Another new project!

So this is an update for my Wisimir Tales. This is a series of novels I was working on some time ago, so there is quite a story to tell. Be patient, make yourself comfortable and I'll begin...

I  always thought I would be a fantasy writer. Back in late 2012, I completed the first two Wisimir novels: The Sword of Wisimir and The Dragon of Wisimir. These were published as ebooks and were to be the first and second of a six book fantasy series. 

Writing the Wisimir novels was something of a resurrection for me as a writer. Back then, I'd lost confidence in my abilities, but I was part of a writing group with some of my students and had continued to work on a few short stories and things. Then Kindle came along and I saw lots of people self-publishing their books and doing really well with them.

I thought I might be able to do the same, but it took a whole year to draft the first two novels. I'd always planned to release them at the same time, as Kindle books seemed to do really well if 'the first one is free'. By releasing the first two novels at the same time, I was hoping I'd convince readers to ride straight on into book two.

    Then as I was releasing the books, the Elite Dangerous Kickstarter happened! In 2013, I found myself writing a third Wisimir book at the same time as writing Lave Revolution and helping Frontier Developments with material for the computer game. 

The Lord of Wisimir came out in late summer 2013. Lave Revolution came out in early 2014. After that, I started working on Chaos Reborn, then Phoenix Point, then writing Fearless. The six book series remained as a three book series. I've always wanted to come back to it, and maybe I will some day, but as my science fiction writing has become more popular and I've worked more and more with Flame Tree Press, other projects have taken priority. 
In 2019, I approached Rosa Watkinson about an audio project involving the series. I'd heard her work narrating other novels and really enjoyed what she'd been producing. I was hoping that working with another creative person, someone who is really talented and motivated in what they are doing would reignite my keen for the story and make me find time to write the next installment in the series.
Then of course, the pandemic happened.
For some writers, the lockdowns were a great productive period. Several writers have talked about how they were able to focus on their work. But for me and many others, it wasn't. A colleague at work took maternity leave and then my university decided to implement 'hybrid working', I found myself in a really difficult position trying to create online content every week as well as teaching 'bubbles' of students. Our mandate was to try and deliver the same experience for both student groups. 
It was really hard for lots of people. 
Fast forward to now, and finally, the Wisimir project is back! 
Rosa's work on the audio version of the first novel, The Sword of Wisimir , is amazing. I gave her access to a selection of my fantasy music as well for the project and she's managed to include that too! 
The adventures of Jack Von Drey, who steals a bag of money and finds himself caught up in a swirl of events that he never planned to be involved in introduces the city of Wisimir and a cast of colourful characters. The narration from Rosa is excellent and really brings to life everything I'd hoped for from the story. 
As part of the project, Nikki Dekeuster has created some fantastic new covers for the audio version as well. These refresh the whole package and make for an amazing release.
You can see more of her work on her website here.
As for me, my keen and confidence in the story is restored! I'm hoping to make time in 2024 to get back to the series and complete book four.
The Sword of Wisimir is available now on Audible. Please do go take a listen.
And if anyone is interested in reviewing the series, please let us know!