Dear lovely readers,
How are you? I hope things are going well and you’re enjoying the summer. Things here are going nicely. I have some good updates for Fyn Carter 3 (Fyn Carter and the Might of the Masters) including something from behind-the-scenes. Read on to find out more…
Fyn Carter and the Might of the Masters – Milestone reached!
On 21st August I finished draft one of Fyn Carter 3! I’m really happy with where it ended up. Big things happen in this story, and I know it will surprise some readers.
I found the writing process really interesting. With Fyn 1, the story is very much about who Fyn can trust. With Fyn 2, it’s about whether or not he can trust himself. The more I wrote for Fyn 3, the more I discovered about the internal story for the characters. Now I have this, I can use it to deepen the next draft.
Even though it’s good to have a break between drafts, I’ve already started draft 2 (because I started draft 1 so long ago the early parts of the story feel fresh to read). I’m currently about a quarter of the way through it. This is amazing progress for me. It’s certainly smoother work than second drafts for my other stories, and I appreciate that a lot!
Behind the scenes…
I thought you might find it interesting to see something I drew up a few days ago. Within the story of Fyn 3, there is a location I’m currently calling Mimbleton Manor. I wanted to make sure I was consistent in my descriptions of movements and activity within it, so I decided to draw a floor plan. I did this for two floors, but the second floor gives away character info (spoilers!), so I’ll stick to sharing the ground floor for now:
There’s every possibility the manor might change (in rooms, name, layout etc.), but I found this a really interesting activity. It means I can be consistent in knowing things like what is seen when looking out of windows and what characters can expect to hear from nearby rooms… I’ve done similar drawings for Fyn’s bungalow, Grandad Bernie’s house, and other locations in previous books. Perhaps I will share more on those one day.
Writing milestone!
At the end of July I reached a writing milestone and have now sold over 1,000 books! As an indie author who writes children’s books, this is a big deal. Especially as this is within just over two years with no school visits as yet.
I’m really happy to reach this milestone and grateful to everyone who has joined my writing journey. I’ve learned a lot along the way and am continuing to learn more about the process all the time. This still really feels like the beginning in the grand scheme of things.
At the moment, I believe a lot of the books sold are what I call ‘sleeper books’. By this, I mean I think a lot of the books sold are likely on bookshelves in ‘to be read’ piles. I have a lot of books I’ve bought over the years which are waiting to be read, so it makes sense this would be the same for things I’ve written. I hope as I continue to write, people will keep discovering my stories and eventually I’ll reach more readers. If you’ve enjoyed my books, please review them online and tell your friends. Thank you.
Events
I’ve had a lot of fun at the past two events I attended. At a Maker Market I met a grandad who bought Fyn Carter and the Agents of Eromlos for his granddaughter back in November 2024. He remembered me because she loved it (heart-melt moment). I also met more lovely readers at Canterbury Gaming Convention (which was a really nice event even though it was outrageously hot)!
I currently have one event planned for September – a Craft and Gift Market in Lymington on Saturday 19th September. October is going to be extremely busy, but more on that in the next blog.
Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting. You are a huge part of what it’s all about.
Until next time!
I x
Ian Hunter Creates 