2008 is here. Finally.
I say that, because the release of my first novel Beyond the Summerland in 2004, the knowledge that my publisher wanted to release the 4 additional books in that series at a pace of one a year, and a little basic math told me that 2008 would be the year that the last book in the series, All My Holy Mountain would be published. So, it feels like I’ve been waiting a long time for this.
Really, the waiting goes back to the 2000-2001 school year, when the “world-building” and “story-building” for The Binding of the Blade began in earnest. As soon as the story in full had been conceived, I couldn’t wait to get to the ending. At first, that took the form of waiting to write the ending, and that was hard enough. I didn’t get to write the last book until the 2005-2006 school year, and that was a truly rewarding experience. After so many years, so many words and hours, so many adventures on so many pages, to finally conclude what I had years before begun was very fulfilling. It felt every bit as good to get there as I’d hoped it would, and I discovered that despite the fact that the story was no longer new to me, I still really liked it and the way it ended.
Even so, I still had 2 years to wait until the book would be published. That’s right, I was finished writing All My Holy Mountain in the spring of 2006, about the time Shadow in the Deep was released, and I knew it would be two years until I held All My Holy Mountain in my hands.
Well, I’m still waiting for that. I haven’t even seen the cover art yet. But it is 2008, and barring some kind of unforeseen disaster, I will hold All My Holy Mountain in my hands soon. To me, that is very exciting, and here are a few reasons why.
First, for an unpublished author, a five volume series is a pretty significant undertaking. Actually completing it and then seeing it come to pass and having the books on your shelf is a milestone worth celebrating.
Second, when the first book was published in 2004, I had already conceived the whole story and written 3 of the 5 books, which means, I got all kinds of questions, criticisms and other feedback about a small fraction of the story, and I constantly had to bite my tongue so as to not give things away that needed to wait for later. For almost 4 years now, I’ve been waiting for the day that readers could see the whole story. Even with the whole story in view, though, not all will like it, and I understand that. Still, at least people will have a chance to reach their conclusions on the question of whether not the series is a good one based on the whole and not just a part, and that’s exciting to me.
Third, and last, I’m convinced that All My Holy Mountain is a great ending to the story. (I guess all writer’s think they have great endings to their stories, so I’m probably predictable here…) I really do believe it is the best book of the series, and more, that it will elevate the experience of the other books to a higher plane. Maybe for some it will only make a disappointing series less so, but perhaps for others it will make an average series good or even a good series great. Whatever the case, I am fairly confident that for most it will be a seen as a strong conclusion. So, I ‘m excited.
2008 is finally here, and soon, All My Holy Mountain will finally be here too. If you’ve been reading the series, I hope you like it. If you haven’t, you still have a few months to get caught up.
In my next post, I’ll address a fairly common question that comes up when people find out that I finished writing All My Holy Mountain in 2006, namely, the “what have you been up to since?” question. But that’s a topic for another time.
So this is your favorite book. My favorite so far is Shadow in the Deep. We’ll see how I like this one.
Yes, “All My Holy Mountain” is my favorite, but don’t take my word for it, read it and let me know what you think. 🙂
I think AMHM will be my fav…
did you know people can preorder it already on cbd.com???
now we just gotta get amazon.com to have it pre-order-able. 😀
I can hardly wait for All My Holy Mountain….and I definately wanna know if any other books are coming out by you.
I think I’ll wait to pre-order it on amazon so I can get a better price.
my thoughts exactly.
did you guys know that both amazon.com and overstock.com have BoTB on reduced price??? though FoD is only on amazon.com
I pre-ordered it from the publisher of the book, P&R publishing. It only cost about $16 or so. I pre-ordered Father of Dragons for about the same price last year, and I got it SUPER fast – I had already finished reading it before people who ordered it through Amazon or other services had even received it. Might be worth checking out!
WOW! i cant wait for the 5th book, and i also want to know what other books you will be writing… i think you are a great author… keep up the good word, for the glory of God 😀
Thanks for the encouragment. I hope to have a post soon about things I’ve worked on since finishing BOTB and then another post about the idea I am currently developing…
Well I can’t wait to read All My Holy Mountain, but my favorite book so far would have to be Beyond the Summerland. Oh and thank you L.B. for starting this blog; its really interesting to understand where you are coming from and how that shapes your writing.
You’re welcome!
Mr Graham-
Thanks for providing some background on this series. I have really enjoyed reading this series, and am looking forward to ALL MY HOLY MOUNTAIN. May God bless and guide you as you continue to write to His glory!
-Aka Karalin
All My Holy Mountain is going to be my favorite one so far. I know this because when I first read Beyond the Summerland I thought “How can anything get better than this” but then I read Bringer of Storms and thought the same thing. this happened with all the books so I’m sure that this one will leave nothing to be desired. This is by far the best series that I have ever read and I don’t believe it will be easily moved from that position. Mr. Graham, I am working on a story of my own but I can’t seem to find a good biblical parallel to use in it and I was wondering how you found yours. I never thought writing a story like this would be so difficult but maybe it just comes naturaly to some people. I would love to talk with you more about this but you seem to be a very busy man so I won’t ask for anything beyond what I have posted above. thank you very much for creating opportunities to talk with you. May the Blessings of God, our “Allfather”, be upon you and your houshold.
Yours in Christ, David Natzke
I suppose all I can say is that I look, usually, for broad themes that I am passionate about. So, in BOTB, I decided I wanted to tell a story that was basically about our hope for restoration. The thought of a world where fighting and war is no longer necessary has become so dear to me, I constructed a world around it and designed a story, that to my mind, could provide maximum impact to the great and glorious act of laying down weapons, once and for all.
Thank you greatly, your advice helps me immeasurably. I am looking forward to reading All My Holy Mountain, and hope you keep writing. your books are (in my oppinion) as good, if not better than, C.S. Lewis’ and J.R.R Tolkien’s novels. May your life be blessed for the remainder of your years.
In Christ, David Natzke
Thanks! I appreciate the kind words and wish you well on your own creative ventures. Keep at it. Humanly speaking, perseverence and discipline, more than perhaps anything else, is the keystone of success in writing as in almost all other things.
I’m looking forward to reading the fourth and fifth books…I only just started reading this series, and am in the middle of the third one. I know it probably won’t happen, but I really hope that Joraiem is *somehow* alive…..
And, Mr. Graham, I think you’re a great writer and your books are awesome. The only thing I didn’t like was that Joraiem died. And that Rulalin is still alive where I’m reading… 😉
I hope you continue to enjoy the books, and I’ll keep quiet as to what the fourth and fifth books hold…
Oooh! That was so cool. You responded. Yeah, I’m really excited about reading the rest of the series. It’d be awesome if these books were made into movies.
I have to disagree on the movies. They would leave alot of it out and it wouldn’t be as GREAT!
I can’t wait till the book comes out. I love be able to journey along with all the characters and feel the emotion they feel as I read this series
It would depend on who they got to direct the movies. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job on The Lord of the Rings…so he’d do a great job on these books. I can see someone like PJ, Gore Verbinski or Ridley Scott doing it. Anyway, I really hope Joraiem is alive…..I just finished the third book and am dying to know who Aljeron was talking to in the mountains…. 😉
I guess it would be ok if the person from The Lord of the Rings. But don’t let the people who made Eragon make it. They ruined a great book.
I hope Joraiem is alive as well. He was my favorite. I can’t wait until the last book comes out.
I work at a Christian bookshop in Australia and we received the first four books in bulk all together. Being a fantasy fan i quickly snatched the first up and haven’t read anything else since…and yesturday i finished the fourth…having only the four books in all at once i assumed it was the whole series…but suprise…now the waiting game begins (one i don’t really enjoy) but the suspence is good. The series has been fantastic, i’ve enjoyed the writing and when you work in a bookstall any series of books you like gets shared with other staff and soon the customers know about it…this series has definately been worth a bragg. Very nice and entertaining job!! Thanks for taking the time to write them!!!:o)
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series so far and hope you will enjoy its conclusion. Thanks for telling customers about it!
I agree, Lady Crystaline. The people who made Eragon into a movie did a horrifically terrible job. Eragon is one of my favorite books; the movie was a disgrace. If they got someone like Peter Jackson to do Beyond the Summerland, it’d be awesome. Just not Stefen Fangmier (director of Eragon).
Who was Aljeron talking to at the end of Shadow in the Deep? I’m still waiting to read the fourth book, and I seriously would not mind that part being spoiled for me! ;-D
I love Joraiem…..Mr. Graham, PLEEEASE bring him back to life!! =D
Just so you know …
All My Holy Mountain can be pre-ordered on amazon.com – as well as with P&R Publishing (prpbooks.com)
Mr. Graham,
I wanted to let you know that I LOVE your books!! Not only are they entertaining and exciting, they are also very insightful and illuminating. It may sound strange, but many times while reading I had to stop and bow my head to our magnificent Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!! Your description of All Father has been an excellent portrayal of the way God sees us and works in individual lives! Thank you so much for the time and effort you have placed in your works! I CAN’T WAIT to read the new one!!
I really like the BOTB series. I just got done
reading it for the third time I cant wait for the
fifth one to come out. I have read alot of books but this series is my favorite by far.
Graham your books are the best books ever! i really cannot wait until the next book is out. Only four days! I also want to be an author. I’ve learned alot from reading the Binding of the Blade series. im still in high school and i know i have a long way to go, but i cant wait until i can write as good as you. I just hope i can be that great. 😀
Actually, to the best of my knowledge, the book won’t be out until June 1st. So 5 weeks or so…
yes i figured that out right after i posted that comment. thats a bummer but i am still excited!
Where did you find your inspiration and then perseverance (to write the series)? What I mean is; did you ever feel that this wonderful story you felt just had to be told was an extensive goal that seemed would take forever to reach? Another question; how long, would you say, were you sitting at the computer writing (anything about the story) each day?
In His Most Holy name,
~Enna
Yes, there were many times when the mountain I was climbing seemed to go on forever, but if you write enough sentences you have a paragraph, and a few paragraphs make a page, and a few pages make a scene, and a few scenes make a chapter, and before you know it you have book. Repeat that process a few times and you have a series. Like most big tasks in life, it can only happen one step at a time. Still, you are right, there are times when your resolve will be tested. It certainly helps to be under contract and to be legally obligated to keep going!
My writing schedule wasn’t daily. It was more weekly, where I had some chunks of time set aside on certain days. The biggest individual chunk was about three hours.
So when you started writing your books how old were you? Had you already started college? I’m only 15 but what would you suggest I do to start writing a book because i want to be an author like you. I don’t even know where you get all your inspiration to write totally different stories like that. It is truely amazing.
Learning to write well is a process. My recommendation for you would be first of all to keep reading good writing, since I think most of us get a sense for what good writing is by being exposed to it, and then I would suggest you practice. Start telling stories. Practice planning them, writing them, revising them, and you should find that in writing, as with most things, practice helps you to get better at the skills necessary to do it well.
Thanks so much! I’ve been trying to start but i don’t know where. So thank you so much for the advise. I’m not too good at some of those things so i will work on it. Thanks again!
GREAT SERIES! My brother was in one of your classes and when I had nothing to read over the summer he told me that one of his teachers wrote a series called Binding of the Blade. I decided to read the first book and I LOVED it! I have read all of your books TWICE and I cannot wait for AMHM to come out. I think you have written an amazing series and I hope that AMHM will be an ending worthy of such a great series like this.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
I hope you’ll find the ending worthy also. Give my thanks to your brother, whoever he is, for recommending my series.
I’m glad I found this series while working at my dad’s bookstore a few years ago. It was during the time that Bringer of Storms had been released about 2 months beforehand, and I happened to pick up Summerland while we were packing up a bunch of books for a confrence. $12 dollars and a week later, I managed to finish it and found out that Joraiem got killed.
Thankfully, since the 2nd book had already been released by then I got to see how you were able to continue the story, and began the wait for Shadow in the deep.
Looking back through Summerland again, I can easily pick out a good amount of foreshadowing for the ending that I didn’t catch before. I originally though he just had a natural phobia to water and didn’t think too much of it for a while. I honestly thought that if it was foreshadowing anything, it’d be during the boat trip to the Forbidden Isle or in that underground lake.
Now that we’re about a week away from the last book being released, I’m already making sure the guy that does our ordering gets copies in for the store. Can’t wait to see how it ends, and see if any of my guesses on the last book even come close.
I’m sure some of them – your guesses – will be accurate. Some things are meant to be seen/foreseen. Others, though, might not be…
L.B. Graham,
BotB is the greatest series I have ever read. Even better than Narnia (my previous favorite.) I have a question, do you want Botb to be made into a movie? or do you really care?
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series. I hate to say it, but it doesn’t much matter if I’d like the books to be movies or not, as they’d have to be a whole lot more popular for a studio to spend the big bucks to make them into movies.
So, now that this series is complete, do you have any other projects in mind? Do you think you’ll ever write a prequel or sequel series?
A sequel series, no, a single prequel book, not impossible but unlikely. It was once discussed, but I doubt it will happen.
I really enjoyed All my Holy Mountain. Every day I checked my mailbox in hopes that it would be there and finally, the book that I had so ‘patiently’ been waiting for was in my hands! I loved the ending because I love the character who says the last line. My only regret to the whole book is that the end of the epilogue wasn’t in Wylla’s point of view. It would’ve been neat to read about how the appearance of the person affected her. Otherwise, FANTASTIC JOB! You are my favorite author!!
Glad you liked the book & thanks for the vote of confidence.
Which character in the whole BOTB series did you like the best? Also, are you thinking of coming to Minnesota for any book signings or anything of the kind?
I don’t know who I “liked” the best, but I identified the most with Rulalin. I know people think that’s weird, but as a sinner who can lose his way, his struggle with his conscience was one I could understand.
No plans to be in Minnesota any time soon, sorry!
I just want to thank you for writing great CHRISTIAN fiction books. It is hard to read books that have swear words or curse the name of our wonderful Lord. Thank you for including the Lord in your books or Allfather as the book refers to.
God Bless.
Glad you’ve enjoyed the books. For my thoughts on “Christian fiction,” it might be interesting for you to check out the interview I did at the site promoting the Fantasy Fiction Tour 2008, it is linked to in my post called “Interview.”
I read your interview on the Fantasy Fiction Tour website! Thanks for directing me to it.
Interesting. I just like “Christian fantasy” (sorry :D) because I know that it won’t have inappropriate stuff in there…I mean…it might…but hopefully not. I have to agree with your interview, though. I see where you are going with that. Christian fantasy isn’t this group that is put above the rest! (This is definitely the last time I’m saying “Christian Fantasy” anymore :D.)And you are right to say that non-Christian fantasy books can be wonderful as well, for I have read some…would you call Lord of the Rings non-Christian or you know…(now non-Christian sounds so bad! ahh!)? There’s some controversial stuff going around with that. But anyway…Thanks for the intriguing interview!
God Bless.
Wow. I never realized that some authors would finish writing their books two years before the actual release of the book! Do most authors do that or are you one of the few?
The publishing schedule was set years ago with lag-time built in, just in case I fell behind in the writing, but I never did.
I must admitt, I didn’t think book 5 was as good as the other one’s but who care’s the books are great!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. G. I had a question,it’s about a book I’m writting, I wanted to know do u think i should bring the evil guy in as a charactter so the reader get’s what he’s doing through the book?
A hard question to answer without knowing a lot more. The brief answer is, maybe. Sometimes this approach works pretty well, sometimes not so much. Make sure you think through why you want to do it, how it will work, and what the unintended consequences might be of putting your villain “on stage” and making him a central character.
Thank’s for the help. And I hope that u keep writting more book’s.
Do you know when amhm will bbe released in Aus (hooray for aussies). That would be awesome. cant wait.
I don’t, but you could pester someone at Koorong or wherever you shop to see if there are plans to get it in.
Thank you. I will.
God Bless.
Hi Mr. Graham, First, I want to say, I LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!! second, I am an aspiring writer, and hope to publish my book in a year or so, and your books have really shown great talent and fluidity, which is REALLY hard to find in action/fantasy,and has taught me some in that area, thanx!! also, I wanted to say that I believe that your books have pleased the Lord and no matter if they are pop. or not, God will bless you for using your talents for His glory.
ps- who is on the cover art of All My Holy Mountain?? I couldn’t figure it out… sry if you get asked this question all the time!!
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series – and best wishes with your own writing.
I believe the cover is meant to portray Alazare, but as I’ve said elsewhere, the cover is really a collaboration between the publisher and cover artist to make an image that they think will “sell” the book, and it does not represent my own vision of what Avalione, the Holy Mountain or Alazare might look like…
Mr. Graham,
After I had finished BTS, I wrote to you about how I was very sorry that Joraiem died, but now I’m okay with it. There really wouldn’t be a series without his death, and it made the ending of AMHM so much more stunning. BOTB has been absolutely my favorite book series ever! After finishing FOD I just couldn’t find AMHM until my aunt got it for me and I finished it that day. I’ve recommended it to everyone and most of the people have enjoyed it too. Thanks for writing the best series ever!
I’m glad you enjoyed the series and have seen the rationale for letting Joraiem go in BTS. Keep recommending it to you friends!
Here are some vague ideas for your little story that you might write off of the Binding of the Blade Series:
Have a little Joraiem/Benjiah time…because we never really got to see them together. Also, maybe have Wylla’s perspective on when Joraiem came back…that would be really cool to read from her persepctive. If not, then just some Joraiem/ Wylla time. I am such a big fan and such a big fan of Joraiem, so anything with him (or any other character for that matter) I would love and I would read.
An AMAZING undiscovered author that should win the Nobel fantasy prize!!!
He SERIOUSLY (super emphasis on seriously)
needs to write another series similar to this (even though I’d be in college, I’d find time to read it!)
L.B- Great Job!!!
Thanks, “visitor.” 🙂 Tell your friends about BOTB!
L.B.
Mr Graham,
I’m currently deployed to Afghanistan with the US Air Force. While not on duty I’ve had some time to go to the gym, and I enjoy reading while working out. I saw an ad for your series in a Christian magazine, so I bought the first one and really enjoyed it. The next 4 couldn’t arrive soon enough. I just finished All My Holy Mountain and I must say I’m sad with a sadness like going home after a great vacation. It was a very enjoyable, exciting, and thoughtful series. I have 2 girls back in the states and almost cried on the stairclimber when reading about Evrim’s reunion with his girls. Thanks so much for writing such a wholesome series with so many Christian analogies. It really enhanced my experience here. God bless you.
Well, you’re very welcome Justin – and our thanks to you and all the troops who are serving overseas. God Bless you!
I must admit, I cried at the very end of AMHM. The promise underlying the story is a promise close to the heart of every Christian – the promise, that one day, everything will be okay again. It was a beautiful ending to a long journey. I began reading through my Bible a few years ago, and it became almost a game for me to match what I read in your books somewhere in the Bible. There is a wonderful number of indirect quotes from the Bible in your stories that I enjoyed finding very much. There were several in Isaiah, most specifically Isaiah 11:9, but only just recently did I find Revelation 21:5, since I jsut recently finished reading my Bible all the way through…it is such a beautiful, inspiring promise. Thank you for creating a story incorporating it 🙂
Yes, the promise of “all things new” is at the heart of what we long for – and it was at the heart of what I wanted BOTB in general, and AMHM in particular to convey. I’m glad you liked the series and saw the parallels on your journey through scripture.
Dear Mr. Graham,
“Maybe it will make a disappointing series less so, but perhaps for others it will make an average series good or even a good series great.”
Please do not doubt for a moment that this is ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME SERIES (OR BOOKS) OUT THERE!!!! As I have said in several other comments, this series is sweet. I must say that I nearly knocked down my friend. This is how it happened:
He happened to be the only person in my church who even had heard of this series. So he loaned the books out to various people. Then, when I got to it, I had to wait weeks sometimes before someone else got finished with the next book. It was an agony that is almost unbearable (in a pleasurable sort of way). When I got the books on Sunday, all 400+pages were finished by Tuesday evening (or Monday Evening, as was more likely). I am a fast reader, but I only really read quickly when I LOVE THE STUFF!!! Basically, I read the books (despite how long they were 😉 ) quickly: because THEY WERE PAGE TURNERS!!! OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!!! (You can tell I love my Caps-Lock Key… hee hee, no rhyme intended)
I encourage you. When you are bogged down working on this or that, or can’t haul yourself out of bed one morning, (“I’ve got plenty of time later in the day”, “I’ll sleep in a little”, “Let’s work on that later”, etc.), (Don’t worry: I know you do it because I do the same thing), please realize this: you have made at least twenty fans in my church (church total is: 400 members). I read my friend’s books last time: this time, I’m going to sell the farm, get a bank loan, scrap together pennies, beg on the street, to get a copy of your new series. Count on my REAL name being on the waiting list as soon as it comes out.
Sir, Captain, Duke, etc. Edmund Skye of Osnabruck
Glad you liked the books, Edmund Skye of Osnabruck… 🙂
Dear Mr. Graham,
I really liked your first two books and I cant wait to get the third, fourth, and fifth. I had to talk my mom into getting me “Bringer of Storms” directly after I finished the first, who’s ending makes me lose sleep even now, and has been the main topic of conversation to some people at work who like these types of books(one cook who sadly broke his leg soon after we talked about books like these for an hour straight and wont be back for a while). so now I can only talk about the new EHS near here. But I cant wait to read the others when I can get them.
Thanks for writing the awesome books!!
Dalton, I’m glad you liked the first two books & hope you enjoy the rest of the series.