GUEST POST: The Cultural and Mythological Influences of BLACK BLADE BLUES by J. A. Pitts

Hey J.A. Pitts here. I want to thank John for giving me an opportunity to visit here and talk a little about my new novel Black Blade Blues. You might’ve read a bit about the book over at tor.com. That interview focuses pretty specifically about the sexuality and identity issues of my protagonist, Sarah. Here, I thought I’d expand on other aspects of the book, especially cultural and mythological influences.

Who knew the Pacific Northwest was such a hotbed of mythological creatures, power-hungry dragons, and Valkyries. Well, I did, of course, that’s why I wrote the novel, Black Blade Blues. I’ve lived out here since 1997, and fell in love with it the second I stepped off the plan that February evening. The place is vibrant with life. I’m from Kentucky originally, and winter means grey and brown. Seeing the stark white of the snow covered mountains book ending the city view, plus the startling blue sky and the deep green of the forests, gave me a clue that this was someplace special. It took me a few years before I realized the amazing proliferation of artists in the communities from Vancouver all the way down the coast. Writers and artists, glass-blowers, sculptors, painters, comedians, actors… the list is boggling. I’d found a home where my writing could flourish in a community of like-minded folk.

Black Blade Blues comes out of that community vibe; the overwhelming support and encouragement that makes this community such a hotbed of fiction. When I first decided to write this novel, I found a happy intersection of environment, population and culture that made the use of Norse mythology a natural fit. There’s a huge population of Nords, Finns, Swedes, and Icelanders in the region, and that helped me justify the relocation of the Norse mythology to our region. I know blacksmiths and puppeteers, some of whom have lived in Iceland. When I needed help with a bit of Icelandic translation, I had someone in Portland I could ping for a helping hand.

As for the critters that populate my world, they should be fairly familiar to your readers. Of course, I twist them, change them, mold them to my needs and my own sense of how the ancient races would acclimate to the modern world. Dragons seek power, and have magical powers. Why not allow them to be shape shifters. It worked for Fafnir the dwarf who became a dragon in Norse mythology. I just took that logical conclusion one step further. So we have investment bankers who are really dragons, accumulating their wealth and power with a modern flare.

And the giants, also helped by magic, drive around in Hummers and change their names to fit our culture so they blend in. Of course, where there’s magic, there are magicians, and witches. In my world, they are powerful, but rare — capable of great destruction, and great good. But, lording over everything are the dragons. Each has their own personality, their own means of gathering power, and wealth. They are territorial and vicious. We puny humans are rarely even aware of their existence.

We are a resilient race, capable of self-delusion on a grand scale. If you’d seen a giant smash a bus in a rage, would your mind really process it that way, or would you see another image, an event where the bus crashes, leaving the giant out of our analytical minds.

Now, imagine you are a young woman in this environment, struggling with many things about the world. As mentioned earlier, I’ve discussed Sarah’s sexuality at length over at tor.com , so feel free to head over there and see what I have to say on that subject.

But, beyond that, imagine how you would deal with a world where you suddenly found out that magic exists, dwarves are real, dragons control cities and giants drive Hummers. Add in your relationship issues, day job, second job, bills, idiots in traffic, the general daily grind, and you’d find yourself a bit muddled.

How Sarah deals with all that makes for a rocking good read. At least, that’s what the reviewers are saying.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m a teller of tall tales. Whether I’m sharing stories of dirigible crews on alien planets, mutant bunnies on a derelict generation ship, or a young urban blacksmith struggling to understand a hidden world of magic and dragons; I strive to create characters that are so real and emotionally impactful that you want to invite them home for dinner (or maybe get a restraining order to keep them away).

I have a BA in English and a Masters of Library Science from University of Kentucky. In addition, I am a graduate of the Oregon Coast Writers Workshops with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. When I’m not writing, you can find me practicing martial arts with my children or spending time with my lovely wife.

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