Hello! Greetings! Today is a very special day, a day we’ve all been waiting for for some time now. On this day I’m finally going to reveal to you some information concerning long anticipated FINAL VOLUME, number 7. Excited yet? I am.
First I’ll tell you the title, which I believe holds a lot of meaning (depending on how deep you want to think into it). For me, it gives a kind of surreal feeling, because this project is something I’ve been working on for about six years, since the idea for the story first budded. I can’t believe it’s been this long already, honestly — these have been very full years. Anywho, the title of this last volume is:
An Odyssey’s End
Secondly, I’ll show you the cover, the design of which I’ve had in mind for years, and I have to say I’m fairly pleased with it:
Thirdly, I have for you the ‘teaser trailer’ of what’s going on, just so you can be that much more excited about the release day:
Caution to the careless and woe to the souls of many, for the Destroyer of Worlds has come.
Akairo, deprived of his mortal host at the hands of the company, now haunts once more as a baneful spirit. Even so he will not be denied his quest to desolate Jasinda. From the ashes of his retribution he will raise a new world of his own creation and rule it as their Almighty.
However, he will not ascend unopposed, and his adversaries, though beaten down, are not defeated. The company continues to dog his path, pursuing him even across the Monster infested seas to the distant shores of the Forsaken Land. There they’ll rediscover the old world and its hidden treasures, coming face to face with the last surviving Faenari. The ancients equip the Chosen Ones with a weapon to aid them in their struggle against the world’s foe, but the company is cautioned in its use ─ for a power mighty enough to destroy the enemy is also perilous enough to destroy them. However, Sergil and the others deem the stakes are worth the risk. If they don’t try, they will certainly fail, and everything they know and love will be razed to the ground.
But when the time comes and grave sacrifices need to be made, who will pay the price for victory?
Salivating yet? I know I’m itching to get it out to you! The expected release date is July 7th, so mark you calendars!
Andrew Peterson ─ Author of the Wingfeather Saga, a tale that transcends age genres. Mr. Peterson, based in Nashville, is a storyteller through and through, sharing his gift through many different mediums. Not only has he written a fantastic series of four books, but he is also a singer/songwriter who travels the country and (sometimes) the globe spreading his love for stories and Jesus through music, creating albums like The Burning Edge of Dawn and Light for the Lost Boy. He is currently in the process of turning the Wingfeather Saga into an animated short, and I cannot coherently relate how thrilled I am at this prospect. What I admire most about Mr. Peterson’s writing is his whimsy. It may sound silly (and in many ways, that’s the very definition), but his turn of phrase and usage of words is so creative that it gives the feeling of a finger painting ─ but a finger painting that’s as captivating as anything Michelangelo or Monet ever put to canvas. His ability to communicate deep subjects in a format any and everyone can understand without being heavy, crafting a tale with power and scope that inspires the imagination in both children and adults, is a truly beautiful experience.
Megan Whalen Turner ─ Mastermind behind the Queen’s Thief series, the fifth volume of which is coming out next week (ah!) The day I discovered her was a fateful day, indeed. I heard someone say of her writing in the Queen’s Thief series that ‘it reads like a political historical fiction’, and I could not agree more. Each book is so chocked full that I can read them time and time again and never get tired, because how she crafts the story is so multi-faceted that no information is given too early. Just because you’re reading from someone’s POV doesn’t mean you’re privy to every thought and reasoning that would spoil the suspense and surprise. That’s what hooked me on both her story and her writing when I first read 
Stephen R. Lawhead ─ Architect of such tales as the King Raven trilogy, Song of Albion trilogy, and the Pendragon Cycle, just to name a few, Lawhead easily fits in with the greats like C.S. Lewis and Tolkein for the depth and richness of his stories. As a scholar and award-winning wordsmith, spanning several genres, much of his work (including and especially the three series mentioned above) is based on and influenced by Celtic history and legend, bringing to vibrant life such renowned characters as King Arthur and Robin Hood in a new and realistic light. Even his original characters become so authentic, with their struggling, failing, and prevailing, that I felt more in tune with them, like they were real people and not just the glorified pawns some heroes and villains become in roles they play. The symbolism he puts into his stories and the artful way he speaks on the page has made him a staple on my bookshelf and an author I repeatedly return to for a gripping, well rounded, and inspiring story.
Wayne Thomas Batson ─ Author of the Door Within trilogy, the Dark Sea Annals duet, and the Dreamtreaders trilogy, plus several other works, Batson is actually the first author I claimed as a ‘favorite’, and because of that he holds a special place in my heart. I was first introduced to his work years ago through the Door Within trilogy, which I happened to find while browsing the shelves at my childhood library. I read the first book, The Door Within, in one sitting, staying up past two in the morning because it engulfed me so completely. I wasn’t writing much back then, but his craft certainly helped me along toward where I am now. Not only did he make a story, characters, and plot that carried me away to a wonderful place, but I deeply admired the biblical truth and analogy with which he wrote, synonymous to both Stephen R. Lawhead and Andrew Peterson. Similar also with Megan Whalen Turner, it was an experience I had never had before, and I remember still now how it impacted me, how it made me want to be able to write like that, a good story ─ in all its layers. Someday I would like to meet this man and thank him for following his dream, which has in turn helped me follow mine.
