How 3 urban fantasy authors inspired Chronicles of Rondure
Three urban fantasy authors inspired Chronicles of Rondure (since rebranded as Midnight Raid). Who are they, and how did their 17 novels total inspire my work?
Author’s Note: I always find it amusing when I go back and update old posts. I wrote what you’re about to read below all the way back in June 2021, nearly four years before I cleaned up this piece. Often, I give posts like these a good old makeover, but I found humor in how I worded things then as opposed to today, and I only made necessary changes. So, enjoy what the 2021 version of TC Marti had to say. That said, the overall formatting and voice for this piece will be way, way different. Oh, and for the record, Chronicles of Rondure refers to a prequel novella, not the series, itself.
E.E. Holmes, Tarah Benner, and Carissa Andrews. Well, at least they write some urban fantasy, but we can really niche them out here. Holmes’ World of the Gateway dives more into paranormal/occult fiction. Andrews genre bends, much like I do. However, her Pendomus Chronicles really lent into developing my own protagonist here.
Benner is the only one who we can call strictly urban fantasy. If you’ve read her Witches of Mountain Shadow Series, then you will know what I’m talking about. However, Benner also writes dystopia, and readers know her more for it than her jaunt into urban fantasy.
I actually had gotten a lot of influence from one author of thrillers, named Tracy Lawson. Lawson’s Resistance Series is truly one of the most underrated yet entertaining set of dystopian thrillers on Amazon. So, if we count Lawson’s work, take that number 17 and add another four books, giving us 21 sensational reads.
How did these authors influence Chronicles of Rondure, and to an extent, Elementals of Nordica?
How each author influenced the work
Let’s start with Holmes’ World of the Gateway and her protagonist, Jess Ballard. If you know anything about Jess, the girl is a freaking spitfire. And you see a lot of Jess Ballard in Tash Holmes. And in case you’re asking, I DID purposely give Tash that particular last name for a reason. Anyway, Tash, like Jess, is thrust into a role that could ultimately kill her. And also like Jess, Tash isn’t particularly happy about it.
Check out the World of the Gateway while you’re at it!
Let’s move onto Benner, who goes into deep depths describing the way our Aether Witch, Fiona Grimes, performs her magick. Yep, I’m one of those who prefers the ‘k’ at the end of the word. Anyway, there’s a lot of visualization involved, and it was the perfect way to show readers how Tash pulls of her metal morphing ability. Simple hand maneuvers do the trick, but Tash must also ‘see’ the metal bending to her will in the mind.
Learn more about Witches of Mountain Shadow by Tarah Benner.
About two weeks before my rookie author mistake prompted me to write Chronicles of Rondure, I had recently finished reading two of the three books in Carissa Andrews’ Pendomus Chronicles. While Andrews’ Windhaven Witches is the true urban fantasy as opposed to Pendomus, I used a lot of inspiration from her earlier work to mold Chronicles of Rondure. – Again, this is not my Chronicles of Rondure Series.
It features some complex plots regarding her protagonist, Runa. And it was something I’ve hinted with Tash. There’s something crazy significant about this girl, and it’s about to have the dictatorial superpower in full blown panic mode.
Get your eyes in front of the Pendomus Chronicles.
Which brings me to our thriller author, Tracy Lawson. Lawson’s Resistance Series takes place in 2034. Here, the US has sunk into a totalitarian nation full of restrictions. Many of which I’ve used as inspiration for the setting in this prequel magnet. Lawson paints a scary picture, but unfortunately, the Nation of Bastille has taken it a step further with their warmongering tactics. So much that their public has demanded the restrictions to be placed upon them.
Take a look at Tracy Lawson’s Resistance Series.
And just a heads up: I am not affiliated in any way with the above authors since I read books at my own liberty. And in all seriousness, Lawson was the only one I’d known about until late 2020!
What is Chronicles of Rondure about?
Here’s the skinny, or the description:
For over a century, the World of Rondure has lived under a dictatorial global power.
The Nation of Bastille Culls children into their military ranks the second they display elemental ability. And to uphold their persistent warmongering, Bastille suffocated its citizens of their civil liberties in the face of numerous safety restrictions designed to protect them from the bad guys.
Tash Holmes, a metal morpher who has evaded Bastille’s Culling for over a decade, embarks on a daring midnight raid to prove that no matter how many restrictions they implement, they protect no one. That safety was never the endgame, but endless profiteering from the racket of perpetual war is the real reason behind the oppression.
If Tash succeeds, perhaps she’ll awaken a few people. If she fails, odds are Bastille will finally Cull her into their military ranks and exploit her ability in the upcoming war against their next manufactured enemy.
Chronicles of Rondure provides a live look into the Superpower Nation of Bastille in the World of Rondure. They will make their debut in Wind Master – Book II in Elementals of Nordica which is set to be released in February 2022.
If you love strong heroines, complex plots, elemental magic, and epic fantasy tropes alongside an advanced yet dystopian society, Chronicles of Rondure is yet another gateway into the Elementals Universe.
Although urban fantasy authors inspired Chronicles of Rondure…
It’s not an urban fantasy. And despite the multiple worlds that you and other readers will learn about, it’s not a space opera either. I like to think of both Elementals of Nordica and Chronicles of Rondure, really, as epic fantasies, given their tropes: chosen ones, magical worlds, complex story lines, sword and sorcery, crazy antagonists bent on ending the protagonists, etc.
But, the genre bending involved places each world into a modern-day, scientifically-advanced society. And with both reader magnets, you’re also getting a lot of dystopia. I guess you could even tap both works into urban fantasies, since they take place in urban areas. But, that’s not always the case here, as you will discover in Wind Wielder – Book I in Elementals of Nordica set to be released in January 2022.
Odds are, I’m sure readers, reviewers, and even authorities in the field will end up giving all of my work a bunch of different labels. And I’m completely cool with it, as long as they enjoy the work!
P.S. for 2025 – What a difference four years makes! I honestly wouldn’t mind rewriting this in my 2025 voice.
(This article first appeared at TCMarti.com)