Faerie Path 7 - The “no news” News

By Allan | Monday, 4 July 2011 at 08:27
Category: Writing | Tags:

I am still getting regular mail from readers of The Faerie Path series asking for more books after The Charmed Return.

I’d be happy to write more books, but the cold truth at the moment is that the Publishers do not want any more books in this series. There are only two ways that I can think of to get them to change their minds.

The first and best would be for the sales of the existing books to go through the roof! I do what I can to publicise these books, but word of mouth by existing readers is a far more effective way of alerting people to the existence of the books - and of getting them to buy them! If you would like to see more Faerie Path books, and you have a Facebook account, or Twitter, or any other Social Network access, then spread the word. If you know people who run book-review websites, or even if you know of such websites from your browsing online, make contact and tell them about the series. If you have a local library, speak to the librarian and ask if they will buy the books for their shelves. If you have a school library, find out if they would be able to buy copies. If you have friends or family who you think might enjoy the books, tell them about them - maybe even buy a book as a gift?

The other potential way of getting the Publishers Harper Collins to change their mind is to make direct contact with them - they have a Facebook page HarperTeen where you can post comments - perhaps if you write a polite message to them telling them how much you are enjoying the Faerie Path series and would like to see more, that might make a difference - if enough of you do it. If you do decide you’d like to contact the publishers directly, please remember always to be polite to them and to keep your mails short and to the point.

If you have an online account with Amazon or a similar book-selling store, perhaps you could consider writing a review of the books for other people to read?

If you have any other ideas for publicising the series and spreading the word, please post a comment here.

Meanwhile, don’t forget you can chat with other readers of the series on the Fan Forum and in the Fan Club - links on the right hand side of my website Home page. Arya, who runs these sites, has also set up a big Summer Giveaway of books signed by me - so please do check this out if you have the time.

Of course, if I do hear anything from the Publishers - I’ll post it here immediately.

Meanwhile…the ball is in your court!

Massive Summer Giveaway!

By Allan | Wednesday, 22 June 2011 at 19:25
Category: Writing | Tags: , ,

My good friend Arya has set up a Massive Summer Giveaway on the Fan Forum site at faerieroom.proboards.com.

You can link directly to this site by clicking on the panel on the right hand side of the Home or Blog Page on my Website.

Arya says: Prizes are…

An autographed paperback copy of The Immortal Realm

An autographed hardcover copy of The Enchanted Quest

6 copies of autographed Destiny’s Path: Rhiannon of the Spring (formerly Warrior Princess)

You may enter the draw by leaving a message on the Fan Forum site.

Please don’t leave messages on My Site here hoping to be added to the draw - you have to get in direct contact with Arya on the Fan Forum site.

Destiny’s Path: Rhiannon of the Spring

By Allan | Friday, 17 June 2011 at 12:06
Category: Writing | Tags: , , ,

The first book in the re-published series formerly known as Warrior Princess and now called Destiny’s Path hit the stores on the 6th June. Most of you will know the story behind this, but for any of you who missed the explanation, here’s the thing: Harper Collins New York originally commissioned me to write 4 books in the Warrior Princess series. Because of cut-backs due to the economic climate, they decided not to publish book four - despite it being written and handed over to them in plenty of time, and despite the fact that the editors really loved it. This decision was not based on quality, but was the product of number-crunching by accountants and the need to save money. Shame, but what can you do about it?

Well, it turns out that there is something that can be done. People wanting to follow Branwen’s adventures with the Shining Ones to their end, can buy the fourth book in the stores if they live in the UK or Canada or Australia or New Zealand - and can buy it on import or as an e-book if they live in America. The British publisher Hodder Hachette have bought the series and are re-packaging and re-publishing the first three books and are also committed to releasing the missing fourth book.

The only slight complication is that they didn’t much like the series title “Warrior Princess” and decided to change it to “Destiny’s Path” - which is fine, except that the 2nd book of Warrior Princess is also called Destiny’s Path - so that could be confusing. Also, some of the people at Hodder Hachette didn’t like the American covers - so there was a lot of debate about that by their various departments before it was finally decided to go with covers that are only slightly different from the originals - which is good, because I liked them.

The publication schedule for the 4 books goes like this:

Book 1: Destiny’s Path: Rhiannon of the Spring - June 2011.

Book 2: Destiny’s Path: Govannon of the Wood - September 2011.

Book 3: Destiny’s Path: Merion of the Stones - January 2012.

Book 4: Destiny’s Path: Caradoc of the North Wind - April 2012.

The thing to remember is that books one to three of Destiny’s Path are virtually the same as books one to three of Warrior Princess - the only differences are tiny editorial corrections that I made. So, if you have already bought the first three Warrior Princess books (Warrior Princess, Destiny’s Path & The Emerald Flame) - the only one you need is Caradoc of the North Wind. I’m explaining this upfront so no one feels cheated because of having bought the same book twice with different titles!

On the Faerie Path front, I’m planning on having a final meeting with a UK representative of the publishers in July - I’ll report back, but I don’t want anyone to get their hopes up about a 7th book - things are not looking good.

Meanwhile, the first book of The Six Crowns series is doing so well that it has already gone into reprint in hardback, which is great news.

Finally. I’m working on a new series aimed at boys - a kind of boy-spy thing that a UK publisher has commissioned. I’ll let you know more about it when the paperwork is done and the contracts have been signed. I know this isn’t something that the majority of you people are longing for - but rest assured I’m not going to abandon Tania and Co. Promise.

Faerie Path Fan Forum

By Allan | Tuesday, 31 May 2011 at 08:18
Category: Writing

I have just received this mail from a reader: I thought I should pass it on:

Hi everyone, I just wanted to remind the Allan Frewin Jones fans about the Faerie room fan forum. I am online all the time and no one seems to comment on any of the posts anymore. So if you have an account then you should leave some more comments. If you don’t then it is a great way to have wonderful conversations about Faerie Path, Warrior Princess, or any thing you want. The link is in the right hand corner of the Home Page, thanks!

Thanks for the reminder Madelyn. And remember people, if I do write more Faerie Path stuff, I’m very likely going to be asking you all where you’d like the story to go next - so the Forum would be the perfect place for you all to come up with ideas.

Various Pieces of News

By Allan | Monday, 23 May 2011 at 11:03
Category: Writing

The news on any possible continuation of the Faerie Path books hasn’t changed yet. I have a meeting lined up for some time in June or July with a colleague who is involved in the UK end of the publication process - after that meeting I should know for sure what is going on with the New York publishers and what my options are for letting you people have some more stuff about Tania and Co.

Meanwhile, I received a mail from a reader who suggested that people might like it if I started writing on Facebook more regularly. My friend Gary Chalk (illustrator and co-writer of The Six Crowns series) is busy tweeting - and I’m thinking of giving daily updates of what’s going on in my world on Facebook. So - here’s a question for you: how many of you are on Facebook, and how many of you would be interested becoming friends with me on Facebook and would follow regular (daily) posts by me on my Facebook page? (I’m on Facebook now as Allan Frewin - if you’d like to take a look).

Speaking of Gary Chalk - he has a brand new online gallery - I’d really like it if you would take a few minutes out to take a look - there are some really great pictures on the site and you can contact Gary directly if you’d like to - he’d love to hear from you! Go to: www.garychalkillustration.com.

Other News. It’s very early days, but Gary and I have put our heads together and come up with a brand new faerie romance idea that we’re thinking of writing together. I know how much you people love Tania and her world(s) - but I think this new idea of ours could be just as good! Out of interest, how many of you would be interested in this new series if it was initially only available as a download for Kindle, iPad etc?

Thanks also for all your great ideas for competitions to win copies of The Enchanted Quest. I’m still sorting through them, but I will definitely have a competition up and running in a few weeks.

Competition Closed!

By Allan | Friday, 6 May 2011 at 10:27
Category: Writing

This is to let you know that all six copies of The Charmed Return - signed by me - have now been won! I was expecting to keep the competition up for longer than this, but obviously many of you check out my website on a regular basis - so thanks for that! Everyone who is a winner has been told, so if you have won a book, you will know about it - if not, better luck next time!

Anyway - as I said, there are now no more Charmed Returns for prizes - BUT - I have just been told there are 6 hardback copies of The Enchanted Quest on their way to me. Maybe I should set up another competition - what do you think? With signed Enchanted Quests as a prize?

But let’s shake it up a little - I’d like you to suggest the kind of competition I should set up - what should people have to do to win? The person who comes up first with the competition idea I like best will get one of the signed books.

So - over to you!

The Charmed Return Competition

By Allan | Thursday, 28 April 2011 at 09:21
Category: Writing | Tags:

Well, my box of copies of The Charmed Return has finally arrived! I think it must have come all the way from New York by foot! But the good news is that it looks like I have a few spare copies - so I thought it might be good to set up a competition so people can win signed copies.

I know most of you people have probably already got yourselves a copy of the book - but you might still like to have one that I’ve signed - and you can always pass the other one on to a friend or family member. Remember - spread the word if you want a 7th book!

So - the competition. I don’t want to make it too easy, and it would be nice for the most avid readers to get signed copies.

Here goes - the way to enter the competition is NOT to post a comment here - but to write to me via the CONTACT page.

Just answer the following questions, please:

From the Faerie Path: What play are Tania and Edric rehearsing for school?

From The Lost Queen: What name does Titania use in London?

From The Sorcerer King/The Seventh Daughter: What is the name of The Sorcerer Kings’s wife?

From The immortal Realm: What is the name of the coastal town that Tania and Co come to at the end of the book?

From The Enchanted Quest: What is the name of the woman who ferries them into Erin?

Ok - I have six copies of The Charmed Return for signing and sending off. When you write, tell me what dedication you would like in the book - the first 6 to reply win! Easy as that.

Other news. I know a lot of you are really hoping for a 7th book about Tania and Co. I have met with a colleague who is involved with the UK end of the publishing. I have to be honest with you, he was impressed by the amount of fan mail I get about The Faerie Path series, and he took away 80 print-outs from people asking for a 7th book - but he couldn’t guarantee that the series would carry on with Harper Collins in the USA. But don’t despair - I’m thinking about possible ways ahead.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the best way by far to ensure the existence of a 7th Faerie Path book is for a huge number of the first six books to be sold. So, if you have access to Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter or any other forum either online or in your school or neighbourhood - tell people about the series and urge them to buy the books. Make sure the books are available in your local library. Spread the word and a 7th book may still be possible! I’m doing my best, but there’s one thing for sure - I can’t do it without you people!

The Six Crowns Launched!

By Allan | Saturday, 9 April 2011 at 08:49
Category: Writing | Tags: ,

I just thought I’d write and tell you that the first book of the brand new The Six Crowns series is in the stores now. It actually came out on the 1st of April - no fooling!colour-sl1-trundle-and-esmeralda2

The series is fantasy again (I do like fantasy, I don’t care what anyone says…) - but it is quite different to The Faerie Path and Warrior Princess. For a start, all the characters are talking animals - and the hero and heroine are hedgehogs - and here is a picture of them, drawn and coloured by the amazing Gary Chalk. The one sitting on top is Esmeralda Lightfoot, she’s a Roamany and she has strange magic powers. The one flat on his back is Trundle Boldoak, a quiet, home-loving kind of guy who gets ripped out of his simple, straightforward life by Esmeralda and sent off on wild and dangerous adventures.

The series is aimed for a younger age group than the Faerie Path - kind of from 8 to 12 - but older people than that have read the first book and they’ve told me it’s a lot of fun - which is great, because that’s exactly what it’s meant to be. So,even if you think you’re too old for these books, maybe you could buy one for a younger brother or sister or cousin or friend - and then sneakily read it yourself before handing it over.

There is a dedicated website for the series. You can find it at www.thesixcrowns.com - and Gary Chalk and I will be running competitions regularly with signed books as prizes, and also with framed and signed copies of some of Gary’s coloured artwork - like the picture here. Please take a few minutes to look at the site - I’d love to know what you think, whether you’re 8 years old or 68 years old!

Springing Forwards In Great Britain

By Allan | Wednesday, 23 March 2011 at 12:42
Category: Writing

Well, I have to admit I haven’t posted recently - I have been asked if it’s because I’m still upset about Siouxsie dying - but it isn’t really that. The truth is that I’ve been getting mail every day for the past couple of months - ever since The Charmed Return was published - asking, demanding and pleading for a 7th book in the Faerie Path series, and rather than explain the situation to each person individually, I thought it would be quicker for me to simply point people in the direction of the most recent blog.

So far, in the past two months, I have received nearly 70 mails asking about a possible 7th book and explaining that the writer will be upset, devastated, mortified and horrified if there isn’t another book. That is more than one mail a day, just asking for more adventures with Tania and the Gang! Now, this is really great and I’m thrilled that so many people are desperate for more in the series - but I do have to let you know that at the moment, the situation with the Publishers in New York has not changed. They are still of the opinion that the series finished with book 6 The Charmed Return. However, I am planning on meeting up with one of the big movers and shakers in the UK later this week - and I will certainly show him all the mails I have received (they are printed out already and they’re waiting in a big envelope - and every new mail I get will be added to the pile). I honestly do not know if this will make any difference, but I’m certain he will be impressed by the enthusiasm you people always show when you write to me.

On that subject, yesterday I received the following email:

I devour your books;especially The Faerie Path series! You have truly inspired me to become a writer. I always have one of your books on me… ask my friends! I have never in my life ever read such amazing series, that I wish it could go on forever! I will tell you, that e-mail is never checked, so if you wish to reach me post something on this site. My friends say i’m too wise for a 12 year old.. I always laugh at the thought. Please contact me ASAP! I’m praying with all my heart for the 7th book!!! - Alanna.

So - thank you for writing, Alanna - I will say that one of the most exciting things for any writer to be told is that they have inspired a young person to become a writer themselves. That is exactly what happened with me - I read a book when I was 10 - and it made me want to write stories. And now, only ninety-six years later (!!) here I am.

Also, I got a mail from Katie the same day:

Hello! Im katie and I just have to say i loooove your books! you should make like a thousand more! cant wait to read the 6th book (:

I tried replying, but got a “failure” notice back as the mail couldn’t be delivered. So, please everyone, if you would like me to respond (which, by the way I always try to do!) please make sure you give me the correct email address.

Other stuff? Well, the first of The Six Crowns series is due in the stores on 1st April, which is great - and I have already had a mail from a movie producer in Los Angeles saying the series looks like it would make a great animated movie, which was pretty exciting. But I have to bear in mind, of course, that the odds of an initial enquiry turning into a movie being made are really really low - less than 50 to 1, I’m told. Still - people are noticing the books already, which is very good news.

I’m also in talks with various publishers concerning other projects - but I really can’t talk about them yet - it’s not a great idea to talk about new ideas before they are finalised, but I promise I’ll let you know as soon as anything new happens.


Good News, Sad News & Strange News

By Allan | Thursday, 10 February 2011 at 09:52
Category: Writing

Well, my copies of The Charmed Return have finally started arriving, so hopefully those of you who have also been waiting for the copies you ordered from bookstores will soon also get your copies. I don’t actually know why the books have been slow in getting out there - maybe it was jut a glitch at the warehouse? I’ve already had a lot of mails from people who have read the book and enjoyed it - thanks, keep them coming!

I have also had a lot of people asking whether book 6 The Charmed Return really is the final book in the Faerie Path series, and whether there is any chance of a 7th book. In fact, Shannon posted a comment that as 7 is such an important number in Faerie, there should definitely be a 7th book - which makes a lot of sense. So, here’s the thing: I make my living from writing books, which means I need to know a publisher will want any book I have written before I can afford to take the time to write it. Harper Collins, the publisher of The Faerie Path series, originally asked for 3 books - the first trilogy that ends with The Sorcerer King/The Seventh Daughter. They were so pleased by how these were selling that they asked if I’d like to write another three. It took me about two seconds to say yes - especially as I had a further story in my head already, based on something that Queen Titania had said at the end of book 3. So far as I know, the books are still selling well, and I get fan mail just about every day, mostly from America, but also from Brazil, the Philippines, Australia , Germany and other countries. This is good news for me, but as things stand right now, Harper Collins, the Publishers, do not want a 7th book.

The way I see it, there are only two things that will change their minds about this - one is that the first six books continue to sell well, the other is that fans of the series get together and ask Harper Collins for another book. If you people can convince the publishers to commission a 7th book, I’ll write it.

And now to some very sad news indeed. Those of you who visit this site regularly will have read about my cat Siouxsie. In fact, if you go back to my blog “Dinner With Siouxsie” last July, you’ll see a photo of her tucking into a plate of food I was eating. Well, I’m very sad to have to tell you that Siouxsie died last week. Claudia and I are bereft and devastated by this, as I’m sure you’ll understand. We had her for eighteen years and eight months, and for all of that time I have worked from home - so she has been a constant companion for me for a very long time - sleeping in her own chair by my side, or sitting on the desk watching me work, or marching unexpectedly over the keyboard so that a sentence I was writing ended up looking like tyojkeirghuwhseufbaushgnospfhlkmspdfgo2ut9widg! She often slept on the bed with us, and she would get me up at 4am every morning for her breakfast. I’d collapse back into bed after feeding her, and then she’s lie with me until about 7.30 when she thought I should get up. I’d wake up with her lying on top of me and patting my face with her paw to let me know she needed me to be up and about. The good news is that she did not suffer from a long and unpleasant illness - and we were both with her when she died quite peacefully in my arms. At the moment, we’re getting used to her being gone, and we haven’t rushed out to buy a replacement cat - after all, she wasn’t the kind of cat that can be replaced. I’m sure that we’ll get another cat or two eventually, but not straight away. I’m still trying to get used to her absence - I still look around to make sure there isn’t a paw or a tail behind the chair before I get up. After all, I’ve been doing that for years and years - it takes a while to adjust.

So, goodbye Siouxsie. We will miss you more than we can say! a-frew-and-his-pussycat-4sleepy-spewp-2spewpebay

On to some interesting and complicated new news! I’ve had a bunch of mails from fans of the Warrior Princess series, asking if there is going to be a 4th book in the series, and when it will be coming out.

The news is good and not so good. On the good front, there is a 4th book and it has already been written. On the not so good front, the publishers Harper Collins have decided they do not want to publish it even though they asked me to write it. I’m told that many publishers are pulling back on their book list due to the economic climate right now - so I’m not the only writer in this position. On the much-better-news front, a British publisher has taken all four books in the series and plans to publish them in the UK over the next 18 months - so by Spring 2012, American readers will be able to get themselves a copy of the 4th book over the internet, even if they cannot just walk into a book store and pull it off the shelves.

So - a delay of some months, but the book will be out there! But here’s where things start to get more complicated. The UK Publishers have decided they don’t want to call the series Warrior Princess. They are going to call it Destiny’s Path. (I bet many of you are really surprised that I don’t get a say in what a series of mine is called - but the bottom line is that although I’m asked for my opinion, the Publishers can call series and individual books in a series whatever they choose - within reason!) So, the UK editions of the Warrior Princess books will have the following titles: Book 1: Destiny’s Path, Rhiannon of the Spring. Book 2: Destiny’s Path, Govannon  of the Wood. Book 3: Destiny’s Path, Merion of the Stones. Book 4: Destiny’s Path, Caradoc of the North Wind. And just to make it even more peculiar, the UK publisher is going to use a slightly tweaked version of the original Warrior Princess covers for their editions.

Just to make things even weirder, let me try to explain the situation in Australia. The thing is that American books very often find their way into Australia, so the UK publishers decided to rush-release the first two books in the series in Australia, so that people would buy their editions rather than the American ones. However, at that time (last Summer, this was) the series was still going to be called Warrior Princess - but with sub-titles. So, book one in Australia, was Warrior Princess: Rhiannon of the Spring, and book 2 was Warrior Princess: Destiny’s Path. But now, when the series starts to be released worldwide in English, book one will arrive in Australia called Destiny’s Path: Rhiannon of the Spring, and book two will arrive called Destiny’s Path: Govannon of the Wood. I hope people are on the ball in Australia!

I’ll blog more about the Destiny’s Path series as I get more information - but when I write about Destiny’s Path, remember I’m not talking about book two of Warrior Princess, I’m talking about the whole Warrior Princess series in the UK edition! Phew, I think I need to go and sit somewhere quiet for a little while now while my brain recovers.