It’s very difficult to talk about a project that isn’t allowed to be revealed in the public forum, but over the next few months, until it’s officially announced in December, I shall tell you what I can.
This all came about because a rather innocent Facebook post and happening to know the right people. It’s one of those things you can’t really plan; it just sort of happened. Right time, right place kind of deal. The process of securing the rights for this project took only a matter of weeks, really, such was the level of trust between the licence owner and I (and my publisher). It took a bit longer to decide what we were going to do with it, exactly. You see, this property we now have the exclusive rights to is something very important to a lot of people, my publisher and me included, and we know how important it is to get this right. There’s no room for error.
And yet, in spite of the sheer weight of responsibility on us to get this right, we just knew we can do it. In some ways it feels like we were born to make this happen. Will it be hard work? You betcha. Will we be taking it seriously? You betcha. Will we be having fun? Abso-fracking-lutely!
There is so much to consider when planning out this project, so much to be aware of, to be extremely careful with. We simply cannot play this loose.
My first task was to assemble a team of authors. Due to the nature of the project that was a relatively easy process; and so the upshot is I get to work with some of my favourite authors (a pleasure I’ve had in various ways for the past ten years). Normally the authors would have much more freedom, but this being the opening gambit, I had to set up a very specific shopping list for each of the first four books; fortunately this list proved to be another fun enticement for the authors who have joined us at this early stage of the project. The team assembled it’s now a case of writing this first batch of books. I’m writing the first, since it makes sense for the range editor to set everything up, although that said each of the first four books will be setting up the concept of the series gradually, instead of dumping it all on the reader in one go. I can reveal the title of the first book, since it doesn’t really give away anything about the project, and that title is; The Forgotten Son.
By the time of the official announcement the plan is to have the first three books, at least, in the bag. Including cover design. Nothing like a bit of visual stimuli to engage the interest of the public. We’ve started talking about the style of covers, and I have to say it’s going to be very exciting. We’ve talked about the tone of the series, and likened it to Adam Adamant Lives! meets The Avengers with a dash of Danger Man thrown in for good measure. We even have in mind two (maybe three) different phases for the series, three distinct periods in which to set it, utilising the same characters. What does all this mean? Well, obviously I cannot possibly explain any more than I have, but when all is revealed it will make perfect sense.
For now it’s time to start proper work on The Forgotten Son. Already Phil Raymond is feeling a chill in the air while he walks near Golitha Falls in Cornwall, and he’s not sure it’s the weather he feels…
The Welsh-Londoner's Literary Adventures 