Ok, so if you’ve read my book, Sorrowfish, you may have gleaned some of this already. But I wanted to have one place where I define my magic system and clarify questions about it.

I get asked about it a lot.

First off, where it came from. Cosmic DJ. I started to realize the music playing in my mind related to the world around me, whatever was going on. It was funny. Sometimes hilarious. And I dubbed the music Cosmic DJ. Once I was talking to a young lady about Jesus and “Just As I Am” was playing. I didn’t know I knew the song. I’d be driving and “I Can’t Drive 55” would play. So things like that happened and Cosmic DJ was born. I started to develop my world in 1998.

The rules. If someone is fae (and most Earth people are fae to some degree) they can hear the Song or the Dissonance. When they are grounded in Canard, they hear it more. A Canardian magic user falls into two categories: dewin and Majister. These are the folk who are tuned to the Song and wield it without any help. A Majister is a magic user who has created a harmony bond with a fae, going through the ritual that Sara and Dane go through at the end of the book. Dewin can hear the Song and use it, but when they become Majisters it is much much easier due to their bond.

The Conclave is filled with people who cannot hear the Song. They memorize ancient tunes (composed by Modric) which accomplish specific goals and with the help of their tunebells or other musical plants, they can do magic. Spinners are people with special instruments imbued with the Song. These instruments actually have an aural nexus embedded within them that give the user gifts, much like dewin. When they are playing the instrument with a musical bloom that has been crushed, they become receivers. They can wield the Song.

The flowers activate what is known as an aural nexus and strengthen it. The aural nexus surrounds a person and plays in their mind. Some creatures have stronger aural nexuses. Chymaera, especially, have a natural ability to use the Song. Gnomes have a rhythm or cadence to them that strengthens aural nexuses, a fact which Jamis discovered.

But that is another book.

The Song comes from the Creator. Dissonance is made whenever anyone lies, deceives or tries to implement their own will upon the Song. So the Conclave is definitely spreading dissonance, and a lot of it. The more dissonance, the more creation unravels.

One last note. Snakes are deaf. The Wyrm was a form to imprison an evil immortal being and keep him away from the Song. He is, of course, trying to escape that form.

Ok, I hope this has been helpful. But if you have questions, shoot them at me. I’ll answer as best I can. To learn more about my world visit sorrowfish.com