It was the mid 1990's. I recall watching a documentary about Antarctica, describing how in some places the Ice was as much as a mile to a mile and a half thick in places. I recall seeing a map of Pangea, and how the continent that would one day become Antarctica was wedged neatly in between South Africa, India and Australia.
So I started thinking to myself, with Antarctica positioned roughly where Australia is today, it surely must have at one time been temperate and parts perhaps almost tropical. What if? What if people once lived upon the continent of Antarctica? What if it were possible to melt away all of those miles of ice and snow, would we today find evidence that a great civilization once existed there upon the Antarctic continent?
The concept got me really excited. I started researching and poring over maps of Antarctica.
First I would need a hero. Someone who was perhaps a scientist on an expedition to Antarctica.
I would need a base of operations. I discovered that there really was a Camp Ohio in Antarctica.
I found a 1963 National Geographic map showing what subglacial Antarctica would look like.
And the Isles of Kolothys, The Isle of Tyrrh, the high plateau of Vironia and the other provinces sprang to life in my mind, almost faster than I could write the ideas down. What if the WIlkes Subglacial Basin had a lake in it and woulkd one day become Lake Vastia, in the provice of the Valrimir? What if Vinson Massif, once of the worlds highest mountains was an outpost for Sentinels keeping watch over the western seas for signs of invasion by the warlike Tyrrh?
It was almost as if I was drawing directly from the great Super-Consciousness that I describe in my book, the same source that the mysterious Illidranii draw forth from. I felt that the words were flowing through me, rather than from within me. It was as if this was a story that the great SuoerConsciousness wanted to be revealed to the world.
And thus, the amazing world of Shalrodan was born. In time characters came to mind, and took on a life of their own in my mind. And the rest is history.
Hi there Mr. Hotchkiss! I am such a big fan of your books, they are so intricately designed!
I wanted to comment on this fascinating concept, that Antarctica was once tropical or at least warm! Have you ever seen the Piri Reis map? I read into it, apparently this map was made in the 1500's but showed Antarctica's coastline free from ice. Where would he get that information I wonder, if Antarctica was always covered in ice? He must have known something about when it was in warmer climates!
I also love how you talk about the Superconscious, the Source of all inspiration. I feel that God truly did want you to put your books down on paper, it's such…