Book Sanctuary

We’re delighted to announce publication of Edward Drake’s novel, Destiny, available from Friday 18^th November on Book Sanctuary and the Amazon Kindle store. We asked Edward to share some information about himself, and his book, with you.

Tell us about yourself:

I am a twenty four year old Service Manager living in Norwich.

My growing library of books and films is a testament to my love of fiction, whether it be reading or watching. I enjoy football and several other sports, playing more than watching, and have recently completed The Three Peaks Challenge for charity.

Over the past few years I have worked in healthcare, in hospitals in Norwich and London, and then for a learning disabilities charity. In this career I have supported people to live better and more independent lives. These people have come from every walk of life and from them I have heard many life stories, truly sad accounts of loss and devastation and tales of bravery and spirit in the face of war and terrorism, giving me many examples of the many aspects of humanity.

When did you start writing?

To be honest I never really stopped writing. Even when I was in school my favourite subject was Creative Writing and I still have all my class books from then, filled with dozens of short stories. I remember my parents, the taskmasters that they are, setting me writing tasks after school and during the summers. This fascination with fiction and writing stayed with me until adulthood and as well as Destiny and a few other novels I continued to write short fiction, some of which are displayed on my website: http://edwarddrakefiction.wordpress.com/

When did the idea for this novel come to you?

The idea for Destiny came to me during my A Level exams in college. I really don’t study well and I was focussing on anything but my textbooks. That was when I began to draft The Warrior’s Journey series. I have always had an interest in myths and legends, especially King Arthur and Robin Hood, and I always wanted to write about a group of heroes who fought traitorous villains and monstrous beasts. The series began as over twenty short stories, adventures for the long-suffering protagonists, but over time this was condensed into longer novels. I never did get round to studying for my exams and my grades suffered unsurprisingly, but The Warrior’s Journey and my journey into writing had begun.

Destiny is a fantasy novel with a number of major sequences, characters and themes: were there any main sources of inspiration for this book?

I always wanted to write a fantasy novel and I wanted to write something that would entertain and that I myself would want to read. For me this means an exciting and developing plot, intriguing and relatable characters and many, many scenes of action or confrontation, an excitement that keeps you reading or wondering what will happen next. I think the worst thing in fiction is for someone to read a passage or chapter and think an hour later that they cannot remember anything that occurred during the chapter. In my writing I aim for that never to happen.

How long did it take to write Destiny?

The writing of Destiny has been a very long process. I wrote the first version in college and edited it whilst at university studying Business Management, another example of my avoiding studying. I then did an entire rewrite when I moved to London, changing many of the characters, themes and over half of the plot. It was a major overhaul but I think it expressed how much I had grown up and matured as the story and the overall result were far better than what I had originally written.

As you were writing, did you share your work with family and friends, and how much did this help you?

I shared my work with my parents and a few friends, running ideas and character names past many of them. My parents have had to endure several read-throughs but have supported me throughout with honest criticism and opinions. Many people have helped me with features of the novel, some unknowingly. My sister helped me with the horse and riding areas, my girlfriend with grammar and my brother with aspects of loyalty and comradeship. Paul Quinn (http://www.paulmarkquinn.co.uk/) also helped with plot points and with the novel’s cover, suffering with my annoying requirements and many changes.

To all of them I can only give my thanks.

Without revealing too much of the story, what is the main ‘message’ of the novel?’

There are so many messages in Destiny that I could not even list them, or remember them. Every character has their own journey, development and message. I guess if I had to choose a main message it would have to be from Garrick Chilver, the main character of The Warrior’s Journey. Throughout he is faced with impossible challenges and terrible choices but never does he give up or simply walk away when someone is in need. In this way I guess you could see him as a typical hero figure, but in truth shouldn’t we all try to be like this.

What writing projects are you currently working on for the future, are there more novels in this series?

I have completed Darkness, the sequel to Destiny and book two of The Warrior’s Journey.

This novel takes the conflict to the next level in which Castille and its heroes face threats from within their own realm and beyond whilst they struggle to piece together their shattered lives.

I am currently writing the third instalment in the series, Hope, and I am almost halfway through the first draft. Time is gold dust to me at the moment though; with any I have spare being focused on Hope.

I have also completed a completely different novel, Outlaws. This is set in the very near future in which the law and order system has continued to crumble and the innocent people of Britain are left unprotected. The story follows four very different people and the suffering they endure. Over the course of the tale each reach the same point and question; ‘What will it take for you to take a stand?’ Using real news accounts, I have shown that this startling future is already taking shape and that very soon all of us may have to answer that question, if we haven’t already.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently in the midst of Unsceptred Isle: Three of a Kind by fellow Book Sanctuary author Joseph V Sultana. Following that I am sure I will read one of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series once again, probably Sharpe’s Eagle, my favourite book of all time. I will also get round to finishing A Storm of Swords by the brilliant George RR Martin one day.

Destiny will be available from the Book Sanctuary Store and the Amazon Kindle Store from Friday 18^th November.