And so it begins…

January 2021

I captured this photograph near my home while out for a morning bike ride.

With the advent of An Occasion to Mourn, A Chronicles of Candlelight Prequel (Book 0), I wanted to introduce my general writing plan and provide a brief history of my efforts. Four years ago, when the opportunity to begin Darith’s dark tale was thrust upon me, I sat in front of my computer and started to write in earnest. I saw Darith at his post, swarmed by dark, menacing creatures. I saw him dragged into the belly of despair. I saw his black beginning and his glorious end, but I knew that his was only half of the story. He held the meat and the bones, so to speak, but not the blood.

I had another tale burning inside me. In fact, I wrote the first chapter, then abandoned Darith in the middle of the forest while I ran south to the Gargan River to find Vale, the prophesied queen. I knew from the moment her sweet, innocent, naïve name brushed my heart that I had to tell everyone about her too. While Darith is stalwart, brave, and fixed with faith and duty, Vale is gentle and kind, driven by love and a need to understand Morgallen, a desire to judge him for his crimes, and a longing to end pain.

I realized after beginning both histories that each was equally vibrant, equally beautiful, and equally necessary. They are companions walking together (figuratively speaking… maybe… or maybe not… no spoilers here). And so I finished Vale’s introduction.

With Vale set to rights, I left her in a safe place to await my return. My journey carried me back to Darith and his plight. I finished the story of his youth. I carefully constructed his foundation, relayed the dark and the hopeful prophecies regarding the fate of his people, and settled on the conclusion that the timing was not quite what it needed to be. Hence, Darith’s inauguration became a prequel.

I had never intended to tell of Morgallen’s rise to power but of his demise. I did not want to focus on the antagonist’s quest for vengeance against Aetharovyr, the Light that Is. Yes, there is some of his motivation there—a lot of it, in truth, but Morgallen is not the heart or the soul of it. He is the black and bloody fringe, the prowling serpent, the storm on the horizon, the chill of frost in the air, the sinking in the belly and the prick of adrenaline in the heart of one standing on the edge of a cliff looking at water smashing over cold, black rock and wondering if the jump to safety is possible though the risk is unavoidable.

And so, after this we see a turn in the tables of time. Vale is an infant when Darith’s tower is overrun. And for twenty seasons, Darith waits, studies, and prepares. There is little plot progression between here and there, so ultimately, I decided to move forward, or rather, move An Occasion to Mourn back. Thus, it has become a prequel to both tales.

I hope my rationale makes as much sense to everyone else as it does to me. I want to unfold both stories in parallel. I relay this information so that everyone will know where we are headed. Many surprises are good, desired, expected, but others cause resentment. After An Occasion to Mourn, I will show you Vale, a character I love and adore. She will offer us two legs of her journey before we return to Darith (all three books are already in their final stages, and I plan to release all three this year). Do not fear for him. I left him safely on the cusp of another dark adventure, but not in the rank, rotten bowels of one. 

© Will Rivard

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