Robin Hardy's Abbey Lands
Previous Questions & Answers
Sept. 11, 2024: If this is Christian, why do you have fairies in it? Ho boy, there's not only faeries, but Leviathans, trolls, Nephilim, and time hops. I think all that is best explained by the Afterword that comes at the end of Book 36, Lord Efran in the Apocalypse. For readers who want to know now, I've attached the Afterword here.
Sept. 8, 2024: How long did it take you to write all these? I began the rough draft of the first book on May 1, 2021, and finished the rough draft of the last book on August 6, 2023. To keep all the names, dates, and events straight, I drew up timelines for each book. Click here to see the timeline for Book 10: Lord Efran and the Runaway Bride. (The dates in the top right corner are the begin and end dates of work on the first draft.)
Sept. 6, 2024: Where did the Polonti come from? Actually, they originated in the first book, Chataine's Guardian, as Roman was half-Polonti. I visualize them as South Sea Islanders/Native Americans, and drew heavily from the Hawaiian language for their words. As far as their origin on the Continent, their major city, Eledith, was located deep in the Fastnesses, far from the cities of Eurus and Westford. About 50 years prior to Efran and Minka's time, the Polonti elders relocated Eledith closer to the rest of the Southern Continent.
Here's where the maps come into play. No other stories I've written have been so site-specific; that is, understanding the events is greatly enhanced by seeing the physical layout. So I'm urging readers who have only the epubs to look at the pdfs just for the maps.
Sept. 4, 2024: Are these books as explicit as Nicole of Prie Mer? Ouch. No, I learned my lesson when I had to edit out several scenes from both Nicole and Ares of Westford. With the Abbey books, I've been careful to moderate intimate passages. However, when one early reader was offended by Efran's telling Minka, "[Remember how] you trusted me to ward you and not--use you?" I knew that some readers would find fault with just about anything I wrote.
Sept. 3, 2024: Are the pictures you show here from your books? Yes, they're in both the pdfs and the epubs. All of the books have an illustration. As a novice illustrator, I created them from public domain images online. Notes accompany all the illustrations with links to the image sources. See an example below.
Sept. 1, 2024 Did you base Efran on someone? No, Efran isn't based on anyone I know, either personally or as a celebrity. But honestly? Minka is the real star. Over the first few books, she grows into such a rich, full personality that I only recorded what she said and did. I had very little to do with her formation.
Aug. 30, 2024 Why are you giving these books away? Publishing them conventionally is impossible--who would read all that? This site gives me the opportunity to get them out there for readers to taste. Just know that the books comprise one complete, ongoing story from the beginning to a definite end.
Just for fun, here's an extra illustration I did for Book 16 Lord Efran and the Water Giant. This shows the faeries celebrating the arrival of the white doe and her fawns. Click here to see the Notes.