A Note From the Author
This is intended for those who have already read or are currently reading A World of Magic. It certainly won’t suffice to read by itself, since you’ll lack necessary context. In the end, it’s a companion piece, for those who are interested in the mind of the author, in my thoughts and process while writing, and my thoughts on the final product. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter One: Dark Tidings
First off, I love chapter titles. Any book that doesn’t have chapter titles (and there are so many) is slightly disappointing to me, though it doesn’t hurt the quality of the story itself at all. I just think they add so much flavor to a story, even if they can often be difficult to come up with.
Into the chapter itself… this is the portion of the book that has had the most rewrites. Especially the first few paragraphs, focusing entirely on Caleb leaping and running and using his magic to get around the city. I was trying to introduce the story through its more fantastical elements — the magic, Talismans, and the city itself. It’s a tricky opening, and I’m still not sure I’ve done it justice, but I do like what finally landed in the published version.
But it isn’t just the setting, it’s the character. Though we don’t have any dialogue, and very little inner thoughts, from Caleb in the first page and-a-half, I think this does a good job introducing Caleb himself. We learn that he’s a Time Mage, the only one alive, and get a small sense of how Time Magic works, as well as the pressure, the toll, that it extracts. “Time Magic takes a terrible toll.” That line appears on the very first page, and ultimately is the core of Caleb’s entire journey through this book.
And it’s almost immediately followed up by a somewhat flippant, “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a little pressure.” And we understand Caleb quite well right away. He jokes, he laughs, he pokes fun at both the danger his own magic holds for him and the fight he and Chelsea engage in against a vicious Howler.
As the chapter progresses, we get more understanding of what the story is about. We get a sense of the city, and also the conflicts at hand. Soulless monsters plague the city every night from midnight to one. Children are going missing, kidnapped by “Pipers” (we find out a short while later what Pipers actually are, but the name and context of the conversation gives enough information in itself). Caleb, despite his flippant start to this chapter, shows a more serious side here. He may be a bit of a joker and too optimistic for his own good, but he takes his job seriously, and especially cares about helping others.
We also first meet Chelsea. I’ve said in a blog post elsewhere that Chelsea was originally planned to betray Caleb and turn villain at some point. This entire plan, which I had quite firm in my mind and had already written down details for several scenes regarding that, was entirely scrapped before I even finished writing the first chapter. Something about Chelsea grabbed me, and I immediately said “I can’t do that to her.” As you’ll see over the course of both this book and the second, Chelsea’s arc is so much richer and meaningful because of that change, and she went from a simplistic villain idea to a full-fledged, layered, and interesting protagonist alongside the Greyson siblings.
This chapter was originally titled “Insufferable Sweetheart” in the web novel version. I think that shows clear enough how much trouble I have titling chapters. I’m happy with the new title, and I think both the title and chapter itself do a good job in a very short amount of time setting up the setting, characters, and story that’s to come. I hope you agree!
Chapter Two: In Pursuit
And we immediately get a sense of what this story is going to be: an ensemble! We open with Caleb and Chelsea, but the very next chapter has neither of those characters, focusing in on the twins Shana and Shias. Greysons was always going to be an ensemble from the start. I’m quite fond of those types of stories, I love characters and I love large casts that work together.
And it also makes it clear why the series is titled as it is. Greysons for the Greyson siblings, the main characters of the story alongside Chelsea, and Grimoire for the city, a place that means so much to them and is such a constant presence in the series. More than that, well, the title could also be looked at as two elements: “family” and “home.” Those are core thematic ideas in the series and mean so much to the main characters, so focusing in on those elements through titling and through the story itself made too much sense.
As for chapter two itself, while the first line — Shana’s “Fall Break is too long!” complaint — was always the first line of the chapter, this chapter was originally written from Shias’ point of view. I went back and forth about that for a long time in the editing process for publishing, and finally decided to switch to Shana. In the end, she’s the more “important” character of the twins in this first book, and she also provides a very different perspective from Caleb. She doesn’t know as much about magic, she isn’t invested in magic like the others. Aside from Altair and a few more mundane, everyday uses of magic, she really isn’t much of a mage at all, wanting to just have a normal life. Though Shias makes it quite clear how difficult that will be for her, and it’s something that becomes nearly impossible for her as the story continues.
More magical concepts and ideas are introduced in this chapter. Summons and “locking up.” I like to approach worldbuilding and introduction of concepts and setting with a gradual, slow-burn approach, because I think that works best for helping acclimate readers to a new world and set of rules, something that fantasy thrives on. And while there’s a bit of magic going on in this second chapter, it’s very much more about the two core elements of the series: “family,” or in this case, “characters,” and “home,” or in this case, “Grimoire.” And we get a lot of that. A lot of character and conversation, setting a very different tone from the first chapter, and a daylight look at the city of Grimoire.
I call Grimoire a “city,” because it technically fits the bill, but I found that when I describe “the city of Grimoire” in my design briefs for finding a cover artist and designer, a lot of submissions had covers with a massive, skyline-filled cityscape like New York or Chicago. Chapter Two makes it clear that Grimoire is very much not like that. It’s a city of foot traffic and bicycles, of winding roads too narrow for cars, of hills and valleys, of dense architecture and yet no huge, towering buildings. It’s sort of a “suburban city,” I suppose, but really I think has a feel all its own. The only major street cuts straight through the city, north-to-south, and along it runs a trolley, which Shana and Shias catch on their way to the mall.
This chapter was such a delight to write! I love Shana, she’s such a bundle of energy and optimism, full of character, and she contrasts with and complements Shias really well. They’re a great set of twins, and as the story goes on it’s clear how much they both need each other and are better with each other rather than apart. Shana tends to dominate the spotlight when she’s in any scene, especially alongside Shias, who is quieter and more introspective. At times it may seem as if Shias isn’t getting much attention, or like he’s just Shana’s “sidekick” being dragged along by her energy without much personality of his own, but I hope you’ll be able to see the elements of his character and personality. I tried to get who he is across more subtly and over time, since that’s very much what it would be like to get to know Shias. Shana wears her heart on her sleeve and you’d know almost everything about her in an afternoon, but Shias would take time to really get to know and feel a connection with. I hope that comes across well in the way their scenes have been written!
There are a lot of little details in this chapter, a lot of the things I really love to write and to see in the fiction I experience. In-universe fiction is one of those things, and The Misadventures of Gadrick Gorensell is such a fun little thing to include. I love when fantasy settings have their own in-universe fictions, from books to movies to shows to games and so on, it really breathes more life into the world. You’ll see a lot more of that as the story goes on, I hope you enjoy it.
Fae was mentioned in the first chapter, and comes up even more in the second chapter. While these siblings get along, at least the ones we’ve seen, there’s clearly some conflict going on with one member of their family. And Fae ends up being the last Greyson sibling introduced properly, so I think it’s good introducing her like this, though it might be kind of unfair to Fae. She gets set up by people talking about her behind her back, which is usually quite rude, although, to be fair, siblings do that all the time. Maybe family members are exceptions to the rule?
And the chapter ends with what I think is the worst kind of cliffhanger — a cliffhanger that is immediately resolved in not just the next chapter, but the very next page. And yet, it works fine here, I think. We’re too early in the story for dramatic cliffhangers, and it gives a little spike of tension to then defuse it with a bit of humor. On to the next chapter!
Chapter Three: The Flute
Now we get Shias’ perspective, coloring the chapter’s proceedings rather differently from Shana’s way of thinking. And we also get something I really love about ensemble stories — seeing characters from multiple points of view. We’ve been in Caleb’s head, we’ve seen through his eyes, but now we get to see him through the eyes of his younger brother. It gives a wider view of the characters, and hopefully helps readers to understand them better.
Another type of magic is introduced in Shias’ Divination Magic, though he fails to gain answers with it. And we also get to see Time Magic from the point of view of someone who isn’t a Time Mage, and get a better sense of how strange and unfamiliar it is, how it bends the rules of reality. For Caleb, Time Magic is the everyday, something he’s so used to. But Shias lets us see it from a whole new perspective, as something alien and unsettling, yet fascinating.
I love the moment after investigating, when the three siblings are walking home, and Shana asks Caleb three questions in a row before he can answer one, and he replies with “Yes, maybe, and yes.” It’s a fun little type of exchange I’ve seen elsewhere, and I really enjoy it every time it happens, so it was fun to write that type of exchange, too. It shows Caleb as the oldest sibling, so used to Shana’s energy and way of speaking. It’s so nice seeing siblings getting along…
If only that could be a universal occurrence. Things can’t be rosy with everyone.
Chapter Four: Family Meeting
Back home, and back in Shana’s perspective! She’s the perfect person for the family meeting that takes place here, since she’s the most unfamiliar with the terms and ideas being floated around by the rest of her family. If we were reading this scene from Caleb or Shias’ perspective, or even Delilah’s, a lot of terms and concepts would be blown past much more quickly, without sufficient explanation for readers, though Shana being there to ask questions would still help.
And we get to see more of the family! Callum and Deirdre, the parents, as well as the youngest of the siblings: Delilah. It’s a big family, and seems like a big happy family, though a late-chapter exchange shows there are things going on, things involving a certain “wayward sister” we’ve yet to meet, and the different siblings’ thoughts on her.
This is a more exposition-focused chapter than any previous, but these things have to happen sometimes. And I think some writers’ and readers’ aversion to expository text is a bit overblown. People are fine with exposition if it’s delivered in a way that’s engaging, and I try to do that through dialogue most of the time. “People sitting around talking about things” is a pretty common occurrence in a lot of stories, especially when exposition has to happen, but when characters are at the forefront, and the conversation flows in a way that brings different perspectives, questions, and ideas into play, it creates a really interesting scene that helps develop ideas and the story in a way that’s engaging and interesting.
Some fun details in this chapter are Shana showing off another mundane, everyday use of magic when she flicks her Talisman to light the fireplace. Altair is a snuggly pup who just loves everyone in the family. He’s very inspired by my own experience, many years spent with the littlest, fluffiest, snuggly pup there is, so even though Altair’s a Summon, a magical creature who isn’t actually a dog, for all intents and purposes a dog is exactly what he is, and a very friendly one at that.
Delilah appears, and she’s not just the youngest, but the smallest and cutest of the siblings, making her come across as the most unassuming and easy to underestimate — but Shana’s onto her, she knows her little sister really well. Delilah takes everything in, and she has a lot of thoughts, as well as some pretty serious negative thoughts about her oldest sister, Fae. And we still haven’t met Fae! Poor girl, unable to defend herself against all these accusations. But we’ll see her very soon, and Delilah’s feelings start to make more sense.
Also, more in-universe fiction! Great Feline Adventures ends up being a pretty major presence in the story going forward, as silly as that may seem right now. It just goes to show how influential the fiction we read or watch or play is on our actual lives, and that’s reflected in the characters here!
There are lots of little details especially in this chapter that pay off going forward, especially for re-reading. If you come back to this book after reading the whole series, I think you’ll pick up on a lot of subtle foreshadowing going on throughout, but this chapter is the first instance of a lot of things that seem small or like window-dressing but end up being meaningful later on, and I think introducing them like this so early was a good idea? That question mark is there because I’m sure it could be debated. I’m very much a re-reader, I read things I like more than once, I’m not constantly moving on to the next new book or new whatever, I love coming back to my favorites, so that probably colors how I write, inserting little details and clues early on that probably get forgotten by the time they’re important in a first read, but can be really exciting “a-ha!” moments when re-reading. If you’re a re-reader, I hope you’ll enjoy the process of getting these moments when taking a second visit to the series.
Chapter Five: “No Boys Allowed”
A bit of a cheeky title there, but it certainly sets the tone for the chapter that follows.
Fae finally makes her debut! And she’s a sharp contrast from the other Greysons we’ve met so far, living up to her reputation. Her and Shana’s tense conversation went through a lot of rewrites, largely because it’s original version was setting up what I thought the story of the series was going to be… and that story ended up being scrapped less than halfway into the first book. So there were lots of seeds and foreshadowing elements that didn’t make any sense anymore and needed to be cut or reworked.
The final version really highlights the contrasting personalities here, the contrasting ideals. They’re sisters, but that isn’t just a label that makes people get along or act the same. Siblings may be related by blood, but they can be incredibly different. I know, that’s a no-brainer, but in a story centered on family, where the siblings we’ve met so far have gotten along really well so far, it’s meaningful to have a character like Fae come along and upset the balance. That, and Fae provides a really fascinating perspective on the entire story, as her own story continues.
There’s not much to say here. The chapter speaks really well for itself, and I’d hate to bog it down with just summarizing things. I’ll simply end with: all of the major players have now been introduced! Let’s see how their stories unfold…
Chapter Six: Melody of Regret
Here we dive into more of the mechanics of the magic in this world. Caleb has multiple elements to how he fights as a Hunter. We know about Time Magic, and we’ve seen his Mobility and Containment Magic without any explanation in Chapter One. Now we get to understand them more deeply, put the pieces together and understand the synergy and strategy Caleb focuses on, and also introduce the “thesis” of the entire magic system: creativity.
“That was what had drawn Caleb to being a Hunter: he was encouraged to creatively tackle high-pressure, fast-paced, intense scenarios.”
And as the explanations expand on, different mages “manifest” different classes of magic in different ways. There are lots of mages who wield Containment Magic, but Caleb’s the only one using white glowing chains. There are lots of mages who use Mobility Magic to get around, but Caleb’s the only one who manifests it as small glowing discs to form pathways and springboards to climb and zip around. Rather than focus on detailed “rules” and going for a “hard” magic system, one that’s very strict in its rules and possibilities, I went with an approach that favors creativity and individual expression, since that something I so value in fantastical abilities. It’s the kind of magic that I’d love to be able to have available in real life, because it has so much freedom and openness for coming up with your own unique approach to conflicts and combat encounters. Really fun stuff, at least in my opinion, though maybe that’s not widely shared, with hard magic systems being the popular trend nowadays. I understand the appeal, but that’s not what’s going on in this story, and I hope those who are drawn to the stricter, more rule-based magic systems on the rise these days won’t be too turned off by the magic in Greysons.
We also get to see that Caleb and Shana are quite similar. Both of them are trying to tackle the problem of Pipers and abducted children without really thinking through a strategy. Caleb’s own strategy is idiotic, as Chelsea points out, but it’s not because Caleb’s stupid. He’s just more driven emotionally than intellectually, similar to Shana, and when there are kids involved, that makes it even easier for emotional decision-making to take charge. Caleb thought through his whole approach to magic — which magic classes he uses and how he manifests them, along with their synergistic compatibility — but he doesn’t always put that kind of thought into everything he does. Idealistically yearning to do his best for those in trouble, that makes him a great partner for Chelsea, and her for him.
And that’s such a focus in this entire series, a driving philosophy behind the themes and the choice to make this an ensemble tale. No one is an island, no one can save the day by themselves, we all need each other and so we have a large group of siblings, we have Hunters who operate in teams, and we’ll see more teamwork and group-focused strategy and camaraderie as the story progresses. No one can, or even should if they could, handle their story alone.
“Sometimes Caleb thought the darkness actually did have a life of its own.”
This line was such an idle addition, something that appeared in the very first draft of this chapter. I think — as you’ll see with where the story goes, especially in the second book — that there’s a very heavy subconscious element to a writer’s process, things that come to mind and manifest in the words on the page without us realizing their significance at the time. The line above was something that just felt neat, an idle observation from Caleb’s imagination, but because of where the story ended up going, this line took on a whole new significance. Despite my original plans for the series, perhaps it was always going to go the way it went, because of these subconscious elements nudging the story along a very different path. Anyway. Keep the line above in mind. It stuck out to me in a big way when re-reading and editing.
Music plays a huge role in the story, and our first glimpse of that is in this chapter, as we hear the melody being played long before we learn its source. Music is such a core element of my life — my mother and sister are both musicians, and while I fumbled my way uselessly with music for much of my childhood, I always loved it, and one day things just started to click, and I became a musician, too. There are things words can’t tell. We often talk about how a picture is worth a thousand words, but what of music? Music often has words, yes, but music without words — and the musical component surrounding lyrical songs — carries so much as well. Meanings we can’t fully express with words, try as we might. Music is another conduit for emotion, for ideas, for the things stirring within us that we struggle to express any other way. I hope that my descriptions and use of music throughout the series has helped add to it, infusing it with an element it could never have if it were just words. Though you can’t hear the songs, I trust your imagination to fill in the blanks, and hopefully be able to experience these scenes as if the music were real.
And we reach the library! And here we meet the big element of the story, the impetus for change that steers the whole story in a brand new direction.
Chapter Seven: The Girl in the Library
Isabelle makes her debut!
I’d never be able to choose favorite characters from this cast, I love them all, but Isabelle is easily one of my favorite characters to write. Her dialogue and mannerisms come so easily, and she’s such an enjoyable yet curious presence.
Isabelle was always planned as the impetus for the story taking is major turn, moving towards its core adventure, but writing this chapter changed so much. I’m very much an exploratory, discovery-focused writer. I can outline for days, in extreme detail, but when I start actually writing, my outlines get totally torn apart, they just don’t hold up. It’s putting the characters on the page, asking questions, seeing where they go with the story, that drives my storytelling. There is a lot that happened in this short chapter that helped completely throw out so many of my ideas, to replace them with brand new ones. Isabelle’s arrival was a major moment, because it signaled the story would never be the same, would never be what I’d envisioned it, but that ended up being the best thing.
Maybe that’s also why this little girl’s meant so much to me. She always existed, but once she got to make her debut, she kind of took over the story I’d planned and said “We’re going this way, instead!” I let her pull me along, and it’s been a wonderful adventure. I hope you’ll enjoy the adventure that’s coming, too. And if you don’t, well, you could blame Isabelle for it. But why would you? That would just be mean. (Blame me instead, I can take it)
Chapter Eight: Things Left Unsaid
Caleb’s response to the cappuccino machine is me writing from personal experience. I worked part-time as a barista for a short while, and I love the sound of a cappuccino machine at work, it’s so nostalgic to me.
This chapter is a natural extension of what I talked about in the first chapter — the changing nature of who Chelsea is in this story. Chapter Eight is what I view as a “promise” to the reader, a promise directly relating to Chelsea, but also her relationship with Caleb. Essentially, she’s a complex character with a lot of layers to delve into, and that’s going to take time. There’s a lot left unsaid, but it will be said, given time. She’s got a lot going on, and she isn’t going to just tell us — she won’t even tell Caleb, why would she tell the reader? — but given time, investment in this journey, who she is and what she’s struggling with will come to light. Parts of those layers get pulled back in this book, but time and investment are core to getting to the bottom of her character, so don’t expect all the answers in this volume. That said, I hope you get a lot out of this part of her journey, her arc, her story.
Chapter Nine: Falling Stars
Our first look at Fae’s perspective. She’s a girl with a lot of baggage, a lot going on, and very conflicted feelings about her family, about what she wants, about who she is. Contrasting the way she texts Shana the invitation with the way Shana replies was a lot of fun. They may be sisters, but they don’t have much in common.
And we introduce the Falling Stars! A trio that Fae has, surprise, conflicted feelings about! The line “What kind of saccharine waste of lyrical space was that?” was one I came up with half-asleep, lying in bed, and thought “Oh don’t you dare forget this when you wake up!” So I hurriedly typed it into my phone (loaded with typos but just legible enough) before falling asleep. I’m really glad I didn’t lose that line.
There are three major hopes I have with this chapter. The first is that the details about Grim Night’s, about the city, about the atmosphere, that these elements and details help pull you into the story, make you feel like you’re really there, like you know this city that the Greysons call home almost as well as they do. The second is that Fae’s complicated feelings get across properly, she’s got a lot going on and a lot of conflict, a lot of internal back-and-forth, and I’m sure that’s more than relatable to a lot of readers. And the third is that you aren’t put off by lyrics! I love seeing poetry and song lyrics in novels, possibly owing to my love of The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings growing up, that’s something Tolkien loves doing, but I was surprised when I started to see in a few places online that there are some readers who immediately skip over poetry or song lyrics if they appear in a novel. So, if you’re one of those kinds of readers… I hope you don’t skip them! This isn’t the first time song lyrics appear in the series, and I think such an element both adds to the atmosphere and style of a series, and also can be used to offer relevant thematic and narrative elements to the story in a different stylistic manner. I hope you enjoy them!
And we close out the chapter with the cat, the myth, the legend, Felix Feline Felinosis, First Swordmeowster of the Twelfth Circle! Again, having Shana and Fae together makes for a wonderful contrast to his introduction. I’m quite fond of these GFA characters. I hope you enjoy their presence as well!
Chapter Ten: Questions
This chapter introduces Lorelei, the master of Ice Magic! It also gives us a brief look at what Caleb was like in high school, and it turns out, he was kind of a brat. Picking on people for their last name? Come on, Caleb. Still, Lorelei won him over so easily back in the day, and he’s glad to have her as a friend now.
This chapter also serves to flesh out more of the Hunters and their dynamics, how they work as teams and what roles they can take on. And we learn all this through Delilah! Fourteen years old, but she’s doing a heck of a job with her three Feline Summons. Caleb’s such a proud big brother.
Isabelle returns, and we learn more about what she’s been up to, while still struggling to know who she is. Lorelei’s better at asking questions than Caleb, but even so, the answers are hard to make sense of. Who is this little girl?
I really enjoy what Isabelle brings to the group dynamic. Caleb, Chelsea, Lorelei, they all react to and interact with her differently. Some people find child characters annoying, but I’ve always found them quite endearing, when done well. Isabelle is just a ton of fun to write, and I hope she’s fun to read, too.
Chapter Eleven: Feline Force
Our first Delilah chapter! And we get to further understand other classes of magic — Summoning in particular, but also Divination and Healing. Delilah’s tactical mind and intellect are what allow her to perform so well. I’ve always really enjoyed characters like that, characters who handle combat and conflict with intelligence, planning, and tactics. It’s undoubtedly fun to watch hugely powerful muscle-men beat the heck out of their opponents — I grew up watching Dragon Ball Z, after all — but my love of strategy games and challenges that require tactical thinking and ingenuity over brute force is what has informed a lot of the characters and fighting styles present in this series.
Delilah is one character who never changed much from how I originally envisioned her. Others have gone through changes as I’ve written them, especially in the early stages of the story, but Delilah was always so solid. The youngest of her family, she’s really smart and really observant, and she wants to help those she loves the best she can. But despite being incredibly smart and fielding some really impressive magical power at her age, she also can’t see how good she is. I have a lot to say about her overall arc in the series as a whole, but I’m saving that for a blog post on its own. She’s earned that, no doubt about it.
I also think combat is really fascinating to see through the eyes of a Summoner. Since Delilah isn’t heavily active in combat, it means things aren’t as visceral for her. But at the same time, she can see the entire field, she can really relay to the reader so much of what’s happening on a wide, frantic battlefield. Felix, Nekoma, and Redmond all have stuff going on, and she’s constantly adjusting their tactics to suit the situation, and the reader gets to experience all of that.
Chapter Twelve: Songs Collide
When Greysons was first being published as a web novel, three chapters went up every week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This chapter, Chapter Twelve, fell on a Friday, and by this point, four weeks into writing the story, I had started to look at chapters in trios. Fridays tried to be, when it worked out well, the most climactic chapters, and in this case, Chapter Twelve is a climactic finish to a three-chapter conflict. I really love it when things can work out like that, and this trio of chapters are special for nailing down that approach, and also ending with the first signs of what Greysons was turning into, compared to my original plans for it, which I’ve discussed in detail in multiple spaces, and will probably bring up again before this commentary is over. But for now…
This chapter, at the start, is happening concurrent with Chapter Eleven. And we get to focus on the battle inside the library, and also particularly on Caleb. He’s struggling quite a lot with the cost, the toll, of his Time Magic. Recognizing the cost but pushing on regardless is how we get to see what Caleb’s arc revolves around, and having these kinds of elements present so early on is a wonderful boon to the story being told.
We also get to have Caleb and Isabelle be a bit of a “time team.” Slowing time doesn’t affect her, so she gets to help Caleb out and even have some cute banter with him. When Caleb hops up on a bookshelf and she reminds him she can’t jump that high, it’s a cute little moment that also shows how Caleb has to adjust his usual tendencies for the primary goal: protecting Isabelle. Despite her fascinating magic and power, she isn’t a fighter. We get quite a few “non-fighter” characters in Greysons, and I’m really fond of that perspective in a story that has so much combative conflict. Not everyone can fight, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be a hero.
Over and over again, music proves to be incredibly important in the world of Greysons. That’s not letting up any time soon, but here we see just how wild the magic of song can be, as two songs collide, and we get flung into a whole other world. You might even call it… A World of Magic. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist)