Visions in Exile Coming Next Week
And a sneak preview of the first chapter...
After fifteen years, the sequel is here.
I have - after 15 years - completed Visions in Exile, the sequel to my first novel, Imperial Visions.
For those coming new to this1, Imperial Visions is a fantasy novel set in a c. 18th century world, featuring two main characters: Thomas, an Imperial diplomat who discovers he has the power to see the future, and Rianda, a young queen of a nation squeezed between the expansionist powers to its north, and a greater enemy, allied with dark powers, to the south2.
It was published by small press, sold a few hundred copies, was remaindered and the rights have since reverted to me. Hardly enough to give up the day job! But I’ve been working on the sequel on and off for fifteen years, with a couple of false starts and some lengthy breaks when my children were born3 - and at long last have finished. The text is complete, edited, beta-read and formatted, the front cover design done and in the next few days I’ll have completed the publication process through Amazon.
Visions in Exile takes up the story after the cliff-hanger that ended Imperial Visions4.
Forced into exile, Rianda takes refuge in the hills, where the forces that have occupied her homeland relentlessly pursue her. Even Thomas, the last True Seer, cannot help her, for he has departed, seeking to master his powers. In the mystical city of Linnarson, riven with feuds between merchants and mages, he will meet new friends and old allies - and learn many things he did not expect.
But beyond the southern passes, the true enemy waits as the Desert gathers its power. Will even the ability to foretell the future be enough to keep the demons and droghkar at bay?
In addition to completing Visions in Exile, I’ve also now released an updated and improved version of Imperial Visions, because it turns out I’m a better writer now than I was at twenty-four5. In particular, I’ve significantly edited the first five6 chapters to improve readability and pacing.
There are no plot or character changes, so no need to read again if you’ve already read it - but if you are coming fresh, definitely read this version, which is available from Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions - go check them out.
As for Visions in Exile, it’s definitely been a journey. I’d like to thank most of all my painstaking and persevering editor, S5 R6, for diligent editing and much improving my prose, as well as putting up with receiving chapters - at times - years apart, as well as beta readers K6 M8, D6 C6 and N4 R6.
The other biggest thank you goes to one of my oldest friends7, A6 M8, who has done amazing things with AI to produce the brilliant covers you see above. In fact, he’s produced so much fantastic artwork that in addition to publishing a Kindle and paperback version, I’m going to be publishing a ‘collector’s edition’8 hardback, with more than a dozen9 full-colour illustrations of characters and scenes from the novel, including the cities of Linnarson and Hyrnar, Tychon riding a tarathin, a wyvern hunt and more. I’ll be sharing some of these next week, when I announce the publication.
In the meantime, for all those who’ve been waiting for fifteen years for the resolution to that cliff-hanger, here’s the first chapter to whet your appetite.
For everyone else, do check out Imperial Visions, if you’ve not yet read it - and stand-by for publication date next week!
Which is most of you.
For those who’ve always been curious about the name of this blog, ‘Edrith’ is the name of the world in which it is set.
And when I was a SpAd.
Which I’m not going to reveal here, as it would spoil the first book to anyone who’s reading it fresh.
And had a much more thorough editor: thank you N4 R6.
Which basically everyone thought were the weakest - and reading them again now was definitely true.
Yes, even older than S5 R6.
OK, who am I kidding? The buyers of this are going to be me, some family, and - possibly! - a couple of close friends.
My editor tells me that I over-use the word ‘dozen’.
Woo hoo! Publication incoming/happened.
Will you only be doing a hardcover of Visions in Exile or will there be a collectors edition of Imperial Visions as well? Collectors editions go best together ...
Footnote 2 is a missing a 'the' and an 'of'
"It was published by [a] small press"?
The 5 in footnote 5 should be a 6
"for diligent and much improving my prose" is missing something after diligent
(Don't worry folks, he's had help with the editing of the book as well.)
Congratulations!