Saturday, July 22, 2006

Prequel Jitters

Since my next book, Eye of the Oracle, is a prequel to Dragons in our Midst (DIOM), I had a concern that the story might be too heavily tied to the original series, thus making it difficult for a reader who has never read DIOM. I worked hard to make sure the new story was fresh and had characters that would stand alone without need for knowing the other stories.

So, I decided to find someone who had never read DIOM and ask for a review. Here is what the young lady wrote,

Eye of the Oracle drew me in from the first page to the last, with its vivid settings, its lively characters, and its spellbinding story. Mr. Davis has created a masterpiece, integrating high fantasy adventure with solid spiritual truths. Eye of the Oracle is an excellent book, a must-read for any fantasy lover!

That really helped settle my jitters! I've also received great reviews from the DIOM readers I surveyed, so I'm really looking forward to the release of the book, scheduled for September 25.

May God be gloried for giving me the strength and ideas to write this book. It will be interesting to see how He uses it to build His kingdom.

7 comments:

Pam Halter said...

hi Bryan ~ I've enjoyed the first three books in your series and am anxious to get the fourth. My homeschool Book Club read the first one and they enjoyed it, too.

What made you decide to write a prequel? It sounds interesting.

I am also on staff and faculty for the Phila. conference and am looking forward to meeting you and attending your workshops as I'm new to writing fantasy. I usually write picture books.

Thanks for taking the time to come to the conference. See you soon!

Bryan Davis said...

One reason I wrote the prequel is because in order to continue the story where "Tears of a Dragon" left off, the reader needs a tremendous amount of background information, events that happened a long time ago. My new series, Oracles of Fire, will continue that story and feature some new characters, and readers have to know who they are and how they fit into the story. The prequel accomplishes those goals.

Second, many readers were interested in the details that led up to the story in the "Dragons in our Midst" series. The original books give some background material, but it wasn't enough to fill in all my readers wanted to know.

When we meet in Philadelphia, please speak up and remind me what you wrote here.

Bryan Davis said...

I'm sorry to hear about that, Ryan. I prayed for you. I hope you can get your files back.

Pam Halter said...

Wow ~ it sounds like lots of work and lots of fun!

I'll be sure to introduce myself in Philly.

M. C. Pearson said...

Hey Bryan, I posted about Philly and have a picture of you in it.

Thanks for all your help with my protag. I think it works much better now!

Pam Halter said...

hi Bryan ~ I also want to thank you for your help with my manuscript. I have work to do and that's a good thing!

I also enjoyed your workshop on writing fantasy. It was the best workshop I've ever taken. Your examples and explanation were clear and to the point. And it was fun.

Thanks for taking the time with us beginners!

Bryan Davis said...

You're welcome, Pam. It was a pleasure meeting you!