Yound Adult Fantasy series FLIGHT tackles big issues such as trauma and disability

 

When I first started writing the Flight series, way back in 2008 (can you believe it?) I had vague ideas about what I was writing about, I mean, ACTUALLY writing about. Often, it's not until I finish the book that I realise the exact theme I was addressing in the story. Weird isn't it? As writers, we can't help but infuse our writing with own experiences. There's a little of us in every character. That's called authenticity! But so much of it seems to be subconscious. 

 

Writing book one - Rebel

At the time of writing Rebel, book one in the series, I was personally dealing with the effects of spinal surgery and a painful, developing medical condition that wasn't going to be properly diagnosed until 2020. The pain I experienced, 24 hours a day, every day, was in my neck, the centre of my back and down my arms. My main character, Reeve Surehand, is a half-breed Dragonkind, with beautiful wings and the ability to fly, however his race are banned from doing so. When he breaks the law, the law breaks him, by having him publicly flogged and then removing some of his flight bones in one wing. He never flies again. I was able to describe the exact pain, in detail, because it is what I live with. Like many teenage boys, Reeve is impulsive, (some call it reckless), tenacious and doesn't take things seriously. He see the world as a huge playground he wants to explore. And that is perfectly normal and good, but when you have a serious injury and your people expect you to lead them into a war with their oppressors, a more serious attitude is required. Reeve finds another way to fly, but it requires him to accept that his actions landed him where he is and he must now work hard to show his people he is up to the job of leader. Buy HERE

 

Writing book two - Runaway 

In my previous job I had worked with kids who had been through significant trauma and/or had learning disabilities or difficulties. In writing book two I was mindful that trauma, despite what some people say, isn't something you can erase from your life, especially by just talking about it. You have to learn to live alongside it, to move ahead with your goals and dreams, despite what happened to you; to find that inner strength and light to make your life satisfying. This is complicated by being a teenager, with all its emotional extremes! The main character, Sye, daughter of Elessa the Seeker, is also a Dragonkind. She struggles daily with the trauma of her mother's death, which she witnessed, and the abuse by her alcoholic father, who struggles to contain his own grief. At the same time she is a feisty, talented metalworker with close friends, a wonderful mentor, an irascible animal familiar and a secret ability that she is yet to discover that will actually save her entire race. The problem is that she focusses so much on her pain and her feelings of unworthiness that she misses what is actually going on around her. When a challenge is laid at her feet, she accepts reluctantly, but goes on to discover her own worth and more importantly, that life is what you make it. Despite your trauma. Buy HERE

 

Writing book three- Renegade

I will admit, I have been putting off writing book three. It's nearly 20 years since I started this epic fantasy, with its four races of people, their individual languages and culture, even creating the language of dragons! It is an epic task to keep it all going, even though I love it. Book three is about the third main character, Zeth Surehand, half-brother to Reeve. He is a human (called 'Meer' in the books), who is in love with Sye, a dragonkind girl. This itself is a challenge, but complicated by the fact that they live in a time of war. Zeth is a born soldier and his desire to honour his soldier father leads him into perilous danger, however, he may never be accepted by his father's army. His worth as a person is tied to his ability to fight. But what if the enemy isn't who everyone says it is? That's as far as I know is the REAL message of this book. By the time I finish it, I will be able to tell you  more!