88: The Batu Companion
2/14/2015
I just finished the first chapter of The Batu Companion. It opens with a synopsis of The Yara, followed by a commentary section, and finishes with three interviews about The Yara.
All of this came to 21 pages and took two or three weeks. Why I am doing this (especially when I’m only halfway done with the first book) is an embarrassing question. Mainly because it’s easier and more fun than working on the main narrative. I knew I would want a companion eventually, even if only for myself, and I have a good enough grasp of the story as a whole now to at least start the companion.
A companion would help me to crystalize ideas and give me better clarity of what I already have done as I proceed. Also, if I ever need a detailed synopsis of my novel for submission to publishers I will already have it done. It’s there in the introduction to The Batu Companion.
Present-Day Reflection
8/21/2026
The Batu Companion remains one of my favorite side projects. Adding it to this website, along with more analyses, interviews, and illustrations, really increases the depth and breadth of what I’m trying to do here. I’ve only begun to include the opening chapters from Wings of Providence, and am looking forward to whenever I have time to continue on that.
