Wednesday, November 10, 2010

SEQUELS

THE SWORD OF THE KING is the second installment of The Glastonbury Chronicles.  It was a joy to write, as the main characters are not only identical twins, they were conjoined at birth...difficult enough, though the physical separation was fairly easy (the 22nd Century has marvellous medical procedures) but in this case extremely important, for it makes both of  them the first-born son of the King and Queen of England, therefore both first in line for the throne.  It doesn't make matters easier that they have not only the special communication twins are famous for having; these two, Kieran and Neil, are totally telepathic.  Possibly this comes from the fact that in a prior life they had died together, Stephen and Kevin, King and King-slayer, and the bloodlines of both had merged when Stephen had married a descendant of Walter Tyrell and Kevin, a Watson of the Tyrell line, had married Stephen's sister Stacy.

The situation of course gets more complicated when they both fall in love with the same woman and mysterious deaths begin plaguing the royal families of both England and Scotland, and both brothers realise where their destinies lie: one must become the King, the other must eventually kill him...but which is which?

I was not even sure of the final outcome until about 5 pages before I wrote it. 

Reading it is one thing; writing it is another, entirely.

When you finish reading a book you can put it down and go on with your life.  When you finish writing a book you are left wondering what about the lives you have created in the book...what happens to them next?

When I finished UNEASY LIES THE HEAD I thought it was over.  That was it.  There was not going to be a sequel.  I had effectively done everything in my power to clean up all the loose ends so there would not, could not, be a sequel. 

Or so I thought. 

The Lads, as I have come to call them, had different ideas.  They began pestering me at all hours, wanting to come out and play again. I even started writing another novel, a book about Dubhghall.  Somehow they worked themselves into it.  And still they wanted more.  Finally I gave in, and there was another book.  A journal of Kevin Watson, called THE SWORD BENEATH THE ROSE (which is scheduled to be published at the end of the series)  And that one was going to be the last.  But no:  There were more stories, and they wanted to tell them.  THE SWORD OF THE KING is the second chronological story in the series.  So far there are five books plus the journals, plus whatever else they cook up.  (Did I mention the Tarot cards?)

The Lads are still nattering at me in the background as I try to put together the second volume of Tales of  the Dearg-Sidhe, THE GREAT QUEEN'S HOUND.  Poor Dubhghall is having a hard time getting a word in edgewise, but he will prevail.  They have to sleep sometime.  He doesn't sleep.

Neither, it seems, do I.