In a post a couple of months ago, I talked about my first book, "Rojuun". Here I'm going to discuss the second book, "Anilyia".
The process
Writing and publishing my first book was thrilling. At the same time, it gave me something to live up to. I decided right away that I was going to make it a trilogy. It just seemed like a good size that I could sell. I didn't want to write eighty books and still not have a conclusion. So then I had to figure out what the next couple of books would hold.
The good news was that I had four excellent, well-developed characters. The group relationship was developed and I could have fun with it. One of the hardest parts was figuring out how to re-introduce the characters without boring the crap out of the reader. I did it by narrating the details through the memory of the main character, Tathan. I did the same for book three. On my next trilogy, I'm trying new ways that I believe will work better.
Writing the second book was fun because I had learned so much from the first one. I ran into two big problems. The first was that I stopped about 60,000 words into it in order to do final edits and publish Rojuun. Then I had to pick up from where I left off.
The second problem was the middle of the book. I had them traveling for weeks and I did an information dump in the process. It was clumsy and my least favorite part of the book. Before I discourage you from reading any further, I'd like to say that the rest of the story is well worth suffering through that part. ;) And there is some rather neat stuff in the information dump.
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| Phongnhakebang Caverns in Vietnam |
The story
I picked up a few days after the first book. The characters are in an inn and they need to report their findings about the race called Rojuun to Mother Tree, who sent them on the quest in the first place. I introduced some intrigue right away that I intended to follow up on in the third book.
I still hadn't come up with a plot by the third chapter. I decided to make fun of the "Save the world" theme that most fantasy books tend to have and brought in a character that would be over the top. For the next few chapters I had numerous opportunities for humor. It's one of my favorite parts of the book. The plot developed into saving a princess, which is another cliche. However, it's not a normal rescue by any stretch of the imagination.
After the characters visited Mother Tree, I sent them back into the caverns of the Rojuun. Setting up a vast ecosystem underground took quite a bit of imagination and research. I have no idea if what I wrote is possible, but I do believe it's possible. Luminescent plants and animals that produce both light and oxygen is a really neat concept. I can picture the scenes in my mind as though they were part of a movie.
The Rojuun become more developed as a race in this book and also much more mysterious at the same time. There will be future series in this world where Rojuun will come into play as well. Many readers will not be sure what to think of them after reading "Anilyia".
I will leave the question of whether the companions save the princess and what happens after the attempt for discovery within the book. Also, I should warn you that "Anilyia" ends in a cliffhanger that will make getting book 3 "Kethril" irresistible. Luckily that also is available in all stores.
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| Jessica Jorgenson, the model for the covers of the Willden Trilogy. Photograph by Tracy Carroll |
Description
Book 2 of the Willden Trilogy begins shortly after the events of book one. Tathan and his companions meet danger with a healthy dose of humor and irreverence during their adventures.
After spending time in the deep caverns fighting the terrible creatures called sstejj, the companions return to Mother Tree deep in the Willden Forest to tell her what they’ve learned. Along the way, Liselle and Vevin meet a magical being who informs them that the world will go poof if they don’t save Princess Anilyia of Mayncal, believed to be held captive by the Rojuun.
The companions start their quest to gather information; only to have their plans interrupted by a mysterious green eyed woman and her pet . . . who, oddly enough, also has green eyes.
Their journey takes them into the depths of the world. They discover the location of the princess, but the odds of rescuing her are beyond difficult and everyone is talking about humpfiggers falling from the sky. Perhaps half a plan would be better than none at all.
Will the companions be able to accomplish the mission? Do they truly understand the Rojuun? Will Vevin finally get to nom one to see if it’s tasty? What in the world will they do with the princess if they do save her?
The Willden Trilogy is an epic fantasy that follows the adventures of Tathan and his companions through the Willden Forest and into the depths of the world. A new race called Rojuun has appeared in the world and is threatening to make humans their servants. It is the companions’ task to learn more and perhaps rescue a princess if they have the time.
This is a full length novel of approximately 103,000 words, or about 400-450 printed pages
The price of Anilyia is $2.99
Smashwords
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