Vincent gave this interview in January 2013, shortly after publication of Avalanche Effect

I’m delighted to have Vincent with me again for another interview to discuss the events outlined in the fourth and final volume in The Lilean Chronicles series and to talk to us about himself and his life generally.

Hello again Vincent.  Thank you so much for coming back a third time to talk to us.

You’re very welcome, it’s nice to be here.

The fourth and final book in The Lilean Chronicles story has now been out a few weeks.  Can you give us a brief outline of the story?

Yeah sure.  Well, it takes place 3 years after the end of the events told in the third book in the series, Changing Faces.  By this time, my son Gabriel had been born and Farra and I were very happy living at home and just being a family.  Then out of the blue this guy turns up at the house and gives us the worst news we could ever wish for and asks me to leave Lilea with him to help him with something.  My guide Syra had already warned me not to leave Lilea if anyone asked me to, so I turned him down flat and thought that was the end of it.  Events quickly took a turn for the worse though and that very night something happened that forced us into making a choice we shouldn’t have made.  To cut a long story short and to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, Farra and I did leave Lilea with him and ended up chasing all over the galaxy.  It almost cost me not only my family but also my friendship with my blood brother Kyle and my relationship with Syra.

So you went against the advice of your guide?

Yeah I did and I so regret that in a way.  The event that started it all off was so awful that we just reacted emotionally and all logic and reason went out the window.

Can you tell us what that event was?

Not without spoiling the surprise, I’m sorry.

You said it almost cost you your friendship with Kyle.  In what way?

Well Kyle knew we shouldn’t go against our guides’ advice and he refused to come with us when we left in a hurry.  I was so torn up emotionally that I reacted badly when he told me he wasn’t coming and I said things to him that I bitterly regret now.  How glad I was that he did stay behind though.  That decision was the best one he ever made and I’m going to be forever in his debt for it.

Is your friendship okay now?

Yeah it’s fine now.  When you have such a close relationship with someone, you can weather an argument or disagreement and although harsh words may hurt you, the love you share remains strong.

How are Farra and Kyle these days?

Farra’s great.  She gets more beautiful every day and I love her so much.  She’s busy with Gabriel now when I’m at work at the Academy but she also does a few days a month with me helping train the female recruits in combat techniques.   Kyle has a girlfriend now and is the happiest I’ve ever seen him.  They both work with me at the Academy, that’s where they met and it was during the events told in book 4 that they fell in love.

And you have a son, Gabriel?

Yeah.  He’s almost 2 years old now and I’m so proud of him it hurts sometimes. After what happened to us and nearly losing him, I treasure every moment with him.  We’re bringing him up to speak both Lilean and Earth English.  Farra speaks to him in Earth English and I speak to him in Lilean.  Since Kyle got to know all about his Drycenian heritage, he learned the rudiments of their language so he talks to Gabriel in Drycenian when he can.  Knowing at least a couple of off world languages will be useful to him if he wants to leave Lilea when he grows up.

Is anyone lost during the events in book 4?  Are we all going to be mourning someone we’ve grown to love?

Well 2 people are lost yeah.  I caused one of the deaths and it hurts me still every time I think about it.  That person shouldn’t have died and my hasty decision to go against Syra’s advice cost a life that needn’t have been lost.  That death also meant that another person close to me is now to be denied their presence in his life and the great gift that they were to give him couldn’t be given and he has to live the rest of his life without it.  I feel very bad about it but Syra and my family help me with it and I’m coming to some sort of peace with what happened.  The other person that is lost is not someone that needs to be mourned.  He can’t hurt anyone ever again.

The story outline mentions faces from the past reappearing.  Can you tell us who they are?

That’s correct, 2 faces from the past reappear and also, in a funny kind of way, I also become a face from the past for someone else connected with the story.

You’re a face from someone’s past?  How?

Well I don’t want to give it away but it was an amazing moment when it happened.  I was humbled more than I can ever explain but it meant so much to them and I was proud to give them that gift.

So book 4 really brings things full circle for you?

Yes it does.  A lot of stuff from my past is able to be put to rest now because of what happened and I can now move on from a huge amount of negative emotion and pain.  In many ways it was a very healing experience.

So what is in the future for you Vincent?

Well, I have my work at the Academy and my son to bring up.  We’re planning some trips to scope out some locations for some in the field training for the recruits at the Academy, which will mean that the whole family will move for a month at a time while we give the guys some in the field survival training.  We’re hoping to get some other folks we know to come along too so our young guys can get the feel of real combat.  We’re also planning to return to Drycenia for Gabriel’s third birthday to introduce him to our friends there, so that will mean a month or so holiday.

Is that really the end of The Lilean Chronicles?  Are we never to see you again Vincent?  We don’t want to lose you after getting to know you so well.

Well thank you for that and I’ll say what I’ve always said; never say never.

Thank you so much for being here again.  It’s been a pleasure to talk to you.  Give my love to your family and I hope we meet again.

It’s always a pleasure to come here and talk about our story.  Thank you for your interest and your love.