Requiem -- five trilogies and counting

Well... that makes five. There are now FIVE completed Requiem trilogies. Fifteen novels in this crazy world where people can become dragons.

Five years ago, on a cold Sunday morning, I stepped into a bookstore in downtown Toronto. I had a notebook, a pen, and an MP3 player with Mozart's Requiem playing. I sat at a little coffeeshop inside the bookstore, listened to the music, and began to write whatever came to mind. That turned into Blood of Requiem, the first novel in the series. I had no idea it would even get ONE sequel, let alone grow into this massive world spanning fifteen books and counting.

Requiem now includes the following trilogies: Dawn of Dragons, Song of Dragons, Dragonlore, The Dragon War, and Requiem for Dragons. So far, you've all downloaded half a million copies of these books. Wow.

Between these trilogies, we got to explore some other worlds together. We spent six novels in Moth, and we spent three novels with the Alien Hunters. But we keep coming back to these old dragon friends.

I'm honored that, five years into this, you're still reading. I really do have the best job--and the best readers--in the world.

Dragons Rising, which was released today, is not the last Requiem novel. This world will continue to grow. l can't wait to see where we'll fly together next.

Some thoughts about writing.

Sometimes the muse strikes, and it's wonderful. Sometimes you're just in the zone, and it's like the spirits of creation are controlling your fingers, weaving the words for you.

But that doesn't always happen. It can't, or you'd go insane and burn up. Part of being a professional writer is writing even without muse. It's waking up every morning, sitting down, and getting to work. And it's like any other work--like writing code, like laying down asphalt, like driving a truck. You do the work because you're a professional, even when you're not in the mood, even when you're preoccupied with daily worries unrelated to writing. Most successful writers aren't free spirits, wrapped in grace, transcribing the words of the heavens. Most are just hardworking professionals who show up and put down one word at a time, day by day.

If you're stuck and have writer's block, that's because you're waiting for the muse to knock. If it knocks, great. I love when that happens; it's one of the best feelings in the world. But if it doesn't, too bad--write anyway. Don't be afraid to write badly. Just put down words, even if you feel things aren't working. It's harder this way, yes, but so what? Odds are, once those words are revised and polished, you'll find some good material in there, often just as good as those pages written while "inspired."