Boreal and John Grey Season 1 (62 page)

I like very much the idea of parallel worlds and of crossing over. I also wanted to explore the appearance of the elves as described – their ears, so often talked about, but also their paleness (at least for the Light elves), and give it a logical explanation, since I’ve made them as “human” as possible. Therefore, I went back to the origins of our race to find out how a race could be born with ears different from ours (yeah, a small ear fetish here... lol) and practically albino.

Why do elves look the way they look
?

The ears were interesting. Most animals have pointed ears – but our ancestor, a tiny rat-like mammal, happened to have rounded ear tips (http://www.livescience.com/26929-mama-first-ancestor-placental-mammals.html). No evolutionary advantage there, simply luck gave us rounded ears. Which meant the elves could simply have evolved from a similar ancestor – with pointed ears. There you go: instant Spock ears for the entire elven race.

The colors are another story. The question was more complex and has to do with environmental adaptation for survival. My answer was two-fold. Elves are often portrayed with uptilted eyes, an Asian feature. Science tells us many peoples in Asia have evolved this eye shape to deal with the glare of snow. The narrower the eyes, the less likely they are to be blinded by the reflection and in the north of Asia there is a lot of snow. Elves coming from a world mired in an ice age might well develop such eyes – it would be useful!

Finally, why would they be so pale? Again the answer is two-fold. One part has to do with sunlight and the production of vitamin D, needed for strong bones, healthy skin, nails and hair. People in the north of Europe, for instance, are pale, blond and blue-eyed. This is a light form of albinism which developed thousands of years ago, ensuring that the radiation of the feeble sunlight of the north was absorbed in much higher quantities in their skin to enhance the production of vitamin D, something the higher levels of melanin in the skin of most people would prevent (melanin is there to protect us from the harmful radiation of the sun. The stronger the sunlight, the more melanin is needed for protection, allowing just the right amount of radiation to go through for a healthy body...). So, you see, being pale in a world with practically no sunlight would be a good thing for these elves.

Then there’s the issue of camouflage. In a world where the elves are not the highest rank predators (well, hello dragons and wolves!), being able to hide easily would be paramount to their survival. Their paleness, combined with the bright lines flashing on skin and hair, would help them blend in the snow of their home world, in the way arctic foxes and polar bears do.

Where is the story set
? The context is vaguely US but I haven’t picked a particular town. I hope you forgive me for this vagueness. Also for my obsession with dreams. I can’t help it.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering... I’m nothing like Ella. I’m more like Finn: the silent type. I also have no family from France or Scandinavia, although as a child I thought I was a changeling (still not sure I’m not). Regarding mothers: my mother is nothing like Ella’s, either. Mine is very supportive and we have a great relationship. Just thought to clear this up.

One last thing
...

A huge thanks to all of you who followed my heroes on their adventures. I hope you enjoyed spending time with them. I am planning to write a second Season to the series. If you have enjoyed this series and if you would like a sequel, please write a review, it would mean the world to me.

About the Author

Greek Cypriot with a penchant for dark myths, good food, and a tendency to settle down anywhere but at home, Chrystalla likes to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. She lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herds of books. She writes mainly fantasy and science fiction. Her dystopian YA science fiction series “Elei’s Chronicles” (
Rex Rising
,
Rex Cresting
,
Rex Equilibrium
) is available on Kindle and in print. Shorter stories set in that world are also available, and a Companion to the series is also in the plans.

Where to find all books and series
:
http://tinyurl.com/buth6k6

Other links
:

Blog:
http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/chrystallathoma

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