Caryl Say will celebrate the fourth “Merlin in Moab” book, “Winds of Change,” at an event at the library on December 6
King Arthur of Camelot is back, but not as you’d expect: In Moab local Caryl Say’s fourth book in her “Merlin in Moab” series, Arthur is reborn in the twenty-first century as the son of Merlin, and he will grow to adulthood in five years, “ready to complete the goal he’d failed to achieve in the fifth century,” according to the book blurb. But challenges meet him and Merlin at every turn, namely caused by Merlin’s ancient nemesis.
The book, called “The Winds of Change,” was published on November 13. Five days after it was published, the book was ranked #38 of the Top 100 Bestsellers in Arthurian Fantasy on Amazon—Say will celebrate with an event at the Grand County Public Library on December 6 at 7 p.m.
“It’s been a very exciting road for me, to bring it to life and have people like my books,” Say said. “It’s just amazing.”
Say started writing the Merlin in Moab series in 2013, just after she finished watching the BBC series, “Merlin,” which ran from 2008 to 2012. She had always thought of Moab as a magical place, and wondered: What would happen if Merlin came to Moab? Even more so, what would happen if Merlin came to Moab in the 21st century?
Writing had never flowed perfectly for Say—in her bio on her website, she said when she had urges to write, she “couldn’t seem to write any more than a few paragraphs before I would give up.” But the Merlin in Moab books were different: soon after after she decided to write a story about Merlin coming to Moab, she booked a trip to England, returned home, and finished the book.
“I am now semi-retired after thirty-odd years of full-time employment and I write as much as possible,” her bio reads.
Her first book, “The Heart of Magic,” was published in 2015, followed by “God of Magic, Child of Light” in 2016, and “The Shape of Time,” in 2020. She started writing “The Winds of Change” when editing the third book, she said—and she already has nearly 120 pages written for a fifth book in the series.
Her retellings of Merlin are “completely new,” she said, but she weaves in elements of the original stories of the character. She’s made many trips to Great Britain, England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland; she’s also descended from King James V of Scotland, who ruled from 1513 to 1542.
“I’ve always felt really connected to Merlin and the British Isles,” Say said.
Her writing pulls inspiration from her trips abroad and from books she’s read—she cited Mary Stewart’s “Merlin Trilogy,” published in the 1970s, as a huge inspiration. While the publishing process can sometimes feel slow, she said—self-publishing comes with a few challenges, like self-editing—her writing just flows.
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t make an outline ahead of time on the book—I just start writing, and the characters take me there,” Say said. “I have a good imagination.”
“The Winds of Change,” and other books in the Merlin in Moab series, are available on Amazon. The book event at the library will take place on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
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