Tuesday 29 December 2015

A little history . . .

I have struggled with writing for many years. Since I was a teen, I harboured a secret desire to write, to publish. At that time, I did not really have any idea of exactly what I would write. I tried my hand at the odd novella, short story and so on. But in the end, I regretfully concluded that I simply did not have anything interesting to say.

Thirty years on, and all that has changed. Now I find that I have far too much to say. This is, you might think, a good thing. However, my ambition far outweighs my ability to actually execute all the ideas I now have.

So, my first painful lesson as a writer, is to take things slowly. Don't rush. Anything.

I have been published now in a half dozen or so anthologies, some of which you can find on the books page. I have written four full novels, so I feel that I am getting to the point that I know what I am doing.

But that first lesson, to take one's time, is still the most important lesson to absorb, and a constant struggle for me. I am not the most patient of people, and I want to publish my thoughts and ideas . .  well, yesterday.

And since I have outlined my writing schedule for the next five years, I am eager to burn my way through the 'backlog' as I call them. The stories that I have been waiting most of my life to write.

I am currently working on my first fantasy series. It is called The Guardian, and each of the four books in the series takes its title from one of the four elements. In some cases, you have to use your imagination a bit to see the connection.

Blood in the Sand concerns a teacher of history and his obsession with a historical character; a spy,
linguist, and inveterate whoremonger, Sir James Francis is everything that mild mannered historian Philip Entwhistle isn't. His fascination ultimately leads him to the last surviving relative of Sir James' and the revelation of a shocking story of love, betrayal and revenge. Even more fantastic, is the secret that the Francis family have been keeping for almost a century. What was it that came back from the desert, all those years ago?

Blood in the Snow continues where the previous book left off, just a few weeks later. Now, however, certain things that Philip had to do in order to survive have come back to haunt him and he is wanted by the police. Added to the pot of boiling trouble that is his life, is the fact that he must face a deadly being of incredible power; a confrontation he knows he cannot survive. Yet, duty drives him forward into the most incredible adventure and almost certain doom.

Does he survive? well, yes. More or less. Because he is back again in Blood in the Flames, the third book in the series. This novel is currently underway, and so far, it looks set to be the best of the bunch. Action, adventure, magic, love and yes, revenge!

The story will conclude in Blood in the Heavens, the final book in the series. There is an evolving plot arc over the four books. We discover clues in each that build upon each other until we have a full understanding of the history of the world, humanity, and our role in a cosmic struggle of good and evil.

The Guardian series is set in the real world. There are no elves, dwarves or dragons to be found. One reader commented that it was like The Da Vinci Code meets City of Bones. I like that. Plot twists, turns, surprises and intelligent, character driven action. Who could ask for more?

I will write more about Metaphysical Fantasy in the future. I have a deep and abiding interest in the genre. A great deal of what I have written concerns humanity's place in the universe. Not to mention our seemingly hardwired need for divinity and the impact that this has had on us, as a species.

Consider yourself warned.

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