The Noon Onyx stories are set in a dark world. Armageddon is
over and the demons won. Although this post-apocalyptic world is far from
perfect, beauty, goodness, light, and love still exist.
From the beginning, I wanted to create a dramatic, unique
world where my main character could experience moral conflicts, solve intellectual
puzzles, fight deadly monsters, and fall in love. In fact, the stories are as
much about Noon’s relationships with other characters as they are about her
academic challenges and off-campus adventures.
Two characters that were especially fun to write about were
the four-footed ones: Nova and Virtus.
Nova is Noon’s barghest. Telling you that is somewhat of a
spoiler because Noon doesn’t adopt Nova until the end of White Heart of Justice, but if you haven’t read the books yet, I’m betting
you need a little encouragement and maybe this post will pique your interest.
:-)
What the heck is a
barghest?
It’s a goblin dog – a hellhound – from British folklore.
Other names for it are the Demon of
Tidworth, the Black Dog of Winchester, the Padfoot of Wakefield, and the
Barghest of Burnley. Its appearance is considered incredibly unfortunate. It
often portends death. It has fiery eyes, huge teeth, and razor-sharp claws. In
other words, this is not a dog you want to curl up on the couch with.
But all of this
means that a barghest is the ideal companion for Noon. (She’s training to be a
demon peacekeeper; poodles, pugs, even pit bulls weren’t going to be tough
enough to hang with her). She doesn’t need a dog you can curl up with. She
needs a loyal monster who’s not afraid of rogare
demons!
And what about Virtus? Who’s he?
Virtus was
actually introduced a book earlier than Nova, in Fiery Edge of Steel. He’s a resplendent feline beast – an “exotic”
tiger who lives in a land where most of the dangerous creatures are demons. He
belongs to Fara Vanderlin, a Guardian Angel who becomes one of Noon’s close
friends.
Virtus (which is Latin for courage, btw) is strong and
sleek. Looks-wise, he is everything Nova is not. Nova has grub-laced gums, horrible
breath, and mangy fur, whereas Virtus has pearly-white teeth, a glossy pelt, and
bright eyes.
Do Nova and Virtus
get along?
Ha! Now revealing that really would be a spoiler. For now,
I’ll simply echo Noon’s thoughts on their first meeting (see the excerpt below
– Ivy is Noon’s roommate and Fitz is Ivy’s cousin; they’re all good friends).
If you are interested in reading more about barghests, check
out these links:
If you are interested in reading more about my pets (who
also served as partial inspiration for Virtus and Nova), check out these links:
I’m giving away a signed set of
Noon Onyx novels – all three books: Dark
Light of Day, Fiery Edge of Steel,
and White Heart of Justice. U.S. only
due to mailing costs. Leave a comment, answer any of my questions, or ask your
own to enter to win.
Do you have pets? Dogs? Cats? Something
more exotic?
Who is your favorite four-footed character?
What neat monster out of myth or folklore
do you think would make a good pet?
Thank you, Lee, for inviting me to guest blog today!
Excerpt from White Heart of Justice
“I saw you got a dog,” Fara said.
I bristled. “A barghest.” As if anyone would mistake a barghest for a dog . . .
I knew Fara was teasing though. She loved to try to get a rise out of me
and I loved her for it. My mock frown turned into a grin, but quickly
disappeared when both Ivy and Fitz started shouting at once. Ivy wanted to make
it absolutely clear that she would not, under any circumstances, sleep next to a barghest.
She’d just gotten used to Virtus, Fara’s tiger, and now
she was expected to live with a barghest?! Besides, no
barghest would even fit in Room 112 of Megiddo. Where
on earth was I going to keep it?
“Her, not it,” I corrected. “Her
name’s Nova.”
“Nova,” Fara said, amused.
“That’s cute.”
Fitz, on the other hand, just
wanted to make it absolutely clear that I could not, under any circumstances, allow anyone else but him to dog
sit.
“She’s not a dog,” I cried,
groaning.
“I wonder how she’ll get along
with Virtus,” Fitz said. We all looked at each other, eyebrows raised,
considering—and then we burst out laughing. Their first meeting wouldn’t be
dull, that’s for sure.
DARK LIGHT OF DAY (NOON ONYX #1)
Noon Onyx has been accepted
into the prestigious St. Lucifer’s Law School where her mother hopes she’ll be
trained as a Maegester. But Noon doesn’t want to control demons, set fires, or
destroy things. She wants to become a Mederi so she can grow gardens and heal
people.
Noon's best
friend, Peter Aster, is an Angel spellcaster who thinks he has the answer to
Noon's predicament - an ancient, mysterious, lost spell that can turn Noon into
the Mederi she always wanted to be. Only one person stands in the way of Noon's
dream - Ari Carmine, a fellow classmate who seems fascinated by Noon's fiery
side.
FIERY
EDGE OF STEEL (NOON
ONYX #2)
When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to
investigate several unusual disappearances, it seems Luck is not on her
side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has
stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be
facing something much worse than she ever imagined…
WHITE
HEART OF JUSTICE (NOON ONYX #3)
After
years of denying her abilities, Noon Onyx, the first woman in history to wield
waning magic, has embraced her power. She’s won the right to compete in the
prestigious Laurel Crown Race.
Noon’s
task, however, is nearly impossible: retrieve the White Heart of Justice, a
mythical sword that disappeared hundreds of years ago. The sword is rumored to
be hidden in a dangerous region of Halja that she is unlikely to return from.
But
Noon’s life isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance. The sword holds an
awesome power that, in the wrong hands, could reboot the apocalypse – and Noon
is the only one who can prevent Armageddon from starting again.
Jill Archer
writes dark, genre-bending fantasy from rural Maryland. Her novels include Dark Light of Day, Fiery Edge of Steel, and White
Heart of Justice. She loves cats, coffee, books, movies, day tripping, and
outdoor adventuring.
Website/blog: http://jillarcherauthor.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/archer_jill
Discussion
Questions: http://jillarcherauthor.wordpress.com/book-clubs/
***Jill's winner is traveler! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***
***Jill's winner is traveler! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***
6 comments:
We don't currently have a pet. In my youth we had a wonderful orange tabby named Reba. She was extremely gentle and patient with us humans including children but she was fierce with other animals. We once heard a ruckus outside and saw her standing on the back of a dog that was running in circles on the sidewalk area. I suspect that she was digging in her claws in order to stay on the poor dog what with the noise that was coming out of the poor dog. I have often wondered what would be a suitable pet to follow such an audacious nature. Although it would be difficult, I am particularly charmed at the idea of having a pet dragon. Will try to console myself with the small figurines of them, but have always had a deep fascination with such creatures.
I have two dogs. A ten year old Maltese, Guido, who is a beautiful little fluffball and adorable. We have a dog, from lap dog rescue, a 16 lb. handsome, little guy, Bogie. He is a little dear, a fearless adventurer, a loyal companion who just wants to be loved. Dogs are so dear and special. They are sensitive, devoted and intriguing too. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
When we were young we had a dog from a farm. Ginger was spoiled and our only dog. She lived 18 years and was worshipped. After her no dogs again. I think that dogs are philosophers and sages. They sense, feel and know so much. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
Hi Lil,
Reba does sound fierce. Possiby even fierce enough to stand up to a barghest. :-)
It's not the same as having a real dragon, of course, but have you ever thought about getting a bearded dragon? They're not for everybody, but might be the perfect pet for you. My friend who is a biology teacher has one in her classroom. She brings him home during all the breaks.
Want to see a picture of him? The link is below. If you scroll to the end, you'll also see I used my paint program to give him a "Toothless" makeover:
http://jillarcherauthor.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/the-month-of-leaves-and-roses-and-inclines-fountains-cakes-and-columns-movies-mail-ducks-and-dragons/
Thanks for sharing your story about Reba!
Hello traveler,
I agree. Dogs are wonderful companions. Yours sound terrific and I think that's great that one of them is a rescue dog. They are both very lucky.
Thanks for stopping by to check out the post and telling us about your two pets!
Hi petite,
It can be hard to replace a beloved pet after they pass on. We still haven't adopted another dog, despite the fact that our original plan was to get another one this fall. But, hopefully, in time, we'll both have new puppies in our future.
Thanks for sharing a little bit about Ginger. Have a great week!
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