Читать книгу The Lost Knights - William Speir - Страница 4

I first began writing The Knights of the Saltire in 2010. At the time, it was intended to be a stand-alone book, but before the first draft was completed, ideas for the next two books in The Order of the Saltire Trilogy had come to me. By the time The Knights of the Saltire was first published, I had already started writing the sequel trilogy, The Sentinels of the Saltire. This was followed by Legacy of the Grand Master, which was originally intended to be the first book in The Children of the Saltire series but remains a stand-alone novel.

In 2012, I took the opportunity to revise the first three books and release the trilogy in a single hardback edition. This was followed by a release of the first and second trilogies in ebook format. I have since written several other novels, and as my writing improved, I felt dissatisfied with the quality of the Saltire series. So in 2015, I made the decision to revise all seven books in the series and release new editions.

This book introduces a new enemy that the Order of the Saltire must face. The first five chapters of this book, under the Section Title “Senatus Populus Quo Romanus,” provide the origin story of this enemy. Even though the “experts” say that you must introduce your main character in Chapter 1, I felt that context was needed to understand the central conflict of the story. I hope that you’ll forgive me for breaking the “rules” of writing.

I’d like to thank my wife, Lee Anne, for her tireless support of my writing career. She encourages me and helps keep me focused and grounded. Without her love and support, I could accomplish nothing. I also want to acknowledge my children: Sonya and her husband Tom, and Brad and his wife Susie and son Colten. They are my inspiration.

I’d like to thank my sister Linda Speir for her valuable edits, critiques, and suggestions. I am grateful for the time and effort that she has put into helping me with my writing.

A final thanks goes to my fans, who show their appreciation daily by buying my books and encouraging others to do the same. I hope that you enjoy the revised series. This is for you.

William Speir

April 2015