I've got a bit of a bad habit.
Well, I guess that depends on who you ask.
Some people will praise me for being bold, while others will consider me reckless and uncaring.
The habit I speaketh?
Killing characters.
When most people think of fantasy, it tends to conjure visions of rolling hills, dimly lit taverns, and expansive realms that capture hearts and minds.
And it should.
I love the stuff, personally.
But the stories that really stand out to me?
The ones that stick in my noggin long after The End?
Those are the stories unafraid of exploring darker themes and questions we have, metaphorical or otherwise. One of them being that dreaded subject we all must reckon with one day…
DEATH.
So why shouldn't my characters deal with it, too?
I mean, it's not like I write cosy tales.
I openly state that The Divided Region is a "gritty" epic fantasy.
Alas, it seems a number of misinformed people either didn't get the memo or have a drastically different definition of "gritty fantasy."
Honestly, you wouldn't believe some of the snotty messages I've received from folks telling me I had no business killing so-and-so.
It's quite the spectacle.
But you know what else killing off characters does?
Keeps them reading.
Yes, even the disgruntled ones.
It's one of the reasons Gladiator became a cult favourite.
It's one of the reasons Game of Thrones swept across the world (if you could stomach the incest).
And it is one of the many reasons, I believe, readers lurrrve The Divided Region.
It's not so much about the "killing" as the "effect" it carries.
So, if you enjoy epic fantasy that takes sharp turns you didn't expect, and you are under no illusion of what "gritty" means, then not only might you enjoy TDR…
But you are going to love Book 6 when it lands, which should be very, very soon.
(The final draft from my editor lands this weekend.)
If you're yet to dive into the series, the bundle is the best place to start — at a price you won't find anywhere else:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW