I am happy to welcome fantasy author, Andrew McDowell to my blog today for a takeover. If you are a lover of well-written fantasy, you might want to take a close look at his work.
I’ll turn it over to Andrew so he can tell you about his books.
Thank you, Jan, for the opportunity to tell your followers about my books.
Just as people asked me when the second book would be coming out, I firmly expect they will be asking the same about the third. It also saddens me to know it will mark the end of my time with Denú and its inhabitants. Nevertheless, I will stick to my plan set long ago for a fantasy trilogy, for an important reason.
I know there are writers who love a series or fictional world they work on and want it to continue with it as long as possible, and others prefer to stick with one genre or two. I hold nothing against them and respect their preferences, but I’ve always felt that isn’t for me.
This goes back to what I referred to as the “Misery Complex” in my first blog post. Anyone who knows the Stephen King story knows it’s about a writer who wants to try something different and an obsessed fan who wants another story in the series that no longer brought him creative fulfillment.
I want to try many genres. Any other series I may write, I still want to have a specific ending in mind, whether in terms of plot or the number of books or scripts (whenever the day comes that I try screenwriting). That way I know I can move on and not run the risk of jumping the shark.
It’s always best to know when to stop (but not writing itself, of course). Nevertheless, I’m grateful for the journey this fantasy series has taken me, and I hope readers will enjoy the journey within them too.
Dermot’s life changes when he encounters a gryphon and a mysterious healer. Drawn into a conflict against an evil sorcerer determined to subjugate the realm of Denú, he and his brother Brian are forced to leave their home. A legendary coven must now reunite, and Dermot discovers a deep, sacred magic that exists within every greenwood he crosses through. Can the brothers protect those they love, or will all Denú be consumed by darkness?
War is upon Denú. Dark forces loyal to the evil sorcerer Taranis are on the rampage. The Dríacht must now take different paths to save lives and uphold morale. Dermot and his friends will embark upon a series of adventures that will teach them what it means to be a dríadór. Will he and Brian see their parents again? Before a tremendous battle begins, many secrets long kept deep shall finally surface.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrew McDowell is the author of the fantasy novels Mystical Greenwood and Beneath the Deep Wave. He studied at St. Mary’s College and the University of Maryland, College Park. Andrew has had poetry, short stories, and essays featured in anthologies and literary journals. He was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. Visit andrewmcdowellauthor.com to learn more about him and his work.
FOLLOW ANDREW MCDOWELL:
Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads | Amazon | Bluesky
BENEATH THE DEEP WAVE UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK
MYSTICAL GREENWOOD UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK
Thank you all for stopping by to support this author! You’re the bomb!
Great post, Andrew! Your books look amazing! Here’s wishing you many sales!
Thank you, Lisa. If you ever decide to read them, I hope you enjoy them.
I may in the future. Once my TBR pile gets smaller! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Lisa! Appreciate your support.
You’re welcome!
It’s good to see Andrew here, Jan. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Eugi.
You’re welcome, Andrew.
Thank you for visiting, Eugi!
My pleasure, Jan.
Thanks so much for sharing this, both of you! xxxx
Thank you, Jean.
It was truly my pleasure, Jean! Thank you for stopping by!
I have Andrew’s books on my tablet. I must put them next up to read. And do a review, of course!
I hope you enjoy them!
Wonderful to hear, Viv! Happy reading!
Fantastic interview! Good luck finishing up this series.
Thank you, Layla.
Thank you for visiting, Layla!
I think you’ve made a wise choice to stick to your original plan of writing a trilogy. I think we’ve all read series that went on for a few books too long.
Thanks, Liz.
You’re welcome, Andrew.
Andrew, your books look amazing. I’m kind of new to fantasy; I’ve been deep into ghosts, supernatural, and occult fiction but not the heavy stuff. Following our passion is never a mistake if we aim to write from the heart. Good luck.
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment for Andrew, Paula!
Thank you, Paula.
Love the covers! I know what you mean about being saddened to say goodbye to your characters, Andrew. I still miss some of mine, but an author has to know when to wrap it up. Thanks for introducing me to Andrew, Jan!
Thanks, Teri.
My pleasure, Teri. I appreciate you stopping by and I agree about an author knowing when to end a series.
Good post. We have to follow our passion when it comes to writing. Good you know when to end your series and try something new. I read the first book and enjoyed it. I have the second one on my Kindle. Thanks for hosting, Jan!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy Beneath the Deep Wave too.
I totally agree, Denise. We have to follow our passion for sure. Thank you for your endorsement of the book. Hope you enjoy the second one. Thank you for stopping by to support Andrew!
It was good to learn about Andrew’s work, Jan. Thanks for hosting and best wishes to Andrew.
My pleasure, John. Thank you for visiting!
Thanks, John.
Hi Jan, it’s lovely to see Andrew featured here. I’ve read both his books and some of his poetry. He’s a talented writer.
Thank you for your recommendation for the books, Robbie. I know Andrew will appreciate that endorsement immensely. Appreciate you stopping by to support him.
Thank you for your support, Robbie.
I’d never heard of “Misery Complex”. Interesting.
I felt the same, Jacqui. I swear, I am always learning something new and now I want to dive deeper into it. Thank you for stopping by!
I created the term years ago, actually.
This sounds really intriguing. I don’t normally read fantasy a lot but I do love a good one now and then. Huge congrats to Andrew! And good luck with your books.
Thank you for stopping by, sister. I love a good fantasy for sure. Appreciate you visiting and supporting Andrew!
Thank you. If you decide to read my books, I hope you enjoy them.
Lovely to meet you, Andrew. As a reader, I enjoy a good series, no matter how far the author takes me on their journey. Be it a trilogy or ten books, I’m there with all the characters until the end. Now as a writer, I once trimmed down nine books I’d planned in my first series to five. Surprisingly, I should have stuck with my original thought process. Yet I’ve created spin-offs from the first and found creative enjoyment with those, along with my readers.
Wishing you continued success! Sounds like an intriguing must-read series for me.
That is an interesting experience, Mary. Thank you for sharing how it worked for you and how you created spin-offs from the project. Thank you so much for stopping by and supporting Andrew!
Thank you. I’m glad things worked out for you with your series. Myself, I don’t intend to write spinoffs, but that’s just me. I certainly hope you enjoy my books if you decide to read them.
It was nice to “meet” Andrew. I think it’s cool that he’s interested in writing so many different genres. That’s got to make writing a fun adventure! Off to check out his site!
Thank you for stopping by, Priscilla. I agree about trying different genres. I think of it as stretching the writing muscle. Appreciate your support for this author!
Thank you, Priscilla. I hope you liked my site overall (thanks for reading some of my posts).
These fantasy novels by Andrew McDowell sound great. It’s wonderful that you shared them, Jan.
I agree, Tim. They do sound great. Thank you so much for stopping by and helping spread the word!
Thank you.
The series sounds wonderful, Andrew. Would it be appropriate my 14 year old granddaughter? She loves fantasy with mystical creatures. Thanks for sharing, Jan!
I’ll let Andrew answer that question, Joy. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Thank you, Joy. Dermot starts out at age 15 in Mystical Greenwood, and he turns 16 in Beneath the Deep Wave. So, reading level wise, they might be appropriate. There’s no foul language if that’s what you mean. If she does read them, I hope she enjoys them.
I think you are wise to write a trilogy and then move on. I feel a need to leave my series and move on to something different. OK, I’ve said this before. I do other projects in between so I guess that helps. I just don’t want my series to get stale. Your books sound fascinating, Andrew and I’m sure you have built a fan base. Do you have ideas for future books after the third in this trilogy is published?
You make a really good point about series getting stale, Darlene. There are exceptions to every rule, though. Look at C.J. Box who has 25 books in his Joe Pickett series. Still, I can’t help but feel the author would get tired of the same characters. Your Amanda books are fantastic, Darlene. Whatever direction you decide to go, I’ll be cheering you on! Thank you for leaving a comment today for Andrew!
Thank you, Darlene. I wish you the best of luck with your projects. I do have some ideas for future books; a few faded out, but some have not gone away. But I prefer to keep them private for now. If you ever read my fantasy novels, I hope you enjoy them.
I appreciate your willingness to explore other avenues, Andrew. Good luck completing this series.
I think authors always need to be open to exploring different avenues, Jean, and I love what Andrew said about that. Thank you so much for stopping by to support Andrew!
Thank you, Jean.
Thanks for the insights, Andrew! In one of my prior posts, Plot of a Story Example, I used King’s Misery to show how the narrative divides into the Trellis Method’s Story Beats. A fun exercise, emphasizing your point about the fictional author venturing into something. Watch out for Annie!
You’re welcome.
Thank you for your comment, Grant. Now, I want to go find your blog post and read about plotting of a story. I appreciate you stopping by to support Andrew!
You’re welcome, Jan. I last updated that post in May, 2024. It links to a thorough analysis of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. That was an extensive six-post adventure—a scene by scene analysis of that masterwork. I wanted to share with writers how the Trellis Method applies to diverse genres.