Last Friday night I launched the final book in the Million Eyes trilogy, Million Eyes III: Ouroboros, at Chandlers cafe and cocktail bar down the road from my house. This is where I had the launch for the second book and the turnout was even better than the last one.
It was bittersweet to be saying farewell to these books after 15 years of work, but what a send-off. My speech (which I’ll share on YouTube and here soon) covered how much my life has changed since the ideas for Million Eyes first started coming to me, way back in 2008. Even since the first book was published at the beginning of 2020, so much has happened. The world kinda went to shit for a while with the pandemic, but it ultimately led me to a new job as Head of Content for Old Street Solutions, my favourite ever job. And just before Covid I met my fiancee and writing partner, Katy, with whom I now own a house, and to whom I’ll be getting married at the end of this year.
But I have absolutely loved my timey wimey journey through the Million Eyes trilogy. The writing has sometimes been hard, particularly with so much historical research, but it’s also been super-rewarding.
And the road to publication has been paved with highs and lows, too. In my speech, I mentioned how one publisher years ago laid into the first Million Eyes so hard that I almost threw the book in the bin. It was lucky that I ran the feedback back my writers’ group, who told me the publishers were talking out of their high-and-mighty asses.
But of course, the email from Elsewhen Press in April 2019 asking to publish it more than made up for that previous rejection. And since then, the Million Eyes books have all scored nothing but rave reviews, making these last 15 years totally worth it.
After my speech, I read a scene from Million Eyes III focused on the Welsh village of Llanderi, which shows the lengths Million Eyes will go to to get what they want. I then spent the rest of the night selling and signing books and catching up with friends. I was also lucky to be joined by a fellow Elsewhen author, Mark Iles, whose sci-fi adventure novel, Gardens of Earth, was published in 2021.
Thank you everyone who came and celebrated with me. I’m still on cloud 9 and it’ll be a while before I come back down. These book launches have been some of the best nights of my life.
And now, finally, Million Eyes is complete. It was one of my life goals to finish and publish these books before settling down and starting a family. Basically, I have achieved my plan, and Katy and I are going to start trying for a baby in the summer.
In the meantime, the writing hasn’t stopped, and although it will slow down once baby no.1 comes, I plan to make lots of progress on Breaching The Wall and The Puddle Bumps before then.
That said, I can relax now. I have a published trilogy out. My work is done.
I plan to do a roundup of the blog tour and all the amazing reviews I’ve received really soon, so watch this space.
To everyone who has supported and encouraged me over the years, I love you all.
C.R. Berry 