Mercerian Tales: The Making of a Man

People do not exist in a vacuum. They are often the results of others that influence their decisions and paths. I knew how the story of Anna would unfold, but I wanted to delve into the ‘why’ of her beliefs. To a certain extent, she is a product of her upbringing, primarily influenced by Gerald, but where did Gerald get his own ideas from? Enter Richard Fitzwilliam, Baron of Bodden, a noble’s noble, the true personification of all that the position demands. And yet he wasn’t always so! I wanted to show how he developed his philosophy by overcoming his past to rise above it, and thus The Making of a Man was born, beginning with his early life, then leading up to the death of his father. There is more after that, of course, but I wanted to focus on his relationship with his father, a man very different from the Baron Fitzwilliam that you may be familiar with. Based on the comments from my Beta Reading Team, there is room to fill in his life between this tale and Servant of the Crown, but that will, for now, I fear, have to wait, for Merceria is calling me back to work on Defender of the Crown, Book Seven. The Making of a ManServant of the CrownDefender of the Crown, Book Seven.I must thank, first and foremost, my wife, Carol, for her work editing this tale and preparing it for publication. She has also been my muse, inspiring me to write when she is near. (If anyone doubts this, ask her how many words I get written when she’s not around!) In addition, I would like to thank Christie Kramburger for her great cover, along with Stephanie Sandrock and Amanda Bennett, for their encouragement and support. I must also thank my role-playing friends, Brad Aitken, Jeffrey Parker and Steve Brown for their inspirational characters. This work would not be complete without the tireless efforts of my BETA team. It is thanks to you that the series has been so successful, and I always look forward to your feedback, so thank you: Rachel Deibler, Tim James, Mark Tracy, Phyllis Simpson, Don Hinkley, James McGinnis, David Clark, Kathy Brown, Stuart Rae, Michael Rhew, Shelly Heddings, and Stella Amaso-Nedderman. Also a big shoutout to Dianna-Lynn ‘Dee” Lundgren for her exception proofing skills. Finally, I must thank you, my readers, for your kind comments. Your feedback encourages me to continue writing!