This is a standalone sequel to Raven and Rue, taking place twenty years after the main events of that book, in 1456 of the Saxon Era.

Bernard is therefore 43, and has been king of Lindensea for ten years – which means his father Peter died a decade previously. Although they don't really come into this story, Pip is 38, Alice is 37, Hugo (now King of Castile) is 41, Dorothea is 53, and Sybil is 48. You will discover the children's ages if and when they become relevant to the story (but don't worry, I know when each one was born, to the day).

This story is set in another kingdom of The Isles, and just as Lindensea was based on southern England and Everwick on Yorkshire, this one is generally inspired by Cumbria and the Lake District. However, while you could easily follow Pip's progress on a modern map (Raven and Rue Tours, an exciting business venture to consider!), the geography of this kingdom is almost entirely imaginary.

Another difference is that Lindensea's language and culture was originally Saxon (later mixed with Castilian in some mysterious way), and Everwick's was what we would call Norman (i.e. Scandinavian), this kingdom's people are mostly the indigenous population of The Isles. They speak what is called the Old Language.

I haven't created my own language, like Professor Tolkien, not being a linguistics expert, or even a linguistics amateur. I've based it on Common Brittonic, the language spoken in ancient Britain, which split into the dialects that evolved into Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Pictish, and Cumbric. However, I have freely changed spellings, taken words from any of the related languages, copied some of the grammar and syntax from Gaelic, and simply made things up.

The story also examines one of the customs mentioned briefly in Raven and Rue. It's one I thought some people might feel uncomfortable about, as it's quite different to what we're used to, so it seemed like a good idea to examine it in more detail, and see what the experience might be like.

I wrote the first draft of this story during lockdown. I can't remember which lockdown it was, they'd all started to blur together by that point, and life looked pretty grim. It was written as an escape, and it's therefore a carefree, happy, and innocent story, a story of burgeoning adolescence, unexpected freedom, and endless summer holidays.

Many things went into it, but it is essentially a homage to some of the books I loved as a child, particularly Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series, the bulk of which are set in the Lake District. Like many people, all I could read during this depressing time were children's books, mostly those which had been favourites for years.

This is comfort reading, a soothing little story to curl up with and get lost in another world for a time. So wrap a big fluffy blanket around your shoulders, make a cup of cocoa, and allow yourself to drift off to a faraway kingdom of high green hills and vast blue lakes under serene skies. 

Welcome to Avalon.