Introducing Ever-Twisting Wounds

I always feel like writers shouldn’t have favorites. When I set out to tell a story, I try to treat each of the characters with an equal amount of respect and care. I don’t want one part of a story to feel fully fleshed out while the bits and pieces surrounding it feel like sketches – that would be terrible. Not to mention unfair to the reader.

But the fact is that some characters simply prove easier to write. They’re more vocal or they come more readily into your mind once you connect with them. And the easier it is to fall into a character’s voice, the more you find yourself writing about them. The brain will always take the path of least resistance, after all.

It’s probably pretty obvious by now, but Domerin is one of the easiest characters for me to write. He arrived in my brain fully formed with his own thoughts and opinions about how his stories should be told. And since I started scribbling about his adventures, he has never ceased to deliver more perfect little tidbits that make fantastic stories.

So while I feel strongly as a writer that I shouldn’t have a favorite character, Domerin probably does fit the bill. And out of all the stories he’s told me so far, the one contained here in Ever-Twisting Wounds is probably my favorite. (Even though it’s the series midpoint and middles usually trip me up.)

Middles are Tough

I’ve mentioned before that I worried about the Aruvalia Chronicles when I finally sat down to write it. It was one of the earliest concepts I ever contemplated for a story featuring Domerin. And in the time after I wrote its initial outline, he told me so many more fantastic tales, coming back to the first one felt boring. I worried there wasn’t enough story to stand up to the rest of my future plans.

Those worries almost made me scrap the story and start elsewhere. But I’m so glad I didn’t. Because the reality was that I was missing a great deal of the story – especially the middle.

Middles are always hard.

As I mentioned during the last release, I always knew that Domerin’s past would eventually catch up to him. That was part of the fun of the story, and one of the reasons I was drawn to it in the first place. I just didn’t realize until I started this trilogy how the fallout over Domerin’s past would fit in with the rest of the overarching plot.

Once I discovered that, the Aruvalia Chronicles turned out to be pretty spectacular after all.

I’ve always struggled with middles. And this one presented a lot of unanticipated challenges. But ironically, it ended up being my favorite installment out of the entire series. Possibly because it represents a major turning point within the series.

This is where all the big events that have been lurking around in the background of the Aruvalia Chronicles begin to come together and reveal what they all mean.

But the thing I like best about this part of the story is that Domerin is finally forced to stare his past in the face and come out the other side of the confrontation changed.

Timing is Everything

While I am forced to admit that this book is probably my favorite of the bunch. (I have finished writing the whole series now, so I can say that with confidence.) That doesn’t mean it was easy to write. Far from it.

In fact the third Aruvalia Chronicles trilogy (Visions Unlike they Seem) presented far more challenges than any other part of the series. Mostly because this story is generational. It takes place over a large span of time. And this is the point where gaps start to develop.

It isn’t as if the Aruvalia Chronicles hasn’t had gaps in it elsewhere. There was a year between books 3 and 4. And another year-long gap takes place between books 6 and 7.

But in order for the story to work the way it needs to, there also has to be a year-long gap between books 7 and 8. And there’ll be an even bigger gap after this book before the next one. (Though that’s a discussion for another time.)

These gaps in the timeline made it particularly difficult to figure out where the books in this trilogy should start and end. Not to mention how much information each had to contain in order to feel satisfying while still setting up for events to come.

As a result of all this shuffling, this trilogy ends up being longer than both of the previous ones. And Ever-Twisting Wounds is the longest book in the series so far.

But while trying to tell this story smoothly involved a lot of teeth-gnashing and hair-pulling, I think it all worked out in the end. I certainly feel like both the extra effort and the extra length are worth it. And as far as middles go, this one is epic!

Ever-Twisting Wounds is Available Now!

If it feels necessary
A warrior may run from his past
Even though it will inevitably catch up…

It’s been more than a century since Domerin walked out on his father and his noble title all in hopes of building a life he could be certain he crafted by his own hands. It’s been 50 years since the same man tried to kill him for being too successful. And it’s been 1 year since Domerin’s father broke out of Aruvalia’s most secure prison to join the kingdom’s greatest enemy’s army.

Now all the forces Domerin has been trying to avoid are coming to a head, and there’s only one way for him to escape the inevitable press of his past – he has to confront his father and prove once and for all that he can neither be intimidated nor manipulated. But to do it, he’ll have to venture deep into enemy territory and make some highly questionable decisions.

Meanwhile, Rose struggles with the decision to sacrifice the magic in her eyes in order to save the loyal captain of her Royal Guard. For the entirety of her reign, she has relied on her magical Foresight to warn her of big events. But she received no warning of the jailbreak that resulted in Domerin’s father’s escape – and that means she’s reacting blindly, with no idea where her decisions might lead.

This is new territory for Aruvalia’s queen, who is used to having at least some idea about the right choice. So when a new series of nightmares suddenly creeps into her mind shortly after Domerin’s departure to deal with his father, she can only assume she has sent him into a den of horrible danger.

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