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Seeds of Tarako

Let's talk about Tarako of Rokoat, because he's kind of a big deal. First we're gonna go into a little bit of detail about the raksa. There are two different races that live on the continent of Teratal. There's the raksa and then there's the raksasa. Now the raksasa is a kind of demon found in Indian mythology. It sometimes takes the form of a person with an animal's head. The raksa in my world are the root creature. It is a humanoid creature with the head of an animal. And it goes from elephant and bear and their immense size, down to something the size of a hare or smaller, all in the same race, divided into clans. 

There's a section of that continent. It's a horrid wasteland with an entry to Hell, and it's haunted by the ghosts of demons. A raksa who mates with one of those demon ghosts spawns a raksasa. In Indian mythology they are evil, and in my world they're evil as well.

So Tarako is a raksa. He's actually a monk. His monastery is called Iron Leaf. Iron Leaf was attacked by the Ghost Lands and overrun by them. He worships a goddess with a very small following. The religion is more cult than religion at all, and his goddess is trapped by these demon ghosts. 

Tarako suggests a solution to the Ghost Lands problem that is so horrific that he's exiled from his homeland and ends up on the continent of Perilisc. And this is where this story starts. This is where the novella Seeds of Tarako, book two of Garden of Infamy, begins. His goddess sends him on a sort of tour of the continent, telling him to fight one hero after the next. He's arrogant and violent, and little more than a monster of a man. And when he's around humans, he only sees weakness. Well he goes and fights, and this is the story of those battles. 

Garden of Infamy is like this, Garden of Infamy is a series of novellas that tell the story behind the hero, the villain, and give insight into a character that will make such an impact on the world in the future, or has made an impact so far. In all these novellas, I'm showing a character that will become very important to the future of my world. The Garden of Infamy series is an investment, and it brings you a deeper understanding of the world and how it works, and the cultures that populate it. 

I'm very excited about the release of Seeds of Tarako, because it shines a light on a character from a short story collection I released. It's a very enigmatic character that seems to be in a place that doesn't belong and doing a thing that makes no sense for him. The collection is called Legends of Eastgate. In two of the stories of that collection, you see this character. He's far from home, nowhere near his race. He's fighting a war he seems to have no stake in. He's a hero but also a villain. At one point, he is wildly fighting his enemy. In the next story he's found peace, and none of it makes any sense. The entire short story collection, when it comes to Tarako, is shrouded in mystery. 

On June 21, that mystery will be revealed. We'll see him again in two years. Legends of Eastgate and Seeds of Tarako set up a major conflict that you can read about October 5, 2024. 

In this novella, I explored some themes that I needed a closer understanding of. Leadership, friendship, service. I walked into this book thinking I knew everything there was to know about these topics. But when it comes to the wisdom of things like this, I'm never completely satisfied. Tarako taught me a lot. And if he teaches you nothing, you will at least be able to see what I believe in. 

This is a really long article, I'm gonna leave it pretty soon, but I am going to cap this article off with the mantra of Iron Leaf. These are the words that give Tarako strength, meditation, and self control. And I have found in the writing of them that they did the same for me. 

Of winding roads we walk,
To lying folk we talk.
Toward a death we stalk.
To our great deeds we flock.
And though we fear,
And though we weep,
We will not stop.
We do not sleep.

Write Like a Gangster

It's coming this weekend and I couldn't be more nervous. Tremendicon is where I'll be June 17-19. Fantasy cons always get me a little jittery. But I love talking to fans and potential readers, and I love the cosplay. This con, though, is different. It's geared toward creative people, and I'm going to sit on three panels, discussing writing and other things. But the scariest is I will be giving my first lecture. I'll be giving the lecture I call "Write Like a Gangster." And at a con where everyone will be telling the visitors the laws of writing, I'll be teaching them how to break them. 

The Silent War of the Sour Eye


Here's your access to The Silent War of the Sour Eye. The short story collection includes "The Banshee," "The Slave," "The Gilded Mares," "Son of the Demontser," "The Forge of Souls," and "The Master of the Hoodsmen."

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Jesse Teller
timea@jesseteller.com

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Jesse Teller, 2443 S. Ventura Ave., Springfield, MO  65804 USA

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