Chalice of Oblivion Novelette
Creating this story has been its own adventure and feels like the Monty Python bit about building castles in a swamp and hoping the third castle remains above water.
In January, as I prepared to start revisions on A Dangerous Magic, the reality and demands of publishing meant I should start getting readers excited about the novel and the series. The best way I could think to do that was to write a short story prequel. So I set about writing one. But it became a novelette sized book and spoiled some of the most important parts of the novel.
I started again. This time, it was a completely separate adventure unrelated to the novel. But it also didn’t fit well to introduce the world of the novel. I was having a blast writing these stories, but from a reader’s perspective, they just didn’t feel right coming before the novel. So I tried a third time.
The result is Chalice of Oblivion. Again, I loved writing this story. Thomas and Carli are minor characters in the novel and series, and this allowed me to explore them a little. The story became a way to introduce the magic and my alternate 1890s world to readers who haven’t read anything in the series.
Chalice of Oblivion is a novelette, about 12,800 words or 50 printed pages. I completed revisions last week, and the copy edited uncorrected proof is sitting on my desk waiting for me to give it a thorough going over. Once that’s done and the book formatting is complete, it will be available for anyone to read for free.
If you’re an avid reader of historical fantasy, alternate history, or steam punk and would like to receive an early ebook ARC, sign-up here. I’d love to hear feedback before it goes live to everyone.
Thanks. Until next time,
Kevin J. Fellows 