Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Richard Nell has very kindly offered anyone interested in joining the Kings of Paradise BR a free copy of the ebook or the audio code. :)

Thanks for joining us for the read, Richard!

Hi folks. What Jenna said! Just shoot me a message and I'll get you a copy.

Otherwise, hope you enjoy the book, and I'm happy to dodge questions with nebulous answers here.

Hi! Great to have you! I already bought the audiobook and I regret nothing :)

Sir Anni wrote: "Hi! Great to have you! I already bought the audiobook and I regret nothing :)"

Cheers Anni. I also do not regret it. But when you're done that, you can always bother me for book two...

Hi friends, I've already started the book and looking forward to chatting more once I'm knee-deep in the story haha

Oh awesome!!! I've already got it too, but as Anni said, totally worth it :)

Richard, really enjoyed the first book, was finally able to get paperback copies of the other two volumes, I am waiting for everyone to start book two, and am worried what will happen to the main characters, as they have changed so much in Kings of Paradise.

Frank wrote: "Richard, really enjoyed the first book, was finally able to get paperback copies of the other two volumes, I am waiting for everyone to start book two, and am worried what will happen to the main c..."

Hopeful and slightly afraid is probably the right attitude in life. I think of the trilogy as a single story in three parts, rather than the almost episodic series these days. So, many surprises and conclusions await you in the next two books...

Hey Richard, I noticed that some of the names have an Indian feel to them, did you borrow a bit from the culture or were they entirely made up, in your mind?

Also, bit of a mundane one but I wanted to know how some names were supposed to be pronounced;

Sri Kon
Juchi

As for the others, I hope I've been saying them right lol

Ruka (Roo-kah)
Dala (Daal- uh)
Kale (As in the vegetable lol)
Farahi (Fuh-raa-hee) (Also, what a bastard...)

So, many surprises and conclusions await you in the next two books...

Uh oh....

Beena wrote: "Hey Richard, I noticed that some of the names have an Indian feel to them, did you borrow a bit from the culture or were they entirely made up, in your mind?

I'm an unrepentant history/mythology thief. The cultures are a mishmash of real East Asian peoples, for the most part. Though the islanders are more Polynesian.

Pronunciations: whatever you do is fine, I've never cared much about such things. Having said that, I do them this way:

Sri Kon (think Sri Lanka) - s-ree-caw-n
Juchi - jew-key
Ruka - yep
Dala - yep
Kale - yep (it should really be kaw-lay, taw-nay (for Tane), etc, but, I completely anglicize it all in my head, and also pronounce as per the vegetable)
Farahi - yep (it's tough being king...)

I'm an unrepentant history/mythology thief. The cultures are a mishmash of real East Asian peoples, for the most part. Though the islanders are more Polynesian.

Oh cool! Yeah, I definitely got an Asian feel from it.

Thanks for the pronunciations, I'm quite surprised about Kale and Tane!

Hi again Richard, I finished KoP the other day and I really enjoyed it, thanks for sharing your story. :) Just some questions for you:

One thing I couldn't figure out about Ruka and his grove; the dead appearing in it were just his way of easing his own conscience right? But then if they're a figment of his imagination, how is it that he was able to learn from them? (Or he basically taught himself mentally and the rest that he imagined was just a way of keeping a core part of himself safe and less lonely?)

Who is your favourite character/was your favourite character to write and why? (If the two are separate for you).

Uh, two really good questions :)

My pleasure, and that was quick reading! To the questions:

Beena wrote: "the dead appearing in [his grove] were just his way of easing his own conscience right? But then if they're a figment of his imagination, how is it that he was able to learn from them?"

Oh boy. Well, I know this is unsatisfying, but your best bet might be to keep reading. If you have the same question by the end of book 3, I promise to give a real answer.

Who is your favourite character/was your favourite character to write and why?

Why don't I pick a favorite child next! Well, it might have been Asna, because he was simple and amusing and when you're in the middle of writing a ponderous tome like KoP that is a refreshing break. But, ultimately, it's Ruka that haunted, fascinated, and drove me on. I can sometimes still hear his voice when I go for a jog, or don't feel like working. I'm afraid the series didn't quite purge him.

Oh boy. Well, I know this is unsatisfying, but your best bet might be to keep reading. If you have the same question by the end of book 3, I promise to give a real answer.

Ohh, interesting! Seems there's more going on there than I realised!

Why don't I pick a favorite child next! Well, it might have been Asna, because he was simple and amusing and when you're in the middle of writing a ponderous tome like KoP that is a refreshing break. But, ultimately, it's Ruka that haunted, fascinated, and drove me on. I can sometimes still hear his voice when I go for a jog, or don't feel like working. I'm afraid the series didn't quite purge him.

Hahaha! Yeah I'm not surprised, Ruka's awesome!