Return to Shadow extended author’s note

It’s crazy to think that I wrote the first chapter of Return to Shadow before Out of Exile was even published. My how things change.

Since that first chapter found Revan and Shamus overlooking a buffalo herd in the Simarron, author and character alike have come a long way. In the year and a half it’s taken me to write, revise and edit all three parts of Return to Shadow (collectively a 155,000+ word beast), I’ve been laid off, found a new job, ended a nearly two-year relationship and learned that, while being an author isn’t always as glamorous as I used to think, the grind is most definitely worth it.

Originally, Return to Shadow was going to be a single installment, released in November 2014. (Let’s take a moment and laugh at that — what was I thinking?). As the tale continued to grow, however, I realized that to hone the story into the best it deserved to be I’d need to narrow down my scope. The result was a sort of mini trilogy in and of itself — three smaller pieces of a whole with (I hope) their own beginnings and ending along with the overall story arc. I can’t speak for you readers if this worked or not, but I can say with certainty that it allowed me to give you the best the story could be.

Revan’s homecoming was something I’ve been looking forward to writing since I first started Out of Exile. Much like my protagonist, Athelon cast a spell over me and I hope the same happened to you. The mountain-citadel draws from two other famous mountains in fantasy, the obvious answer being the Lonely Mountain from Tolkien’s Hobbit. The other inspiration comes from an author many of you have probably never read. The mountain fortress of Salamandastron and the deep, seemingly bottomless lake in the Mossflower Woods of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series are owed credit for the initial concepts that became Athelon.

As the many faces and roles of the man we now know as Rok continue to expand, I think it’s important to note that each of his guises stem from similar, if not slightly different sources. Who is the old man? In short, he’s Odin, Gandalf, Dumbledore, Bayaz and Dallben all rolled into one. (Extra points if you know who Bayaz and Dallben are!) Hopefully, I’ve done enough to differentiate the character that he can one day assume a place on this Mt. Rushmore of geriatric fantasy geezers.

Rok’s guise as the sheepherder at the end of Part III was one particularly dear to my heart. This time around my grandfather served as the inspiration. The song Rok sings just before Shamus and Brinhold meet him on the beach is one I heard many times growing up. As far as I know, my grandpa crafted the entire thing (he was a bit of a wordsmith himself, but more poet than a proser). Here’s the little ditty again:

I am a jolly good sheepherder, I love to sing and dance,

I wonder what the girls would say if they could see my pants.

They’re all ripped out the bottom, and all dubbed up with grease,

With buckskin lace around my waist a-holdin’ them above my knees.

We’re camped on old Black Mountain and the snow is almost gone,

March is just about over and April’s comin’ on.

We’re heading for the lambin’ grounds, the lambin’ grounds so dear,

And when we hit the lambin’ grounds, oh boy won’t we cheer.

We’ll drive ‘em in the docking corrals and cut off all their tails,

With only ninety-nine percent of dogs and weeps and wails.

I’ll be glad when good ole summer comes, summertime so fine,

Then we’ll ride from camp to camp and drink chokecherry wine!

There are dozens of other nuances and fun facts I could go on about, but to keep from going too long, I’ll refrain and let the rest of the saga speak for itself. As much as I enjoyed bringing Return to Shadow to the light (no pun intended), the real meat of Teutevar Saga lies ahead. Just who are these Shadows and what is this golden substance that continues to appear all over Peldrin? What do the Fates have in store for Revan Teutevar? Time will tell all.

Maybe I say this too much, but my number one goal as a writer is to make every book I write better than the last. With each installment of Return to Shadow, I got a little closer to where I want to be as an author: the plot was stronger, the pacing faster, the dialog more realistic and each chapter (hopefully) hooked you in and wouldn’t let you go. I still have a long, long ways to go before I can consider myself a master storyteller. I hate to destroy the romance behind the notion, but writing, just like any other endeavor, requires years of dedicated, relentless work. I appreciate you going through the growing pains with me. The people that are here now, as I’m writing this in the beginning (May 2015) will always hold a special place in my heart.

As fulfilling as it was to finish this project, I’m eager to continue the work. If I’ve discovered anything from Return to Shadow, it’s that I want to be writing books up until the day they lay me in the ground. If that’s not the most insane, beautiful dream, I don’t know what is.

Thanks for reading everyone,

♠ DAS ♠

P.S. What was your favorite moment in all of Return to Shadow? Comment below and let me know!

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