How Did I Build the World of Moerden?

Map of Moerden by K. Bates

The land of Moerden, where Follow the Shadows is set, almost built itself. I didn’t know much about it before Marise Leeson got dropped on a steep unstable mountain slope. I knew it was a place where dragons lived, which suggests caves, but the rest was still hidden from me. Finding out more about it was like visiting a brand new landscape and fearlessly exploring.

Of course Marise has a good view from the mountainside so I began to see the geography through her eyes right away. Even as she was asking herself “what next?” I was asking similar questions. What’s at the bottom of that slope? Where will she find water? Shelter? Safety? Where does the Darjugan River come from and where does it go? How big is the desert? How many caves are in Cliff Rhumba, and what’s in them? These questions were answered in due time.

As Marise finds her way in Moerden and learns to ride a dragon, and communicate with dragons, she’s able to explore more and more. The vistas reveal themselves to her one by one, and they revealed themselves to me in the same way, as the story unfolded. During her time in Moerden, Marise visits many different places: the desert from mountains to coast, the lush river canyon, the perilous but beautiful river delta, the forests and coastal lowlands. It’s a beautiful world with a surprise around every corner. Not all of the surprises are pleasant ones.

Eventually I knew enough of Moerden to have a geographical map in my head. Before long it got scratched onto paper (even the author needs to refer to a map from time to time). Ultimately, artist K. Bates transformed my crude illustration into a beautiful map for the front of the book. I always appreciate and spend time with maps of fantasy worlds, and I hope that the readers of Follow the Shadows also find the map useful for visualizing where everything is in the world they read about .

As the story of Marise’s second visit unfolds in Book 2 of the Tales of Moerden, I’m learning more about some of the places on the map, as well as discovering new places, in a similar process to book 1. The Whispern Caverns piqued my curiosity early on, and the Lusus Forest to the south has more tales to tell as well. I can’t help but think that we’ve still only been introduced to a tiny piece of Moerden. I wonder how much more we’ll ultimately come to know.