Meerkat Prompts: The Awakening
Time for a bit of shameless self-promotion, because hey, why not? Back in 2022, after a process that began life in 2019, and following a lot of work, both on my part and that of my wonderful publishers Jumpmaster Press, I realised something of a dream of mine.
The Awakening marks my first traditionally-published book. Don’t get me wrong, I think self-publishing is absolutely a valid form of publishing, but to have a publisher read my work and decide they wanted to put their name against it is a pretty special feeling. You’ll notice there is a link to your left to the book, if you wish to order it (cheeky hint!).
It was quite the process, writing this story. It certainly evolved over time. It began life as The Warlord, and the original incarnation went off on some very different tangents. I learned – thanks to some good advice – to focus on showing the story instead of telling it, and I learned what the traditional conventions of storytelling are (as well as when to break them). I owe a lot of people a lot of thanks for having patience with me as I went through this journey.
What is The Awakening about? It follows the story of Seluban, a warrior serving the Chon’ith Empire. He comes to a revelation about his rulers, but before he can act upon it, he is turned into a scapegoat and banished to Coward’s Forge. From this inhospitable wasteland, Seluban must find the courage to carry on, and escape so he can save his people from within, before a powerful new enemy destroys them all.
It goes without saying that I am extremely proud of this endeavour, and should you read it, I hope you enjoy it! There is a sequel on the way, The Schism, tentatively scheduled for some stage in 2025, so maybe that will serve as a tempting hook!
