So far in The Children of Clay series, I've released:
Books 4 and 5 are in the works. Titles and covers to be revealed later. Book 4 is complete, but needs editing. Book 5 is 70% complete and of course will need editing. I've completed another book in the universe which is going to need editing work also. After that, I anticipate three more books and the series would be complete. Book 4 was a real bear. I had to work hard to make it work. Why? I've had the entire story in my head for over 10 years and before I began publishing, I had what I thought was books 1-4 all set. These covered the 9,000 year history of the series, But as I set out to publish book one, I realized the backstory, which was in my head, needed to be told. That backstory became the trilogy out now, The Clay Queen, Clay to Ashes, and Icon of Clay. All three were initially just a long chapter in the originally conceived book 1. Then there was a transition chapter between what is now Icon of Clay and what was to be my book 1. That transition is the current Book 4 and it jumps ahead 20 years after Icon of Clay and sets up Book 5, which was the original book 1. Everything seemed good up until I began to revisit the original book 1 which is now book 5 and I realized that I needed to dig deeper foundations for this book to make sense. In the original conceived series, I had a short-story length prologue that set up Queen Nouei's ultimate dilemma and what triggered the series. But as I wrote The Clay Queen and even, She Died in my Arms, I avoided that story because I listened to people who thought that the post-Apocalyptic fantasy-esque vibe of that story (set 9,000 years in the future) did not fit the contemporary sci fi feel of The Clay Queen. Now I realize I have to tell that story which has percolated in my head for years. So what does this mean? I'm rewriting The Clay Queen. The story as is will remain but I am adding three elements. First, I've added the five days Jeremy and Bridget Blade spend in Paris on their disaster of a honeymoon to give us more about them. Second, I think I'm adding just a little more about the parallel world (Index 100) that the nun, Sister Kaypore hails from. And then, third, much, much more about the world in the future that Queen Nouei is from and how her situation triggered her reincarnation as Bridget. When it's all said and done, The Clay Queen will be triple its current length. Clay to Ashes (book 2) will expand but not by much. Icon of Clay (book 3) might get a smidgen or two of revision, but only if it's absolutely necesssary. Icon of Clay is complete as I conceive it. I don't have a timeline for when the revision will get done but I hope it'll be in the next 2-3 months for the revised The Clay Queen and Clay to Ashes. And then I'll resume releasing the other books and get the entire series out hopefully by the conclusion of 2019, God willing.
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AuthorOno Ekeh Archives
June 2020
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