BOOK 3 THE DROWNED KINGDOM SAGA, LORD AND KING, COMING 2023

Welcome to my blog post for August!

I continue to be amazed and extremely grateful by the positive response to The Drowned Kingdom Saga, and the first two books in the seven-book series, A Drowned Kingdom and The Last of the Atalanteans. I am so grateful that so many people are enjoying Lord Othrun's journey, and wanted to chat to my readers about what is coming next.

When we discuss what's coming next, it all begins with Book Three in The Drowned Kingdom Saga entitled Lord and King. Without providing spoilers for the first two books, for those reading this blog post who have not read A Drowned Kingdom or The Last of the Atalanteans, Book Three will be perhaps the most exhilarating, dark, and stupefying book of the series to-date. 

Let's first talk about our protagonist who's really the antagonist of his own story, Othrun himself. Othrun will be tested in Lord and King in ways that he could not conceive when he first aspired to be a lord and leader of his people. He will be confronted with both his wildest dreams and greatest nightmares. Leadership is a very difficult role in the lands of Acremia at the best of times but with the amount of enemies Othrun has accumulated, survival is far from guaranteed, much less the ability to flourish and conquer all. The complicated Othrun will undoubtedly continue to struggle with his faith in his Single God. And, in the face of the undeniable power of the Six Elemental Goddesses wielded by Eltnia's mages, and the strength and cunning of Eltnia's warlords, Othrun's plans to impose monotheism to the continent have never looked more shaky. 

Slowly, incrementally, more will be divulged on the magical and supernatural side of the story, especially regarding the mysterious Anchali, - Othrun's guardian angel. Additionally, there will be more shocking reveals about the mages of Eltnia as, gradually the true powers and purpose of the mages will be uncovered. These are disclosures that the main character will not be prepared to deal with, and will irrevocably change the fate of Lord Othrun, and indeed all Acremia, forever.

As for the characters in Lord and King, female characters will play a VERY prominent part in this third installment to the series. As Othrun's narrow, bigoted world-view has expanded slightly, so has the role of women in his world, and in the series, grown. In particular, as hinted in any promotion I have done for Lord and King, a great Queen is coming to Eltnia. The Queen of the Anib, the race of Black people who were the ancient founders of Eltnish civilization. 

Othrun had originally scorned the Anib, thinking them inferior savages. That is, until the evidence began mounting so glaringly he could no longer deny that the Anib were very different from what Othrun was raised to believe. Othrun's upbringing as a prejudiced and superior Atalantean Prince made him dismiss the Anib entirely as being worthy of paying attention to at all, much less value. Now, with the arrival of the Anibian Queen in Othrun's orbit, he could be faced with his most daunting opponent yet.  

In addition to the Anib, other races who have been previously referred to, but not yet seen, will also appear in Lord and King, as The Drowned Kingdom Saga expands to include more of the diverse tapestry that actually makes up Acremia, rather than merely the three kingdoms and cultures visited so far in the series, being Atalantyx, Nyrimia, and Lynchun. 

All told, I believe readers will find Lord and King to be a series-changing book that will hopefully resonate with them for a long time. I look forward to bringing Lord and King to its audience, in Spring of 2023.

Please feel free to comment on this and future blogs and I will be sure to get back to you. Chat soon!