Fractured Days: Rebecca Roland

When it comes to naming characters, I prefer coming up with names in fantasy settings more than any other. Sometimes I take actual names and tweak them a little. Sometimes I come up with a name I think is unique, only to find out that it exists already. And sometimes I just use actual names.

The main character in my latest novel, Fractured Days, was originally named Mila, but a few beta readers told me the name didn't work with the setting and the character's culture. I was so disappointed. I really liked the name, but I figured if more than one person noticed enough to mention it, then I should reconsider. I messed around with different names and finally settled on Malia as it had a similar sound and seemed to fit the setting better.

In general I tried to use names for Malia's people, the Taakwa, that sounded more pleasant. They're a gentle people, for the most part, and so I wanted their names to reflect that. The Maddion, on the other hand, are ruthless. They raid other people, they enslave anyone they capture, and they're willing to do anything to get what they want. They see themselves as superior to other people. So they get harsher sounding names, like Kushtrim or Muvumo. They get names that don't inspire sonnets.

The Jeguduns are gargoyle-like creatures who were once enslaved by the Maddion, but with the help of the Taakwa became free. Most of them tend to have a good sense of humor, although when it comes to defending their homes and loved ones, they don't hesitate to use their talons and teeth to the very end. They tend to have short, fun names like Aru or Tula.

And finally there's the changer. She's a powerful being who can change her form when she works her magic for somebody else. She calls herself Sersha, which is a deceptively soft sounding name. The Maddion call her 'changer' for what she can do for them, but the Taakwa and the Jeguduns know her as 'mutara,' which, in all honesty, I probably dug up from my subconscious because I love Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan, but I swear I wasn't thinking about it at all when I came up with the term. I was going for a word that suggested change, or mutation. 'Mutara' is also the name of the nebula in Star Trek where Khan detonated the Genesis Device, creating the Genesis Planet. And there's your nerd trivia for the day!

“FRACTURED DAYS” / REBECCA ROLAND– World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Fractured Days, the highly anticipated sequel to the Shards of History by Rebecca Roland, will be available in trade paperback and ebook Tuesday, June 9, 2015. 

Praise for Shards of History: “One of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. Suspenseful, entrapping, and simply … well, let’s just say that Shards of History reminds us of why we love books in the first place. 5 out of 5 stars!” — Good Choice Reading 

“A must for any fantasy reader.” — Plasma Frequency 

"A passionate tale that will engage both young adults and more weathered fantasy readers.” — NewMyths.com 

“Fast-paced, high-stakes drama in a fresh fantasy world!” — James Maxey, author of the Dragon Age trilogy 

“Roland’s beautifully woven, suspenseful debut novel draws readers into a groundbreaking fantasy panorama and resonates in the heart with its genuine, personal portrayal of loyalty, relationships, and sacrifice. I eagerly await more stories about the Jegudun and Taakwa!” — David J. Corwell y Chávez, author of “Encounter at Boca del Diablo” (Tales of the New Mexico Mythos) 

Malia returns home the hero of a war she can't remember. The valley burning under the Maddion's invasion, the fate of her late husband, the way she resolved the long-time distrust between the Taakwa people and the wolfish, winged Jegudun creatures--all of it has been erased from her memory. Malia hopes to resume training as her village’s next clan mother, but when the symbiotic magic that she and the Jeguduns used to repair the valley’s protective barrier starts to consume more and more of her mind, she's faced with the threat of losing herself completely. A powerful being known as "the changer" might hold the solution to her vanishing memories. But the Maddion's new leader, Muvumo, also seeks the changer, hoping the being will cure them of the mysterious illness killing off his people. Meanwhile, Muvumo's bride hopes the changer can bring about a new era, one in which she and the other Maddion women no longer need to hold onto their greatest secret. 

Fractured Days will be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Fractured Days on Goodreads. 

WORLD WEAVER PRESS 

Rebecca Roland is the author of the Shards of History series, The Necromancer's Inheritance series, and The King of Ash and Bones, and Other Stories. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as Nature, Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Stupefying Stories, Plasma Frequency, and Every Day Fiction, and she is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop. You can find out more about her and her work at rebeccaroland.net, her blog Spice of Life, or follow her on Twitter @rebecca_roland. World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling. Publication Date: June 9, 2015 • 

Fantasy ISBN: 978-0692429280