverre of Norway, quite possibly after a sighting of a real-life creature: the giant squid. The folklore states this colossal tentacled beast harassed ships, often sinking them by maelstrom or whirlpool, and had taste for human flesh. Just the sort of terrifying creature I wanted, although my monster tends to eat souls, not flesh. The next creature inspirations came partly from shore instead of the sea, with the Sea Wyrm and the Deep Water Basilisk. Both are somewhat inspired by the traditional folklore of sea serpents as well as the wyvern, cousin to the dragon. While both of my beasts are underwater reptilian creatures with serpentine bodies, the Wyrms have a more traditional sea serpent appearance (a big snake with fins), and the Basilisk have not only fins but the addition of smallish wyvern-style wings on their bodies. However, for the second book, Souls of the Dark Sea, I went in a more recent direction for my muses. I wanted a mysterious, sinister monster as the villain of the book, something ancient and dark rising to threaten the worlds. I immediately thought of the Cthulhu mythos and that hulking alien god sleeping beneath the ocean waiting to ascend and destroy. A perfect template for my character, and so was born Ashetus, a bulbous-headed, corpse-eating, six-eyed monster with ten tentacles and a gigantic fish tail. And Cthulhu isn’t my only modern influence for the monsters of Souls of the Dark Sea. I also paid homage to the late, great Ray Harryhausen. For those unfamiliar with the name, Ray Harryhausen was a special effects pioneer way back in the
stone age, before computer-generated effects, when they used things like stop motion. One of his most famous effects is a walking skeleton army in the movie Jason and the Argonauts and this scene has inspired others before me, such as with the inclusion of the skeleton horde in the movie, Army of Darkness. Ashetus’ undead army of bones is a direct tribute to that scene and Ray Harryhausen. So that’s the story behind some my monsters, I hope you enjoyed a look behind the scenes.
A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, and still calls it home. She has always had an overly creative mind, and an active imagination. She is fond of good books (especially science fiction/fantasy), action movies, and oil painting as a hobby.
Ms. Stewart has been writing for several years, her main focus being in the fantasy and horror genres. She also has a great interest in history and mythology, often working those themes into her books and stories. She has authored and published several books, including Ghosts of the Sea Moon (Saga of the Outer Islands Book 1), Fairy Tale Fusion, Gothic Cavalcade, Ruined City, and the Killers and Demons series. In addition, she writes and publishes poetry, her latest volume being Horror Haiku Pas de Deux.
Her short stories have been published in the charity anthologies, Coffin Hop: Death by Drive-In, Christmas Lites III, IV, V, VI, and VII. Also, tales from her pen have appeared in three anthologies by Xchyler Publishing, Mechanized Masterpieces, Legends and Lore, and Beyond the Wail.
Learn more by visiting her website
Thank you so much, Anita! I absolutely love pirates and high seas adventure, and have thoroughly enjoyed A.F. Stewart’s take on them. Set sail on a new adventure with ghosts, gods and sea monsters! From the depths, darkness is rising… Some secrets should stay hidden. If you want to get a taste of this delightful series, check out Sea Bound absolutely free. Know you are gonna love it? Be sure to grab Ghosts of the Sea Moon and the latest release Souls of the Dark Sea today! Worth every penny.
Until next time,
Keep Reading!