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To trope or not to trope, that is the question. What is a trope, you might ask? Tropes are the classical elements that define a story as belonging to the fantasy genre. A knight in shining armor, a princess who longs to wield a sword, the forces of evil personified in a dark villain, and of course, the all important quest. Most of these tropes have been immortalized by JRR Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings, but rightly or wrongly publishers today are looking for something "different", a new magical system or a bizarre monster-villain. Professional critics say the classical tropes are tired and worn out, unimaginative and dull, but as an author, I think it's how you use the tropes that truly matters. Why not weave a story in bright colors, gold, maroon and midnight-blue, instead of rust and grit and endless shades of gray? Why is gritty more interesting than vibrant? Like many die-hard fantasy fans, what I truly love are well-told stories steeped in the classical fantasy tropes. I yearn to dawn burnished armor, greaves and gorget and gauntlet, and to take up a sword and fight for love and justice, for kingdoms and crowns. To ride a foam-flecked mare through a moonlit forest in a desperate bid for escape. To weave sticky strands of politics with the Spider Queen in the hopes of snaring a traitor. To discover a sanctuary of knowledge where all the hallways are jewel-bright with calligraphy, every wall echoing with prophesies. To explore a land of towering castles and mysterious mists, where all the sunsets are crimson-red, the star-strewn nights are cobalt-blue, and the summer fields are malachite-green. And beneath it all, I want a tale well told, a tapestry brimming with complex characters, each with their own motives and aspirations. Give me a story bursting with plot twists that evoke surprise and wonder. And woven through it all, I want themes that pluck the heartstrings and challenge the mind. The classical tropes are not dead and boring, they are merely waiting for a fresh imagination to take up the sword and lead them on a new adventure. This is the epic fantasy that I love to read. This is what I strove to write in The Silk & Steel Saga.