Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Please only read this page if you already read the book.
Welcome to "Beyond the Palladium," where I will provide some insights to the secrets of the book and answer questions I frequently received from readers. Do you have a question, too? Feel free to ask me by using the "contact" form on the homepage or the one at the bottom of this page!
01
Mummy brown
Did mummy brown really exist? Sadly, yes. I didn't make that up. The pigment was indeed made from the flesh of mummies mixed with white pitch and myrrh. Mummy brown was extremely popular from the mid-eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries, but it declined in demand and availability as fresh supplies of mummies diminished. Mummy brown was was used by many artists, including Eugene Delacroix, William Beechey, Edward Burne-Jones, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and Martin Drolling.
02
What happened in 1918 on hill 223?
Right before the SWAT-Team attacks them, Medusa mentions an event that happened in 1918 on Hill 223. This refers to Alvin C. York, a 29-year-old blacksmith from Tennessee, who was drafted into WWI.
Hill 223 is a strategic location near Chatel-Chéhéry, France, where York and his unit, a group of seventeen soldiers, were assigned to infiltrate German lines and silence a machine gun nest on October 8, 1918. He led the automatic rifle squad. German small arms fire killed six and wounded three of his men. Yet York and his remaining comrades fought back with courage and skill, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers and making 132 prisoners.
Alvin York received the Medal of Honor and became one of America’s most celebrated war heroes.
Swedish metal band Sabaton made a song about York ("82nd All The Way") which was also covered by Amaranthe.
03
Will there be a sequel?
Most likely. Yes, I do have a list of who the other Circle members are. It would be interesting to have them interact. Not only that, but to have the reader figure out and discover who they are is a very exciting thought. However, before even thinking about writing a sequel, there is still "The Retriever" and book #4 to be published.
04
Who is the entity Pandora freed from the chest?
While he is not explicitly named in "The Palladium," it is Taka, the god going after Thomas in "The Warrior With Broken Wings."
The story comes full circle in "The Retriever," where you will find out more about him, on his background and what exactly happened to him.
05
Why did Courbet have to die? I liked him!
Right?! Unfortunately, my publisher advised me to rewrite the "Last Stand" chapter. Three times. So there are three different versions of what happened existing in my head. Not fun. Yet I believe that the final version to be by far the best, as it has Pandora freeing and interacting with Taka in it. I am still sad that the chapter had Courbet, whom I really enjoyed to write, dying.
For your entertainment, here's how that conversation went:
Publisher: So about Palladium's "The Last Stand" chapter. We've talked to the editor...
Me: (uh-uh) Yes?
Publisher: It's going too smoothly. You'll have let someone die. They can't all fight against those demons and survive.
Me: (sweating intensifies) Who? I mean...
Publisher: (long pause)
Me: (don't say Courbet, don't say Courbet)
Publisher: Courbet?
Me: (gasps) I surely won't kill one of the most influencial painters of the Realism era! I like him, he's nicely eccentric!
Publisher: How about Medusa?
Me: (goes pale) What? No! I will definitely not kill her! And no, Joan has to live, too! You know what? Fine! I'll rewrite the chapter again and come up with something! (sigh).
Never mess with an author's creativity! 😁
06
The music of chance
Several people have asked me whether I prefer silence or music when writing my books. The answer is that I always write with music running in the background. And in a lot of cases, I listen to the same songs over and over again while writing a chapter. There are songs that carry an entire chapter, such as "Where the Truth lies," originally from the Prince Lionheart animated series soundtrack. It fits perfectly to the scene when Michael tries to get into the waiting room, while everything around him is on fire.
And yes, the adventures of my main characters tend to start with them listening to a Robert Tepper song. "Angel of the City" for Thomas ("The Warrior With Broken Wings"), "No Rest for the Wounded Heart" for Michael, "The Unforgiven" for Derek ("Book #4") and "No Easy Way Out" for Jack ("The Retriever").
The song that stands for the entire book for me, is "Sunrise." It has its own story, as while I was writing the book, I won an auction on ebay that included over three dozen club vinyl records in a metal case. I was mainly after the metal case, but there were some really nice records in that collection, too (such as "Captain Jack" or "Ride on Time").
I listened to all the vinyls, one after another, until William Hawk's "Sunrise" record. As soon as I started listening to it, I could literally see the scene of Medusa crushing her sunglasses and walking out of the hotel, right into the scattered gunfire. Just like Manowar's "Heart of Steel" in "The Warrior With Broken Wings," "Sunrise" for me is the song I personally associate with "The Palladium" the most. Even after listening to it probably hundreds of times, I still like it and it causes me to see that scene in front of my mind's eye.
In the original draft, I had Bob Dylan's "Knocking on heaven's door" playing, but then decided to change it to the Guns 'n Roses version in order to stick to the 90's vibe. I still have the CD from the legendary 1992 Freddy Mercury tribute. What a time that was.
Well, this is also a form of foreshadowing, as Michael, without knowing it, is on its way to obtain Billy the Kid's guns when that song plays in the radio.
I am not a big fan of Wonderwall, but on the other hand, I believe it incorporates the sound of the 90's very well. I like Roxette a lot, their songs always remind me of the late 80's and 90's. By the way, "Almost Unreal" is taken from the 1993 movie soundtrack of the Super Mario Bros. movie.
07
Pandora
"The Palladium" was not the book's working title, nor the intended published title. It was supposed to be named: "The Circle: Pandora," but had to be changed as another book was published with a similar title. That's why we changed it to "The Palladium." Finding a proper title was really, really difficult, though. Much in contrast to my other books.
08
Does The Orchid Hotel really exist?
Perhaps. If not, one would certainly wish so.
Same to the Circle. There is a deeply rooted desire for someone upright and curagious to fight the fights no one else dares to go into. Not for fame or money, no, but just because it is the right thing to do.
I was told that the hotel was named after the song "Radio Orchid" by Fury in the Slaughterhouse. The song tells the story of a widow who uses her deceased husband’s legacy to buy a radio station and help people in need. She broadcasts her voice of hope and compassion to those who are lonely, lost, or struggling.
You can visit the hotel's website below.
09
Merch
I’m thrilled to share some of the merch for the Palladium with you. Unfortunately, most of it is currently sold out on my publisher's website, but I occasionaly host exclusive raffles on instagram. Follow me there for updates or check back my publisher's websits for updates and restocks.
Signed Books
Bookmarks
Medusa’s Throwing Darts
The Circle’s Palladium Coins
Audiobook mp3 CD's
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As a special treat for my fans, my publisher has uploaded a free stl - file of the Palladium's Medusa to Thingiverse and Cults, to be printed out with your 3D printer!
The package contains Medusa as well as a base and a sample from the book.
10
Is the story really based on a dream?
Yes. I do have sort of cinematic dreams several times per year. I'd like to stress that I don't drink alcohol, nor do I do any kinds of drugs. 😅
There were some differences between the dream and the book, though. For example, in my dream, as well as in the first draft of the book, there wasn't a library but a cafeteria. Those paintings were hanging on giant glass windows that gave way to a different location (a forest), which clearly couldn't be Karlsruhe as even the daytime was different. The waiting room, including Ian, was just as I described it in the book.
11
Locations
Karlsruhe, located in southwestern Germany, is the third-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It sits on the right bank of the Rhine River, very close to the French-German border. The city was founded in 1715 by Charles III William and has a rich historical background as a former capital of various entities, including the Margraviate of Baden and the Grand Duchy of Baden.
Karlsruhe is a significant legal hub in Germany. It houses institutions such as the Federal Constitutional Court, the Federal Court of Justice, and the Public Prosecutor General of the Federal Court of Justice. These institutions play crucial roles in the country’s legal system.
The city’s most remarkable building is Karlsruhe Palace, constructed in 1715. It now hosts the Baden State Museum, showcasing cultural and regional history. Additionally, Karlsruhe is home to several higher education institutions, including the renowned Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Karlsruhe’s blend of tradition, innovation, and legal prominence makes it a fascinating and vibrant city!
The Chadschi Dimitar is a mountain located in Bulgaria. The Buzludzha Monument, also known as the Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party, stands atop Buzludzha Peak in central Bulgaria.
12
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The 20th Chapter
What is the meaning of the Chinese characters in the chapter title?
Most of my chapter titles are well chosen. I like to play that game, it's a bit like hide and seek with foreshadowing content. "賭神" refers to a 1989 Hong Kong movie with Chow Yun-fat. Its title: God of Gamblers.
13
Joan / Jeanne d'Arc
She is definitely one of my favorites. Joan may seem to be unlikeable at first, but there is a massive responsibility resting on her shoulders, on a scale the reader isn't even aware of at first. She desperately tries to hold everything together, all while watching her friends die - but unable to prevent it from happening. She never stopped fighting, though. Joan truly has the heart and bravery of a warrior.
In the late 90's, I loved watching the "Pretender" TV series, with an amazing Andrea Parker playing the iconic and uncompromising character "Miss Parker." I crafted Joan a bit after Parker, and gave her a seemingly aggressive behavior, but at the same time allowed to offer a glimpse into her vulnerable soul. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when she and Medusa are laying in that doorway, rather dead than alive. She doesn't hate her anymore and is able to make peace with her and her past.
In the face of both death and defeat, the French words she recites are taken from a poem written by medieval author and philosopher Christine de Pizan. She completed the poem in 1429. The "Ditié de Jehanne d’Arc” is a lyrical and joyful outburst inspired by Joan of Arc’s early victories.
An awesome sketch of the Palladium's Joan by artist Marcello Renoir.
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