It’s Been A While…

Hello Everyone,

I just realized that it has been a long time since I posted anything and I am sorry.  That’s not entirely true, but not about the sorry part.  I have, in fact, realized I haven’t posted in a while, several times over the past week.  The trouble is, that I have been caught up in the writing of the story and I haven’t left much time for anything else.  I have completed seven more chapters, since my last post and added a previously unplanned plot twist, that will help to bring the story to it’s conclusion, with more conflict and less breezing along.  I also took the time to spell out the prophecies that I only hinted at in the first volume.  The story is evolving in a good way, I think.

Some commented that the first volume seemed rushed and many did not appreciate where I ended the story.  While I didn’t feel rushed to end the book, I did feel pressure, from researching the expectations for first-time authors, to keep the book to a manageable word count.  That is the main reason I skipped ahead five years and didn’t include the young men’s time in the Sudean marines, as I thought it wouldn’t appreciably contribute to the story line, though I could have added some action and adventure, through that route.  I came to a similar conclusion about Aleron’s and Hadaras’ visit to the Elvish Colonies.  I did not wish for the story to become 90% about them travelling the world and I wanted to get on with the story, so I glossed over that portion, probably a bit more than I should have.  As far as where I ended The Halfblood King, please understand that it is not a stand-alone novel, but rather, the first piece of a larger story.  Rather than an episodic set of related stories, it is really one large story, broken into manageable bites.  I think this will become a trilogy, but there are no guarantees that it will not evolve into four, or even five volumes.  The story seems to grow, as I write it.

I am considering a break, between the second and third books, to write a short story, covering the five years Aleron and his friends spend in the marines and the progressively escalating conflict with the forces loyal to the Nameless One.  It would also focus on Aleron’s relationship with Eilowyn and the diplomatic relations between Sudea and their former enemy, Thallasia.  I welcome any feedback concerning this project, especially in regards to its timing.  Should I intersperse it between volumes of the series, or should I wait until after the main series is complete?

I will begin releasing chapters again soon, though it is nearly midnight, here in sunny Afghanistan and I should be getting to sleep, so that I can function at work in the morning.

Wishing you all that is best in life,

Julian E. Benoit