Hello! Whatever else has been joining on out in the world, this space is about the community and support we can give each other in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. So today, meet Jay Tallsquall, whose story-telling feats include telling ghost stories beside bonfires, and his novel …
Legacy of the Vermillion Blade
Talon Cour-Vermane is not only the sole inheritor of his House’s lands, titles, and political power, but also of the pact his family has forged with darkness through countless generations. From birth, Talon’s father tethered his son’s life to the family’s bloodline and his own ambitions of power, but everything changes when a new blacksmith and his young apprentice, Richen, join the staff at the Cour-Vermane estate. With their fateful meeting, Talon’s life changes course forever, derailing the meticulously laid out existence planned for him. From his family’s estates and the countryside of Eleryon to the extents of the Xallian Empire and the dwarven kingdom of Lymehold, Talon discovers the different aspects of love, true family, and himself as he battles his cursed blood and the shackles to darkness his father bound him with.
“I wanted to craft an epic fantasy story featuring the incredible diversity of love and relationships that span the asexual spectrum in my LGBTQIA+ inclusive world. The new continent of Rhymera acts as the backdrop for Talon’s story, and I’ve filled it with a rich tapestry of living characters and unique locations that followers have come to expect from my storytelling.”
— Jay Tallsquall
With that …
Onto the Questions!
As a Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) Entrant, you’re not just independently published, but self-published. Can you start by explaining a bit about why you chose that route and how it’s been for you?
I really didn’t set out to write a novel when this started so when it was done, I just wanted to have it be something that was nicer to share than a google doc and stumbled on self publishing. Since I knew this was going to be more of a hobby, KDP just made lots of sense for what I wanted to create.
What a story! I LIKE THIS ONE!
So … why did you enter the SPFBO contest?
I stumbled on SPFBO quite by accident only finding out about it in late April, a few weeks before submissions were due. I didn’t really know what to expect, but have been thrilled by the community’s response to it and just how welcoming everyone as been to new authors and first timers.
Yeah, finding out about it day-of (the way I found out my first time) would not have worked this year! I hope your experience continues to be thrilling and welcoming 😀
Book titles. Why did you choose the title, Legacy of the Vermillion Blade?
Who doesn’t love an ancient magical weapon passed down through generations – even more when it carries a dark legacy with it. Truly it came down to the adjective and I decided on Vermillion mainly because of the visual texture of the word – that is even why I chose the spelling with two ‘L’s even though it is the lesser used one.
I like Vermillion with two ‘L’s too; I did not know it was lesser-used! (though being dyslexic, I hardly notice these things).
I won’t ask for your favourite scene since I know some people don’t have those (like me; I never have favourites), but can you share a (non-spoiler) scene you really like and you just can’t believe how awesome it is every time you go back to re-read it?
I guess I am an anomaly, because I have so many favorites. For a non spoilery one I will say the scene of Last Friend’s Remembrance in Oldstone. It just exists so vividly in my mind, it is one of those scenes where I wonder how each reader sees it in their mind’s eye.
Oh, I don’t know! I have so many favorites, too! I think it’s normal!
What are some elements or themes, or combinations thereof, that really make your book stand out to you?
How all things are connected in the end. People, relationships, intrigues–it is such a small world and our actions leave such big ripples as we pass through it.
Nice!
What else would you like to share? Feel free to take this in any direction you’d like!
My biggest inspiration for the book was to not only share my experience being Asexual but to show people that their queer experience, ace or not, is valid. I have had lots of discussions with folks navigating the outskirts of queer spaces and what I most often heard was that they had no idea that their experience had a place on the lesser known parts of the queer spectrum. I wanted to bring visibility to one of those spaces.
That is neat. One thing I think everyone needs is a space to be themselves, whether or not there’s a word or label for it.
Jay Tallsquall (he/him) has always been a storyteller. Whether it be ghost stories by bonfires, building theatrical props and sets, costuming as superheroes, or running massive TTRPG campaigns, telling a tale has always been at the center of Tallsquall’s life. Set against his fantastical worlds with deep lore, he crafts intimate personal stories focusing on relationships and how they mold people and the world around them.
Tallsquall is proudly a homoaesthetic asexual but, as many older ace folks, did not have an identity to match his experience until later in life. He quietly and privately lived his truth until realizing how important it was to bring visibility to the ace community. All his stories are LGBTQIA+ inclusive but try to highlight parts of the asexual experience.
You can find Jay Tallsquall via most social media as Tallsquall.
Promise of the Betrayer’s Dagger, Book 2 of the Time of Falcons and Roses series comes out this Autumn. So if you’re interested in Legacy of the Vermillion Blade, be sure to be looking out for that, too!
Enthralled By Love 