Slight detour

Writing a series is a challenge. I guess that’s pretty obvious, but this cold splash hit me recently. Not only do you have to map out the stories of each individual book, you have to keep the path of the entire series in mind. A five book series, has almost 3,000 pages and some 500,000 words! That is a lot to keep tabs on. This isn’t always the case. Sometimes you just write until the story resolves, but for the Tocharian Gospels I have a plan.

For this series, I have the beginning and the end, but the path in between is still emerging from the haze. I’ve posted several updates on writing the Power of the Heliodromus (the sequel to The Slaying of the Bull), and can find them here. It is still moving along nicely, but I realized I hadn’t discussed the slight detour that emerged recently. As soon as I started writing, I began to see that the Power of the Heliodromus was going to be a much different book than originally planned. More importantly, the Tocharian Gospels Series was going to need another brother.

If you’ve been following my journey, initially, I planned book two of the series to bring the main character, Isa, more into the present. I’ve written large chunks of that trajectory and the subsequent story lines (you can see hints in the prologue and epilogue in The Slaying of the Bull). That’s still the plan, but the jump was too significant. At first, I thought I could address some of the unanswered questions in small flashbacks, but there were too many. I’m eager to get to the chunks I’ve already written and show them to the world, but ultimately, I decided to insert another book that still takes place in the 13th century. I’m writing it from scratch, and therefore, it will take a bit longer than expected to continue the series.

Basically, this book will explain how Isa is still alive in the present time. It starts in 1258, 15 years after The Slaying of the Bull, and then jumps to the 1270’s. Lwica, Brother Humbert, and Pierre will return. I’ll discuss the fates of Johannes, Emperor Frederick, and the Kingdom of Hungary after the wrath of the Mongols. The Radix Obscurum will still be swirling, but its form has changed slightly and its mission a bit clearer. There will be plenty of new characters as well. The chapter I’m working on now introduces Louis IX, the King of France, and the only French king to receive sainthood. A genuinely fascinating person, and there will be plenty of others. I’ll show life in medieval Paris, parts of Rome, Baghdad and other interesting places. And there will be an abundance of conflict and thrills. It will be quite the journey.

I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I think the series will benefit. The story’s goal is still there, and the extra time needed to write this book will be worth it in the end. It will help outline the importance of Isa’s journey for humanity and frame it better in the historical context. Continue to check back for updates, and if you haven’t already, check out The Slaying of the Bull!

Cheers!