Island of Fog Book 6

Posted on October 25, 2012 (Subscribe to Blog)

I'm making good progress on Book 6 of the Island of Fog series. I couldn't wait to get stuck into it, and it's flying along. I'm already a third of the way through and fully expect to finish the first draft by Christmas.

Near the beginning, during a ride in Blacknail's buggy, Hal and his friends get to meet a bunch of trolls...

"There they are," Darcy exclaimed in hushed tones.
Lauren let out a squeak, and Thomas said something under his breath.
"They look mean," Fenton said simply.
"And big," Dewey added in a small voice.
Hal finally caught a glimpse of four gangly monsters slithering down the sloping walls just ahead of the buggy. They were vaguely similar to ogres only much thinner and a little shorter — but still enormous compared to Hal and his friends, at least twice as tall. They had coarse hair the color of rock, and strangely oversized hands and feet well suited for clambering up and down steep mountains. Whereas ogres were dimwitted giants, trolls radiated a cunning intelligence. Fangs stuck up out of the corners of their mouths, and their eyes were so deeply sunken, their brows so heavy, that each of the four trolls appeared to be wearing a permanent grimace.

I mentioned on Facebook a while ago that I actually started this novel by writing chapters in the middle of the book, and then went back to the beginning where I've so far written the first three and half chapters. Why did I start in the middle? Because I wanted to. I often think of scenes that I can't wait to get to, and truthfully the beginning of a novel is always the hardest and perhaps the most tedious part to write because I have to set the scene, slip in gentle reminders of the previous story, and so on. Diving straight into a mid-chapter is liberating. I can just "get it out of the system," and somehow it makes the beginning a little easier because I'm not chomping at the bit to "get to the good stuff" later on.

There's plenty of other good stuff though. This is the sixth and final book in the series and there's a pretty major event lined up. Yes, you heard it: this is the final episode for Hal and his friends. Books 1-3 in the series formed a trilogy, and so do Books 4-6. They're closely linked on various levels and form an arcing plot that culminates in something really, really big.

In fact, the ending will be hard to top in the future, and that's part of why this is the last book. Although I have plenty of possible ideas for future stories, I don't want to flog it to death; I'd rather leave it with more to tell than keep writing with dwindling interest. So Book 6 is the last in the series. If I ever write more, they will be a spin-off series. After this second trilogy, I think Hal's tale (tail?) will be done.

There will, of course, be a prequel later on, but that's another story (pun intended).

I'll leave you for now with a scene from about halfway through the book. Poor, poor Hal...

He had no feeling in his fingers or toes, no pressure on his limbs, no pain anywhere on his body, not even the slightest sensation of ambient temperature on his face. Nothing.
Panic swept over him, but even that was a strangely peripheral experience. In a situation like this, his heart should be pounding in his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps, sweat pouring down his face. Instead he was in a dreamlike state, floating in a vast nothingness. His mind screamed with terror and revulsion at the suffocating blackness, and he fought to regain control of his paralyzed body, to wake it up and gather some sensory input from his surroundings. He wanted to touch a hard surface, smell the air, hear echoes of dripping water, feel warmth or even icy chills on his skin — it didn't matter, just SOMETHING.
"Help!" he yelled.

Comment by BRIAN B. on Thursday, October 25, 2012...

Can't wait. A little sad to see you are finishing the series but understandable. Onward and upward.

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Thursday, October 25, 2012...

Yes, and I have plenty of other books I want to work on. :-)

Comment by RACHELLE on Sunday, January 20, 2013...

i have not even finished island of fog yet —about halfway through— but i cannot wait to read all the rest of the books in the series. i love the balance of mystery and fantasy and the characters are wonderful. thanks so much!

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Sunday, January 20, 2013...

Welcome aboard, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by. :-)

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