It is often with the last arrow, that you know the final score of the competition, and with that in mind I began to write the sixth instalment of Heirs to the Kingdom.
For myself as the author, this was a very different experience for me, because this book was never actually meant to be. You see by the time I reached the end of book five, I had realised there was a gap in my story. I have spent years threading this story together before I finally began to write book one, and as a result I had very extensive notes to guide me. I have pretty much stuck to my notes throughout the entire writing process, but as I reached the end of five I knew I had a problem.
The only solution was to keep on writing and hope I could squeeze it all in, and so with that in mind, rather than end the book, I went into free flow and just wrote the book including the missing links. The end result was that book five was far too large to put into print, and so I cut it in half and finely tuned the end of five to create a cliff hanger ending. After the final cut of five, there was roughly two thirds of a book left. These are large stories with a minimum of 180 to 200 thousand words per book. Under the rules of writing they are too big, but my interpretation is these are just guidelines, and what is the point of rules if one cannot bend the odd one? I felt that the process of evolution of the story was the most important aspect of the books, and so that has always been my guide, and in this case it is possibly the most important aspect of the writing.
When I began back in 2007, I scripted out Five books in my notes, but by allowing the story to flow naturally, it has exceeded that figure, and I am very happy about it, because being rigid, I feel is possibly the easiest way to cripple the story. The process of the evolution of this story in a natural flow has always been my priority, and I think because of that very fact, it is the reason why they have developed into such a comprehensive tale. Having two thirds of a book done and one third to fill was a joy, and it has allowed me a great deal of freedom to really get into the teeth of this tale and expand it beyond what I first planned, so I hope for you the reader, this particular book will be rich in its enjoyment.
The wonderful thing about book six apart from the fact it officially was never scripted is it gave me a little space in which I could answer some of the many questions raised throughout the series. I had already made the notes to answer all the questions I pose, but having a little extra space to fill gave me the chance to expand the detail a little more, and yet again reveal more of the characters emotional and human sides. In order to not disappoint, I have also added some extra wonderful humour, especially in the case of Harry, who I feel in this book will face many vibe jangling moments. I have taken a lot of joy writing free style, and I think after the structured format of Book Five, once again the feel of six will be very different to the previous ones.
I have been asked many questions over the time of releasing these books, and I always tend to go with giving a smile and politely adding, “everything is written for a reason.” Having space and the freedom to pretty much write freestyle felt wonderful, and as I put book six together, I made a few changes to allow for more detail to fill in the cracks. There are so many questions that need to be answered, some have been asked and others have not, and so in between the action and the comedy, I slipped in a few extra parts of detail.
Why is Morgan le Fey hell bent on the destruction of the Ruling Council? Why was Rune’s named changed from Rutile to Runestone at birth? If Steph is Opal’s daughter, then why has she not got the full powers like her children, and is there a reason that Rune’s table is Blue? What is the relevance of Ursula? Did Jett die when she fell into the Mirrored Water’s? What is significant about being a weaver, and why is Steph one? If Runestone is Green Circle, how can she train her daughter who will be a Queen of the White Circle? If Sapphire is not a centre of a circle, why does she have the power to open windows? Why does Hearne reside in Loxley, when he should be with Eve in the garden of creation? And why has Lance, who knows the importance of a female child not bothered to find a female companion?
As you can see I have been asked many questions, the above are but a few, and book six will provide most, but not all of the answers. I am really happy with this book, and have worked longer on this book than any of the others to date, and I have to say that one of the most fun parts of this book was having the freedom and the space, to take a few moments and break one of my own rules of HTTK.
I have always played down the family of Knox, I have used hearsay to paint the picture of this vile family, and I have kept them out as much as I can. I have always felt that by holding them just outside the pages in the background, emphasised their sinister intent and gave a feeling of mistrust around them. It has always been very deliberate to write the books from the viewpoint of Robbie and Runestone, so as they learn something, so do you. In book Six I have bent and fudged that rule slightly, and so in the case of the Dark One, I have filled in a few of the darker spaces of her personality. There have been quite a few occasions when I have referred to her human side, and yet you see little of it, and so because I had the room to add a little more detail, I have filled in a little more of her past, her feelings and her personality, and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I think most of you pretty much know Mason well enough to know he is a cool sadistic and ruthless leader, but again he does have a more human side, after all he reappeared married, so there must be some line of almost human decency in him, you must decide, but again in this book I have exposed a little of the man behind the red dragon motif.
Book six has given me a great deal of time to actually think about Heirs to the Kingdom as a whole. Looking at it I can see that it is a deeply elaborate and detailed tale and I know from the correspondence I get that those of you who have read it, have indeed been gripped by the story and have thoroughly enjoyed it. That alone is the biggest reward of sharing it with all of you, and I have found myself at times a little taken a back by all of your kind comments. But the fact remains it is still pretty much a series of undiscovered stories, the proof of which lies in the fact that here in my home town, no one actually knows what I do for a living, which is not a bad thing, but does point out that word of mouth has not been effective for HTTK.
This is almost a hidden secret set of stories, and the readership whilst dedicated is actually still very small, some of this is because of the gaps in the publishing in the early days when I lost a great deal of the momentum, but with VCP I have begun to readdress that and the books are now flowing freely, but it does not change the fact that very few have heard of it, and so this is an issue I must address as I write a little more to end this series and move on to other tales.
I have been asked so many times will there be more, and to be honest I am not sure, I do love these characters and I love writing them, but as a writer in what is a very difficult market, HTTK does not earn its keep, and in order to keep writing I need to sell some more of my work. It is the one part of being a writer I do not like, but I have a family and have to consider them, and as much as I hate promoting my own work, I need to improve on the status quo, so I can continue. I very much doubt I can walk away forever from these tales, they have been a part of my life for so long now, I sometimes wonder if this will be my life’s work, but having been able to prove to myself that I can be a sustained writer, I want to try and write something unrelated. This is more as something that I feel I need to do than anything else, I set myself the challenge of writing a book, I did that and it grew into a series, and so now I think I have to ask myself the question, “Can I write something different?” Until I can answer that question, I will never truly know, and so that is my goal for the foreseeable future, after that, well who knows, I am not short of notes and histories, and so the possibility of a return at some future point will be very likely, after all there are enough leads and young characters to move the tale into future generations, but for now my focus is on this series and the final ending.
Book six is in its final preparations for formatting, and I have late autumn marked clearly in my mind for its release, as I want it available well in time for Christmas. We have had some set backs on the digital copies, but they are being resolved, as I want the entire catalogue of HTTK on Digital as quickly as possible, but that alone is a mammoth task, so it is an ongoing project seeking perfection, as I want the quality to be as high as the printed editions. For now I offer to you the introduction to book six, you will find the landing page has been set up on the website and below is the back sleeve blurb to wet your appetite in anticipation of its release.
As always my hearty thanks for your support and for those messages that lighten my day, again if you have a question let me know via the Facebook Page, and I will respond as quickly as is possible.
Cover of Heirs to the Kingdom Book Six : Last Arrow of the Woodland Realm
Heirs to the Kingdom Book Six : Last Arrow of the Woodland Realm (Out Autumn 2015)
Robbie has completed his task, the heirs have been found, the young king discovered, and the Sceptre has been lifted from the mirrored water. All is not well and after the hardest fight of their lives, the Specialists are separated and in very bad shape. The queen of the Fae Ofmoon has her seat, but she must wait for the full cycle of the moon before she truly has control of the realm. The Dark One has been interrupted but not defeated as Runestone lies beaten by the Star of the Merle. Time is ticking away until Amethyst can rebuild the realm, and darker forces are already at work, as the race to claim the realm continues.
There are many questions and so little time for answers, as the pressure explodes and the fight is back on fuelled by desperation, as this gripping tale hurtles towards a climax, in what is the best part of this adventure to date.