I have just finished writing book one of the new Faerie Path Trilogy, or book four of The Faerie Path series, depending on how you look at it.
I sent the book off to my UK editors on Saturday 31st May. They expect to get it back to me in a couple of weeks with their thoughts and comments and suggestions. When I’ve made the changes I think improve the book, it will then be sent off to my American Publishers in New York - who will doubtless have their own bunch of thoughts comments and suggestions which I will be asked to take on board. Heigh-ho - a writer’s life!
Actually, I’m quite pleased with how this book has come out. For those of you who have read the first trilogy, I can give you a few pointers as to what goes on - without spoiling the plot, of course.
As the book opens, it is three weeks after the end of The Sorcerer King. Everyone is gathered in Leiderdale in the Earldom of Dinsel, to witness and celebrate the wedding of Princess Cordelia and Bryn, the Unicorn-friend from Weir. Tania is having a great time. Her Mortal Parents are visiting Faerie and despite the trials of having two Fathers and two Mothers in the same place at the same time, everything is going smoothly. Tania’s Mortal Mother is getting on really well in Faerie, and likes Titania, but her Mortal Dad is having problems adjusting to this new magical land, and besides, he has a really annoying summer cold, which is dampening his spirits more than somewhat.
One of the small problems that Tania has to face is the fact that her Mortal Dad thinks she should go back to London to finish her education - then, he says, once she has some academic qualifications under her belt, she’s free to come and live in Faerie if she wants to. He makes it very obvious that he doesn’t think she should stay in Faerie at all. “You’re living in a fairy tale right now,” he tells her, “but what happens on the day after happy ever after?”
And as if Dad isn’t being annoying enough, a second problem hits Tania when, out of the blue, Edric proposes marriage to her!
Well, she loves him, and really wants to be with him, but she’s sixteen and she’s never even thought about getting married. She kind of freaks out at the suggestion and Edric takes it badly - feeling totally rejected by her. Of course, it’s okay for Edric - he’s been around for hundreds of years - and in Faerie love is forever. He can’t understand why Tania won’t agree to marry him, and she can’t understand why he’s making such a big deal out of it - after all, they’re together, aren’t they?
Anyhow, they have no time properly to talk this thorough when something truly terrible happens. A small infant dies - of an illness! The death of a little baby is tragic enough in any circumstances, but in Faerie there is no illness - so how has this happened? What Dark Power has brought sickness into Faerie after ten thousand years? Is it some last malediction from Lyonesse? And if not, who is attacking Faerie and why?
Tania, helped by her sister Rathina, sets out to answer these questions, despite the opposition of the powerful Council of Earls and in particular Lord Aldrich of Weir, father of the evil Gabriel Drake, whose schemes almost destroyed Faerie in the all too recent past!
One clue - Lyonesse isn’t at the bottom of this deadly attack on Faerie!
[cross-posted from MySpace]