A couple of people have asked about how many books there will be for the Chronicles of Empire series. The honest answer is that I'm not quite sure - simply because I don't know how much of my writing will go under the Chronicles of Empire banner, and how much will go under different ones.
The core Chronicles of Empire cycle, of which Gathering is the first book, and Awakening is the second, is a 6 book cycle. No more, no less - the number is 6 and only 6. There will be absolutely no deviation from this.
However, I also want to write a duology set 2,500 years in the future, to directly connect with Gathering in a cyclical manner. I'm not sure whether these would go under Chronicles of Empire, or under their own banner.
I'm also interested in writing a trilogy set 20-30 years after the 6th Chronicles of Empire book. Again, I'm not sure if it would be under a different banner. It would be difficult to number it within Chronicles of Empire if the future books are published first, because that would upset both the chronological and reading order.
I could also write one or two standalone novels - I'm especially tempted to write one 1,500 years after the 6th book in Chronicles of Empire. Perhaps that would make the future books a trilogy? There are various possibilities. Ultimately, I have to write the books first and attend to everything else after.
So ... the simple answer is that the main series has 6 books, but there could potentially be two spin-off trilogies. Whether they all go under the Chronicles of Empire banner or not remains to be seen.
After all that ... I would like to write a 7-book WWII thriller. However, that might always remain an aspiration rather than a probability, perhaps like George R R Martin's desire to write Roman Historical Fiction.
The core Chronicles of Empire cycle, of which Gathering is the first book, and Awakening is the second, is a 6 book cycle. No more, no less - the number is 6 and only 6. There will be absolutely no deviation from this.
However, I also want to write a duology set 2,500 years in the future, to directly connect with Gathering in a cyclical manner. I'm not sure whether these would go under Chronicles of Empire, or under their own banner.
I'm also interested in writing a trilogy set 20-30 years after the 6th Chronicles of Empire book. Again, I'm not sure if it would be under a different banner. It would be difficult to number it within Chronicles of Empire if the future books are published first, because that would upset both the chronological and reading order.
I could also write one or two standalone novels - I'm especially tempted to write one 1,500 years after the 6th book in Chronicles of Empire. Perhaps that would make the future books a trilogy? There are various possibilities. Ultimately, I have to write the books first and attend to everything else after.
So ... the simple answer is that the main series has 6 books, but there could potentially be two spin-off trilogies. Whether they all go under the Chronicles of Empire banner or not remains to be seen.
After all that ... I would like to write a 7-book WWII thriller. However, that might always remain an aspiration rather than a probability, perhaps like George R R Martin's desire to write Roman Historical Fiction.