Returning to the machine rooms brings the story full circle, which is a nice bit of linking. For all the epic journey that the characters have been on, ultimately they’ve returned to exactly where it all began – especially Tarn, of course. Especially eagle-eyed readers might find the description of […]
Read it here: https://www.wattpad.com/741949616-the-mechanical-crown-sisters It’s another one of those spoilery titles! I went back and forth on this one, as I doubt most readers will expect a (slight) return of Pienya after the Arc 6 finale. I think the rush of excitement/anticipation at seeing the chapter title is worth it, […]
Read it here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/88905112-the-mechanical-crown This chapter is all about layering in additional challenges, on top of the main threat of Kraisa. Interweaving logistical difficulties such as the prisoners in the mesa prison adds a level of accountability to their decisions, so that it’s not a simple matter of Find The […]
Holding to the pacing of my plan for Arc 7 is already proving quite tricky. I’m very aware that this is the final arc, and consequently anything I want to be in the book needs to go in NOW. At the same time, I want to make sure that the […]
We’re back in Treydolain! So, it’s never stated in this chapter but this evidently takes place on the Verase estate, where we spent some time in the first couple of arcs of the book. It’s changed somewhat since then, with the Verase family no longer in residence and the place […]
If you’re wondering what The Mechanical Crown is, given that I mention it at least once a week, you can read it from the start by following this link. It’s a grand fantasy adventure with airships and cool swords. It’s free, too – I just ask for feedback.
The week of writing this chapter, an old friend and colleague of mine was killed in a car crash. He was the kindest man I knew, ridiculously skilled and quietly insightful. The worst of times. There was no extricating what was happening in my real world with what I was […]
So, who watched Farscape, back in the day? The new Battlestar Galactica? I can’t deny a certain influence from them on this new development, with Aera manifesting in Tarn’s brain, while remaining invisible to everyone else. This was a twist which has been planned for a long time, but originally […]
This is probably the longest chapter in the book to date. At 4k words it’s over double what I normally aim for with a serialised chapter. I pondered splitting it into a two-parter but decided that the intensity of it being in a single piece made more sense. Four chapters […]
This chapter has been a long time coming. Although, having said that, there was a time when I didn’t plan for Guijus to be part of the attacking Treydolain forces – instead he’d have remained back at the palace and would have played a far more passive role. In that […]