Back in 1999.

I first imagined two of these characters in my youth 20 years ago,

I was out in Sydney one night for dinner and drinks with a close friend of mine, Michael. After several beers I lamented the fact that, at least in Sci-Fi movies and Television, the aliens are usually portrayed as the bad guys and I said to my mate that I should write a book one day where the aliens are more or less like us, that is, a mix of good and bad but that the good on both sides must decide what to do (simple bar talk that ended up written on a paper coaster including the scrawled name “Ira Bilis”). He loved it and encouraged me to do it but I didn’t give it another serious thought for years, however, it was never too far from my fantasies. I originally called it “The Valley Deep” and the first version was a short story that I wrote in 2004 about Nelson Jones, a good man caught up in an evil regime; Which is how some of us relate to work and school. I know the horrible pain of being bullied by a baddie, so too does Nelson. I put that poor fellow through a lot, but I have drawn on my own experiences.

O.K, so what happens to Nelson?

2014 – Begin

In 2014 I decided to write my first draft, Ira Bilis was only a minor character then (but, she stole every scene she was in, so…), Jessie was going to play a much bigger role and Alene was originally going to be a high priestess. Dozens of amendments later throughout 2015 and ’16, I finally put the pieces in place. Nelson is a young man with choices in a world where good is considered a weakness and evil is celebrated; he makes mistakes along the way because he mainly follows his heart. The story which you have today is hopefully one that rests on your mind long after the final page is turned, which is kind of what I was going for. Whilst it is contemporary, this is not a conventional Science Fiction work, it trespasses into social commentary and philosophy, which is a risk, but I’ve got nothing to lose but time. So, I figure “what the heck”, I’m not holding back. My unrestrained approach to the 2nd book, TDH, is just that attitude, for better or worse.

Free will?

So, what’s the moral to the story?

There’s more than one. But one that is pivotal is something that lies within all of us, both in the Great Tribe and on Earth. On Resen, Nadija asks Nelson “What’s in you”? It’s a question that I think we should ask ourselves often, the person that you are today (not yesterday or tomorrow) is an accumulative result of the choices that you make, right or wrong and ultimately, Nelson is confronted with what’s truly within him.

What’s next?

The Dragon’s Zenith – End game!

The final book of the trilogy will reveal the secret behind the enigmatic eternal complex and the mysterious sungates. It will focus on three favorite characters, Nelson , Alene and of course, Ira Bilis. Don’t worry, Nadija & Horx will be there too. I will explore love and what it means throughout the galaxy.

The jaw-dropping climactic conclusion to the Dragon Trilogy will be out in 2021.