Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for No Tune Ned with a guest post from debut author Oliver Lendon:
Creating a World of Musical Monsters
When I started creating the world of No Tune Ned, I gave myself one rule: music is magic, and I wanted that idea to influence everything from the kingdom’s heroes to the strange creatures lurking in its forests.
In Dravenloch, bards can use their music to tame dangerous creatures, heal injuries and protect people from monsters, which meant music couldn’t simply sit quietly in the background of the story. It had to shape the world itself and, most importantly, give me an excuse to invent some rather unusual monsters.
One of my favourite creatures in the book is the banshee that Ned encounters at a bridge during his adventure. Banshees are creatures from folklore traditionally associated with terrifying cries and warnings of death, so I thought one would fit rather nicely into a kingdom where sound and music have magical powers.
Of course, encountering a banshee is one thing, but having to deal with one when you’re quite possibly the worst bard apprentice in the kingdom is another matter entirely.
I also began wondering what might happen if somebody discovered that music could be used to control monsters rather than simply tame them, which eventually led to the creation of the Crooner Below.
While developing him, I researched crooners, singers known for their smooth, gentle and intimate style of singing, and loved the contrast between that comforting sound and someone using their voice for something far more sinister.
The thought of a villain who could sing so beautifully that monsters would obey him, while stealing the voices of anyone who stood in his way, felt like a rather unsettling addition to Dravenloch.
That’s one of my favourite things about writing fantasy: you begin with a simple idea, follow your imagination and gradually discover an entire world alongside your characters.
Thank you to Mikka at Everything with Words for this brilliant book!
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