Hi everyone. We are following up this bookish Friday with a series feature for Orlan Drake. He not only is featuring his series but he has a new release in it with book two. Make sure to check out his interview slash guest post below and find out how to purchase your copies of these two books today. Happy reading everyone. :)
What inspired you to write this book?
The original idea for The King’s Fall came from a murder/mystery game that I wrote for the website Murder In The House. The game involved the murder of the King where there were a only a certain number of people were present from between six and eight people, depending on how many guests.
The main characters of Auralias, Eloise, Evander, Seraphina, Gorgo, Edric, and Voss were already in the game, with one character that didn’t make it into the book.
I expanded on the premise to bring in the ambassadors and all three kingdoms along with the idea of the old empire.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I am working on the third and final book in this series. After that I’m plotting an outline for a standalone science-fiction novel based around a generational ship that leaves Earth after the planet becomes less habitable.
The first part of the book will focus on the society structure on board the vessel as it nears it’s destination several generations into the journey, with the second part exploring how their society would change as they move to the planet and deal with the colonisation effort, but also the new hierarchy that would inevitably evolve once out of the confines of a spaceship and it’s captain and crew.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I loved seeing how the characters progressed. Writers often say that the characters take over, which has become a bit of a cliché, but I’ve discovered that it is largely true. Even knowing where the story is intended to go, you have to take the characters personalities and history into account in terms of their reaction to any given events. There were times when I altered my original outline when I realised that certain characters would not behave in a particular way.
The characters also open up other possibilities that at times have led to parts of the book going in a slightly different direction than the one planned. It has resulted in one or two characters becoming more important than their original billing.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
Some of the characters did gain more importance than originally planned, but they didn’t hijack the story completely. Instead they added more richness to the dynamics and also made parts of the planned story more interesting.
What did you edit out of this book?
There was a whole chapter that I remember cutting that had a lot of court intrigue in it. I noticed during the re-reading, and when the Editor read it, that it was only reinforcing information that was already in earlier, or sometimes later, chapters. As this particular chapter was now just filler I decided to cut it.
There were other smaller edits made, as is usually the case with books, but this was the biggest one that sticks out in my mind.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
The characters of Eloise, Leofric, Gorgo were there from the very beginning with the others coming along later as I plotted out the goings on at Silverspire Castle.
Ryn was one of the last characters to arrive, both in the story itself, but also in my thoughts on the book before writing. She has also become one of my favourite characters.
Pen or type writer or computer?
I use a computer because it makes editing a lot easier. I can also keep each draft of my manuscripts, outlines and other materials, and refer back to them, or search for information in them, easily.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I start with a general outline of the idea I have. I gradually expand that into an outline and eventually into chapters, which is where I try to sort out the pacing of the book. The outline also helps me to follow the various plot threads to avoid plot holes or inconsistencies. My editor does this as well while reading the finished manuscript, but I try hard to get it as right as possible first time.
No matter how much planning you do, I doubt that many people, if any, have ever written something of these lengths without further edits or issues being noticed by an editor. Sometimes you can be too close to a project to notice plot holes. It’s very easy to edit something out and forget to keep one vital piece of information that is needed later in the story.
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The King's Fall
The Broken Crown Saga Book One
by: Orlan Drake
Genre: Epic Fantasy
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BLURB:
A Gripping Tale of Royal Betrayal and Hidden Romance
When darkness falls on the kingdom of Ardanthia, readers will find themselves caught up in a story where nothing is what it seems. Princess Eloise faces impossible choices as murder and betrayal tear her world apart. Her secret love for the Prince of Caladorn adds another layer of danger to an already deadly situation. This isn't just another royal romance - it's a heart-pounding adventure where love and loyalty clash in the most dangerous ways possible. You'll feel every moment of tension as Eloise walks the razor's edge between duty and desire.
Mystery and Investigation That Keeps You Guessing
Sir Cedric Blackthorn brings detective skills that would make any crime solver jealous. His brilliant mind works to solve puzzles that could save or destroy an entire kingdom. As Ambassador Zafir arrives with hidden motives and Baron Gorgo schemes from the shadows, every character becomes a suspect. The investigation twists and turns through palace halls filled with secrets. You'll find yourself trying to solve the mystery alongside Cedric, picking up clues and second-guessing every revelation. The chase scenes will have you on the edge of your seat as our heroes race against time through a kingdom ready to explode into war.
Fantasy Adventure That Brings Legends to Life
The Broken Crown Saga starts with this incredible first book that mixes political drama with fantasy elements that feel fresh and exciting. Secret groups work behind the scenes, pulling strings that control the fate of nations. The world-building draws you in completely, making you believe in a place where magic and politics dance together in dangerous ways. This story proves that sometimes solving one crime can prevent an entire war - and that the most important battles happen in the shadows.
For readers of David Eddings and Terry Brooks, this sweeping tale of betrayal, magic, and destiny will leave you breathless.
Purchase your Copy Today!
Check out the Book Trailer:
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Twilight's Dominion
The Broken Crown Saga Book Two
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BLURB:
The peace was always a lie. They just didn't know whose.
Queen Eloise of Ardanthia has done everything right. She negotiated the alliance with Caladorn, married the prince, held her court together through blight and borderland attacks and the whispered threat of an ancient secret order. Now, with villages vanishing overnight — crops blackened, livestock dead, people simply gone — she does what any good ruler would do. She sends her best.
Sir Cedric Blackthorn, the precise and principled knight-investigator. Captain Elira, a soldier who has survived too much to flinch at anything. Tomas, a scholar more at home with footnotes than fistfights. Ryn, a street thief from the Saltspire docks whose instincts are worth more than anyone's education. And Auralias — the Court Mage, brilliant and unsettling in equal measure — who brings knowledge of old magic that none of the others possess, and who may be the only thing standing between Ardanthia and the League of the Moon.
Together, they are hunting the League before the League can finish what it started.
What they find will change everything they think they know — about the attacks, the conspiracy, and the true scale of what is being assembled in the dark. There are artifacts, older than any living kingdom, whose power was thought lost to history. There are secrets buried so deep that uncovering them will cost more than anyone is prepared to pay. And there is a question, growing louder with every mile: who, exactly, is the enemy?
Twilight's Dominion is a story about loyalty tested to breaking, courts where every smile hides a calculation, and the particular horror of realising that the enemy has been in the room all along. It is about a queen learning that the peace she built was built for her — and a company of mismatched, battle-worn companions who keep fighting even after the ground gives way beneath them.
Set across mountain fortresses carved from living rock, fog-wrapped port cities, a besieged royal palace, and the treacherous corridors of two kingdoms in collision, this is epic fantasy for readers who like their politics sharp, their magic consequential, and their betrayals earned.
Perfect for readers who love:
• The political intrigue of A Song of Ice and Fire
• The ensemble loyalty of The Lies of Locke Lamora
• The world-building depth of Robin Hobb
• Characters who are competent, scarred, and worth caring about
"There's no certainty in what's ahead. But I'd rather die among friends than watch the world go to monsters."
The Broken Crown Saga:
Book One: The King's Fall
Book Two: Twilight's Dominion
Book Three: Echoes of Kings - coming soon
Purchase your Copy Today!
Check out the Book Trailer:
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I am a new author writing under the pen name Orlan Drake, my real name is Chris Hills Farrow. I've worked as a freelance writer for magazines in the past but have always wanted to write fiction, and after having more free time during the lockdowns, I have made some progress. I enjoy fantasy because it opens my mind to other worlds or ways of life that do not exist in real life, or have ever existed.
Learn more about Orlan...
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