
The idea was to make each book better than the previous, and feedback indicates I hit that goal. And I ramp up the stakes with each subsequent novel. I start out simply (holding back so I can expose character backgrounds and world building across the whole narrative).


When I started writing Chronicles, one of my goals was to ensure an enjoyable reading experience for people regardless of which book #1 they started with.

Writing self-contained novels also means that each Chronicle could serve as an introduction point for the entire body of work that is Riyria.īecause the two series are so closely related, people often ask me where they should begin. Because of this uncertainty, I write those stories as standalone tales. I've outlined ten novels, but I have no idea if all of them will be produced. So I release a book, take the reader's pulse, and if they still want more.well, no one is happier than myself. As such, the Chronicles are standalone novels, and I want to be able to end the series without leaving readers hanging with unanswered plot points. I would rather have the pair leave too soon than overstay their welcome. I wrote The Riyria Chronicle very differently than The Riyria Revelations. Since Royce and Hadrian had been together for twelve years before the first page of the Riyria Revelations, it made sense to go back in time and explore the full details of how they met and formed their little thieves-for-hire enterprise. So I decided to go to "the other end" of the timeline.

I feared that "tacking on" by writing a sequel would have the very real possibility of ruining an ending I was exceedingly pleased with. I didn't expect there to be any more stories with Royce and Hadrian, but pressure from my wife (who has a crush on Hadrian), and outcries from my readers, encouraged me to write more. This technique allowed me to create a story with interwoven plot threads and a satisfying conclusion. When I wrote the six novels of the Revelations, I completed the entire series before publishing any of the books.
