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As many of you already know, Heroes of Ravenford is planned to be a five book series. With the release of Princess of Lanfor, our minds naturally turn to the last novel of the series, The Baron's Heart.
This last entry in Heroes of Ravenford will bring things around full circle. Our heroes will return to Ravenford itself only to find things are not the way they left them. A dire tragedy has occurred, and they must deal with it swiftly or lose someone near and dear to them.
There will be some shifting around of characters after the departures in book 4, but one character in particular will rise to be a main member of the party. The Lady Andrella has more abilities than anyone previously knew, and with the tragic events that unfold in book 5, she rises to the occasion, proving that she is a force to be reckoned with.
To that end, we had our good friend Jackson craft up a cover for book 5 that showcases the new Lady Andrella and the effervescent archer, Kalyn Rhan with Ravenford itself in the background:
Jackson always amazes me. I love this cover! And yes, Andrella is delving into fire magic. Good thing she has a new tutor, a certain elven wizard, to help her learn to 'control' it. Did somebody say 'lighthouse?'
Anyway, with the end of Heroes only one more book away, you might be wondering, what next? Personally, I always found it sad as a reader when one of my favorite series ended. It was hard to let go of what often times had become cherished characters. Well multiply that feeling by ten for an author. These characters come alive in your head. They have minds and personalities of their own, and are more than willing to tell you how they feel, or will react in a certain situation.
Well let me assure you, this series is not the end of the adventures of Lloyd, Seth, Aksel, Glolindir, Ruka, Ves, Donnie, Elladan, Andrella, Kalyn and/or whoever your favorite character is. First, we are thinking of putting out an anthology consisting of short stories from the world of Thac. It may include background stories of some of our beloved friends as well as introductions to new characters who will appear in the next series. I have polled a number of other writers who have some interest in Heroes and a few are definitely on board. Assuming all goes well, that anthology could be published sometime after the release of the Baron's Heart.
Beyond that, the next series is in the planing stages - Rise of the Thrall Lord. Those novels will follow characters both old and new as their adventures take an even more serious turn. Ravenford will no longer be the only place in jeopardy, but the entire world of Arinthar will be in danger from forces of legendary proportions.
So stay tuned folks. Things are just warming up.