Fortune’s Wing was the first book I ever published, and it was the first book I had ever written which used human characters. The first edition was published in 2009, while the original handwritten edition was completed in 2002. I made a few changes before submitting it for publication, some of which I will briefly discuss towards the end of this blog entry. But first, let’s talk about the ladies of the Fortune’s Wing series.

There are “heroes” and there are “villains” in this series. Fortune sets out on a journey to either save or destroy the world, and he is accompanied by his sister, Haverdy, his girlfriend Esrieve, and his psychic friend, Narumi, along with his other friends Tony and Ringo. The group frequently finds themselves in a confrontation of some sort with members of the Winged Seven: powerful sorcerers who want control of Fortune’s Wings. They are led by Demetri, their strongest member and the one who is hell bent on gaining control of the wings, no matter what the cost.

Haverdy Oyama: Fortune’s brave tomboy of a younger sister. She’s not afraid to run head-first into a battle, and is even prepared to give her life for her brother. She believes in him, and is the first to volunteer when he sets out on his first journey.  She wears her hair stylishly short and prefers to dress in boys’ clothing, much to the dismay of her mother.

Esrieve Fullerton: Fortune’s girlfriend. She’s in the same grade as Haverdy, and while she would like to be equally as brave, she’s very afraid of all the dangers that lay ahead during the journey. Still, she stands by Fortune’s side. Esrieve can be a tad air-headed at times, but she always means well.

Narumi Hime: One of Fortune’s best friends. Narumi is half Japanese, and has a psychic ability, which proves to be very useful while she and the others search for The Wings. She’s very quiet, but feels things very deeply, and is often concerned for her friends’ safety.

Verdonna Onnashari, Oracle of Light: The one who chose Fortune to bear the Wings. Verdonna is a member of a very old clan of people who are fully aware of the Prophecy of The Wings. She lives in the woods with her people, in seclusion. She’s young, around Fortune’s age (BTW: Fortune is eighteen), but she is wise beyond her years.

Emery Holt: She’s a little girl who carries a special light, which reminds Fortune what he’s fighting for. She was the only survivor of an attack on her town by the Oracle of Darkness. She’s playful and sweet, as a child should be, and usually clings to Haverdy.

Kazumi Ogata: Haverdy’s childhood friend who moves back to the neighborhood after being away for a few years. She unwittingly becomes a part of The Winged Seven’s plan to defeat Fortune when she is abducted and used to lure Fortune and company into a trap.

Seynoma: One of the Winged Seven. Her power is the ability to creature fierce monsters from nature. It’s an ability she has had since she was younger. When Demetri found her, he convinced her to help him by making her believe they could create a better world.

Isabelle: Another member of the Winged Seven. Truthfully, Isabelle doesn’t want to be part of the fight. She’s a bit of an outcast: she’s a Goth girl who has never been about to fit in. She has the ability to manipulate people by using their fears against them.

There is a character missing from this list: Russia Proust. In my very first version of the story, Kazumi returns to visit Haverdy, and as the two of them begin to catch up, Haverdy asks Kazumi if she is seeing anyone. It is later revealed, Kazumi does have someone special in her life, and that someone is a girl named Russia, who looks suspiciously like Haverdy. When I made the decision to publish this book, I wanted it to be appropriate for middle school age readers, so I left Russia out of the story. I have thought about publishing the original version in its entirety, which would include Russia, and would be for the 17 and older crowd.

I also made a change to Narumi. Her original name was Nirogetai, and her friends called her Niro for short. I thought it would be silly for to have a made-up Japanese name, so I gave her a real one instead. Loosely translated, her current name means “roaring sea princess”.

I wrote a spin-off series featuring Haverdy, titled “Haverdy O”, which follows her as she begins attending college with Esrieve, Kazumi and Russia, and begins to explore her Japanese heritage and discover who she truly is. I’m planning to publish it, in the future.

Next week, the ladies of The Witch of Fulton Lane.