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It’s official: the Kol of Sornia draft is complete! It was my goal to finish it over winter break, and I barely made it yesterday. I still have to go through it one more time to add some finishing touches before it’s ready for the editing phase, but it’s complete. It was so fun to write, especially as this is my first-ever piece written entirely from a man’s perspective. But after six years, I’ve come to know this character very well.

Here are some fun facts about Kol:

He was initially just an enemy soldier who was meant to die in Act 1 of Adella of the Campos, despite Adella’s attempts to save him. He didn’t have a name yet at that point, and when my sister asked me to add a romance into the plot, well, he was the only option. And so I had to give him a name. Kol was at first supposed to be the name of Adella’s horse, who now goes by Shy. He was originally a black horse, but after the rename, he became a bay, and the black horse in the story is now Madigan, Kol’s mare. I shuffled the details like a pack of cards, but the individual ingredients are all still there. I originally planned for Adella to go out in search of her stolen horse rather than her brother, but the plot grew in scope as I outlined it. We still see her freeing Shy in the beginning at the same time she rescues Kol, so the original idea remains present in the story, though just under the surface.

This spring, I’ll have begun this story six years ago, and published the first book five years ago. This prequel novella takes place in early spring and brings us back to the very beginning; it feels so nostalgic to me. When I had the idea for this novella almost immediately after finishing The Fall of Valenna, I knew I had to write it before starting on book four. It felt a bit like Kol needed to tell his side of the story before we went any further. It was good that I had waited until after my Iceland equestrian tour to begin it, though, because my experiences riding the absolutely epic Kjolur trail really gave me a good perspective on what Kol’s rides over the Campos might be like.

For new readers to the series, you can either begin Kol of Sornia, or with the first full-length novel, Adella of the Campos. Though it will give you a different reading experience depending on where you start, the novella won’t spoil any of the plot twists in book one—though it will have some added foreshadowing and backstory that may enhance your reading. This prequel can be read at any point in the series, so if you’ve already read the three novels that are out so far, it will work just fine to pick this one up now before the fourth book is published. As I haven’t even begun to write that one yet, this novella will hold you over until you can return to the world of Andolin again.

If you’re planning a series re-read—perhaps in anticipation of the planned omnibus release, which will include Kol of Sornia—I would recommend starting with the novella and seeing what it adds to the journey.

Chronological Reading Order:

Kol of Sornia

Adella of the Campos

Rising Tides

The Fall of Valenna

Currently, I’m working on the back matter text. This is how it looks so far, but may continue to tweak it:

BEFORE ADELLA OF THE CAMPOS, THERE WAS KOL OF SORNIA

In the contested territory of the Campos, where legends slumber in ancient ruins and sea serpents are only a distant nightmare, one soldier must make a choice: Obey orders and make a name for himself, or follow his heart and face a traitor’s death, alone on the stormy plains.

For ten years, Kol has eked out a living in the Sornian military as a nameless pawn. In a rigid hierarchy where status is bought rather than earned, he is the perfect soldier. With no family, no friends, not even a last name, he has nothing to lose but his life.

When Captain Roen handpicks him to lead a covert scouting party into the wilderness, it feels like the break he has long awaited. His task: infiltrate a Valennian military outpost and map the vulnerabilities of an enemy in a secret war wrought in the dark for over a century. For Kol, it is a final gamble to prove his worth and earn a name for himself.

But when he arrives at the new encampment, he is confronted by doubts about his duty after crossing paths with an enemy noblewoman, whose unexpected presence challenges everything he believes to be true.

In this gripping prequel to the Legends of Andolin series, a hero rises from the dregs of an empire. Caught between the whims of a corrupt command and the stirrings of a long-dormant conscience, Kol must decide if he will remain the army’s unflinching servant, or be true to himself and face the fires of treason.

Whether a long-time fan or a newcomer to the world of Andolin, prepare to be swept up in the epic adventure in Kol of Sornia: A Legends of Andolin Prequel Novella.