7 weird inspirations for people and places in Cursed Mage

Forget bestselling trends. Finnish pop songs, college football Saturdays, and even the Undertaker helped shape Cursed Mage. Yeah, really.

You already know some major influences for Cursed Mage, like Spirit Legacy by E.E. Holmes, and the godforsaken surveillance state. But the real fun begins when I talk about those minor motivations.

Those that shape characters’ names, lifestyles, and interests. They don’t have as much to do with the overarching plot or the story’s essentials. But still, they’re fun to point out and make the reader go, “Ooh, clever.”

If you’re that kind of reader, you’re gonna love this post.

1 – Finnish pop singers

Whether it’s Kaija (Kaija Koo), Samuli (Samuli Edelman), or Vesala “Ella” (Vesala), a few of my characters get their names from some of Finland’s better pop singers. In Book II, Astray Mage, I take it up a notch with Niilo Tuisku (Antti Tuisku), Jippu (Jippu), and Kuustonen (Mikko Kuustonen).

While I’m not a fanatic of any of the above singers, they all got a few songs I’m flat-out obsessed with. Whether it’s Woyzeck (Kuustonen), Sina Olet Aurinko (Edelman), or Supernaiset (Koo), they’re songs I’ve never gotten tired of.

2 – Goaltenders

Know where the term Maalivahti came from? Yeah, it translates into goaltender, but it also means gatekeeper, so it made sense when I created the Maalivahti, a Mage who could control the spirit element alongside the element they were born to control, like water.

3 – The Undertaker

In Cursed Mage, Mages called the Huotaja lurk near and far. Their towering height defines them, but so does their attire. From the Stetson hats to the black overcoats, I was thinking of The Undertaker when I put life into these terrifying men and women.

But I went one step further: These powerful Mages really can conjure elements like fire, and they’re trained to shoot first, ask questions later. That’s what makes them some of the most dangerous people in the world.

4 – College football

Kaija and Satu watch plenty of thrashball, the popular sport of choice in the world of Catenary, with eleven players per side on a 100-yard field. These games occur on Saturday, and they draw capacity crowds from all over the region.

The girls even travel to road games to watch the Fenn University Foxes play (and often lose). And yeah, that student section gets passionate. Sometimes too passionate.

5 – County Fairgrounds

The mysterious lake at Fenn sprang from the Jefferson County, Ohio, Fairgrounds. Adjacent to those fairgrounds is a place called Friendship Park, where there’s a lake with a spillway near the dam.

For fun, kids used to climb into the spillway, get sucked under, and “shoot out” from the other side. Problem was, if you got tangled up, it’d cut your head and legs off. It happened a few times, leading to park authorities sealing off the spillway.

The lake is also notorious for its currents, which also led to several deaths. As for the lake at Fenn? It’s got a haunting reputation, too. Just ask Kaija.

6 – Random people I’ve watched

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had people do such random things in my books that subtly drive the plot, thanks to my real-life skill of people watching. Take a scene in Cursed Mage when Satu, in a quiet voice, asks a guy to move his backpack so she and Kaija would have a place to sit.

The kid sneered at and otherwise ignored Satu. That led Kaija to flip out, cause a scene, and embarrass the kid so much, he stormed from the hall. Yeah, I saw that happen a couple of times, both in school and in other public places.

7 – My own lifestyle

Regular workouts? Healthy eating? Pre-workouts? Protein shakes? Running? Yeah, my fit characters always emulate my high-octane, ‘workout ’til you drop’ lifestyle.

Kaija’s the runner and Satu’s the lifter. Both girls eat right, they love pre-workout, and Satu sucks down protein shakes day and night. Kaija eventually will, when she discovers Mage protein powder outclasses Moor protein powder.

All seven of these oddities in Cursed Mage are just the tip of a larger iceberg. And since you wanna see them in action, head over to my Payhip store, where you can buy it at a discount and without any algorithm tracking you. Ideal if you’re a reader who values privacy.