Exciting news about my upcoming books!
I finished my final edits in April of the rough draft for Book 2 of The Dragon of Faery, tentatively titled “Heart of the Dragon.” The rough draft is now in the hands of my technical editor as we continue to aim for publication in Fall 2019. (If you haven’t bought Book 1 yet, click here!)
Book 2 will include a great deal of Irish mythology, as well as Navajo and Aztec mythology. It will also include my interpretation of what really happened when Teotihuacan fell!
I also recently met with my artist, the very talented Alyce Wolfe, to see the rough draft of the cover painting that you can see here. For Book 2, we’ll be adding a few black & white sketches at the start of each chapter. I hope to share those with you at a later date.
Alyce Wolfe’s rough draft for Heart of the Dragon front cover!
The rough draft process is both tedious and fun. It’s tedious because I really have to pay close attention to details, both grammar and content. It also involves a lot of note taking to make sure I don’t lose track of little details that need to be followed up on either later in the book or in forthcoming books. The fun parts include re-reading sections I’d forgotten as well as uncovering new layers in the story.
An example of uncovering a new layer (minor spoiler alert!) is the brief but crucial appearance of a Banshee in the first half of the book. As I edited the rough draft, I realized she needed another appearance in the book and that she might play a key role in Book 3. Most often as I write and edit, it’s as if the story itself is demanding where it should go and what should happen. You may have heard that from other writers, but it’s really true. If you’re writing fiction, listen to what the story is telling you and follow that direction, even if it ends up as no more than a rabbit trail. For me, it’s the most enjoyable part of the creative process, probably because I feel like I’m collaborating with the story and not forcing it.
Over the past few months, I have slowly developed the outline for Book 3 (tentatively titled “Soul of the Dragon”). After finishing the edits for Book 2, the outline suddenly fell together and I realized this series will definitely not be a trilogy!! Chapter 1 is already written, and a creepy start it is!
Keep an eye open for more news about The Dragon of Faery!
Comments