I am happy to announce today is my stop on the Arvia: Wings of the Wild by D.H. Willison blog tour.

I was previously involved in the cover reveal for this gripping fantasy adventure novel. See: Cover Reveal – Arvia: Wings of the Wild

David Willison is a reader, writer, game enthusiast and developer, engineer, and history buff. He has lived or worked in over a dozen countries, learning different cultures, viewpoints, and attitudes, which have influenced his writing, contributing to one of his major themes: alternate and creative conflict resolution. The same situations can be viewed by different cultures quite differently. Sometimes it leads to conflict, sometimes to hilarity. Both make for a great story.

He never misses a chance to visit historic sites, from castle dungeons, to catacombs, to the holds of tall ships, to the tunnels of the Maginot Line. He considers it research, except for the minor fact that his tales are all set on the whimsical and terrifying world of Arvia, where giant mythic monsters are often more easily overcome with empathy than explosions.

My stop on the tour takes the form of an author interview about David’s world building for this series.

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Hello David,

Welcome to my blog please can you tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for Arvia: Wings of the Wild.

I’ve been a fantasy and sci-fi reader since I first learned to read, with the Oz books being some of my early favourites, and Jules Verne after that. But I’ve also had the chance to work and live in a number of different countries, and let me tell you, our very own Earth is a pretty interesting place. So a lot of my stories are a blend of real-world inspiration and wild imagination.

I’ve wanted to write the story of Wings of the Wild since I started with Tales of Arvia. From the beginning, I’ve hinted at all the strange and powerful creatures lurking in the deepest wilderness, at mysterious ancient cities and outposts. But I also wanted to portray my human main character Darin as an average person from contemporary Earth. You know, a person with more experience with novels and game controllers rather than longswords and fireball spells. Which meant he just wasn’t strong enough to survive in such a dangerous neck of the woods. So he’s been going through a rigorous training program to prepare for it.

Where did you start when creating the world of Arvia?

Honestly, probably since I was about six, and became enamored with the Oz books. I loved all of the strange places and exotic creatures. And ever since then, I’ve preferred my fantasies fantastical. For Arvia, I wanted to create a world that was both fantastical, but one that made sense and that was internally consistent. And beyond that, I wanted a place that would lend itself to subverting certain common tropes.

Arvia is a world that’s both wild, colorful, and fantastical (yay!) But with mythic megafauna roaming the wilds, humans are way down the food chain on Arvia (possibly not so yay.) But that’s the thing, not all challenges need to be overcome with a bigger sword, with a more powerful spell, or with a grander army at your back. Arvia rewards heroes who are quick of wit and quick of reflex. My stories may be full of monsters, but they’re also full of creative conflict resolutions.

Did you draw maps? If so how did this help you when writing Arvia: Wings of the Wild?

Yes! I drew the initial map so I could measure the distance between various points, and keep myself consistent when writing. You know… not having someone on the wrong side of a huge river at the grand climax. I have a post about the evolution of the map here: Adventures in Mapping. Though the actual maps in book are done by my wife, Claudia. She’d been doing something called ‘zendoodling’ one night with paper and ink, and I asked if she’d be interested. And they’ve turned out way better than anything I could draw.

How did the magic system evolve for the Arvia series? What rules and artifacts were important to your world building?

The magic system on Arvia is a bit of an oddity. Though very much a hard magic system, it doesn’t feel that way because none of my characters are particularly skilled mages, and they don’t know the rules. For example, even though the human main character, Darin, is fascinated with magic, it’s not until the current book (fourth in the series) that he undergoes a formal test for magic abilities. Skilled mages are rare, and there just isn’t anybody in his home city that can do it. But a lack of formal understanding doesn’t prevent him from using it in fun and creative ways. One of my favourite chapters is when he rescues Rinloh from a vicious band of beast hunters, who, like many others he encounters, are dramatically stronger, tougher, and better equipped than he. So he relies on wit, deception, and a grand distraction with some novelty magic popcorn to save the day.

Is there a significant way the world in Arvia: Wings of the Wild has changed since writing Arvia: Heart of the Sky?

Honestly, no. Most aspects have been planned since the beginning. I’ve had fun filling in some of the specific details, but I have this huge pile of cool stuff (from creatures, to plants, to geological features, to historical facts) that either won’t fit in a current work, or that I hint about, but want to expand on in the future. I guess I probably over plan things, but it does mean fewer changes.

What writing advice would you give to writers trying to create their own fantasy world for their novel?

Two things. One, use the fantasy setting to its fullest. Yes, you can think of your world like the set of a stage play. Sure, the actors can do their thing and give a great performance regardless of the set. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s a world, not just a decoration. How do the unique features of your world influence the attitudes, beliefs, and culture of your characters? Example: my harpy character is baffled by all the effort humans put in to building things like bridges. She and all her sisters can fly, and easily cross rivers without a second thought. So the mere idea that there are places you can see, but can’t easily reach is foreign to her. Put yourself in your character’s shoes and stroll around your world for a while. Unless you also have harpy characters. They don’t wear shoes.

Second, have a little fun with it! There are thousands of versions of medieval Europe out there. You can do anything, why not make your world interesting? Why not make a fantasy world fantastical.

Which novels have you read that you think are good examples to show world building at its best?

This may come as a bit of a surprise, since the series is historically based, but I’m going with Temeraire. True, a lot of the world is based on Napoleonic Earth, but the changes to society as a result of the ‘what if there were dragons’ issue is really well thought out. And though it isn’t technically world building, the dialog and use of language really accentuates the world building. When reading these books I feel immersed. And that is a hallmark of good worldbuilding.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about Arvia: Wings of the Wild?

We’ve talked a lot about the world of Arvia, which I love to do, but when it comes down to it, it’s the characters that make the story. The characters on Arvia may be a bit quirky. Some may not even be human. But they’ll make you laugh. They’ll make you cry. And they’ll make you stand up and cheer.

Thank you David for this insightful glimpse into the world of Arvia. It’s been fascinating. I agree with what you have said about the characters but you do have a kill in world building too.

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To find out more about D. H. Willison take a look at his website: www.dhwillisoncreates.com and you can follow him on one of his many social media platforms via his Linktree: @dhwillison.

I would like to thank Dave from The Write Reads for inviting me on this tour. Thank you.