THE CORNELIUS QUAINT CHRONICLES
Many moons ago (around 2005) I was your typical struggling writer (in many ways I still am). I used to write a lot, getting so far into a particular story and then suddenly being blasted by another idea. I would weigh each story's merits against one another - as well as their potential to earn me an elusive publishing contract that was so far in the land of dreams that it had its own postcode - and then usually ditched the original idea, for working on something nice and fresh is always exciting, especially if the idea I was working on was just not shaping out the way I wanted.
I used to bounce around like this for some time, prepping manuscripts and sending them out to agents and publishers (I never could work out which was the best order), and like many (perhaps even like you) I would sit and wait for a response and try not to watch the calendar. Then that inevitable rejection letter (form, of course) arrived on the doormat and my dreams were dashed. I ended up thinking that perhaps it was the idea that was wrong, or my interpretation of the idea from what I had envisaged in my mind. Or perhaps a bit of both. So, I plodded along, tinkering bits here and there waiting for an epihany.
And then he arrived.
I still remember the night that Cornelius Quaint and his eclectic band of circus performers-cum-amateur investigators stepped into my mind. It was originally titled 'ORPHANS OF THE EMPIRE' and I still have that original synopsis. Looking back, it's amazing how close to the end product that initial burst of inspiration was, so let's give epihanies a round of applause.
The very next day, I began to flesh out Cornelius and company, adding layers and edges to the characters. At the time, I had little idea that it would one day see print, but I was going through the motions as if it was a done deal, plotting out all the little hints and teases that I would drop into the story to be linked to and picked up on in later novels. I'm quite proud of a few of them, because anyone that ends up following the entire series will be very surprised about where Cornelius Quaint's quest to destroy The Hades Consortium takes him...and what he comes into contact with...and whether or not he survives until the end.
I know where Cornelius is going, and I know what will happen to him once he gets there. What's more, I know what happens after that too, so I'd be thrilled if you decided to come along for the ride too, because it just wouldn't be the same without you.
Darren Craske, 5th Feb 2010.