'The Sorrow of Isparag' is underway! I took a couple of weeks to have a much needed holiday with Rob, then I cleaned out the cupboards and gave my house some TLC in the form of a new doormat for the front door and blinds for the sunroom etc so now my house feels all clean, tidy and organised to support this next endeavour. This next instalment in 'The Lygons of Fraith' series is proving to be as much fun to write as was 'Lygon Island'. In a similar way it seems to be creating itself - characters are turning up and demanding to be included - amusingly Raenoud the Ruby dragon and Sieffre the Saffron dragon disliked each other the instant they were created. Plot lines are intertwining themselves nicely, and this time a key theme is the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. I have recently read Niall Ferguson's book 'The Square and the Tower' about networks and hierarchies, which reinforces some of my thinking, so look for some subtle inclusions about these two modes of operation as well.
This story is set prior to the events in 'Lygon Island'. It explains why Isparag is determined to wreak vengeance on the geflars, and reveals the source of the oppressive sadness that seeps down the mountainside from Hever Lake.
I have had fun the last few days making up names for my characters. You might have noticed that all the dragons have names that are seven letters long and start with the same letter as the colour of their gaze. When I came up with this idea it seemed like a good way to help the reader remember which gaze a dragon came from - until I realised that this book is mostly about the Indigo dragons and I suddenly needed lots of seven letter names, all starting with "I", each of which suited the nature of the dragon, and somehow I had to make them all different enough so that you wouldn't get confused about who was who - well, that was interesting! I've done my best :)
I am planning to have this next book complete by the end of the year, and set out in search of a wonderful agent to represent my work. Take care - Arlo.