Song of the Elves

Epic fantasy novels and short stories by David Charles Shepherd

New Angle for Book 4

An hours slog up the eastern fells from Patterdale, the determined walker is rewarded with the alluring sight of Angle Tarn. This remote lake, hardly a secret as it is much loved with Lakeland walkers, nevertheless evokes all the mystique and magical calm that make it the perfect inspiration for Winart Castle, a key location in Book 4 of the Song of the Elves.

Walking up from the shores of Ullswater, the majesty of the secluded lake had not diminished from my first memories of it. I have to mention here my co-walkers, my beloved fellows of the Narlas Cipple Walking Club (NCWC). Ascending in baking heat, picnicking in idyllic English summer conditions and bathing aching toes in the icy waters were a sideshow to the ideas leaping around in my head.

In my book, Winart Castle resides on an island much larger than Angle Tarn’s biggest outcrop, in a lake that is a far greater body of water than its Lakeland inspiration. Yet the essence of the location is the same. Catch Angle Tarn wreathed in low cloud and you get a glimpse of the ancient castle of the Northwatch, wreathed in a mist hiding hideous monsters.

My annual NCWC visit to the lake brought more than just inspiring locations. The camaraderie amongst the team, the dinner-time banter, the collegiate encouragement on the steepest slopes, the sense of fun and belonging – they all fed into a wonderful melting pot of creativity. I have to salute the team of NCWC 15 as one of the greatest yet. Here’s to many more such trips, chaps!  I only hope I can do our memories proud in the forthcoming The Lost, the Lonely and the Damned.

Up the Elves!

Shep x

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This entry was posted by on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 9:09 pm and is filed under Song of the Elves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

About The Author

Writing has been my main form of escape since a child. Before teaching, I earned a living on a little known national newspaper, before discovering I also had a calling for the classroom. The first embryonic scribbles for Song of the Elves emerged in 2000. I began writing the first trilogy as one continuous manuscript entitled The Summerlands, which I finally completed in the Winter of 2007. In the intervening years, I've been transforming this first draft into three distinct instalments of the saga. "A Shadow Falls" and "The King's Blades" have already seen the light of day. "Sins of the Father" will follow shortly. There will be a second trilogy to complete the saga, which I intend to commence work on in 2012. Book four is entitled "The Lost, The Lonely and the Damned". I have also written a series of short tales entitled The Wolves of Winter, set in Rhoderica before the elves invaded the continent. I will bring this to you in coming months through kindle. I have scripts for a number of stand alone "Wolves" novels. Other projects include a fantasy version of the great John Ford western - The Searchers. I am also half-way through a manuscript for a science fiction novel, entitled The Mirror of His Soul. Time and health permitting, these will all eventually see the light of day.

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