Category: Book Updates

OK, I have finally finished writing Book #5 of my Bell Mountain Series, The Fugitive Prince. Meanwhile, #3, The Thunder King, is almost ready for release, and artist Kirk DouPonce has been tapped to create a cover for #4, The Last Banquet. I love the work he’s done so far.

The arc of the story demands another two books, at least. I wonder what they’ll be like!

Meanwhile, readers of this blog might enjoy my articles on News With Views, and maybe even the postings on my “Playground Player Chess Forum” on chessgames.com . There have been some pretty sharp discussions on that forum, none of which have anything to do with chess.

Book #5 of my Bell Mountain Series, The Fugitive Prince, is finally heading toward completion. Whew! I think it’ll wind up with 55 chapters or so.

There’s nothing quite like watching these books take shape under my hands–often a surprising shape. You know I don’t map them out ahead of time, but rather rely on Our Lord to give me the story He wants me to tell. This can be nerve-wracking for the writer, but the rewards of this process far outweigh the drawbacks.

Meanwhile, Book #3, The Thunder King, should be published by the end of the summer. I think I can safely say the climax of this book will knock you for a loop! Oddly enough, the climax was the very image that I started with. Getting there, though, was quite a wild ride.

First, welcome to all the new visitors who came here via newswithviews.com . You can also find me at http://www.chalcedon.edu ; and if you’re really interested, visit http://www.chessgames.com and check out some of the discussions on my forum, “playground player.” And now to business:

Book #3 of the Bell Mountain Series, The Thunder King, is in its final cycle of proofreading and should be out in late summer or early fall. I think most of you will find you’ve never read anything quite like it.

Book #4, The Last Banquet, is still being proofed and still waiting for a cover. I can’t wait to see what Kirk DouPonce comes up with this time.

I’m still writing #5, The Fugitive Prince, and I expect to be at it for a while longer. The tricky thing about these books is that I have to wait for the story that the Lord gives me; I can’t force it. As the plot of this involves a great deal of treachery, it gets kind of complicated. And I can already see that regardless of how this story climaxes, I’ll need to write a sixth book.

Which suits me just fine!

For those of you who were wondering who she is, and haven’t clicked on “Books” (because then you’d know), her name is Ellayne and she is one of the protagonists of Bell Mountain and The Cellar Beneath the Cellar, and the picture you see is actually a piece of the cover of the second book. The cover artist is Kirk DouPonce, who has done a great job on all my covers so far.

As for what Ellayne is doing, hanging from a rope, well, the best way to find out is to read the book. True, you could be cheap and just ask someone else who’s read the book–but then you’d be missing out on a great story (if I do say so myself).

Just thought I’d share the sketch work of the third book. It is going to be called The Thunder King. Obviously not the final look of the book but it is a very nice start.

If you liked Bell Mountain, Book 2 of the series, The Cellar Beneath the Cellar, is now available–just in time for Christmas, if you hurry. You can order it now directly from Chalcedon, http://chalcedon.edu/store/Books/the-cellar-beneath-the-cellar-bell-mountain-series-2/ .

Books 3 and 4 have been written and are now in production, while Book 5 is currently being written.

How many of these books will I write? Search me! I have a whole word to write about, with a history going back thousands of years and whole continents as yet to be discovered. If the Lord keeps giving me the stories, I’ll keep writing them. Besides, I’m as curious as you are to see how the story turns out.