I have a big announcement coming in the next newsletter.

You won't want to miss it!!!!

The races of Merceria

In the land of Merceria there are many different races; Elves, Dwarves, Saurians, Orcs, Trolls and a few more you have yet to meet!

Over the next few newsletters, the backgrounds of these races will be featured before being posted on the website. Elves are first, and then next will be the Orcs.

The Elves of Merceria

Elves have lived in the area known as Merceria for millennia, long before the coming of man. Over the centuries, their numbers have been greatly reduced through multiple wars with other races, most recently from the incursion of Humans into their domain.

Upon the founding of Merceria on the eastern banks of the River Alde, Humans ran into conflict with the Elves of Merceria. This war, though undeclared, was a bloody affair with many deaths on both sides. Unable to stem the ever-growing tide of humanity, the Elves were forced to retreat into the Darkwood, their last remaining stronghold in the Mercerian Kingdom.

Although Elves are immortal, they can still die through disease or injury. They mate for life, and while their reproductive habits are unknown, their numbers have not increased significantly in the past 500 years, leaving them unable to mount an offensive to take back their lands.

Elven society is run by hereditary leaders. Though functionally kings, they prefer the simpler title of Lord. There are no secondary titles in Elvish society like Humans have, therefore no barons, dukes, etc. A Lord rules over the Elves in a geographic area, such as the Darkwood.

Most Elves are trained warriors and, having had centuries to perfect their art they are typically well equipped with armour and weapons, including the legendary Elven Bows. These weapons can be fired accurately at greater distances than Human Longbows and will pierce most armour.

By the time of Servant of the Crown, the Darkwood has become a mysterious area, where Humans dare not enter for fear of immediate death. However, individual elves have left there to live within Human society, though these are rare.

Name the Newsletter Contest Almost Over!

Contest closes February 28

Daisy and Tilly are very excited because in the next newsletter they get to announce who wins the signed copy of "Servant of the Crown" for the best Newsletter Name.

Tilly wants to remind you that you still have a few days left to share your suggestion. She likes anything with the word 'treats', but shhh, don't tell her that she doesn't get to decide.

Daisy is simply happy with anything you suggest and will wag her tail approvingly. She loves everybody with enthusiasm!

Game Versus Book - What really happened?

As I have shared before, I am an avid roleplayer, having started with D & D (Dungeons & Dragons) over forty years ago. The story of Anna and Gerald stems from an RPG (Roleplaying Game) that I ran for nearly 4 years.

It was designed to be like a TV series, with twelve episodes each season, and ran for a total of seven seasons. Presently, in the Heir to the Crown series, I am writing book five, but that only has us up to the end of season two! Yes, you guessed it, that means there are still many more adventures for you to read.

When I look back, I find it interesting that Servant of the Crown is the first book in the series, but really, most of that story did not happen in the campaign. My wife, Carol, created and played the character of Anna, so we did some pre-game sessions to flesh out her character background. That is where some of the chapters come from, but over 75% of it was new for the book.

The scene when you meet Revi Bloom (played by Brad) and Armin Caster (played by Jeff) is actually when the game began. I still vividly remember when Brad rolled the dice to heal Gerald and failed. You should have seen Carol's face. She was not impressed, let me tell you!

Fortunately, just like in the book, Brad managed to successfully cast his spell, but it was on the third try, and trust me, Carol was telling him he better succeed, as Gerald was her favourite NPC (Non-Player Character). 

What is an NPC you ask? Those are the people with whom I populate a campaign to guide the players when they miss a clue or help them fight a tough opponent. In this campaign, everybody but Anna, Revi, Armin, and later Jack, all came from my imagination.

Next time, I will share the grand tour of Princess Anna!

Guess who won the Mercerian Tales popularity contest?

In the last newsletter, there was a survey that many of you filled out asking who you would like to be featured in the upcoming Mercerian Tales Origin stories.

Below are the results. Are you as surprised as I was with who turned out to be most popular? I certainly didn't guess the winner!

The good news is that I have outlines already for 4 of the 6 people you chose, with the first one being released early this Spring!

I will keep you guessing as to which one it is, with a hint that it is not number one below; remember, I was surprised by Hayley winning. Guess that means I have more outlining to do!

What is the best time for you to receive the newsletter?

I would really appreciate your input into what is the best time / day / frequency for you to read this newsletter. There is a survey link in the button, and the last of the questions is one for animal lovers! Can't wait to read your answer. I will share my answer in the next newsletter

The flu stinks!

This past weekend was a holiday weekend, meaning that I had 3 days away from my day job to write, and I was raring to go!

Saturday was a fantastic day, with nearly 6,000 words added to Fate of the Crown. We had the regular gang over to game on Saturday night, and I went to bed with great thoughts of plots for the morrow.

All that changed when I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a truck during the night. Needless to say, as I know you have all had the joy of experiencing the flu, Sunday quickly became a day of rest, tea and Netflix, and hoping that I would feel better on Monday.

Yes, you guessed it, the flu rarely lasts only one day, so although I managed to add a thousand words, I am not sure of their quality!

That being said, Fate of the Crown now sits at 51,000 words, with the first 10 chapters already nestled in the hands of my beta team. They have told me they like it, and that I should write faster.

Here is a quick quote one of the beta team really liked, as it plays on a consistant theme throughout the books:

"Don't worry," replied Gerald, "we have a number of plans. We'll adapt as we go."

"That sounds suspiciously like improvising," complained Revi.

Please share your thoughts!

If you liked Servant of the Crown, please take a moment and leave a review. Four or five stars, a word or a paragraph is great, whichever you prefer. 

Your reviews go a long way to improving the chances of another reader giving Anna, Gerald, and friends a chance to enrich their lives.

Now, I must get back to the war to liberate Merceria from the clutches of tyranny!

Looking for a new author to try?

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Happy reading from Paul J Bennett, 

Author of Epic Fantasy in the Land of Merceria and beyond!