Éric Desmarais

Hello Readers,

There are many ways to go about designing a Hidden World. In the case of the Aetherverse, it almost designed itself by accident.

It started with me reusing names and then purposely doing mini-crossovers. Soon (okay five books in) I realized the whole thing was connected. The Aetherverse currently spans ten published books and has a little of everything in it.

The Elizabeth Series introduced hidden magic, wizards, and a society of magical people called Aetherborn.

Parasomnia introduced the concept of Elmsley the paramilitary organization who hunt down monsters and all things weird.

Everdome introduces the other Realms, worlds that are parallel to our own and connected by magic (Aether).

Finally Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers and Crushing it expanded on the concept of Aetherborn and how they stay hidden. These two and their sequels also add another dimension that is rarely explored in Fantasy, that of space aliens.

Westmeath 2004

The city is the home to one of the largest populations of magical and mythological people in the world. It’s a city where aliens, Aetherborn, and superheroes co-exist and often come into conflict.

The veil of secrecy in Westmeath is kept up in part because of the technological companies that call it home. When a military tech contractor is working on projections and mechs, it’s easy to dismiss a few monsters. Even then, monsters makes sense with superheroes in residence.

The Balance

As an author, and a reader, you want big adventures. Those don’t always end up being subtle and it can be difficult to make sure the veil of secrecy isn’t destroyed. There’s only so much suspension of disbelief a reader is willing to do.

Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests

Giant monsters are not subtle. When they disappear after being fought by a superhero, it gets easier for people to believe there’s something else going on. The normal citizens of Westmeath are used to gangs, superheroes, and weird things happening, so to them, this is more like a hazard to avoid.

For the outside world, it’s significantly easier for them to assume a marketing ploy or some sort of advanced tech gone wrong. It might seem hard to dismiss and move on, but how many of us remember the mysterious monoliths of 2020?

One of the bigger story points in the Gates of Westmeath series is secrecy and protecting the Aetherborn Community.

It’s not always easy keeping the secrets of magic when you have a wedding to plan and monsters to stop.