OF BLOOD & DREAMS
THE D'ARUVIA TRILOGY (BOOK 1)
Of Blood & Dreams is my soon-to-be-released debut novel, and first in a trilogy of Gothic fantasy novels.
It began many years ago as a historical horror.
Set in the late 1700s, it was Gothic horror in its most romantic form: a doomed voyage; a woman with a tragic past, torn between her love for a young sailor and the allure of an enigmatic vampire.
It was almost at final edit stage: 20 chapters and 100,000 words long. But I was forced to set aside my writing for some time. Six years to be precise.
When I came back to writing, of the many unfinished tales cluttering my hard drives, this story was the one that drew me and begged to be completed.
But reading it again, after all that time - my writing style having changed considerably (myself having changed considerably) - I found the story somewhat clichéd, perhaps even, naïve.
And after reviewing the plot and setting I was no longer content to be bound by the laws of historical fact. It limited the flow of my rambling imagination, and so limited the plot and character development.
I am a fantasy writer at heart.
And so it began:
THE REWRITE.
Putting this plot into a fantasy world opened up so much possibility for the story. Basically the series of events remained the same. The characters I always loved, so I changed none, but was now able to add much more depth to them. I added a few minor characters and one important character.
But when I say that this is a fantasy story, that could be misleading.
I began creating a fantasy series around thirty five years ago: epic, sprawling, dark fantasy tales of swords and sorcery (I'll complete them one day). I love dragons and fantastical beasts; dark magic and the age old struggle between good and evil; the lore of worlds and clans weaved over many years.
Of Blood & Dreams is, however, not one of these tales.
This is Gothic horror set in another world. It is inspired by Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley and Byron. It is a tale of vampirism, ghosts, dark gods and tragedy.
A doomed sea voyage leaves two ships wrecked on a mysterious island that appears to exist out of time and place. Captain Vernon Harris and ship's bosun, Nathaniel Fisher, must fight to protect the survivors, after learning that they have been thrown together and drawn to this evil place by the will of an ancient vampire and the dark goddess he serves.
The Voyage
The Island
Although I have greatly enjoyed the freedom I now had with these characters, I have been very aware, at every stage of the rewrite, of the great task I set myself.
To begin, I had to create a whole new lore of gods. Where there had been a very simple plot of love and fading faith, now branched into black magic and the resurrection of a dark and terrible goddess. My vampires were no longer simply driven by a lust for blood, but had a much deeper purpose in this world.
The element that has consistently given me the most satisfaction, and that continually provides me with enthusiasm and inspiration, is the character development of Nathaniel Fisher.
Fisher always was a favourite of mine: a young, empathic sailor. Taking Fisher away from the confinements of normality has been exciting. His abilities - his sight - has gone to new levels; new depths.
My other writing projects have been side-lined so I can concentrate entirely upon finishing this story that has been so long in the making. I am dedicated to the completion of this trilogy, and the completion of book 1 now looms terrifyingly near.