Before Mal Winter, there was an idea.

An idea for an epic, sci-fi/fantasy coming-of-age novel, following two protagonists: twin brothers who were fated to affect all existence. It's revealed in the prologue that one was destined to destroy the universe and that one might be able to save us all. This story was called Lydaer + Kain and was plotted out as a five-book series. This series follows the boys as they grow up in a scientifically advanced culture, where magic exists in the cracks and fringes of society.

This series's first book is titled Seeds of Equilibrium and follows Lydaer and Kain, whose world at ten years old is about to change.

So Mal Winter and the Last Titan is finished. Finally. It took years longer than expected, but I think I improved as a writer, and storyteller. I've learnt so much and feel like there is still so much left to know. 

The question quickly becomes what am I writing next? Let's talk next projects... 

To celebrate the completion of the final edits of Mal Winter and the Last Titan and the completion of the publishing work, I'm sharing the first chapter of my next book. 

Writing a novel is a lengthy process, but one I am getting better at. 

When entering Kickstarter I had completed my final draft of Mal Winter and the Last Titan. But that didn't mean it was finished. My Amazing editor Erin still had work to do, which means so did I. 

Her first task was a structural edit of the book. Which included some significant changes, including rewriting entire chapters, entire scenes and changing some fundamentals of the novel. All great things, and changes to make the story better. 

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Did I mention wow? 

I feel so blessed to be able to post that my KickStarter Campaign to publish Mal Winter and the Last Titan was a resounding success, with almost 200% of the target raised.
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So what does that mean? Well it means I met my target goal and have now collected Pre-Orders for my book! The book is in the final stages of editing, with an intention to deliver copies hopefully in May or early June. 

Some of the big perks from this KickStarter campaign were that it gave me a chance to revise my first novel Mal Winter and the Cloud Runners, and I think it now represents a much higher quality of book and I'll be issuing unique bookmarks to all backers!

Can't wait to share further editing updates as they come AND more importantly, I can't wait to get the books into readers hands!!

Thank you to everyone who has already backed this project. Although we've now EXCEEDED 100%, you can still get your preorder from the Mal Winter and the Last Titan KickStarter page.

I'm happy to announce my stretch goal: a Charli bookmark. The quote will probably change, but the image I think looks pretty good. I'm going to push to get a proper bookmark with the tassles, so it's cool. Because who doesn't love cool bookmarks?

​Also, note that final artwork may vary...

So I've launched my first ever crowdfunding campaign, and yes I am nervous...and excited.

​You can find my KickStarter page here if you're keen to get your pre-order straight away. 

I have finished the sixth draft of Mal Winter and the Last Titan. Finally. 

No, it's not exactly finished. But I finally have finished the last rewrite so it makes sense and is consistent. The big hard work is done, and I am just excited to move onto editing! I'm expecting a May release!

So let's talk numbers!

Mal Winter and the Last Titan: Draft 6

Total words: 109,454

Total chapters: 34
 

So, last time I published I found some great early success, and then continued support (especially through schools that I talked at and did workshops with). And I wanted to be a bit bolder. Too bold? Mayhaps. 

I've been working on Mal Winter and the Last Titan for TOO LONG, and in an effort to push me forward, onto the next project, I've decided that I will be launching a KickStarter campaign. For those that don't know, KickStarter is an all or nothing model. So if I don't reach my funding goal, I don't get a cent...

Trilogies; let's talk about trilogies.

This topic was inspired by two great trilogies I’ve recently consumed; the Mistborn novel series by Brandon Sanderson and the How To Train Your Dragon cinematic trilogy by Dean DeBlois (with Chris Sanders co-directing the first film).

Now, as my introduction already proclaimed, both these trilogies are amazing; and I loved them both. I saw How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World just a few days ago, and haven't stopped thinking about it. And just finished the The Hero of Ages, the third and final book from the Mistborn [Era 1] series a couple of months ago.

Now, for the purposes of discussing trilogies, I’ll be ignoring supplementary works (like Sanderson’s other novels set in the same world, or in How To Train Your Dragon's case I'll ignore the television series and original book series by Cressida Cowell).