SEQUEL TO “THE CAVALIER CLUB” - UPDATE.

For those readers who have been following the occasional progress updates elsewhere, I am happy to report that I have been busy continuing to write a sequel to the first adventure - The Cavalier Club - and have settled on a title. My original choice had unfortunately been used within the last 18 months by another author, and although titles are free to be shared, I was looking for something that was distinctive.

I am currently working on the final chapter, which, as with my first book, tells of the grittiness of war during the early 1600s in the Kingdom of Bohemia and its neighbouring state, Moravia – lands that today form the Czech Republic.

This sequel takes up the story where its predecessor ended. New real characters appear as the Thirty Years’ War takes hold. We see Frederick V – known to history as The Winter King – join Jindřich Matyáš Thurn, Hohenlohe, Teuffenbach and others, military men who made an impact on Europe’s past. And Albrecht von Wallenstein makes an appearance, alongside Montecuccoli and Liechtenstein, when Comte de Dampierre leads them into battle at Dolní Věstonice.

Against this tapestry of conflict, the chemistry between the protagonist and his love interest grows during this telling, and being mindful of numerous comments from readers of my initial work, I have included a little more titillating material to balance the content.

The story line continues to follow actual events very closely, and in fact, the whole manuscript covers just less than two months of the timeline of real historical circumstances. The Thirty Years' War, 1618 – 1648, is still in its infancy, and we are in the oppressive summer of 1619, yielding vast material for future novels. I feel as if I am just warming up.

At the conclusion of the draft, my serious editing will begin, followed by re-edits and finally, submission to the publisher. To the uninitiated, mid-1619 is approaching Dumas' period of 1625 and his "The Three Musketeers", although there is no overlap here with France and these famous gentlemen.

So, what can you expect? Action, romance, adventure, loyalty, and tits and bums - all while you follow the course of history in Eastern Europe in the twilight years of the Renaissance.