A Little Blurb about Time Before the Wolf

So, like the title suggests, this will be going over a few specifics in my new book, Time Before the Wolf. I have been working on this book for some time now, so I'm very excited to finally have it published. So, if you haven't picked it up, please try to.

In this post I want to cover a few historical, setting features, as well as some character analysis before I give any spoilers.

A Little History on Karrazard (the city the story is focusing on): 

In the book, it mentions an embellished and symbolic legend about the Piper.

For those who had poor childhoods and were deprived of the lovely tale of Piper, I will summarize it. Essentially, there was a town that was infested with rats. A passing piper said he could fix there problem for a financial reward. The town eagerly agreed. So the Piper played his pipe and all the rats ran into the river and drowned. Relieved, the town refused to pay the Piper. In the middle of the night, the Piper played a tune and all the children and the Piper vanished without a trace, leaving the town in mourning.

The embellished legend in Time Before the Wolf is the continuation of the Piper's story. The Piper takes the children into the desert, following the river until he finds an iron core, which he has the children dig up. As he grows old and is about to pass, he gives his favorite child the heirloom that gives the child the right to be ruler. Since then, the heirloom, the Piper's secret Song was passed from generation to generation until the main character's father was exiled.

Essentially, the city of Karrazard thrives on the iron it produces and the merchants who travel between in and the outside world.

Where and What Karrazard is:

Karrazard is based on the desert cities in the Gobi desert and the Middle East. The Northern Lands are mentioned several times, and they are meant to be more oriental like nations with forests and mountains.

The city itself is a microcosm of the world. Each of the figures and characters in Karrazard are a reference to a type of person or ideology (as the main character represents the average person).

The Characters Symbolize...:

Piper C'lyris Kaleng: the average young adult getting into the world
Father: an idealistic, Natural Law Theorist, positive thinker
Malec: those who care for the feelings behind laws but don't understand technicalities
Asaph Hesiod: the young people brought up with a specific die-hard way of thinking
Diomedes: the sheltered people who try to enter the rat race
Shadiah:(the mother):those who are mistreated or abused by the current legal system and want to radically change it by any means necessary
The King: Those who have held a powerful position for a long time and are a custom to breaking laws, being used, and the politician philosophy of "If I scratch your back, you scratch mine"
Prime Minister Deion: The power-hungry, self-satisfying people who make their way into politics, but don't have an appropriate vision for the future


Where the Character's Names Come From: 

Piper (should be obvious after you read the book), C'lyris (Lyrics), Kaleng (translates as "song")

Asaph Hesiod: Hesiod means "music" and Asaph comes from King David's Chief Musician

Diomedes: a Greek character in the Iliad (one of the best heroes ever) and his name means "thought of Zeus"

Shadiah: simply means musical or music

Deion: stemming from the name of the Greek god of wine. I wasn't referencing the first bishop of Athens.

Other Symbols and Motifs: 

Iron: I chose this because iron is something that isn't flexible and it takes a lot more effort to cook and make iron tools than other metals. It takes a great heat change to make a difference. Iron is often referenced as blood like, making it a symbol of the burdens and culture Piper grew with.
Moon: Piper's father was particularly symbolic of the moon. The moon is pure (separate from the stars), mysterious (in the understanding of the ancient world) , and ever changing.Piper's father is a figure that is uncorrupted, secretive, and someone who looks to change the world.
Music: This motif/theme is a foundation for the story. Music connects us, (my sister would say it's a universal language, in reference to Gangnam Style), and floods us with emotion and adrenaline.
Flowers: are symbolic for things that a natural, pure, and beautiful, a good symbol for Piper. The flowers are red in the book, to symbolize the death and struggle that taints and changes Piper.
and most importantly, Wolves: the symbol of fear, family, life, death, and struggle. Wolves are (as the title of the book suggests) the bare essence of the story. Wolves are the hunters of the forest, just how humans are in the world. Wolves are not the only hunters or even the most powerful hunters, however, they are the game-changer in many respects, much like humans are. Piper's father told her that the wolf world is the simplified world of humans. They have the babysitter wolves, alphas, omegas, hunters, and variants like humans. For a wolf, survival is all that is necessary. For an alpha wolf, survival is the basic necessity, just like humans.