Risen

Author’s Note

In 2008, I started work on a novel. It was my tenth; out of the previous nine, seven had been rejected by every publisher that saw them, while the last two had been published but failed to sell. So when I sat down to write the first words of what would eventually become Fated, my hopes weren’t high. The last thing I was expecting was for it to turn into a series.

But it did, and the first three sold well enough that my publishers were interested in more. I wrote a fourth Alex Verus novel, then a fifth. My contracts were extended, then extended again. Year by year, and step by step, and somewhere along the way, without ever noticing exactly when, I went from being a failed author to a successful one. And now it’s almost nine years since Fated’s release, and for the first time in my life, I’m going to see a series I started be published all the way to its end.

None of this would have been possible without my readers, so my biggest reason for writing this Author’s Note is to say a thank you to everyone who’s been buying and reading my books. If not for you, the Alex Verus series would probably never have existed, and without your continued support, it could never have been finished.

Ever since I announced that book twelve would be the last, I’ve had people asking if I could keep the series going. I’ve always had to say no, and now that you’ve read this book, you can hopefully understand why. I’ve never liked it when a series goes on and on for ever, and I’d much rather leave Alex at the end of Risen, in the woods with Anne. There’s probably room for more stories in the Alex Verus setting, but Alex’s one is over. Besides, after everything that’s happened, I think he’s earned a happy ending.

Instead, I’d much rather move on to something new! Since mid-2020 I’ve been putting together ideas for a new urban fantasy series, one with some similarities to the Alex Verus setting but a lot of differences too. If all goes to plan, I’ll start writing it this year, and the first book will come out in 2022 or 2023.

But that’s all in the future. For now, thank you to all of you who’ve followed Alex on his journey. I wish you the best of luck with your own.

Benedict Jacka, January 2021