To start, why don’t we get into simply what The Shadow Regent is about. And if it ties into anything you’ve written up to now?
Effectively, The Shadow Regent is a standalone novel that explores one other a part of Tralodren and the way it’s affected by the aftermath of the Wizard King Trilogy. That stated, the concept was to have the story be arrange the place you didn’t need to know what occurred beforehand, permitting you to take pleasure in this story by itself. I attempted to verify new readers didn’t miss out on something and older readers, who’ve learn the sequence, had some sense of connection and reward for any earlier data.
One other method this story is totally different is that it offers with the gods and their realms, delving into the lore, historical past, and different features of simply how issues function within the better cosmos after which how that has been altered or challenged by current occasions.
How did you come in regards to the story to start with? Was it a part of the planning in what you had been writing for The Wizard King Trilogy?
The story, in some ways, got here as an outworking of some notes and concepts as I completed up Wizard King and was taking a look at what got here subsequent within the sequence of tales on my “to do listing”. The extra I fleshed out different tasks the extra I noticed what could possibly be carried out with this explicit story.
At first it was extra private in nature, one thing akin to a personal historical past or sequence of notes and sections of textual content that might serve to tell me on different issues. However quickly sufficient it grew and grew till I noticed I wanted to begin writing it down and ending it up as a novel.
And that is your first standalone work within the Tralodren story universe. What was it like solely having to work on one novel as an alternative of a sequence? And did you end up liking it over the longer sequence work?
In some methods writing a standalone story may be difficult as a result of you need to get your complete story into one novel. You possibly can’t unfold it out or attempt to go away too many free threads to tug for future plot traces in upcoming installments. So you need to have a barely tighter story on one hand however on the opposite it may be moderately liberating as you don’t need to concern your self an excessive amount of with retaining some legs on the story for the subsequent quantity. In that sense you may simply write till the story is completed and that’s it. Whenever you’re carried out, the story is simply too. And that was a refreshing expertise.
Moreover being your first standalone story it’s additionally the primary novel based mostly in Tralodren with out a map. Was it tougher writing one thing that had such a bigger scope of actual property to cowl with out a useful information on your journey?
Probably not. As I beforehand talked about, I wasn’t actually flying blind as I’ve notes and my very own private maps and issues that I exploit for guides and self reference when writing. So there won’t be a map for the readers to see—no less than not but—however I used to be simply tremendous as I wrote.
As you stated, The Shadow Regent offers with quite a lot of issues exterior the world of Tralodren. And whilst you talked about you have got guides and notes, how a lot of that actuality do you have got discovered? And was it onerous making an attempt to remain inside the traces of issues already established in your different works?
Yeah, The Shadow Regent actually steps exterior the planet of Tralodren to some extent. However Tralodren can also be a cosmology—an entire story universe, if you’ll—which I’ve been engaged on for a while. So moving into it wasn’t as daunting because it could possibly be. And since I additionally had notes on what has been occurring or will likely be occurring in numerous planes and realms throughout this time, it made it simpler to leap into issues in that a part of the cosmos.
As to making an attempt to remain within the traces, as I discussed, I’ve these notes to assist maintain me on process and a tough thought of the place issues had been going in addition to what simply transpired within the earlier sequence to function the muse for what got here subsequent. So it wasn’t as onerous because it may have been however was enjoyable getting to color with a bigger brush in a better a part of the cosmos.
This novel can also be distinctive in that it contains an appendices. Was this one thing you had been initially planning for the title or did it come about extra organically?
It’s one thing I’ve had within the again my thoughts for some time—even because the begin of the Wizard King Trilogy. I’ve all the time preferred the concept of getting one thing additional in a ebook that not solely builds into extra of the story however fleshes out extra of the world wherein it takes place. And since we’ve stepped right into a wider a part of the sandbox with this story I assumed it acceptable to lastly add some further materials to the ebook.
The problem was in limiting what I shared as I had lots to select from however solely a lot room obtainable wherein to share it. So it turned extra an train in looking for the necessities and from there seeing what match. The added bonus will not be solely will what’s shared profit the readers of The Shadow Regent but additionally assist increase the world and story of the Wizard King Trilogy in numerous methods too, making a win-win situation for all concerned.
Thanks, Chad!
Search for The Shadow Regent this March twenty first in ebook shops and comics retailers—in addition to on-line. And be happy to study extra in regards to the story and Chad’s different forthcoming works by following him at: chadcorrie.com and by way of social media: @creatorchad.
