BrooksBlog: The Future of Brooks Books

So let’s turn our attention to what lies ahead, having covered a little of what happened on the road during book tour 2019.  As you probably know, the Shannara series ends with book 30 publishing next May/June – at least it ends for Shannara books going forward into the future.  This doesn’t mean I will never write another Shannara book.  It just means I will be filling in the gaps and closing out the loose ends, either with long or short fiction over whatever time remains.  But there are other things to write, and I intend to write those other things for the immediate future.

Next year will see two new hardcover books in publication – the last Shannara book in The Fall of Shannara and a collection of short fiction, both old and new, that I have pulled together over the years.  That book will come out in October, and there will be stories from Shannara, Magic Kingdom, and Word & Void as well as one or two others I’ve written.  So bear that in mind as Christmas 2020 approaches.

But what else am I intending on doing?  A number of things.  I expect to write a sequel to Street Freaks at some point.  Not right away, but down the road a piece.  I will write a new Magic Kingdom book immediately if the movie gets made.  Did I mention a movie?  Well, I did now.  More later on that.  But most importantly for the immediate future, I will be writing a new epic fantasy series of 2 or 3 books.  I have a story and characters, and I have given them a test drive past the scrutinizing eyes of the Del Rey editors, and apparently they have passed muster.  I do not intend for this series to be connected to anything I have done before save in the way all epic fantasies are connected – through familiar tropes, a strong presence of magic, a moral conundrum in need of a solution, and a threat to an entire world.  Also strong male and female characters.  I will start writing the first book in September of this year.

I need to tell you I am very excited about the idea for the book and the direction of the story.  I think readers will be pleased with this new series, but I also know from previous experience they will be wary.  Every time I set out to write something new there is a certain amount of push back.  Experience tells me that readers will mumble about wanting a new Shannara book or a new Magic Kingdom or whatever, but will be cautious about a book that has nothing to do with what I’ve done before because that is the way it always is.  I can assure you until the cows come home that you won’t be disappointed, but that will not be enough to convince you.  But I am assuring you nevertheless.  You haven’t been disappointed before – or if you have you aren’t telling me – so I can promise you won’t be disappointed this time either.

So without any telling details, there is my writing schedule for the immediately future – subject to change without notice.  I might change my mind.  That’s just the way the creative process goes.  You might not intend it, but it happens anyway.

Now I have to go outside and breathe the ocean air.

See you soon, Terry.