Still, I have a feeling a lot of you are confused as to where and when this all takes place. You may come away after reading a chapter or two with a ton of questions. Are these characters "contemporary" 21st Century folks? Or does this take place in some far off time in the past? If they are contemporary folks, why is there almost no mention of contemporary cultural icons, like smart phones, the internet and social media? Why do these characters seem so squeaky-clean, old fashioned and buttoned up? No cursing? No sexting? No sleaze? Are they Mennonites, or what?
And then I get another question frequently, that goes like this: When does Qerri get to do her adventures and quests as the Princess? It seems like all she does it pee and play.
Okay, ...haha....I get it, guys. Allow me to shed some light on my thinking, okay?
First, let me make it clear that the story is intended for anyone of almost any age (adolescent and up). So, there is nothing vulgar or graphic in there, aside from light-hearted fun with the body and bodily functions, natural romantic attraction, and a little mildly salty language.
As you know by now, Qerri, Creek and Kayleigh are all exceptionally good people with very high moral standards who genuinely care about helping people and making the world a better place. I hope you will always keep that in mind as you read the book.
The setting for the story as well as the personalities of the characters are intentionally a little vague. Why? Because the whole thing is intended to be a fantasy. Just as the ages of the characters may seem a little confusing and mismatched, likewise the time and place is not a "real" time and place---that is left up in the air, as figments of yours and my imagination.
Qerri, of course, has a very long personal history, so there are flashbacks to her early life which take place hundreds of years ago. But the main storyline (where Creek and Kayleigh are involved) takes place somewhere shortly after the turn of the new millennium. In other words, in the early 2000's. That puts it at a time in history when the information technology we now take for granted was just beginning to come of age, but had not yet become ubiquitous necessities of life. Most people had the gadgets, but they were still a novelty. Not everyone had them. And those who did have them had not yet become obsessively fixated on them, as we are today.
I did it this way so the reader would use his or her imagination to picture the time and place. But there was another reason. I did not want to attempt to portray young people having carefree fun and adventures while spending all their time staring down at their screens and constantly having the phone buzz with incoming texts and social media alerts. That would have introduced a continuous barrage of annoying distractions that have nothing whatsoever to do with the tale and, thus, would have complicated the task of writing immensely. So, I decided to simplify their lives by largely eliminating electronic devices and social media.
The same is true of the "personas" of Creek and Qerri. If they seem very old fashioned and out of touch with modern life, that again is intentional on my part. Remember, the whole point of the story has always been for Qerri to be innocent and naïve. She is twenty-something, but she thinks like an adolescent. And not just a typical modern adolescent, but more like an adolescent from some bygone time, place and society. Her carefree, innocent mindset is more like the way young adults might have been back in our great grandparents day---say, in the year 1900 or 1930 or 1950, in some tiny Christian village hidden back in the hills of the Appalachians. It's as if she is a kid from Little House on the Prairie or a Hallmark movie, living in the world of 2000---but in a very backswoodsy isolated corner of it, where things are mostly happy and carefree. She and Creek and their friends simply live a life that is simple and uncluttered by the hectic hubbub of today's techno world. So, they are all about having good, clean fun. Does that make sense? Again, it's not supposed to be a real world thing. It's fantasy, pure and simple.
As for the adventures of Princess Qerri? Well, we're getting there. This is only the first book, a chance to get to know her. Wait until we get to the sequel! Creek's really going to have a hard time keeping up with her then!
I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. And stay tuned for new chapters coming soon.
My best to you all.
Brandon
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