I am just back from a lovely holiday with family and friends. One friend, a reader of my Richard Davey Chronicles, took me to task. At the end of Rescuing Richard, my eponymous hero is sailing for the United States of America with an unexpected companion. What is going to happen to him? You can't just leave it there!
Well, I had to agree. Selfishly, I have been concentrating on other projects, partly because each book in the series has sold less than its predecessor. A law of diminishing returns that can be rather discouraging for a novelist. Nevertheless, I was reminded of one simple fact about this series. I really enjoy writing about Richard's adventures two hundred years in the past.
If I am honest, I wrote Needing Napoleon, Serving Shaka and Rescuing Richard for myself. As I come to grips with the fact that the majority of readers may not share my enthusiasms, I am learning to be more philosophical. So, my next project will be to explore what happens to Richard once he crosses the Atlantic and to see whether he can find his way back to his wife and son in distant Zululand.
I hope this news is welcomed by fans of the series. I am certainly looking forward to embarking on some new adventures with Richard. I would love to hear from any readers about their feelings as Rescuing Richard came to an end. You just might prove the inspiration I need as I begin to plot the fourth book in the series - and search for an alliterative name that has, at least, a tenuous link to the subject matter!
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