Secrets of the Past Is Now Available!

Big news today, friends. Not only does the third installment of Eternity’s Empire release today; I’m actually releasing the paperback at the same time.

I’ve really enjoyed peeking into my preparation notes as each new paperback has released. I’ve already covered most of the information relevant to Secrets of the Past as each new installment released. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have plenty left to say.

This Story has a Mind of Its Own

Eternity’s Empire has shifted form many times in the short time since I started writing it, but there is one thing that has remained constant: my desire to tell the stories of each individual guardian. Even Gaea’s guardians will eventually have their time in the spotlight.

Every story needs at least a handful of well-developed side characters to come to life. In magical girl stories (which Eternity’s Empire is modeled after), those characters tend to be regulated to sidekicks, constantly outshined by the strength and accomplishments of the leader. But while Aeternitas is, ultimately, the star of this show, I didn’t want her friends regulated to the background. I wanted each and every one of them to have their moment to shine. And as a result, each has their own story to tell, most of them grounded in the mythology that spawned their character.

I originally intended to make this third set of chapters something of an interlude, a glimpse into the past of Aeternitas’s guardians. But as the tales emerged from the ether, it quickly became apparent how much bearing past events are going to have on the future. In the end, I’m glad the two blended so well. Instead of a distraction, these chapters feel like a bridge, introducing the next conflict as it rushes toward the characters. Several threads that I originally thought would take a back seat during this time period, practically leapt to the fore, making these chapters critical to future events instead of vague foreshadowing for a later plot twist. Sometimes stories don’t want to wait. In this case, it was a good thing!

I have really Enjoyed Telling this Story

In some ways, I started Eternity’s Empire as a way to feed my love of mythology. I’ve always adored it. The obsession started in ninth grade history, when we studied Greek and Roman myths. It only expanded from there. As I’ve mentioned before, my goal was to include as many mythologies as possible (without losing the ability to pay special attention to each one, of course). And because of that, I chose to focus on both mythologies I was familiar with (such as Greek, Egyptian and Norse) and mythologies I still have a lot to learn about (such as Japanese and Hindu myths).

Just as each of Aeternitas’s guardians has a chance to tell her story in this novel, each tale required extensive research to ensure it was presented properly. Since I have already spoken at length about that research, I will simply provide links to where it can be found. (Ganga here, Amaterasu here, Thora here, Aphrodite here, and Aeternitas over here.)

Equally important as the content of each story was the way in which it was presented. I realized pretty quickly that five sets of flashbacks presented in identical frames would get, well, boring. So in order to keep things fresh, I chose a different method of flashback for each chapter, presenting each in a slightly different way. Ganga, for example, finds herself thinking back on previous experience that mirror present events. Whereas Aphrodite tells her story to her companions, allowing me to present it as a first person narrative. (Which also gave me a chance to play with some flowery storytelling. The prose may, occasionally, turn purple, but it really has that sense of old Greek tragedy, no?)

Even Aeternitas’s experience, though vastly different than that of her guardians, plays a role in setting up for future events.

Looking to the Future

Hard to believe we’ve reached the end of another book. How many are left? I can’t say for sure. More than I originally anticipated, though. At least three more will be coming down the pipeline over the next two years. Depending on how complicated things get, it might take an additional two books to wrap things up. (That would make the series eight books in total!)

I don’t want to spoil anything about the next installment. But it is shaping up to include space pirates – which is well outside my original plan. As with the first three books, I expect it will be tons of fun to write. (Which hopefully also means tons of fun to read!)

There will be some changes in the publication schedule for Eternity’s Empire moving forward, but I’ll discuss them in more detail next week. Thanks for sticking with me!

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Is the key to Earth’s future hidden in the empire’s past?

Imperial daughter Aeternitas has vowed to protect the Earth and its people from the threat of war. But with an imperial battle fleet incoming, and no way to contact her mother, Aeternitas has no idea how to fulfill her oath. She suspects one of her sisters must be leading the fleet. But in order to prepare for the incursion, she must determine which one.

Amaterasu suggests the answer to her conundrum might lie in the guardians’ recent past. One by one, they recount the tales of their entry into the empire, in hopes that one will hold the key to solving their mystery. These are tales of heartbreak and sorrow, none of them easy to speak.

But they’ll have to work quickly if they want time to prepare.

You can catch up on the Eternity’s Empire series here!