The King's Traitor (The Kingfountain Series Book 3) (38 page)

AUTHOR
’
S NOTE

I still remember sitting on my bed, talking with my oldest daughter about the plot of the Kingfountain series. I told her that Owen and Evie weren’t going to get together in the end and I explained why and told her about Sinia. I told her some of my readers were going to hate me for doing it. I suspected she might be one of them, though as her father, I knew she’d eventually forgive me. “Go for it,” she advised. “If that’s the story you need to tell. Go for it. But please give Evie a happy ending.”

This is the story I’ve been wanting to tell for many years. It was inspired by a dream I had long ago. The dream was about a man in his early twenties who was sarcastic and ill-tempered and really good at insulting people. He was sent by his father, the king, to a neighboring realm to demand the princess there marry him or it would spell war between their kingdoms. In my dream, the princess sacrificed herself to save her country and willingly married the nobleman. Because of her goodness, she had the power to change him and make him something better. As a result, this young man fought against his father the king.

That’s the inspiration for
The King’s Traitor.
I also want to give credit for the shipwreck idea to one of my early readers Robin, who predicted after
The
Thief’s Daughter
that Iago and Evie would be shipwrecked and he would die, leaving Owen and Evie the chance to get together. This isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but I really liked how it played into the story.

I love reading biographies. I read one once about the first American president, George Washington, and learned that he had a first love whom he did not end up marrying. So did Abraham Lincoln. If you look through the nooks and crannies of history, you’ll find plenty of instances of this. While I prefer stories where the main characters do get together in the end, sometimes things just don’t work out that way. So if you are one of those readers who were disappointed by Owen’s choice of partner, I beg your pardon. This was the story that has been metamorphosing inside me for years.

And it’s not over. As I wrote this novel, I saw more light farther down the tunnel. The setting was obviously inspired by the Arthurian legends. As I read many of the classic older texts, I kept seeing recurring themes, even though the details often differed. The whole mythology around Our Lady was inspired by the myths of the Lady of the Lake. The prophecy of the Dreadful Deadman wasn’t invented. Europeans in the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries believed that King Arthur would return someday and defend England. Henry VII named his firstborn son Arthur to invoke that legend. He claimed to be Arthur incarnated himself when he fought Richard III at Bosworth Field. The legend of the Dreadful Deadman is a fascinating historical tidbit. I based my version of the Arthurian plot on the writings contained in the Mabinogion. That’s where I learned about Sir Owain who betrayed the Lady of the Fountain. That’s where the silver bowl and the magic hailstorm had their source. And it’s also the origin of the magic chess set that belonged to King Arthur.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this new world. I have a few more stories to tell before I’m done with it. I think the children of these main characters need a turn on stage.

And if a movie is ever made about this series, I politely request Richard Armitage to play King Severn.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank many who helped this series in numerous ways. First, to my sister Emily who gets to read my chapters each week and provide feedback. It must be sweet torture having to read my writing in spurts. Also, thanks to my wonderful early readers: Robin, Shannon, Karen, and Sunil. To my amazing editorial team for their enthusiasm and influence! That would be Jason Kirk, Courtney Miller, Angela Polidoro, and Wanda Zimba. We make a good team, and I appreciate you all!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © Kim Bills

Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to become a full-time author. He is, most importantly, a husband and father, and a devout member of his church. He is occasionally spotted roaming among the oak trees and granite boulders in the hills of California or in any number of the state’s majestic redwood groves. He is the author of The Covenant of Muirwood Trilogy, The Legends of Muirwood Trilogy, the Whispers from Mirrowen Trilogy, and the Landmoor Series. He is also the founder of
Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction
(
www.deepmagic.co
).