Writing ‘Gharantia’s Guardian’
So, it’s mid-August 2024, the Edinburgh Festival is on, the weather has been so changeable this summer, and work has been busy at the pub… but my all-consuming passion for Gharantia and its people just keeps pulling me in, day after day. Well… that’s probably quite handy since I am writing an epic fantasy about them all!
Book 2, Gharantia’s Fury, is finished and will release on the 13th of September, my fella’s birthday. I hope he likes his present because it was quite the effort this year! Haha.
But it’s moments like this when I look back at all this craziness—being an indie author and all that it entails—why I chose this road to walk down instead of querying and going the traditionally published route? What made me begin writing this fantastical tale in the first place? Do you even care? Well, you might care a bit since you are reading this! As for why I started writing about Gharantia, that’s a story in itself. Maybe it was the desire to explore a world beyond our own, or to create something unique. Perhaps it was a combination of inspiration, curiosity, and a bit of madness—after all, doesn’t it take a certain kind of madness to build entire worlds from scratch.
Let’s jump back in time to that strange period called ‘Covid,’ when the world shut down and we wore masks in public, had our time outdoors limited and could only be in the presence with the people in our household. When my mum would drive up our street and wave up at us just to see us, while we looked down and waved in return from our second floor flat. Weird, weird times weren’t they.
At home, we were deep into my son’s homeschooling. I made the poor boy work so much—sometimes our school days stretched on even after tea-time. I wanted him to complete as many tasks as possible, not realising that some parents weren’t as strict as me!
My fella and I would watch The Walking Dead religiously every evening, binging on the whole series. During Covid times, the zombie apocalypse we were consuming on our telly didn’t seem so farfetched.
Our worries about our business were never far away. We had staff relying on us and thank goodness for the help we received through furlough to pay them during those tough days.
With all the drama going on in the real world, I longed for an escape.
Before Covid, I considered myself a creative person, still experimenting with things I enjoyed. In the past, I took photography lessons and often went out with my Canon 400D. I’ve always enjoyed the odd sketch or two. I even participated in a very cool art experience called the '100 Days Project Scotland,' run by my friend’s sister. We shared a collective exhibition at the end of it, which really boosted my confidence! Afterward, I took art classes that reignited my joy in painting, but those lessons ended abruptly with Covid restrictions.
Why writing, then? I have always written things—little stories growing up, diaries, and even song lyrics during my university years. Nothing ever came of them, but still, I wrote on and off for years, always with the dream of becoming a writer. I even wrote little children’s stories (I used to work with young children as a nursery manager) and sent one off to a few publishers. I received one rejection letter and was ignored by the others, but the dream persisted of being a published author before reaching the grand old age of 50. (It’s really not that old, you know!)
The thought, ‘If you don’t do it now, you’ll never do it,’ kept racing through my mind. I had to write a book. I just had to!
In my Author Notes at the back of Gharantia’s Guardian, I mention that other indie authors were my inspiration—and they truly were. I experienced a lull in reading while raising my son, due to lack of interest and tiredness. However, when he was older, I began exploring new authors in my favourite genre, fantasy, and was amazed to discover that the books I enjoyed were indie published. They were incredibly good—thrilling stories, relatable characters, and fast-paced, with engaging dialogue that kept me turning the pages.
I had never considered indie publishing for myself. I had a fear of it—or rather, a fear of writing in general—the fear of failure. But how could I remain fearful if I didn’t even give it a shot? You have one life, so if you want to do something, you might as well get on with it.
So… Gharantia’s Guardian began—although it wasn’t called anything at the time. The name Gharantia had come to me a few years earlier. I had jotted down notes on my phone about a young runaway who ended up in the palace, with a Queen and her cousin. It was more a flow of ideas than anything concrete. I skimmed those notes when I decided to begin my book and wrote a scene—a leap in time from the notes—that included Queen Velardis, Princess Melane, Criterious, and Kywren. This throne room scene was like a character study, lasting about two pages, and from there, the real story began to crystallise.
I wrote a lot—an awful lot. Ideas poured out of me, and those early writings are filled with wild abandonment! If I added up all those words, I have no doubt they would total 100k or more! (I haven’t counted them, and I probably won’t!)
But after this burst of continuous writing, I began to wonder what the hell I was doing. Was this a proper story? Kind of… but I needed to tame it and start again. It was growing as wild as my hair during Covid without a hairdresser! I had to go back to the beginning.
Gharantia’s Guardian began officially in January 2022. I changed the POVs, making Criterious Handelan the main character alongside Pilt, the Hool. I still remember the feeling I had when starting those early chapters—crafting the characters to converge naturally and writing from their perspectives. With the background of the characters already firmly in my head, it was a matter of allowing their story to unravel. I often felt as if they were talking incessantly in my mind—having conversations, telling me what was going to happen next.
The early scene of them awakening from the Bleak and discussing Kywren’s arrival feels very much like a cinematic image to me. I picture thick clouds rolling back over the harbour and the chill in the air. Velardis is all wrapped up in thick furs, with her haughty expressions. Criterious, the obedient and loyal servant and husband to Melane, has no idea what’s about to unfold this year. None of them do, and in many ways—neither did I!
I just want to say: If you haven’t read Gharantia’s Guardian yet, I really think you should! Of course, I would say that, eh! I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste—such is the joy of reading. Some books you love, and some not so much, but I hope you’ll give it a try.
You can always check out the reviews I’ve received on Amazon and Goodreads, download a sample from Amazon, and see for yourself!
And for anyone who has read Gharantia’s Guardian, if you have any questions you would like to ask me… go ahead!
Drop me an email on info.lmdouglas@gmail.com
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