I am unfortunately not George RR Martin or Brandon Sanderson. I lack the money necessary to hire copy editors and proofreaders for a book this gargantuan, and I don’t have a publishing house willing to front the bill for me. This is why volume 1 felt like an introduction to the series rather than a self-contained story.
A reviewer pointed out this very valid concern, and so I wanted to take this moment to apologize if some people were put off by how the story hasn’t progressed much yet. I’ve packed this series with lots of character development, romance, world building, training montages, tournament arcs, and epic battles that last several chapters. It’s very, very, very long. An excellent writer can have all that in a self-contained volume even if it’s part of a series. This is proof that I still have a long way to go as a writer.
That said, I do hope you all enjoyed this volume and will continue reading this series. I can promise you the next volume will have a bit more meat since I plan on letting Eryk show off how overpowered—I mean, since I plan on furthering the plot. Yeah, that’s it.
On a more positive note, this volume has revealed quite a bit more information about my main cast and even has some heavy foreshadowing. The glimpses of Eryk’s past haven’t revealed too much yet, but the past is inexplicably tied into the present, and I plan on revealing a lot of key plot information relevant to the present timeline through the flashbacks since I can’t do it in the present without having numerous large info dumps… which I hate.
One of the primary focuses of this series so far has been the romantic development between Eryk and Kari, and Eryk and Fay. Now, we all know this is gonna have a harem ending because I have already admitted this is a harem series, but I didn’t want everything to be too easy for Eryk. Even though Fay has confessed, Eryk turned her down because he loves Kari. This is another reason I show you Eryk’s past. I want everyone to understand Eryk’s feelings. He and Kari went through life and death together, relied on each other for emotional support and their very survival. Their bond isn’t something that can be so easily messed with.
Too many men in harem novels think less with their heart and more with their dick. I will be honest and admit I enjoy reading those novels, but I also want a protagonist who won’t just drop his drawers for a woman within three chapters of meeting because she is pretty. Eryk is dedicated and loyal above all else, and right now his loyalty is only for Kari, so he tries to let Fay down easy.
I think we can consider ourselves fortunate that Fay is not willing to give up. There’s still hope for the harem.
Because of how long this series is, my plans going forward is to publish each Act in manageable volumes that I can afford. Act I is composed of four volumes, if you’re curious. My plan is to publish one volume every 3-4 months so you don’t have to wait long to read more. I would try for every other month, but I really love seeing illustrations inside of my books and art takes time to make.
I think that is all I have for this afterward. I don’t want it to get too long.
Before I leave, I would just like to say thank you to Crystal Holdefer, my copy editor, for catching my grammar mistakes and making my latest volume flow more smoothly. It’s always a pleasure working with her.
I also want to thank Mykel Harford for her stunning artwork. She does a wonderful job. I am particularly fond of her hentai artwork. Sadly, I was not able to have any sex scenes in here to illustrate. I’m pretty sad since her hentai art is super erotic and incredible. In either event, she is an amazing artist and a wonderful person.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers for putting up with my flaws. I know my writing can cause frustration for some readers, so I’m grateful to the people who enjoy my stories and continue to support me. I hope to see you all in volume 3, which will hopefully come out in three or four months. I’m personally hoping for three months!
~Brandon Varnell
WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 2 Page 19