By Admin
Published: January 28, 2008
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HELLO EVERYONE!  I'd like to wish you all a (slightly late) Happy New Year, and say a big thank-you for all your letters, cards, emails and postings on torak.info.

As always, December and the New Year were my busiest time, as I was working extremely hard to finish Book Five, OATH BREAKER.  You'll be glad to know that I finally managed this on 3rd January.  Well, when I say finished, it's pretty much done, and I'm enormously pleased with it, but I still need to give it a bit of tweaking.  And I have to work with the artists who design the cover, the maps, and those amazing illustrations at the start of each chapter.  All this explains why you won't, I'm afraid, be able to get your hands on it before early September.

Why is it called OATH BREAKER?  You won't be surprised to learn that I'm not going to tell you, as I don't want to spoil the story.  What I can tell you, though, is that right at the start of the story, something terrible happens to someone close to Torak, and he vows to be avenged on the Soul-Eater who did it.  His search take him into the mysterious heart of the Deep Forest - which is a hugely dangerous place to be, as the Deep Forest clans are at war with each other, and won't let in outsiders.  It's in the Deep Forest that Torak uncovers more about why his Red Deer mother declared him clanless - and it's here, too, that he learns the true cost of revenge... I'd like to go on, but I think I'd better leave it there.  

Apart from putting the finishing touches to OATH BREAKER, what else will be going on in 2008?  I shall of course be making a start on the sixth book, GHOST HUNTER, and for that I'll need to do some more travelling - into the mountains this time - as well as, I hope, meeting some eagle owls at close quarters (which gives you a clue about the story).  In addition, I shall be visiting my friends the wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust in Berkshire (www.ukwolf.org) whenever I can.  Torak, the wolf whom the Trust named for the books, is now fully grown, quite magnificent, and the leader of his little pack.  Although he's quite choosy about which human beings he makes friends with, I'm happy to say that he always gives me a wonderful wolf welcome when I go into his enclosure.  Maybe that's because I met him when he was a tiny ball of fluff, and bottle-fed him.

And finally, although I don't have access to the Internet at home (it'd be too distracting, because I'd get addicted toThe Clan and be late finishing the books) I shall drop in from time to time to see what's happening here.  And I'm looking forward to meeting lots of you at book signings, book festivals and schools events throughout the year.

Anyway, that's all for now, as I've got to go and do some more work on OATH BREAKER.  Once again, Happy New Year... and may the guardian run with you!

MICHELLE


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