I hated this book.
That isn’t me exaggerating, or saying some sort of cutesy writer/editing thing. I really did hate this book mere months after I self-published it a year or so ago. Blood of the Underworld (as it was named at the time) was the first and only book I’ve written and released solely hoping it made money. Mercenary work does not suit me well, and I really do care about these characters and the trials I put them through. But BotU was, at the time, a pretty blatant attempt to cash in on Haern’s popularity with my readers. It helped none that I was starting to be bored with Haern as a whole (something I’ve been blessedly cured of by rereading and working on all the older Shadowdance novels, which has reminded me why I once loved this character so much).
Now, this doesn’t mean I thought the book was terrible. Far from it. I knew there were problems, but I honestly thought a lot of the fights and moments I put into the book would make people excited, and make up for any… authorial slacking. But, well… that just meant I was pandering. The original ending, with a smug Haern standing next to an equally smug Thren, pretty much epitomized it all. But the nitty-gritty details? The plot line, the characters’ motivations, the behind-the-scenes scaffolding so important to a story? I just winged it. I’d figure it out later. That’s what books two and three are for! Just let Haern fight some over-the-top bad guys, pull in references to all my other series for some fanboy love, and all would be fine. Right?
See, there’s a problem when I write like that… it leaves me cold for the sequels, and in a bind when I try to come up with what else to do with the characters.
So now comes a chance to rework the book for Orbit, and honestly, this was the one I dreaded the most, far and away. Because I knew when I sat down, took another look at it, that this would be the book that had to grow up the most. All that stuff I slacked off on, tried to leave vague, I couldn’t get away with anymore. In trying to recapture the whirlwind nature of A Dance of Cloaks, I substituted laziness for recklessness. It’s not the same thing, and it’s an insult to my readers. (Not to insult those of you who read that version and liked it… I really do still think there’s plenty of fun scenes in it, especially involving Grayson and the Bloodcrafts… I just have a hard time seeing past all the flaws that poor book suffered because of yours truly.)
So I examined the plot line, the motivations, and worked to fill in the gaps. My editor, Devi, was incredibly helpful in this, and it was her work with me on the previous three books that helped evolve this one into something that should be far more solid, far more able to stand on its own.
So did I do better this time around? God, I hope so. You all will have to be the judge. But deep down I feel this is now a worthy continuation of the story of the Watcher of Veldaren. And more important, I’ve laid down the scenes for the final two books, the pawns, the heroes, the motivations, and now I get to play. Now I get to have fun. The Darkhand is coming, Luther’s about to make his own reveal from the Paladins, and in the Vile Wedge, a prophet is awakening…
David Dalglish
July 30, 2013