SOME SPOILERS BELOW

Q.) Are the Left-Hand Mortons considered permanently in confinement at the conclusion of American Craftsmen?

A.) Permanently and completely? With Madeline now part of the mix? No way. But this is a continuing source of conflict, and I won’t say how it’s resolved.

Q.) Some club members expressed surprise that the Left-Hand Morton spirits took down Madeline and other “baddies,” but spared the Endicotts and other craftsmen at the end of the book’s climactic confrontations.  Can you give any explanation for this?

A.) The heroes themselves were surprised by this, but here’s the explanation. The Left-Hand Morton spirits had three priorities. One was to assimilate other Left-Hand spirits such as Madeline (and they would have gotten Roderick if they could). Another was take revenge on their ancient enemy, Abram Endicott, and assimilate him also if possible. The third was to find a way to incarnate again.

Though released from the House, the Left-Hand spirits still found themselves compelled by the orthodox Mortons (even the dead ones a bit) and they were also threatened by Scherie’s power and compelled by her new Morton status. As for attacking living Endicotts, they might have gotten around to it eventually, but they were fully occupied in general sparring with Pentagon forces and pursuit of their priorities.

Q.) You have been identifying various “magical” disciplines with each new magician character (Puritan, Native American, Persian, etc.).  What made you choose the disciplines you did?  Do you plan to introduce new disciplines in future books?,

A.) Though there are exceptions for reasons of plot, my disciplines for this book were primarily American (whether Native American or European colonialist). I chose to do this as a deliberate constraint (see below where I talk about the influence of L. Frank Baum on this idea of distinctly American fantasy). The conjunction of the historical character of Thomas Morton and classic American literature made me decide to tell this story with a focus on the New England Families, which meant also highlighting the Puritans as the counterpoint to the Mortons.

The constraint of using and creating American magics was difficult, because the European ideas of magic are better known. But it’s also difficult to do anything truly original with the European stories, so I thought the difficulty would be worth the effort.

Book 2, The Left-Hand Way will explode out from this constraint, with the characters starting the story in the craft worlds of London, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Kiev.

Here’s another answer in response to a recent set of book group questions (warning: SPOILERS!):

Q.    Can you explain the curse that Dale suffers under after killing the Persian craftsmen at the beginning of the book?  There was some confusion among our group as to what exactly that curse entailed – apart from causing his fellow soldiers to slaughter innocent townspeople – and how it affected Dale later (I think we began to confuse it with the Morton’s cursed left hand legacy).

A. Yeah, I could have done a better job of distinguishing these two forces working on Dale’s psyche. First point: the craft that the sorcerer used on the soldiers was distinct from the curse–he used their killings to power the more difficult craft that neutralized Dale. The curse (I realized this on later reflection) therefore involved Left-Hand craft–using the life force of others to power a spell–which makes it a bit hypocritical, or at least (in the sorcerer’s view) fighting fire with fire.

The sorcerer’s curse tormented Dale whenever he planned further combat, though it turned out to have a particular focus on protecting the Islamic world, so with the help of the House (and, less consciously, Scherie), Dale was able to get over it enough and in time to kill M before the party.

Perhaps Dale could have better resisted the curse earlier and yet preserved his sanity if he weren’t already subject to a continual temptation to the opposite course of action: the Left-Hand voice deep in his psyche. That presence meant that, if he totally broke through the curse’s restraint on combat, Dale feared he might never stop killing.

So, during the first part of the book, the two contrary impulses grind Dale’s mind between them. His resulting mental situation is a very loose and fantastical analogy to the all-too-real PTSD faced by many veterans (the analogy doesn’t bear up to too exact a comparison). Dale is “spell-shocked.” His freeze-up during his first attempt to go after Sphinx is in part a result of this.

Though diminished, the curse and the Left-Hand voices still remain a problem.

Recently, a science fiction/fantasy book club asked me to respond to some questions, and I’ll be posting the answers I gave here over the coming days. One question was about the music that I listened to or was inspired by in the writing of the American Craftsmen series. So here’s the list, or rather lists. If some of the connections aren’t obvious, keep in mind that some of the songs may have more of a book 2 connection.

First, songs not in the party mix, but somehow connected to the composition of books one and two, or perhaps just in my imagined soundtrack:

Song of Scheherazade, Renaissance
Scherzo Fantastique, Josef Suk
Hot Freaks, Guided by Voices
Sheet Kickers, Guided by Voices
Let’s Call It Love, Sleater-Kinney
Old Man, Neil Young
Finest Works Song, REM
Shine, Collective Soul
Holly Holy, Neil Diamond
I Miss You, Blink 182
I Am the Walrus, Beatles
Cornflake Girl, Tori Amos
Fly on the Windshield, Genesis
The Man Who Sold the World, as covered by Nirvana.
The Rover, Led Zeppelin (and another Zeppelin tune to be named later)

Also, recently noticed some resonances with my story in the song “Riptide” by Vance Joy (reference to “left-hand man,” etc.)

Party mix: this is an “uncurated” kitchen sink of everything on my computer that I thought would be appropriate to my book launch party–themes from Bond films, songs about war, etc. But some of the songs, particularly those that I allude to in some way (e.g. “Veteran of the Psychic Wars”) were more directly connected with my experience of writing of books one and two or are part of my current mental soundtrack for those books. I’ve noted some of those by indicating the book to which they connect.

1 Fearless, Pink Floyd
2 Zombie, The Cranberries
3 Year Of The Cat, Al Stewart
4 Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon (book 2)
5 Waterloo, Abba
6 War Child, The Cranberries
7 War, Bruce Springsteen &
8 A View To A Kill, Duran Duran
9 US Blues, Grateful Dead (book 1)
10 Tom Sawyer, Rush
11 Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones
12 Surrender, Cheap Trick
13 Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2
14 Street Fighting Man, The Rolling Stones
15 Starship Trooper, Yes
16 Star Wars, National Philharmonic
17 Spanish Bombs, The Clash
18 Slip Kid, The Who
19 Skyfall (Full Length), Adele
20 Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Elton John
21 Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, Warren Zevon (book 2)
22 Revolution, Beatles
23 Pull out the Pin, Kate Bush
24 Overture, The Who
25 On The Border, Al Stewart
26 Oliver’s Army, Elvis Costello
27 Nobody Does It Better, Carly Simon
28 No Surrender, Bruce Springsteen &
29 No Light, No Light, Florence and the Machine (book 1)
30 You Only Live Twice, Nancy Sinatra
31 The River Kwai March, Malcolm Arnold
32 Live and Let Die, Paul McCartney
33 Life During Wartime, Talking Heads (book 1)
34 Lawyers, Guns And Money, Warren Zevon (book 2)
35 Killer Queen, Queen (book 2)
36 James Bond Theme Movie Soundtrack
37 Heroine, Sinead O’Connor and the Edge (all 3 books)
38 Happiness Is a Warm Gun, The Beatles
39 The Guns of Brixton, The Clash
40 Gun Shy, 10,000 Maniacs
41 Goldfinger, Shirley Bassey
42 The Gentleman Soldier, The Pogues
43 The Fortunes of War, Dropkick Murphys
44 Fernando, ABBA
45 Experiment IV, Kate Bush
46 Drink Before the War, Sinéad O’Connor
47 Diamonds Are Forever, Shirley Bassey
48 Diamonds and Guns, The Transplants
49 Death or Glory, The Clash
50 Burning Bridges, Mike Curb Congregation
51 Colonel Bogey March, Malcolm Arnold
52 Burnin’ for You, Blue Oyster Cult
53 Billy, Don’t Be a Hero, Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods
54 Battlestar Galactica, Stu Phillips
55 The Battle Of New Orleans, Johnny Horton
56 Battle of Evermore, Lovemongers
57 The Battle March Medley, The Pogues
58 The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, The Pogues
59 The Ballad Of The Green Berets, Sgt. Barry Sadler
60 Back in the U.S.S.R., Beatles
61 Baba O’Riley, The Who
62 All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
63 The “Fish” Cheer (I Feel Like I’m Going to Die), Country Joe McDonald
64 How Soon is Now, The Smiths (book 1–hate that this was already used for a TV show)
65 E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), Blue Oyster Cult (book 1)
66 (Don’t Fear) The Reaper Blue Oyster Cult
67 Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Blue Oyster Cult (book 1)
68 Burning Down the House, Talking Heads
69 Season of the Witch, Luna
70 You Make Loving Fun, Fleetwood Mac (book 1–I imagine this as the sort of tune at the wedding reception)
71 Rhiannon Fleetwood Mac
72 West Coast Lana Del Rey (book 1, looking backwards)

I’ll be at the Arlington Planetarium this Sunday, March 22 at 1:30 as a panelist for “Putting the Science in Science Fiction.” http://friendsoftheplanetarium.org/event/86/

The spam level has gotten out of hand. I’m closing comments on posts for a while. If there’s a demand to reopen them, I will. In the meantime, you can still share the posts on social media or reach me directly at tmdoyle2@yahoo.com.

Reading Sat. 11AM (w/ Carrie Harris)
Storytelling Beyond the Novel. Sat. 12PM
Romancing the Vulcan: Sat. 1PM
Mass Autograph: Sat. 3PM.
Choose Your Own Apocalypse Sat. 6PM
Sources of Modern Folk Tales Sun. 11AM

I’ve just read the quite wonderful review of American Craftsmen by Sarah Avery at Black Gate. I’m frankly inspired anew by the enthusiasm and depth of reading shown in the review.  Happy new year to me! http://www.blackgate.com/2014/12/30/the-series-series-american-craftsmen-by-tom-doyle/#more-91824

My reading of the opening of American Craftsmen is now up on the Ghost in the Machine podcast: http://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=537 The reading is a live one-take over the phone. I also answer some questions about the book at the podcast’s sister site: http://disquietingvisions.com/2014/12/18/qa-tom-doyle/ Thank you to Gail Martin for posting  this podcast.

Below is a short scene I deleted from the published version of American Craftsmen. If you haven’t read the book yet, don’t read any further unless you don’t mind spoilers.

My reasons for deleting the scene were sound. It takes place right after Dale and Scherie check into their motel room.  Dale then proceeds to given a lengthy explanation of the Witch of Endor story. A little thought showed me the problem with this: Dale was exhausted and wounded and could not give a lengthy explanation of anything . So I shortened his thoughts on the story to about one sentence. But I lost Dale’s cynical “lessons” on the history of craftspeople serving hostile rulers, even as his own government was giving him such a hard time.  I may try to use some of this material in book 3 in a different context, but for now, here it is as it appeared in an early draft of American Craftsmen (with the introduction and ending that did appear in the final version):

“Oh. I thought you just didn’t like the Bible because it’s against wi–” Scherie blushed. “It’s against magic.”

I chuckled, though it hurt to laugh. “You don’t have to worry about the ‘w’ word, though I prefer ‘craftsperson.’ I enjoy the Bible; it has plenty of interesting things to teach about the craft. The Koran too. It’s always there in the old sacred texts, hiding in the corners.”

Scherie said, “I don’t remember any…”

“How about the witch of Endor?” I asked.

“She doesn’t count,” she said. “She wasn’t a real witch.”

“That’s not clear in the original,” I said. “But you’re right in one sense. Everything in the Bible is supposed to be instructive. The story’s a parable of the relationship of the craft to power.”

“Will it put me to sleep?” she asked.

I considered. “Hmmm. Can’t use a Gideon Bible, so I’ll do it from memory. OK, we’re in Israel about three thousand years ago, after the death of the prophet Samuel. The times are good. So King Saul tries to drive all the craftspeople out of the land. That’s lesson one: when the times are good, the witches, wizards, and necromancers are hunted down and exiled or killed, because the state doesn’t like other sources of power and authority besides the sanctioned religion.”

“But then the times go bad,” she said.

“Then the times go real bad,” I said. “The Philistines are coming, and I don’t mean middle-class art critics. None of the orthodox prophets or priests will assist Saul in talking to God. That’s lesson two: when the chips are down, the orthodox religion may desert the state, even go over to the enemies of the state. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s what happens. Maybe it’s the covenant theology–when things are going badly, you must have offended God.”

“So Saul tries something else?” she asked.

“He goes incognito and finds a witch in Endor,” he said, “and has her summon the ghost of Samuel. The witch does it, and the first thing she finds out is that Saul has lied about who he is. That’s a bad joke that every craftsperson knows–even when they believe in our power, governments try to lie to us, to manipulate us into doing what they want.”

“And Saul got what he wanted?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” I said. “Samuel tells him that he and his family are doomed. And that’s where the two last, more subtle lessons come in. The witch has to beg Saul to remember his promise not to hurt her now that he’s gotten the bad news. So the lesson is, don’t trust the rulers to keep their promises even when you’ve kept yours. Then the witch prepares a nice meal for Saul, since he’ll be needing his strength. That’s the hardest lesson of all: we have to be decent to individuals even when they’re part of a system that tries to kill us. I’m not sure I’ve fully learned that lesson yet.”

“And you believe this story?” she asked.

“Maybe not the details,” I said, “but yes, I believe it. It’s one of the few stories in the Bible that every craftsperson believes.”

“Why’s that?” she asked.

“Because,” I said, “it’s a story where craft works.”

Book Plank lists American Craftsmen in its best military fiction (fantasy) of 2014. http://t.co/WQr6wxymgt