When I discovered that my first novel was going to become a trilogy, I was terrified.
One book already felt like a massive undertaking. But three?
Holy crap! What had I gotten myself into?
Now, sixteen years later, I find myself taking on something even bigger: an eight-book historical fiction series.
Eight books!
Am I mad? Stupid? Or perhaps a little bit of both?
Honestly, the jury is still out.
What began as a single story has grown into The Last Templar’s Oath, an eight-book journey spanning centuries, continents and generations. It follows one sacred secret that refuses to remain buried and the families who have sworn to protect it.
This is easily the most complicated and ambitious writing project I have ever undertaken.
There are historical timelines to manage, generations of characters to follow, secrets to protect, sacred promises to honour and enough continuity details to make my brain occasionally request a leave of absence.
Yet I cannot walk away from it.
The story arrived, and now it wants to be told.
As I considered the scope of this series, I began looking back at everything I have written, published or currently have in development.
The total surprised even me.
Twenty-one.
Yes, that is correct.
Twenty-one freaking books!
Books by Nathaniel Theos
- Bloodline of the Grail
- The Western Promise
- The Azores Covenant
- The Canary Seal
- The Caribbean Reliquary
- The Mexican Testament
- The Vanishing Name
- The Northern Passage
- An Unregistered Male
- The 51st State
- The Iron North
- The Wind Beneath Us
Books by L. Neil Thrussell
- A Warrior’s Heart: The Awakening
- A Warrior’s Heart: Perseverance
- A Warrior’s Heart: Convocation
- A Warrior’s Heart: The Promise
- Alchemy of the Heart: Shavon Sun Cloud
- The 10-Step Playbook for Men
- Chasing Success: The Trouble with Being Normal in the Age of AI
- The Relationship Survival Guide for Men: 7 Secrets Every Man Needs to Know About Women
- The Relationship Survival Guide for Women: 7 Secrets Every Woman Needs to Know About Men
Some of these books have already been published. Some are completed and waiting for their time. Others are still being written, shaped, argued with and brought into the world.
But every one of them began in the same place: with an idea, a blank page and the willingness to begin before I felt completely ready.
Sixteen years ago, I was afraid to call myself an author.
Even after publishing my first novel, part of me wondered whether I had earned the title. Perhaps many writers feel that way. We tell ourselves we are simply experimenting, playing with words or trying to finish one little story.
Then one story becomes three.
Three becomes a shelf.
And somehow, that shelf grows into twenty-one books and book projects written under two names.
L. Neil Thrussell writes spiritual fiction and practical books intended to open hearts, challenge minds and help people live more consciously.
Nathaniel Theos gives me the freedom to explore different territory: historical adventures, political thrillers, dystopian worlds, complicated mysteries and stories that may not fit neatly within the writing people have come to expect from Neil.
The names may be different, but the storyteller behind them is the same.
I suppose it is a little late for me to say that I am not an author.
The evidence is becoming rather difficult to ignore.
Am I still scared?
Absolutely.
The eight-book Last Templar’s Oath series is larger, deeper and more complicated than anything I have attempted before. I am excited by it, intimidated by it and occasionally wondering why I could not have chosen a simpler hobby.
Stamp collecting suddenly seems quite reasonable.
But fear does not always mean we are travelling in the wrong direction. Sometimes fear simply means we have reached the edge of everything we have done before.
That edge is where growth waits.
So yes, I may be a little mad for taking on an eight-book series. But every meaningful adventure requires a touch of madness, a great deal of faith and the courage to keep moving when the road ahead feels impossible.
The first book in The Last Templar’s Oath will soon begin its journey into the world.
And ready or not, so will I.
The story found me.
Now it is my responsibility to tell it.
Twenty-one freaking books.
Not bad for a man who once hesitated to call himself an author.
