Readers enjoy a good sequel and books seem to have the market covered on that front. Hollywood has managed a few (some of the Terminator sequels were just as good or better than the original, same with Transformers, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Marvel Franchise) but their best work tends to arise from books that are turned into movies.

Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit

Harry Potter

The Hunger Games

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Jason Bourne

People have a passion to reconnect with strong characters time and again. One of the ways that authors are taping into this journey of a lifetime is by pushing the limits of the prequel story. J.K. Rowling flexed her keyboard a little with The Monster Book of Monsters and Quidditch Through the Ages. C.S. Lewis wrote The Magician’s Nephew as the 6th book but anyone who’s read the series knows that you read that book first if you’re interested in the chronological order and not just the order in which they were written. I recently read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and learned that prior to the release of book one in the Throne Series she wrote a mini-series of back stories about the main character Celaena Sardothien consisting of novellas of the assassin’s early exploits. Even Maria V. Snyder put out short episodes that took place before and during her Poison Study series.

There’s so much of the world of an author’s characters that never gets to see the light of day and for true fans the hunger for more is often overpowering. These writers have inspired me to share similar pieces of my characters stories before and during the series I am writing – The Chronicles of Xannia. In the first book, Time’s Tempest, 19 year old Taya has experienced far more than the average Xannian after having lived only 1/8th of her life. Certain moments in her past that are only touched on in Time’s Tempest have become the source of a series of prequels I have named The Lost Chapters.

While it is not necessary to have read these Lost Chapters to understand book one in The Chronicles of Xannia, I wanted to be able to share a bit more of this wily and quirky character with you.

The Gauntlet – Lost Chapter #1 will be released for free on eBook(s) this June in anticipation of the launch of Time’s Tempest this fall/winter.

Happy Reading,

M.J.