Sapphire and Sumto: Two Books To Come

I've been looking around for the story to the next Sumto book for a while. I knew what pattern was needed and had a few ideas about what I might want to deal with next but the story wasn't there. I was even nosing around in roughly the right places for it but still couldn't smell it out. I guess I was too tied up in other things so I couldn't think the way I need to for this series. I did plan and plot half a dozen other books that I want to write but didn't have the next TPOF story... until I did.

I just spent a five days driving across Europe to move a car from where it was to where it was needed; basically a family thing. I was doing it on a shoestring budget and every decision was critical. I won't go into details here, though one day I might, but suffice it to say that is was very stressful, slow, long nasty risky journey. I made it. And as soon as my conscious mind relaxed a little, just on the last familiar stretch and sure that no matter what happened I would get where I was going (baring a fatal crash or something horrid) an my sub-conscious decided it would be cool to let me know what it had been doing while I was busy. Two novels dropped into my head pretty much entire.

Book Five (Book one of sequence 2, if you see what I mean): This is from Sapphire's point of view. His story of what happens to him in the north and what the consequences are. Some of the motives of others, Sumto's father for one, and some details that straighten out apparent kinks in the story so far. Most of it, of course, will be Sapphire doing what he does. We will see into his mind, and ... well, you'll see.

Book Six: This back to Sumto and will pick up at the end of his year in Exile. What he has been doing will be made clear enough but the focus will immediately be what he is doing 'now' - that being immediately I the moment where we leave off with Sapphire at the end of book Five.

I haven't yet looked round for the story to book seven (book 3 in the new sequence) but am certainly now toying with the idea of writing Jocasta's story. I'd like to and I think she deserves it. Also, it is now possible having set the precedent of changing POV's to people other than Sumto. We will see.

Speed is what you will want to know about if you are reading this. I think these two books will come along quite fast. I'm already happily into book five (one) and it's going well. It could be as little as a couple of months. I think that's most likely. In any case it will be as fast as I can make it.