Meet the novel now known as Twist the Branch! I wrote before about working with book coach Karen A Parker on developing Seeker of the Lost Song further, but this title change isn’t a result of that. I had been mulling over new title ideas for a long time. This book has changed so much and a new name was needed. I wanted one that I felt better represents the story and its particular fantasy novel vibes. And, to be honest, I wanted a shorter one too. I don’t mind long titles but since it’s my own book and a title I’ll probably have to say for years, I fancied something a little more manageable. I also wanted one that would work well with the book’s sequel, and I didn’t even know I was writing a sequel when I chose the original title.
Okay, enough waffling. The novel formerly known as Seeker of the Lost Song is now called Twist the Branch.
It’s fun to say. It’s active. It fits the vibe so much better. It pairs so nicely with its sequel title (Corrode the Song). And I think they both sound pretty metal, which is always something I like in a fantasy novel title. I actually feel such a deep aversion to titling projects, so having one I actually like is nothing short of miraculous. 🤘🏼
Let me reacquaint you with the story:
“History begins where magic ends”
In the paranoid Leitir Empire, Elis Kalevi knows that standing out is dangerous. Fear keeps the Vetsi people from asking why their stories and language are suppressed, and why the Empire insists there was no history before Leitir longships landed on Vetsi shores five centuries ago. Questioning the edicts of Empire violates Memorylaw and is punished by something known only as “rehabilitation.”
When Elis’ brother Edrik loses control of the forbidden nature magic he once concealed and they’re both marked for rehabilitation, they escape to follow a rumoured awakening magic in the east—and unfamiliar memories of ancient spell-song Elis starts receiving. Travelling with the only two people she trusts and two enigmatic strangers, Elis must uncover her people’s buried history before her mind is overtaken by someone else’s memories. Or before their deception catches up to them.
Inspired by pre-colonial Filipino culture and medieval Finland under Swedish rule, Twist the Branch explores the mutability of history, the power of the collective, and small actions that fracture oppressive systems. Garner draws on the historical commonalities between her two cultures in a timeless and timely story of reclaiming lost history.
Twist the Branch characters
When I started writing Twist the Branch in 2018, I went online to find some photos to represent its main cast of characters. I’d already had an idea of how they’d look, but actual visual references always help me better describe characters on-page. Recently I decided to find closer representations of these invented people who had come to mean so much to me. I wanted to meet them properly, in a way.
So, here they are, the five major characters of Twist the Branch*:
Elis & Edrik Kalevi
While Elis is the main character/protagonist, I found it easier to describe her in relation to her brother Edrik, which I did this way: “His thick black hair fell straight, often over his eyes, which were near-black. Our skin was the same golden beige, our jawlines both rounded. We had the same nose, with a low bridge and rounded tip. The folds of his eyelids weren’t as defined as mine and my hair was longer, but on the whole we looked so similar that I used to wonder if we weren’t twins, the fact that my brother came along a year later notwithstanding.”
To me it’s really important that she’s perceived as Southeast Asian, though I’ll be happy with at least generally Asian (though in this fantasy setting those descriptors don’t exist). While in my mind she’s Filipino-coded, I care more that she’s not read as white.
Sigvid Falkr
“The light from the fire played on the rich sepia tones of his skin and the springy dense curls of his black hair.” [TIME PASSES] “It was then that I first noticed his hair was different, neatly twisted in small rows lying flat, hugging the contours of his scalp. I hadn’t even registered that his hood had fit closer to his head before, but now that we had a moment to stop and think, I let myself admire his work, the way the hairstyle brought more attention to his cheekbones and eyes.”
Sigvid is a Hall of Memories Historian and studies history, but Elis frequently studies his face, let’s just say that.
Narra Selkonen
“She looked a few years younger than me, about my height, with skin a warm rose beige. She was dressed in the mottled colours of the Foresters—black from acorn cups and walnut husks, purple from the roots of a cherry tree, grass-dyed green. Garments dyed and re-dyed as the wearer desired. Her dark hair was wavy and long, skimming the breeze as she considered me.”
(Fun fact: The narra tree is the national tree of the Philippines, and “Selkonen” refers to a woodland area of northern Finland.)
Anneke Råberg
“She was not overly tall, with cool beige skin, white-blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She stood with her hands deep in the pockets of her leaf-green cloak. Her stance was wide as if bracing for a fight, but her casual, almost bored posture was disarming.”
I had an image of Anneke in my head early on (though she went through two name changes, poor thing). I found this reference photo early in my 2018 planning process and it stuck. I don’t know if it’s five years of Seeker, but to me the set of this model’s jaw, her direct and somewhat evaluating gaze, are just so Anneke.
*AKA The Five Shit-Disturbers of the Forest Land ♡
Moodboard for Twist the Branch
When I finished the first draft of what was then called Seeker of the Lost Song in 2022, I created a little moodboard for the book. After revising that draft a few times I found that a few elements could be updated – so I did!
In particular, the second image below (which was difficult to find a good free stock photo of). It’s a photo of Porvoo Old Town, Finland, with its colourful wooden 18th- and 19th-century buildings. While my book is loosely based on a period hundreds of years earlier than the 18th century, many of its towns are modelled on Porvoo Old Town. My mom lived in Porvoo at one point and I still have family there, so it’s a very special place to me. I fell out of bed there when I was four! That’s unrelated, but I have to mention it. I woke up on the way down. Just IMAGINE that.
The other images in this moodboard are either direct representations of things you’ll find in the book—like the sod-roofed wooden cottage—or things that inspired me in a more ~*~vibes~*~ way—like the Skyrim tavern and the Mud Maid sculpture in The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
