Another week closes, and another round of #AskWatson begins.
And what a week it has been.
Book #5 was sent to the proofreader, the long-awaited title had dropped, and to add the sprinkles on Mr Whippy’s ice cream, Lady Laura and I are expecting another son.
This naturally led to a flood of replies, congratulations, and, of course, questions for this week’s Q&A.
We’re going to move through these at breakneck speed as we’ve got a lot to get through.
Starting with:
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Congratulations to you and Laura on the baby. Have you decided on a name yet?
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Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Ease up there, Keeno.
We’re still coming to terms with the fact that sleep will be a distant friend of ours for a couple more years, so names have yet to become a topic (for now). 😭
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Hey Daniel,
Will your eBooks and audiobooks safe from tariffs long-term, or is that something that could change too? Asking for a friend…
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Well, you can tell your “friend” that from what I’ve read of the literature, digital goods are exempt from Trump’s hit list. 😉
Of course, that can change at any time, as this week alone proved.
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That beast you describe in One True King sound brutal. Is it based on any real-world myth, or did you totally make it up?
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This person is referring to the “dragonless” dragon I spawned in Book #4 of The Divided Region.
(Yes, it has a name, but I am far too pretentious to disclose it so freely.)
What I am willing to say is that it’s got all the coolness of a dragon without the hot breath. However, if real-world myths were what you were hoping for, then sadly you’ll be disappointed.
I actually drew upon the flying creature the Nazgûls rode in LOTR — Fellbeasts.
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You mentioned Darius going through a lot in Book 5 — is this his darkest arc yet?
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Great question.
To answer it simply:
YES, THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY HIS TOUGHEST ARC YET.
Darius faces some pretty hefty trials and tough decisions in this one. Some of the things he did in this instalment even took me by surprise.
But will it be his darkest arc of the series?
I wouldn’t be so sure.
Milo the Muse has already suggested some pretty dire scenarios we could throw his way in Book #6, but that’s a tease for another day. 😈
Last question…
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DJJ, How important is the great betrayal lore in the earlier books? I read Exiled a while back and am wondering if I should re-read to catch all the connections.
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If it has been months since your last trip into TDR, then yes, a re-read will serve you well.
However, one thing I pride myself on (as you will already know being a reader of the series) is that these books aren’t weighed down with lore dumps. I prioritise pace over pauses. Action over reflection. And sword fights over endless descriptions.
That doesn’t mean some of those things aren’t woven into the story — they are.
The difference is, they are served in bite-sized pieces that keep the narrative flowing so you can remain locked in the story.
If that sounds like a bit of you, then allow me to usher you to Book #1 of the series:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/exiled
DJJW