Bringing Brannan’s story into reality has been a long process. The manuscript took two years to write. I have completed all three books in the trilogy, but only Part One: “To Take Away His Voice” has just been published.
For any author, writing the first draft of a book is just the beginning. Editing is a gruelling process: what needs to be cut? What needs to be re-written? I had to remove some of my favourite scenes after asking myself the question, how does this serve the story? Does it advance the plot, or add a necessary dimension? Like the Warlord in my story, I had to be ruthless.
I had help: my sister, who is also a writer, was a useful critic and a second pair of eyes that spotted inconsistencies or suggested when I needed to clarify a scene. My editor at Tellwell Publishing helped me tighten the script and narrow my focus on the vital plot elements. My thanks to them both.
I have a fan of my work, who read excerpts and stories that I posted on GayDemon—a forum for gay male erotica—who became my muse and virtual sub. He inspired me to delve deeper into Brannan and the Warlord’s developing love. I owe Mark a debt.
So, I have emerged from the mists that sometimes obscured my path, or led me to unexpected, though not unwelcome, places. Here I am, in this forest clearing, listening to my ravens who perch on my shoulders and whisper their gathered secrets to me. They tell me that the journey is not over.