The Yang and Yin of Darkness and Light
This is the blog I began to write last week when the last one formed itself on my computer. That seems to happen often. (grin) And, yes, I flipped the title purposely to tie this and the last blog together.
Please note: this is not a spoiler-free blog. If you do not wish to avoid, you may wish to read the books first then pop back here. I’ll wait…
...Are you ready?
The very basic concept of the Jamie Poole story arc is a battle between darkness and light. There is a duality between them. One cannot exist without the other.
Early into the series Jamie is visited by a shadowy figure that she can’t quite remember. He first appears in her room while she’s sleeping, but he keeps to the shadows. At this point she is sixteen. She can’t quite make him out. In fact, for many years she forgets the meeting happens. When the idea of the meeting begins to surface in her mind, she doubts herself and considers the meeting nothing but a dream.
Insert the quote I mentioned before: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martian Luther King Jr.
As I said, there is a play on darkness and light repeated in the story arc. If naming the sword Lumen wasn’t a big enough clue…
...Or the man hiding in the shadows whose name Jamie finally recalls: Tristan.
“Tristan’s Blood!” is a famous curse of her dad’s. He'd used it repeatedly when he grew angry or agitated. Why? At first she considered it just that: a curse. Perhaps he said that instead of something harsher or more blasphemous. She realizes it’s so much more when her mom “almost” acknowledges she knows someone named Tristan. And isn't Tristan an unusual name? It's not common like John, Joe, or Michael. In fact, her mom grows alarmed when she thinks Jamie may have met Tristan. Jamie denies any meeting, having forgotten it. Her mom refuses further details and quickly recants any knowledge. If that isn't weird, I don't know what is! Clearly in her mom's head, she's simply thanking the stars above that Jamie has escaped any knowledge of Tristan. If only that were so...
In The Courtship of Brett Poole we finally meet Tristan and learn more about who he is. "The what": That’s another question.
Sisterhood of the Sword is where Jamie first meets Tristan face to face. The what is what she cannot figure out. He kidnaps her in World War II Canada. It is more a game of cat and mouse as he toys with her, frustrates her, and helps her unlock powers within her that she didn’t realize she had.
A quick clip of their dialogue:
He leaned in, concerned. “Are things are getting slippy again? I’m not getting carried away.” When I didn’t answer, he continued enthusiastically, “Now that I have your attention, I will admit, without reservation or hesitation, you’re the one…”
“Shut up!” I yelled.
But he continued, leaning closer, “The yin to my yang. That white unicorn, once-in-a-lifetime, perfect opponent.”
Unfortunately, despite spending time as his captive, Jamie escapes, having never learned "the what." "The what" is the most important thing. It may explain why he is willing to toy with Time. When will she figure it out. Have you?
There cannot be a hero without a villain. Jamie would not come into herself—discover more about herself—without an opponent like Tristan. Despite…or because of his villainy, she is forced to think outside the box to find ways to prevent Tristan from changing Time.
It is the age-old challenge of good versus evil. Storywriters have been writing on this topic for millennia. It is because art and life are interwoven. We see the challenges in our own lives, or the injustices in society. We look for the hero.
In Tome of Tubal-Cain, Jamie responds to her friends:
Lenore stopped me with a sober look. Even the Voices shut up. “You are the shield between light and darkness. We need you. Those Voices in your head. They need you too.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not Nikola Tesla. You’re making me out as a hero. I’m not a hero.” I was ordinary. Like Bruce.
Peter suggested, “Stand in the light. Stand for the light… Uh, that just came to me.”
Light and dark. Good and bad.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Jamie realizes this even if she feels she is not prepared to be the one to stand against such absolute darkness. Her friends assure her they will stand with her.
And in this, I am proud to announce that Tome of Tubal-Cain, the third book in the Jamie Poole series, will be available in paperback this December!
As with the first two paperbacks, this book contains revised details not available currently in the ebook by the same name.
In this novel Jamie is just beginning to realize that Tristan exists. All she knows is some force is working against her. He is changing Time for his own warped purposes. By doing this, he is altering the timeline. As a consequence Jamie lives in an alternate reality. A broken reality. She has been called upon to fix it. Lumen (the light) is an otherworldly sword empowered with unique qualities to assist her. In the end, it will be Jamie and Tristan head to head. The perfect hero story.
We at Jamie Poole Books hope that you are as excited as we with this announcement. We will continue to get further books into paperback. And, as thing normalize in our world, we will continue to get books to our readers! If you have any questions, please drop us a line: jamiepoolebooks@gmail.com. We would love hearing from you.
