A New Book Begins

There is a curious moment that comes before every new book: the pause between thought and action.

For some time now, a new story has been quietly taking shape in my mind — fragments of scenes, characters, themes, and questions drifting in and out of view, waiting patiently for their moment. That moment has now arrived.

I am about to begin work on a new novel.

It has been floating around in my head for longer than I care to admit, gathering weight and substance with each passing month. Like many ideas, it began as something small and elusive, but gradually it has become impossible to ignore. The time has come to sit down, open the blank page, and discover where it wishes to lead.

As the great novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once wrote, “Each novel is the wreck of the perfect idea.” It is a line I have always admired because it captures the truth of writing so perfectly. The ideal story exists in the imagination, complete and flawless; the task of the writer is to bring it into the world, knowing that the process itself will transform it into something different — but, hopefully, something alive.

That uncertainty is part of the attraction. Every novel is a voyage into unfamiliar waters.

This book will be rather different from my previous work on the Pontifex Maximus series. While that series allowed me to explore history, power, and the world of Rome, this new project is taking me in another direction. At this early stage I am keeping much of it close, allowing it room to grow before revealing too much, but I can already sense that it will stand apart from what I have written before.

I hope readers who have travelled with me through the Pontifex Maximus books will join me on this new journey as well.

Writing a novel is never a solitary act once it reaches the reader, and I intend to keep you informed as this one develops — sharing progress, reflections, and perhaps a glimpse behind the curtain as the story begins to take shape.

The journey starts now.

Damian