A Journey of the Mind

A Journey of the Mind

The process of writing a novel is a personal journey within the mind. It’s like getting up on a Saturday morning for a hike and having the power to choose, or create, the destination, the trail, the ground you will cover, the weather conditions, your hiking companions, and the experiences you will enjoy, bear, and suffer on your trek. As with any journey, the path chosen may change over time. You may encounter someone or something unexpected, such as a new idea, or a different twist on an existing one, and your trek, or tale, may change, or not. The choice is yours. That is the power and magic of the novelist’s pen.

After each journey, I find that I have learned a host of new, and often fascinating things. In writing Helius Legacy, I learned of the importance of “stealth and separate” in hostage situations, the altitude ceiling for a UH-1 helicopter, and how important it is to hide your “digital trail,” if you are consigned to the life of a fugitive.

In writing The Return of Sir Percival: Book I – Guinevere’s Prayer, the depth and breadth of my knowledge of early British history, which was not insubstantial, was expanded many fold. Yes, I could still get lost in the Kingdom of the Pendragon, but in time I would find my way again, with my trusty maps of the Roman roads and byways.

When I sit down with a glass of wine and reflect upon my two literary journeys to date, the most satisfying part of the experience is the creative satisfaction. I can “see” Guinevere, Percival, Capussa, Cadwyn and Merlin, as if they were sitting across the room, talking together about the dire threats facing the kingdom. I can hear Guinevere’s soft laughter, as she talks with Cadwyn, long into the night, the cruel scorn in Morgana’s voice as she plans her retribution, and I can feel the depth of Galahad’s pathos, when he recalls all that has been lost.

If you read either Helius Legacy or The Return of Sir Percival, I hope your journey of the mind was as enjoyable as mine.