Update on Book Two of the Storm-bringer Saga
Finally, after many long months of hard work, I can finally see the light of day, and the sequel to Maerlin's Storm is due for release at the end of the week. Maerlin's Storm was originally written nearly ten years ago and had sat collecting dust until early this year. Having been given a kindle for Xmas, I started to wonder about the whole self publishing thing. By the end of January, I'd figured out the formatting issues and it was released on Amazon.
Unfortunately, the version I thought was the finished book, proved to be an earlier version I had saved down, and there were many typo errors in the book. So, I have spent as much time re-editing and tweaking the first book, as I have writing the second over the last nine months. Writing is something I find easy to do, but the editing wrecks my head.
Still, it has certainly been a learning process and I think my writing is better for it. Perhaps, by the time I'm on my sixth book, I might be doing something right.
As you can imagine, with a ten year gap between the first and second novels in the Storm-bringer Saga, there is some changes in the story and the way it is told.
In the first book, I was a little uncommitted as to the audience I was targeting. In truth, I wasn't targeting any audience, as it was written as much for my own enjoyment as anything else. It just sort of happened. Up until then, my writing was mainly poetry. Now, ten years on, I had to decide whether this book was going to be an adult book, a Young Adult book or a children's book. Swearing was something I had tried to restrain from in book one, but at times, the speech felt false because of this.
Maerlin's Storm is generally without violence, until the last big scene, where Maerlin is tortured. This is an intense scene and really brings the book to a climax, so this rules out any thoughts of it being suitable for children.
To be honest, I'm really not sure what a YA book is, what is allowed and what isn't. My own teenage children enjoy the books, so perhaps it fits into this category, but maybe not.
Therefore, when writing the second book, I wrote it as a book that I would enjoy reading. It contains humour and good dialogue, some great characters and a strong plot. It also contains some strong language, (within context) and other scenes of an adult nature. It isn't 50 shades of grey, or Texas chainsaw massacres but neither has the story been dampened down or tamed to make it palatable for a wider audience. Personally, I'm very happy with it, but I'm sure it is not for everyone and I am bound to get some people who will either love it or hate it. It has been a hard choice for me to make, but I am pleased with the outcome and I hope you are too.
As my son once commented, 'Maerlin's Storm has one big dark scene at the end of the book, but the Gathering of the Clans has multiple smaller darkness's throughout the book.'
I'm just completing a final once over of 'The Gathering of the Clans' before release, thanks to some great work done by my Beta-readers. Thank you all so very much for all the hard work. I really appreciate all your feedback.
Looking forward, I am now on Chapter Ten of The Black Knights of Crom Cruach- Book Three of the Storm-bringer Saga and hope to have that completed by next summer.
Unfortunately, the version I thought was the finished book, proved to be an earlier version I had saved down, and there were many typo errors in the book. So, I have spent as much time re-editing and tweaking the first book, as I have writing the second over the last nine months. Writing is something I find easy to do, but the editing wrecks my head.
Still, it has certainly been a learning process and I think my writing is better for it. Perhaps, by the time I'm on my sixth book, I might be doing something right.
As you can imagine, with a ten year gap between the first and second novels in the Storm-bringer Saga, there is some changes in the story and the way it is told.
In the first book, I was a little uncommitted as to the audience I was targeting. In truth, I wasn't targeting any audience, as it was written as much for my own enjoyment as anything else. It just sort of happened. Up until then, my writing was mainly poetry. Now, ten years on, I had to decide whether this book was going to be an adult book, a Young Adult book or a children's book. Swearing was something I had tried to restrain from in book one, but at times, the speech felt false because of this.
Maerlin's Storm is generally without violence, until the last big scene, where Maerlin is tortured. This is an intense scene and really brings the book to a climax, so this rules out any thoughts of it being suitable for children.
To be honest, I'm really not sure what a YA book is, what is allowed and what isn't. My own teenage children enjoy the books, so perhaps it fits into this category, but maybe not.
Therefore, when writing the second book, I wrote it as a book that I would enjoy reading. It contains humour and good dialogue, some great characters and a strong plot. It also contains some strong language, (within context) and other scenes of an adult nature. It isn't 50 shades of grey, or Texas chainsaw massacres but neither has the story been dampened down or tamed to make it palatable for a wider audience. Personally, I'm very happy with it, but I'm sure it is not for everyone and I am bound to get some people who will either love it or hate it. It has been a hard choice for me to make, but I am pleased with the outcome and I hope you are too.
As my son once commented, 'Maerlin's Storm has one big dark scene at the end of the book, but the Gathering of the Clans has multiple smaller darkness's throughout the book.'
I'm just completing a final once over of 'The Gathering of the Clans' before release, thanks to some great work done by my Beta-readers. Thank you all so very much for all the hard work. I really appreciate all your feedback.
Looking forward, I am now on Chapter Ten of The Black Knights of Crom Cruach- Book Three of the Storm-bringer Saga and hope to have that completed by next summer.
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