My Dearest Fellow Conspirators,
These are strange times. People keep cracking jokes about how dystopian authors don’t have to use their imagination anymore because we’re living in the very world we’ve always written about.
There’s some truth to this. But it’s a complicated truth with lots of layers and levels. Kind of like one of those intricate cakes they bake on the cooking shows where they sometimes get carried away and make something majestic and detailed that no longer looks remotely edible.
But that’s a blog for another time.
The thing is, we authors do have to use our imaginations, just like everyone else in a time like this. I don’t know about you, but my moods vary wildly from joy (at getting to sit in the yard with my dog and my coffee while doing the thing I love) to that strange, underlying feeling of mourning we’re all experiencing on some level. TV makes for a great escape at times—comfort shows that involve baking massive cakes or happy endings, or, even better, a happy ending with a massive cake!
(Let’s face it, whether in times of
comfort on crisis, it all comes down to cake.)
For me, one escape from these strange times comes in the form of writing
Fantasy. Yes, I’ve been hard at work getting Travelers edited, getting
the paperback prepared (coming soon!) and all the fun stuff that comes with a
book’s publication.
I’ve also been finishing the second Seeker’s
book, Seeker’s Quest (finally!). As much as I love spending time in
the world of Kress, Render, Brohn, and the other members of their Conspiracy, I
also love escaping into my own head and imagining, as I did when I was much
younger, what it would be like to be able to move from this world into one
that’s similar, but a little more magical…a world with exquisite creatures,
endless possibilities and, of course, the handsome and mysteriously powerful Callum
Drake.
I don’t want to say too much about the second book, except that it’s a chunky 86,000
words, which makes it 20,000 words longer than Seeker’s World. Which
means a lot happens! So you might want to hang onto
something—a chair, a grab-bar, a cocktail, or a loved one—as you brace yourself
for the ride!
Writing this novel has been a labour of love for me, not to mention a means to flee the news, depressing headlines, and everything out there tugging at us, trying to bring us down.
There’s definitely something to be said for writing the sci-fi / dystopian-themed Conspiracy Chronicles about the post-apocalyptic hell that might very well be on our horizon.
Books like Recruitment and the upcoming Travelers are about what we fear might come to pass.
There’s something different but equally satisfying about writing what we wish might come to pass.
So…you get the nine-part Conspiracy Chronicles AND the ongoing Seeker’s Series!
As gloomy as some of the global stats have been, there’s something refreshing knowing there’s still room enough in the world for escapes into fear and escapes into fantasy.
I hope, when you get your hands on the new Seeker’s novel (or start the series from the beginning) it helps you escape, too.
And after you’re finished, don’t be shy about rewarding yourself with a nice slice of your favorite cake!
Thank you for reading!
Conspiratorially yours,
— KAR
P.S.:
Here are the release dates and links for the next four books:
Travelers: June 5, 2020
Seeker’s Quest: July 6, 2020
Transfigured: September 16, 2020
Seeker’s Fate: November 2, 2020