Storm Glass
(The first book in the Opal Cowan series)
A novel by Maria V Snyder
To my sister, Karen Phillips, for all the advice, support
and good times (BFF). This book has a definite sister vibe!
Author Note: Mixed Up Weather by Maria V. Snyder
I’ve been receiving a bunch of questions from my readers about why I chose Opal to be my next protagonist, how did I think of the idea for her glass magic, and what’s up with the weather stuff? I hope everyone is comfortable—this is going to take a while. I can wait while you get something hot/cold to drink ;)
For the first part of that question, I must admit it was my editor's idea. After Fire Study, I wanted to write a different book—one not in the Study world (I had been writing about Yelena for eleven years—I like her, but come on—enough already). My editor really wanted another Study book to keep up the momentum. She mentioned Opal as a potential character.
I liked Opal and she surprised me by how valuable she became in Fire Study, but I couldn't think of a story idea with her. I was explaining this to my editor in Austin, Texas, during a World Fantasy Convention, and was literally in mid-sentence (she claims I was in mid-whine—but don’t believe her) when the idea for Storm Glass popped into my mind. At first we were going to title the book Glass Study or Crystal Study, but I wanted a new title since I had a new main protagonist.
Most of my readers know I don't plan my stories in advance. I do have a general idea for a book and will write a synopsis for my editor to approve—but the finished book usually doesn't match the synopsis at all (at least, not yet). Writing is a discovery process for me and it’s what I love the most about it.
The second part of the question is why glass? In Magic Study I had a kidnapped victim named Tula who was in a coma. Yelena needed a family member to help her revive Tula so I needed to invent a family for her. I created parents, an older sister, a younger sister and a younger brother (gotta have options). Then the question arose—why would Tula be all alone at night?—with two sisters, she didn’t sleep alone. The answer was the family owned a glass factory and had to keep the kilns hot all night—so a member would baby-sit the kilns, shoveling coal when needed. Usually two together, but Opal wasn’t feeling good and Tula sent her to bed. (Note: Opal’s original name was Gale—but my editor suggested I change her name because it was too close to Goel—a major character in Magic Study—I got Opal’s name from the Pickles comic strip).
So Tula’s family was created to back up her reason for being alone. I thought I was done with them. Oh no, they appeared in Fire Study. Completely unplanned—Yelena, Moon Man and Leif were in Booruby and I remembered Tula’s family also lived there and I thought it would be interesting to get them together. First for Yelena to get caught up on the political gossip about this Daviian Clan, but then Opal’s talent revealed itself to Yelena and to me 
But why glass? I remember a trip to a glass factory when I was very young. I don’t remember the details, like where or when, but I remember the glass mouse I wanted to buy. It had a long thin tail that swirled up, and my mother said I would break it. I promised not to, and I kept my promise until I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 22 (a box fell off my father’s truck during the move and the tail broke then). I think that trip planted an idea in my mind so when I was writing Fire Study and needed to help Yelena out of a nasty jam, the glass-making interest bubbled to the surface of my mind.
Memories of a glass mouse unfortunately don’t help with writing scenes located in a glass factory. As I write, I'll come to a place where I need more information. I'll put a note in brackets to do research in my manuscript and keep on writing. I do prefer hands-on as it's the best way to learn and helps so much in translating that experience for my readers. (No, I didn’t do hands-on for learning how to pick locks…honest.…the police cleared me of all charges!).
For the glass-blowing scenes, I took a class at the Goggle Works in Reading, PA. A little far away, but closer than Philadelphia or Pittsburgh (the only other places in PA that taught glass). And I learned glass is an amazing medium. The best aspect of learning was the limitless possibilities - molten glass can be shaped into anything. Also being able to re-use glass over and over appeals to my save-the-environment lifestyle. I have since taken more glass classes and have learned to fuse glass, to make stained glass, and to make glass beads (technically they are beads—even if they aren’t round per say).
By now you’re thinking—this is interesting, but what’s with the weather? So far you haven’t mentioned it at all. Well here it is…In Fire Study, Yelena and Leif are traveling north along the border of the Stormdance Clan and Leif gives Yelena a little history lesson about the Stormdancers—they dance during storms to harvest the storm’s energy into glass orbs. They use these energy-filled orbs to fuel their factories. Pretty neat, but where did that idea come from??
First, I included that information to give the readers a little taste of Sitia. It’s called world-building in the writing biz. Details like this make the fictional world more real (at least that’s what writers are trying to do—success is sometimes debatable). I never expected this detail to be a major part of a novel.
Second, I must admit to being a.…looks over shoulder..…weather geek. I’ve been fascinated by the weather ever since I got over my fear of thunderstorms last week. Just kidding—I think I was 11 or 12 when I recovered (my father and I got caught in a thunderstorm while on a walk—nothing like facing your fears and having it pour down your back, soak your shirt and puddle in your shoes). I was so fascinated; I went to Penn State and earned a BS in Meteorology. So I am an educated weather geek. (At Penn State, we called ourselves weather weenies—but I don’t think that’s PC anymore )
Unfortunately, forecasting the weather was not only boring (I want to chase tornados), I was bad at it—really bad. In order to chase tornados, you need to know where they’ll form and when, which brings us back to the whole forecasting snafu. But being concerned about the environment, I found a job in the environmental field doing air quality work and did use my degree for ten years (take that Mom!).
I’m still fascinated with storms and will watch thunderstorms advance over the fields behind our house. We live on a slight ridge, which I named Storm Watcher’s Ridge (aren’t you amazed by my creative talents?). When we bought our yellow Labrador Retriever puppy named Hazelnut and registered her with the AKC (American Kennel Club), I wrote Storm Watcher’s Ridge Kennel’s Hazelnut as her official AKC name. Snotty eh? We call her Hazel for short.
So weather degree plus glass equals Storm Glass. Simple right? (No don’t ask me why it took me sixteen paragraphs and 1,265 (so far) words to tell you—just nod politely, sip your drink and chalk it all up to crazy writers).
PS: I also love dogs—so I wrote a story for middle-grade readers (8-12 yrs old). Here’s a short summation: weather degree plus search and rescue dogs equals Storm Watcher. (No, it isn’t a book you can buy.…yet—I’m working on it).
1
THE HOT AIR pressed against my face as I entered the glass factory. The heat and the smell of burning coal surrounded me in a comforting embrace. I paused to breathe in the thick air. The roar of the kilns sounded as sweet as my mother’s voice.