Behind The Scenes Of: Blood Pact Path Of The Dragon Book 1: Path Of The Dragon, #1.5

Behind The Scenes of Blood Pact

Daren Gillingham

Copyright © 2023 by Daren Gillingham

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Contents

Preface

1.BtS: Hope

2.BtS: The Dragon

3.BtS: Revenge

4.BtS: The Stranger

5.BtS: Cultivation

6.BtS: Lessons

7.BtS: Feast

8.BtS: Martial Skills

9.BtS: The Road

10.BtS: The Crimson Academy

11.BtS: The Trial

12.BtS: Heavenly Moon Pills

13.BtS: The Satyr

14.BtS: Elder Shi

15.BtS: Customs

16.BtS: Round Three

17.BtS: Chen Huo

18.BtS: The Cultivation Chamber

19.BtS: New Skills

20.BtS: Invitation

21.BtS: Heping City

22.BtS: The Golden Carp

23.BtS: The Auction

24.BtS: The Conditioning Chamber

25.BtS: The Crimson Valley

Thank You For Reading

Preface

Hi there and welcome to Behind The Scenes Of Blood Pact: Path Of The Dragon Book 1.

This book is broken up into the same chapters as Blood Pact to help you follow along with which chapters and scenes are being discussed. When talking about a specific scene, I try to mention the scene in question before getting into it. I tried to keep this book very informal and to treat it more like we're sitting down, having a cup of tea, and discussing the book. As such, you'll find this book frequently goes off on tangents that I think are interesting. Feel free to skip these if you wish.

As this is a behind the scenes book, it goes without saying that you should make sure you've fully read Blood Pact before continuing as this book does contain spoilers for Blood Pact.

I hope you enjoy.

Chapter one

BtS: Hope

The Lightning Temple.

The opening of the book didn't change much through revisions. Though it did have a bit of a cosmetic overhaul. In the original, there was no rust effect from the skeletal man stepping on the metal. It was essentially a lower-detail version of the existing scene.

I felt it was a bit lackluster though and poured a lot of energy into making it highly detailed and interesting. I'm particularly proud of the rust effect and what I hope is a rather intimidating entrance from our villain. This was an incredibly fun scene to write.

Though, I must admit, it's one of the scenes that worries me the most because it's the very first scene and there's that fear in the back of my mind saying 'What if people don't like it and put the book down right away?'

Even so, I think it's a good opening scene. And much better than the opening scene of my first book. So, progress.

When I read through it, I find myself wanting to change, revise, edit, and improve it... but at a certain point, I have to stop myself and focus on just getting the next book done. Otherwise, I would revise forever.

Ming Arrives On Earth.

I must admit, this is probably one of my favorite scenes for several reasons.

For starters, this is the first scene where Ming's character is truly shown. He was introduced earlier but now that he's really getting a chance to show things from his PoV it starts to show what he's really like and this effect continues into the next few scenes.

I like Ming as a character. Perhaps because he's arrogant yet kind-hearted and that's somehow endearing to me.

I also really liked how it shows the difference quite starkly between Ming's world of cultivation vs Earth where just a brief outburst causes massive damage to his surroundings. I think it helps the reader understand what's in store and how the magical world differs from Earth without really having to engage in a lengthy explanation of 'So people in this other world are suuuupper strong' which would be rather boring. Much better to have a dragon decimate his surroundings with just a roar.

There's part of me that wanted to have Ming spend a bit longer wallowing in misery. I mean, he just went to what is essentially the worst possible world. All the plans. All the hopes. All the lives sacrificed... and for what? He recovers pretty quickly and I almost feel like it's too quick... except that the story needs to get going and Ming is one tough dragon. He's been through hell countless times and he knows that sitting around moping isn't going to help.

Still... there's a part of me that feels like maybe I should've leaned into his emotions a bit more in this scene...

Ming Searches Earth.

This scene basically didn't change at all through revisions. I knew how I wanted Ming to sense Jie. And I liked the way I'd had him view and interpret Earth.

Part of me wanted to have him search faster because he moves so incredibly quickly and the scale of Earth is tiny compared to what he's used to, so he should be able to circumnavigate the globe quite easily.

But, he's not just flying as fast as possible. He's actively searching and studying and looking at people, reading minds, learning about the world a bit, etc. So, I think the time scale makes sense.

It was really important to me that Jie be exceptional out of everyone on Earth. I often find it a bit weird in stories like this where the hero chosen to save the world is just some random guy/girl.

I mean, if your world and everyone you loved were in danger, who would you choose to save it? Some random guy or the most exceptional person you can find?

Hence why Jie has an aura that Ming can sense and that piques his interest.

And, I think it ties into her character and how the story progresses. Why is Jie so determined and stubborn later on? Because she was always determined and stubborn. Why is she so smart? Because she was always smart. And incredibly hardworking etc.

I thought that this way the reader would hopefully feel that it made a sort of sense why Jie was chosen. After all, if strength is gained through hard, dedicated work cultivating every single day... then wouldn't Jie make sense as a choice?

Plus, I thought it was an interesting hook into the next chapter. A barren, lifeless world... but there's an overbearing aura? Just who could it be? Muahaha. Read on! And if you did, then that means my evil plan worked.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Chapter two

BtS: The Dragon

When Ming First Encounters Jie.

Jie's introduction was a strange one. My test readers all came back saying that they thought Ming was larger and how did he fit into that hospital?

In my mind, Ming can probably adjust his size. But, I felt like him adjusting his scale just... didn't feel right for the scene.

I wanted an image of this dragon squeezing through tight hospital spaces and taking up entire rooms rather than shrinking down to the most convenient size and hovering in front of Jie like a little pixie dragon. It just doesn't fit the vibe I wanted Ming to give off.

He's a good dragon but he's still a dragon. And he's terrifying. As he should be. This is not a dragon you want to cross. He's got a good heart but he's more than capable of brutal violence.

And I feel like a dragon taking up the entire room with jaws bigger than you are conveys that a lot better than a magically size-adjusted pixie dragon.

This scene also didn't really change in rewrites. Essentially the entire opening of the book for Path of the Dragon stayed almost exactly the same.

Most of the book did, with the fight scenes requiring a LOT of work... oh man... I have some complaining to do when we get to those. You wouldn't believe how many hours of work I poured into getting those to the level they're at...

But to get back on topic...

I wanted the reader to know more about Jie and her backstory and I thought that having Ming read her mind and tell the reader what he found would be a more interesting way of showing that rather than 'telling' it so to speak.

It was also important to me that characters have their own motivations both selfish and selfless and so I didn't want to be afraid to show Ming being a little bit... brutal and calculating. I mean he sees a crippled girl and thinks 'I know what to offer her to get her to do what I want.'

That's pretty intense. And yes what he wants is to save the universe from unspeakable horror so sure he's a good guy... but his mindset is savage.

And yet Jie herself is no less brutal. Every character has their own reasons for doing things and I hope that I conveyed that well enough.

Also, I must admit, I found it quite fun to describe her from Ming's perspective. Since, to his eyes, she's basically a weird cyborg creature. Part girl. Part machine. Sent back in time to kill John C... oh wait wrong story.

Jie Is In hospital. From Jie's Point Of View. The First Meeting.

So, now we get to see Jie's view of Ming combing through her brain. In hindsight, I probably could've cut that... but I think it's interesting to show the reader what it's like to have someone reading her thoughts and how that stirs up emotions.

Then, of course, the way his proximity makes electronics go a little nuts. Just that foreshadowing of 'Ooh here comes the dragon'. As a first meeting, I think it's relatively interesting.

Weirdly enough, the technology Jie uses is real. At least from some of the research I did. Though I'm guessing these days it's out of date. But, who cares? It fits the time period of the story.

I think I mentioned this in my author's note in the back of Blood Pact Path of the Dragon Book 1 but a lot of the inspiration for Jie and her crippled nature stems from things I went through (and to a lesser extent am still dealing with) due to my stress illness.

I had tendonitis (inflamed tendons) in both wrists, both elbows, both knees, and both ankles. I also had/still have a locked jaw (TMJ), and an issue with my voice called muscle tension dysphonia (essentially when I speak the muscles around my voice spasm from the inside, essentially strangling me. So just a normal speaking voice feels like I'm screaming at top volume and hurts like crazy as it puts enormous strain on my vocal cords.).

I also had incredible lower back pain, all kinds of muscle tension that twisted up my hip alignment, and a series of other lesser issues. Turns out negative repressed emotions are a bitch. Who knew?

Anyway... as you can imagine, it really inspired a character that couldn't speak and could barely move since in my own life I had to get someone to open bottles for me because the twisting motion made my wrists scream at me.

And, I think that's part of why the beginning scenes of this book didn't change much. The whole reason I started writing my first book was because... what the hell else could I do? I couldn't speak and I could barely do anything. Barely even use the computer. I desperately wanted to do something productive and so... writing.

But for my first book, I felt so... tense and worried about putting myself into it. A lack of confidence I suppose because I'd never done anything like it before.

For my second... I felt a lot more confident and poured a lot more of myself into it. Hence a character suffering more than I was, as paralyzed as I often felt, and far more intense than Connor (From my first book. Unspeakable Secrets The Alchemist Series Book 1).

Not to mention, I'd have killed to be instantly made better by a magic dragon. And, as I struggled to do basic things like open a bottle of milk, the idea of overwhelming power seemed incredibly enticing.

I'm rather proud of their first meeting and the way I wrote it. I feel like it helps show that neither of them is stupid, both have their own motivations, both are good people, and both have a spine.

I also hoped that Ming's promise would act as a promise not only to Jie but to the reader as well. Essentially a here's what to expect going forward not just from this book but the entire series. So if the idea of this power progression seems interesting to you then stick around because we're starting small and heading toward some utterly insane stuff.

Additionally, for this scene, I had to deal with the challenge of 'How do I have her react to a dragon appearing in her room in a believable way and then move forward into engaging with it as fast as possible'. The story would be boring if she just sat there for ten chapters refusing to acknowledge the dragon's existence. Or at the very least... it would be a very different story.

They Leave The Hospital.

This scene had slight rewrites. In the original, they flew out of the hospital without incident and soared through the night sky with less detail.

I later felt like it made Ming a bit... weightless.

I mean, sure he can fly through the air but I still wanted him to be a bit more... physical. So, I thought it would be interesting if, in his excitement, he accidentally destroyed the front door. And, I think it fits because this dragon is still fairly large. It's a tight fit to get through those doors, so if he's not extremely careful then why wouldn't he cause destruction?

It also highlights once again the relative strength of Ming and Earth. Where even a casual accident can create devastating damage.

Then, I decided to detail their flight a bit more. Technically it doesn't add anything to the story and you could argue it should be cut... but I mean who hasn't imagined flying around in the sky? Especially with a dragon?

And, I thought it helped to show Ming's joy at finding someone he saw as a diamond in the rough. He's just found the most determined person imaginable, whose personality fits what he wants quite nicely... she's perfect in many ways. Why not play in the clouds a little?

Mainly though... I just thought it was cool and that it made for some beautiful imagery. In fact, I wanted to use that imagery for the book cover but I couldn't think of how to describe it and I thought it was a bit risky... so given that I'm on a limited budget... I thought I'd better stick with a 'safer' cover.

I like how Ming questioned her use of the word 'we' relating to revenge. He's quite direct and to the point and most certainly rather arrogant and I don't know why I find that so likable. I'm a bit proud of that whole line to end the scene. It feels like it fits Ming to a T.

Chapter three

BtS: Revenge

Ming Searches For The Ones Who Killed Jie's Parents.

This scene had a lot it needed to do. I wanted to show Jie and the reader a bit of how the magic system worked while also making it clear that 'You don't need to understand, memorize or know all of this. Just relax and go with it'.

To that end, I was fine with Ming using words the reader might not understand unless they've read books in this genre before.

I hoped that Ming telling Jie that she didn't need to understand it would help the reader to know that I didn't expect/require them to understand it yet either.

In many ways, you could say I treated the introduction to the magic system a bit like a video game tutorial. I wanted to drop the reader into the deep end rather than spend ages explaining things. And to reinforce the idea of 'We'll go over this again later. Just play with it and enjoy and if you don't get everything right away, that's understandable'.

Now that I write that out, I suppose that's not really a tutorial... but it's my version of how tutorials should be so I stand by it. I find it incredibly irritating when games/books/any media spend forever explaining things.

I just want to play and figure things out as I go. Not spend an eternity doing some mandatory nonsense I'll forget in ten seconds anyway.

One of my hopes is that when people read my books, they feel like the characters and the worlds are very detailed and interesting. Hence why when Ming and Jie go back to her old home... there are people living there. And I wanted those people to give the sense that they have their own history, thoughts, ideas, and struggles.

So, hopefully, it would feel a bit like the reader had just entered into a lovely elderly couple's home. The kind of people who'd make great neighbors and be somewhat relatable. They're someone's grandparents. The grandmother knits on Thursdays. They've been married for decades. And hopefully, all of that can be communicated in just a few lines. Even if it's just a feeling.

Following The Trail Of The Ones Who Killed Jie's Parents...

This scene always reminded me of this video game I played ages ago called inFamous... I vaguely remember some kind of quest where you use your lightning powers to sense echoes of someone you have to track down... I barely