I can only ever write what I would like to read, which I think has helped since we’re all just fantasy readers at the end of the day. This was, perhaps, the most daunting of all the books to dive into but, once I did, I found it very hard to pull myself away. This world and these characters are very addictive and I just love letting them all out of my head.
I was also aware that this was my last chance to say and do everything I wanted to do with these characters. All those little conversations and emotions that needed to be had - this was it! In that regard, I took my time and let everything play out on the page. If one character needed to talk to another, I just let it happen. The alternative was to let those moments go and move on in favour of the pace, but these characters all deserve their final moments in the spotlight.
And so here we are - The Echoes Saga is complete. I prefer that word to over. I’ve loved every minute and every word of it. It all began with a notepad and ‘Run Boy Run’ by Woodkid. I envisioned Asher riding on his horse at great speed. I knew he was both chasing something and being chased himself though, of course, at the time I had no idea what either of these things were. I know now, as do you, that that was the concept that formed the whole foundation of Asher’s character. Interestingly, I listened to the same track while writing that last part of the epilogue, only then he was soaring with Avandriell at great speed.
Ooo, a little tidbit you might have missed; the chapter titles are repeated (echoes, if you will) through books 1-9. They would be hard to notice, even if you read one after the other, but I really like how the same word can be applied to different situations and characters. I thought it was cool…
So, where to begin? Perhaps the very beginning. My favourite part has to be when the Winds of Time spell actually connects two points in time and brings Alijah and Malliath together. This was unexpected for both me and Sarkas and I loved that it was the reason Malliath hatched in the first place. As a result, Malliath spent thousands of years bonded to someone who hadn’t even been born - another reason his mental health was so poor. It also explains why Alijah could never bond with a dragon when Inara did and why he always felt like he was meant for something great, but could never find the right path. I suppose theirs was always a tragedy in the making.
I enjoyed pulling back the curtain with this last book. In the previous books, I deliberately left out the truth of the extent where Malliath’s influence was concerned. I wanted you to see Alijah through the eyes of the other characters before seeing what was really going on. Ultimately, through various characters, Alijah was something of a grey area due to differing opinions on how he should be dealt with. I’m sure, before the end, you had a good idea of what you wanted to see happen to him, be it punishment or redemption. Either way, the end is the end and the characters pushed the story on more than I did.
So, as you might already know, I don’t really plan out the story before I start writing. I have general ‘beats’ in my mind where I see the story landing in parts, but I have no idea how or if I’ll get there. In my mind, Alijah never succeeded in harming the tree - that whole battle was going to be at the very end of the book and the heroes would save the day at the last minute.
As I started writing, though, I realised the pace of the story was carrying us to that point with all haste. This didn’t really bother me as I thought the book would be as long as it needed to be. But then I had a new thought. What if he did succeed? I instantly knew that was the story I wanted to tell. It would speed up the pace and give the heroes a ticking clock. I also wanted to see what things would be like in Verda once magic began to fade.
From there, the story really took on a life of its own. I had absolutely no idea how they were going to beat Alijah and Malliath but, as always, the idea came to me in the shower. I tend to put my mind into that of the characters’ and see where my thoughts go. In this instance, I thought like Gideon as he had a vast knowledge and the added wisdom of Ilargo.
So I naturally started thinking about separating Alijah from Malliath. That’s when it got really interesting, because I LOVE it when the story naturally draws on events that have taken place in previous books that I never intended. If you ever re-read the series, I’m sure the events of book 3 will mean so much more to you now.
I felt a bit like that when I came to realise that Alijah would die in the exact same spot where he had tried to kill himself in book 4. The echo of it all really made me smile, despite the grim nature of it all.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned writing this last book, it’s the importance of the journey. I’m sure some of you out there predicted the end of the saga, perhaps even
