As I stated earlier, this book was originally the second half of book 1, a much smaller and condensed version of it, but it was there. If you were one of the few that ended up with a copy of the advance reader, and were able to read past the atrocious combination of words within those pages, you'll recognize that. If you were one of the lucky few that never saw the ARC, then there is a probable likelihood that I'm redeemable in your eyes, and I may get the chance to prove myself. Both books 1 and 2 were originally planned as one story. When I was working toward publishing book 1, my editor (at the time) pointed out that I had made a common rookie mistake. I was seeing the world so vividly in my own head, that I'd forgotten the reader couldn't. This left a story with no real feel to it. I had characters and interactions, but there was no texture to the world. You couldn't feel the wind upon your face, or see the billowing smoke rolling from the chimney above the inn. So I learned what I needed to do, and I went in and split the book right down the middle. I went to work rewriting book 1. I added thousands of little details, created new content, and brought the characters a bit closer to reality. I took a broken story of roughly 40k words and shaped it into a world full of characters you could believe. I gave them life, and made the reader feel through their eyes. I turned it into a 92k word novel that took on a life of its own. And then that book did what it did. I had to do the same to the second half. Only book two was nothing but skin and bones. It was still roughly 40k words when I started, but it was patchy. The characters did what I made them. They had no real purpose, other than simply existing in my world. In the two months I spent rewriting this book, I ended up writing several entirely new chapters, all the while polishing and adding details to the world around the story. I made it so much denser than it was. I gave the characters stronger motives, I made them love, and I made them hate. They became real, making them feel like the people they were based off of. And if I did everything right, you, as the reader, should hate me from time to time. But I hope I'm redeemable, as everything I've done was for the sole purpose of moving the story where I needed it to go. I created, what I believe is my best work yet. In two months, a 40k word broken manuscript became a 96k word book full of life.
As many of the characters are based on real friends of mine, I encountered moments when I had to call them, regardless of the time. On more than one occasion, I heard a tired and sleepy voice answer the phone in a raspy “Hello?”. It wasn't that I enjoyed waking them at all hours of the night. I had to share my excitement and emotions. These characters became real. And like real beings, I had to express the torment and joy they put me through. I would wake my friends and get onto them for their character's actions. I know they have no more control over their character, written by me, than I have over their physical bodies, but I felt they needed to know about the shit the character was pulling. Not all of it was bad. Some of it had me in tears of laughter. Just the other night I had a scene where some of the characters were bantering back and forth. It had me in tears of humor and ridicule, forcing the emotions of the character based on me to the front of my mind. It pulled me back to a point in time when such banter was a regular occurrence for me. I felt as my character did. And I had no choice but to call my friends, laughing about the entire encounter. If no other part of this book is well received, I believe that one will be. There is true emotion within those few words. A brotherly love that only the closest of people have developed and I believe the reader will be able to pick up on that. I've done a fair job of tapping into that relationship between my closest friends and I. And I feel that this is my best work yet. It's dark, gritty, loving, forgiving, merciless, and with any hope, alluring.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoy this book and I hope you will too. I've created a world here, one in which will be thoroughly explored in future works. While the characters of this particular story were born in a LARP, the world is one my friends and I have spent near two decades building. There are many more stories planned to take you through this world, with many other characters, both good and bad. You'll get to learn more about the eldar races, the gods, the monsters, the heroes, and many others. I've got an entire series planned, I just need time to make it happen. Time that I'll have when I'm able to write full time. But the only way I'm going to be able to do that is with your support. You've already purchased this book, and for that I thank you. But there is more to be done. I urge you to take a moment of your time and leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other outlet which you've found this book. Only with reviews will my base grow and move me the direction I need to go. And I need people like you to get reviews. Thank you in advance and I look forward to bringing you many more hours of entertainment.
Samuel Rikard
The Order of the Trident: Speculum (Eldarlands Book 2) Page 31
