EXCALIBUR: THE IRISH ODYSSEY

"Excalibur: The Irish Odyssey". This is the name of my newest book, third in the series. I put a lot of research into this fiction book, and a lot of hours. I'm sure that you all know how that goes. I saw the post below about the myth taking over, and I sure do agree! With a book such as mine, the author can easily find themselves overshadowed by the myth.
At nearly 700 pages, the book is no lightweight. There was a lot of "mission creep" that found its way into the process. I wanted to show Arthur and his allies as a three dimensional character and in a sympathetic light, and that meant lots of pages.
It is mostly a modern day quest to discover the whereabouts of Excalibur by figuring out the clues hidden with "The Canterbury Tales". The anti-hero is the leader of a secretive modern day order that was founded by Romonov loyalist who escaped from Imperial Russia decades ago.
It is a running chase across Europe and North America, and the theme of the shadow world of ex-Cold War opperatives and super-criminals plays heavily into the action. I think that it makes a statement.
If nothing else, it might convince the readers that an old vet such as I might be a little bit off in the head? ...I took risks and had a lot of fun with it. Who could ask for more?

deleted by merri

Sounds like an interesting read. Good luck with it.

I suppose it's too late to sqeeze me into the book? This is me in front of Arthur's Stone on Gower, South Wales:

Who was Arthur and why did he have a stone?

Richard's book sounds like a winner.

Your book sounds intriguing, Richard.

May I ask, have you read Joseph Campbell?

Ann

Dick Stodghill wrote:

Who was Arthur and why did he have a stone?

"Arthur's Stone / on Cefn Bryn, Gower. Arthur's Stone is a neolithic burial chamber, a cromlech, which dates from 2500 BC. It consists of a huge glacial boulder supported on nine uprights. (Legend has it that whilst walking in Llanelli, King Arthur found a stone in his shoe. He removed the irritant and flung it as far away as he could. It is said to have landed on Cefn Bryn ! ) It's placement is probably due to a glacial deposit rather than human force, then tomb-builders excavated below it. The capstone of millstone grit is said to weigh more than 25.4 metric tons. In Welsh, the stone is called Maen Ceti, and was considered one of the wonders of Ancient Britain. John Dillwyn Llewelyn invented oxymel, the mixture of honey and vinegar that allowed collodion plates to be prepared beforehand, a turning point in the development of photography."

http://www.swanseaheritage.net/article/gat.asp?ARTICLE_ID=116&PRIMARY_THEME_ID=6

Shelagh: It is too late to write you into the book; but, you do look a lot like one of the main characters. Her name is Niamh, an Irish lady. Talk about coincidences?
Meri: I did that, thanks for the suggestion!
ALJ: No, I have not read this work. I shall put it on my list.
Thanks for the nice comments, guys. Be sure to visit me at my site.
http://richardstanbery.webs.com/index.htm

Richard,

I'm glad you posted your website link. I'm a Hendrix fan, too!

Kewl! Another Hendrix fan! I learned to love Hendrix when I was overseas in the Army. Its funny how folks from all generations seem to connect with him. I like to mention Jimi's music in my books when I am building a power scene. It is so raw and moving. Have you seen the video on youtube where he played "Like a Rolling Stone" at Monterey in '67? That one is worth seeing.

deleted by merri

The book sounds great, Richard, even if you can't squeeze our Shelagh in. Lots of luck with it.

Sounds like a good read Richard - best of luck with it!

Your book sounds great, Richard! That's a whole lot of pages! It looks like your books keep getting longer and longer! Best of luck on this latest one.

Yeah, I spent a lot of time researching strange things for this one. I was seeing runes and Ogam scriptus in my sleep! As the main character is supposed to be a know nothing in this stuff, I had to figure a way to present very complex themes to the readers through the eyes of a guy that doesnt know what it all means.
I dont know if I will ever tackle a well known mythological topic again, especially an ancient one. There are so many variations and avenues that can be chosen. But first, they have to be researched and some kind of logical progression fitted into them.
It was all fun though. I felt a little rushed towards the end, because I knew that if the book got any longer, I might see the thing made into a volume I and II, and I didnt want that. It all worked out, but I felt like I was ready to just push the sword back into the stone and walk away a few times. Anybody else ever feel like that?

I know exactly what you mean about walking away. It took me seven years to write my book. I walked away for months at a time because of my work schedule. And then I had to come back to it and try and remember where I left off. It made for a lot of rewrites over and over. And I was writing the story as it was happening. But there were many times I felt overwhelmed by it all.

And after it went into production, I got an email that I had two weeks to fictionalize it or lose the contract. That made for a major rewrite one more time.

Determination and persistence! Two great qualities to have as a writer. I was going to tell the story. And it was published in late 2007.

2 weeks to fictionalize or loose the contract? Wow! I can feel the migrane vibes from here. Whew, I wouldnt have walked away, I would have fled for the hills screaming!
But you stood your ground and hashed it out. I take my hat off to you! 2 weeks...good grief!

Once they got the fictionalized version and put it in PDF format, I was given another two weeks to look it over and send the corrections--of which there were plenty! About 30 pages of them with the help of my good friend Zada!

I was under the gun because the publisher also sent out announcements about the book at the same time they sent me the email about stopping production, and people were ordering a book that didn't exist yet. Oh yeah, and it was the busiest week in my store, which is in a tourist town.

But I was pleased with the finished product--and it gave me another story to tell . . .

Sometimes I find that working under the gun like that gives a book an edgy feel to it. Or, working with an injury eventually finds its way into the book too. Our books tell a subliminal message about our state of mind at the time that we are writing, doesnt it?

Yes, I think you're right. I actually felt very empowered while I was fictionalizing the book. Writing it the first time, I was careful to make sure I was very accurate in the details, and with fiction, you can just let it fly! Another side of me came out.

It was sad to see so much work gone with the delete button--about 100 pages! But it brought the price of the book down to a somewhat more reasonable level.

Yeah, fiction is great. You can just be yourself.
Speaking of writing troubles... I remember when I was writing my second book, the computer crashed, complete and total loss. I had some back up disc, but the program from the first computer was different than that of the second computer, it was a mess. I had to go back and redo a lot of stuff. It was heartbreaking. But I had something to say, so I endeavored to finish it, and I did. It was a real struggle, but worth it.

Best wishes the book sounds great.

Having a computer crash is a real nightmare! I can really feel for you. I'd lose sections occasionally by not saving before the computer locked up, but losing the whole thing! Ugh!

When you have something to say, you have to stick to it! And you did! Very admirable.

And I "found you!"

Kewl that you "found me"! I like to do little things like that to tweak the readers, and maybe to bond with them a little too. I was voted "most mischievious" in my high school class. I think that they invented that superlative just for me!
Hey, by the way, I thinking on writing the continuation of my series by involving a strange and wierd place in NH. It is called "American stonehenge". I thought that I would ask you, being a New Englander. Have you ever been there or know any good stories about the place? I'll give you a link.

http://www.stonehengeusa.com/

Wow! What a beautiful and intriguing place American Stonehenge is! I haven't been there, but it's only about a half hour from where I live. I'll start asking the travelers who come through my store if they've ever been there. I'm not far from the New Hampshire line.

I've never heard of the title, "most mischievous" in a high school class before, so I'm pretty sure you may hold that honor alone. And I'm sure you've done the title proud!