So the next installment of Beyond Endless Tides comes out in 6 days on the 3rd October. The Gradonzaras is the third novella in the trilogy series, and the last for a while. It wraps up the story, but leaves it very open for me to return to the undersea world in the near future, after I've written a few novels from Evania.

Before I go into that, I'd just like to say a few words about the debut series. My original idea for a merfolk story was an amalgamation of fantasy with sci fi. I sent this to John Jarrold, and he told me a few things that I was doing wrong with my writing, but more importantly he thought the concept in that story, odd. It got me thinking and the idea of merfolk needing to live on land came to mind, but I wanted to start from the beginning, ergo Morg's story. (Though, some may argue, this isn't the beginning, and I'd have to go farther back to when the very first mating took place. Which may be another novella at some stage.)) I've been fascinated with the ocean my whole life, and when I lost my best friend at 8 years old in the Zebrugge Ferry Disaster, I found a little comfort, on some distorted level in the back of my conscience, in believing in merfolk, and thinking he was rescued by one, changed into a merboy and has lived ever since in the depths. This is to a degree why I dedicate these books to Andrew.

Evania is what I'm about now, and what I'm scribbling notes on, well, I've been doing that a whole lotta years, but now I'm concentrating my attention on the world, where magic is drawn on from your Source in the body, with various ways to 'power up', dragons are in this world, but since the Great Purge, no more than two exist, though most only know about one. One must find the other for them to rise again. Will this happen? You'll have to wait and see, but Daykkor plays a pivotal role in their story. Daykkor is a rare breed himself for he is a natural, a very powerful magician. Having been kept apart from the world, like so many others when non-magicians became scared of magicians and started killing them, he knows nothing of his parents, and wants only the truth. Harried by nightmares of the large flying dragons in his dreams, if he should ever leave Ardonia, he will first find his true identity, then resign to discover more about why he's been having the nightmares.

More will follow as I write the first novel, and if you sign up to my newsletter you'll get the news first. Plus a free copy of The Little Miracle which is set in Evania. See right pane.

These finally arrived in the post this morning. The printed books from createspace. I like the way they look, feel and read on the page. Excellent.

Having re-read a not so short short story last week, I had to laugh for I had omitted to divulge who the Lewellians are. Of course I know who they are but my poor readers would be left wondering.

Therefore I set to and re-wrote a merman's scene only to be surprised to learn, they aren't who I thought they were either.

No matter how I tried, they just weren't plausible enough to be who I intended them to be. So I let, the character tell, the White Queen, in his own words who he is and what he and his Lewellian mermen are all about. Turns out they are another order entirely and he even managed to secure their survival in the later novels. What a merman.

Just left a review of, The Dragon Queen by Stephen Deas
Check it out here

Browsing the isles of my local friendly library today, I found Trudi Canavan's latest book, The Traitor Queen. It was  taking pride of place on a top shelf and although very tempted I declined, I'd rather go out and buy my own copy so that it may take its place on my own top shelf. It's good to know that it is there though and should the urge be too great, I'll just have to go and borrow it.