Today’s random prompt: What have you been able to accomplish this year that you are really proud of?
I literally laughed out loud when Jeff sent me this prompt yesterday, as I was working on the final steps in publishing my new novel, Siannon’s Promise. I have completed writing a trilogy of fantasy novels, with this third book only taking a little over three years to finish. It’s available to purchase now at Amazon in paperback or e-book.
I never imagined the scope of this world. I started back in 1994 with the intention of writing a cute, romantic short story about a knight who doesn’t want to be a knight falling in love with a lady who wants to be a knight (which no one else wants to let her do!).
That eventually became my first book, Dylan’s Treasure, which took me ten years to complete because I fell in love, started a family, and struggled to pay the bills. Mike Tucker was the one who convinced me to publish the book myself as an e-book, and I expanded to paperback in 2017.
The idea for the second book, The Spring of Llanfyllin came during the winter in the middle of a sleet storm: what if Vikings invaded Llanfyllin? I had to give them a good reason for doing so, and during the composition, I discovered a bunch of new characters, including Asha, the dragon who figures so prominently in the new novel.
I didn’t know there would be a third book after the second because I didn’t have any ideas that seemed worthwhile. I’m not sure when the treasure hunt idea came to me, but once it did, the other pieces with Siannon, Kane, and Penwik came together naturally.
This was the first book I ever wrote a true “first draft” on. I worked hard to get the story details on the page and worry about the writing quality later. That led to a lot more work in editing and revising, but it helped me complete the first draft in a little more than one year.
I also didn’t do any plot outlines; this book is the product of “seat of your pants” writing, as Stephen King calls it, in which you don’t plan a direction; you just follow your characters and see where they lead you.
As it turns out, they led me all over the world, and world that looks a lot like our Earth but differs in some key ways, particularly magic and beings from other realms. This is my longest book to date, and it’s an appropriate way to say goodbye to Dylan and Siannon, whom I love as if they were part of my real-life family.
I’ve already made plans to begin my next book in 2023. If you followed my Blogtober story, you’ve already met my protagonist: Eila Ellesmere, the young sea captain whose adventures will open a new chapter in Llanfyllin’s history. That will launch in January, and who knows where she will lead me?
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