Three years ago, my kids and I did a year long study on the medieval period in history. Knights, and castles, and peasants, and plagues dominated our reading and filled our thoughts. One day, we came across the codes of chivalry and I was instantly captivated. I loved these codes. Help the weak. Fight with honor. Protect the faith. I envisioned knights in combat, adhering to a code that championed justice and mercy. Never attack and unarmed man, never cheat, never torture. Defend the poor, innocent, and helpless. On a deep level, I loved the principles behind these codes, and there, in the depths of my heart birthed the concept of the King’s Bowman—archers driven by a moral code at their very core, as well as the code that governed them.

The Bowman Code

Serve king and tier with all thy strength.

Show compassion and mercy with all thy heart.

Protect the weak and help the helpless.

Do everything with courage, honesty, and selflessness.

In all things trust the truth.

The only thing to rival their moral conviction would be their skill with a longbow. And suddenly I stood face to face with Colt Hawthorne and to my surprise, Princess Aratess.

Both characters are drawn to the code, desperate to serve their tier, even though it is nearly impossible for them to do so. The barriers they faced couldn’t be more different. Colt is a poor thorn farmer born of mixed parentage, and Tess is a woman, and a princess to boot. Both were Bowmen in their hearts long before they carried the crest and their journeys to the Bowman Corps dominated my thoughts as the story took shape.

Then came the skill part. I needed to know how to write the experiences of elite archers with authenticity. So, I bought a longbow, and I began practicing. It’s very, very difficult to shoot accurately with a longbow! I have the utmost respect for my characters!

After our spring melt, I always find arrows that completely missed the target and surrounding arrow catch my husband built for me and the kids. Despite my mediocrity, I still learned what it felt like to make a full draw, the focus needed to sight a target and the hours upon hours of practice required to become proficient. And I loved it. But not everyone would. Come to think of it, most hate the work required to excel at anything, and most resent a code if it forbids them from getting what they want. Enter Deacon, my Mist Raider, a pirate by all measures. I love Deacon! He may not be drawn to the code or to hard work, but he is drawn to his friends, and he has fashioned his own code, and there’s hope for him. There’s always hope!

These Three unlikely friends, Colt, Tess, and Deacon, would challenge and encourage, and infuriate each other to epic levels of honor and self-sacrifice. They would exemplify the Bowman code allowing readers to watch those principles manifest in the lives of each character, jumping right off the page… into icy water.  😊