The Dawning of a New Age

Greetings, Esdarians!

It has been over two years since my last post on this blog – far too long if you ask me, and a length of absence for which an apology is owed.

So, I am very sorry. Truly.

I loved writing for TFE, and the feedback I received from the people who read the work I shared here was truly wonderful. Being able to take a group - no matter how big or small - on a journey through this world was one of the most uplifting and rewarding things I have ever had the pleasure of doing as a writer, and something I have longed to do ever since. As such, I dearly hope some of you will join me again over the next few months.

And now, something of an explanation: a lot has happened since the 12^th September 2017, and a lot has changed – particularly where both this blog and the world of Esdaria is concerned. But more on that in a moment.

It’s been a bit of a wild ride: having completed my master’s degree in medieval history, I graduated in 2017 with a first-class award and a prize for the best dissertation produced by a master’s student for my work on death, dying and the living dead in Anglo-Saxon England. I moved out of the student house in which I had lived (with some fantastic friends and my wonderful partner, I might add) for three years and headed back to my parents’.

The last year or so has been spent bouncing between various jobs and moving house two more times (from a ramparted Victorian cottage in the middle of eighteen acres of land attached to a sixteenth-century manor house to an agonisingly normal terraced house in an equally plain cul-de-sac, I’m sad to say). Understandably, at various points over the last two years things have been very difficult, so Esdaria has had to go on hold; stories have sat unfinished, and though this blog has had occasional visitors, those searching for new content will have been woefully disappointed.

That is, until now.

It’s taken some time for me to find both the right moment and  the correct headspace to begin to write in Esdaria again. I like to think that the ideas and stories I’ve been working on over the last few years have aged and matured during my inactivity, as I’ve been able to spend real time thinking about what goes into them and how they pan out – and, of course, where they sit in the wider Esdarian arc.

Now, I am ready to begin sharing some of the work I have produced. I’ve taken some time to redress the site to try and make it friendlier on the eye yet also more varied in colour and image – all feedback is welcome: I want you, as a reader, to be able to read what is here at no toll to your eyes. If you have any suggestions about how I can improve this for you, do please leave a comment.

Now, good news: stories abound over the next few months. New tales from corners of Esdaria hitherto untouched are currently being finalised for your reading pleasure. I can promise that over the next few months you will be transported from the icebound peaks of the Great Mountains to the dark woods of Westernaea, and will be met by a host of vibrant characters – some friendly and familiar, others dark and dangerous. As ever, these will be supplemented with the history and lore of the land, giving you as the reader a chance to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the world in which these stories are set.

I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on, so watch this space over the next few weeks to see what appears. Though I won't be committing to a regular posting schedule, I will aim to have new content available at least once a fortnight.

First up, I can promise you that we shall be visiting a group hitherto untouched by the stories that have so far been made available here.

Oh, and you might want to bring your thermals.

Best wishes and many thanks to you all for your support (and patience!),

Rob