Coming into the middle of 2025, it has been a whirlwind year already. At the end of 2024, I realised the completion of Crusader, perhaps one of the finest pieces of writing I may ever put out. I learned a lot from the process of reverse engineering an entire story arc over the course of Crusader and more about the intricacies of how I write. But now I need to look forward. And I have been looking forward since concluding Crusader.
My current workflow, as an author, consists of two novels, independent of each other in terms of scope and story. As I move away from Crusader, I find I need to re-immerse myself in the world of The Elder Ones, this time with ensuring Part Three is up to the same standard as the two parts before it. As it stands, I’ve always considered The Elder Ones to be my personal Magnum Opus – a world and story so diligently crafted and loved, it holds a special place in my heart. As it stands as of today, The Elder Ones has been developed on a consistent basis over the past fifteen years, or half of my entire life.
It is interesting then, how at one point, I was considering completely abandoning The Elder Ones, because I was unhappy with the story at that stage in time. This is still a draft I keep deep in the archive on my personal device, because I feel it carries great weight and contains, what is in essence, the DNA of the entire series since. Time and again, I will say this is a draft which will NEVER see the light of day and, upon my death, instructions have been left to utterly eradicate any last trace of writings either in progress, abandoned, or long since completed. This is not out of malice or spite, and it very well may leave The Elder Ones unfinished, but, as I am so completely engulfed by anything I write, my thought process cannot be replicated or comprehended when I write.
The other novel I have in the works is an idea I am currently workshopping, derived from a conversation I had with my wife. So many stories like to tackle adultery in a way where everyone winds up happy and the story is all rosy and peachy. This is untrue to reality, and I decided to write a story focused on this exact issue, from the perspective of the male adulterer. As I wish for this to be a contemporary story, I have made a unique creative decision to incorporate elements of modern day messaging services and SMS-style conversations as part of the plot and to help advance the story. I find it to be a unique way to utilise dialogue and it also makes it prudent to understand how cinematic dialogue operates. Without cues as to how people feel when they speak, interpretation is a massive factor. This new novel, which I have tentatively titled Tryst, is all about the interpretation of the reader. Despite being a story which will take place over the course of a few months in-universe, I intend to leave the reader begging for more.
As such, my year of writing this year involves Dragons, Quests, and Illicit Romances. It sounds like a pretty wild roller coaster, and I hope people thoroughly enjoy what I come up with.
Fenrir's Lair 