Once upon a time, I took a journey into the Amazon Rainforest. And in that wondrous forbidding place I had a vision of a reborn Robin Hood, part man, part beast, part wildwood god.
Now I’ve brought that vision into the world as a series of novels, called the Blind Bowman. The concluding part of the trilogy, Wildwood Rising, has just been published.
Put that way, it sounds simple enough. But regular readers will know there’s more to it than that.
Between that initial inspiration and final publication lay a tangled and thorny path. For years I got lost in the woods, suffering depression and grief and creative block, unable to produce a useful word. There were times when it seemed unlikely this story would ever be concluded.
It took a great deal of work on myself, and much help from others, to get the series back on track. And now finally it’s finished. Robin and Marian’s story has played itself out in full.
By all accounts, Wildwood Rising is a fitting finale. My editor Anthony Hinton wrote to me on publication day to say: “The hardest thing to do is an ending, and ending a trilogy with such verve, originality and exceptional storytelling is a very rare thing. We're very proud publishers indeed.”
For my part, I couldn’t be more grateful to my publishers, David Fickling Books, and particularly my editors Anthony and Meggie, for believing in my writing and this story enough to stick by me all these years. The same goes to my agent, James Wills, and to my wife Lizzie, who has been the most patient of all.
And to readers of the Blind Bowman, of course, a huge thank you for your patience. I hope the ending makes the wait worthwhile.
Thanks for being here – and happy reading!
Tim
Congratulations on persevering and FINISHING!
This is a true author hero journey. Congratulations for finishing this trilogy👏.