I recently rewatched POTC 3, which reminded me of the term (also it’s my all-time favorite blooper reel—I often tell the cats to “do something else” when they’re stomping on my organs). It is also apt: a maelstrom is, at is simplest definition, a situation or state of confused movement. It’s also a whirlpool or a situation of violent turmoil, but we’ll stick with the simple maelstrom for now.
I’ve had my own personal chaos/maelstrom the past two weeks. I had a minor oral surgery, my glasses broke and I’ve had to resort to the spare pair while I wait for the replacements, and, most recently, I finally went to get a long-standing neck issue checked out and now have a month of physical therapy and such to get be back to 100 percent. So I’ve been all over the board.
Additionally, it took me awhile to confidently get back to Realm of Chaos due to my own self-doubt. Finally, despite many attempts myself, a fellow author actually helped push me in the right direction. She reminded me that when I first created Ambergrove and began working on Ranger’s Odyssey, I was just doing it for me. I wasn’t writing the story I thought other people would like; I was writing the story I wanted to write. It just happened that so many readers enjoyed the story I wanted to write. Now that I have returned to the frame of mind that I’m just writing the story I had originally wanted to write, I’ve come back to it with new purpose. I now expect the first draft of Realm of Chaos to be completed and ready for the first round of revisions by the end of April. We’re well on our way to the October 2021 publication!
The cover artist is also hard at work on the book two cover! She’s expecting to have all her drafts completed in the next few months as well, and the final cover will be completed in the early fall. I did meet up with her this morning, and she brought one of the early tests for me to see:
The book two cover art will be done entirely on black paper. There won’t be scribbling (obviously), but there will be darkness from the paper showing through. The dark paper made our color selection a little more complicated, but the color tests are all turning out well. Without giving too much away, for those of you who haven’t finished Ranger’s Odyssey, the Realm of Chaos cover is also a snapshot of a specific point near the end of the book. (Ranger’s Odyssey‘s is from Chapter 17.) It takes place at night (hence the black paper) and features Mara and all her companions besides the one that was visible on the Ranger’s Odyssey cover. There will also be three enemies on the cover (including two gunslinger goblins).
Speaking of gunslinger goblins, I added a Realm of Chaos page (accessible from the Tales page). Now that Realm of Chaos is in full swing, and the questions are pouring in after Ranger’s Odyssey. For now, all that’s on the Realm of Chaos page is my intended back cover blurb (at least the first draft). Be sure to check that out if you have questions. However, if you have any questions you really need answered, remember that you are welcome to contact me through the website. I will be happy to answer questions as long as the answer doesn’t reveal a huge spoiler for later books. I would love to hear from you!
I’m so excited about where things are going for Realm of Chaos. I hope that the story I want to write meets your expectations after reading Ranger’s Odyssey. Know that the stories you will read are the stories I love to the depths of my being. Ambergrove is precious to me, and unfolding this world is one of my favorite adventures. (Second only to the snore monster whose delightful, slightly jarring, sleep sounds filter in from the next room.)
We all experience doubt. We all experience, well, experiences that get in the way of our plans sometimes. Push through the things that cause you to doubt yourself, and ride out the experiences that get in the way of your plans. Sometimes you’re in a lifeboat and sometimes you’re windsurfing, but you’ll make it though each thing and get to where you want to (or need to) be. Believing in yourself is hard, but the hard things make the adventure.
Until next time, adventurers!
Tales of Ambergrove 