Eighteen Objects of Power
The epic fantasy The Year of the Red Door takes place within a rich and complex world, one that is full of history and magic, myth and legend. Along with the five main volumes comprising the story itself is a soon-to-be released Reader's Companion. This book, Eighteen Objects of Power, is an excerpt taken from the forthcoming Reader's Companion.
This is what the author says in his Preface:
"During the development and writing of The Year of the Red Door, a substantial number of "historical" objects, events, and people were imagined and noted. Many of these are not mentioned anywhere within the five volumes comprising The Year of the Red Door. Nonetheless, they are part of the world that I've imagined and that I invite others into.
"Making notes is one thing, but for a work such as The Year of the Red Door, sifting, sorting, and organizing them into a useful form is quite another matter. To be sure, additional notes continued to be added to my collection, making the whole corpus of notes and references quite a beast. At last, I hunkered down and organized the most coherent of my notes into what I call The Reader's Companion to The Year of the Red Door. It has served as my primary reference work during the writing phase of The Year of the Red Door. It is also the source of the Eighteen Objects of Power.
"Subscribers to my "News & Updates" newsletter have already been receiving some of my notes in the form of selected backstories. For those of you who are reading (or have already read) The Year of the Red Door, the stories and descriptions here might also serve a similar purpose as the backstories-filling in certain gaps, or elucidating things only touched upon elsewhere.
"Readers of The Year of the Red Door will be familiar with a few of the things that are described herein. But others, such as the Unerring Arrow of Kalsabahyoud, the Flying Rug of Zan, and the Red Feather of Callowain, are not mentioned at all. Some of the items described, such as the Storm Bag and the Glowing Stone of Bazradur are alluded to or hinted at in only a tangential way, but are not identified within The Year of the Red Door. Astute readers will no doubt understand a few things about The Year of the Red Door that would not otherwise be mentioned therein. Certain "mysteries" within this work are explained, if not resolved, within the pages of The Year of the Red Door. Just as answers to one or two mysteries within The Year of the Red Door might be explained.
"I therefore offer this excerpt from The Reader's Companion as an entertaining aside, filling in some of the minor details of the world of The Year of the Red Door. So, although not necessary to illuminate the reader's way through The Year of the Red Door, I offer this just as a travel guide might point at something a bit off the path, a vista or feature of the landscape. But, most of all, I hope that you find a bit of enjoyment or pleasant distraction within these pages."
About William Timothy Murray (Atlanta, Georgia Author)
William Timothy Murray was born and raised in a small town of the Deep South and now lives in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Georgia.
He enjoys stargazing, tinkering with an old sailboat, and music (right now, he is really into Revien and Ludovico Einaudi).
He is not sure whether his favorite author is Charles Dickens or Patrick O'Brian. His favorite wise character from a classic novel is Faria. His favorite not-so-wise character from a classic novel is Barnaby Rudge.
If he had to fight a duel and could choose the weapons, it would be trebuchets at three hundred yards.
His favorite place is sitting before a crackling fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, a glass of sweet iced tea, and a good book.
He keeps a small writing desk in an old barn. There, amid a clutter of maps, drawings, and books, his memories and experiences join with all the tales he has read to inform and disturb his pen.
Murray was a 2017 Nominee for the Georgia Author of the Year Award for A Distant Light (Volume 3 of The Year of the Red Door).
