The Vinlarion Chronicles

BUILDING UP TO SOMETHING!

Perhaps it was a mistake, but deciding to write a series of novels instead of just one, has been keeping me busy for over twenty years. In that time my two young kids turned into three, we've lived in three different houses, the young kids have grown up and married, there are now grand-children floating about and visiting on sleep-overs, and our names are now Grampy and Granma (with no 'D' included). Our lives have invariably moved on. We've lost a few people we loved dearly and are now looking after others who need to be cared for.

And what of the books? Are they finished? Have they progressed any further than they had done when we lived in the first of the three houses? Of course, the answer to this is a resounding 'YES!'. Or at least, the answer to the last question can be taken as a positive one. But they are far from complete, that is individually... never mind the series itself.

So should I worry? I don't think so.

For there has been something going on called 'real life' that needed to be sorted. It has its own twists and turns to deal with - some of them occurring without any warning at all - and the majority hold some importance which cannot be ignored. Everything else (including the books) need to be fitted in around the important stuff.

Of course, it would be nice to get one done and dusted. To see it in hardback, in a brightly coloured dust-jacket, sitting on the bookshelf in our dining room. But even if I don't, I have still achieved more than I could ever have hoped. Bringing up a family is no mean feat, and the fact that they have all turned out to be well-rounded individuals who are altogether nice people, is an added bonus. There are two of us to blame for that, and together we can be proud of what we have done.

And now my wife has decided to write a book. Maybe she will beat me to it and grab a publishing deal before I do... but this is not important. What is important is that I keep working at it and whittle away at the plotlines bit by bit until at least one of the books is complete. Don't give up... that's what I need to keep remembering.

And now, over to the summary....!