The First Argentines is intended to be a four-book series and has been from the start. When I pitched the idea to my then editor Jason and to my new editor Adrienne, they were both equally excited to hear about this new Kingfountain adventure. Adrienne and I share a love of medieval history, especially the historical fiction novels of Sharon Kay Penman.
This is the story of Ransom Barton, and it will be told over several books spanning many, many years. As with most of my novels, there are real historical nuggets that inspired the tale, but I’ll hold off on revealing those until later. You’ve probably seen archetypes and shadows of previous Kingfountain characters in this story already. If you think you know what’s going to happen, think again. I never tell the same story twice. I also continue to be inspired by the Arthurian legends of the past and how they have infiltrated history over the centuries. I love taking ideas like these and twisting the legends and real history into new and interesting configurations.
Thank you for joining me on this journey and for enduring the painful gaps between publication dates. Thank you for the kind notes and generous reviews, which I always take the time to read. I hope Ransom’s story inspires you to find loyalty within your own life. It’s easy to hold on to it when things go well. The real challenge is maintaining loyalty when life gets hard. And it always does.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I knew my new editor, Adrienne Procaccini, and I would get along when she announced her fandom of one of my favorite authors, Sharon Kay Penman. Her love of medieval history （and Jedi light-saber dueling） gave us an instant bond. Thankfully, that’s the only change to my team this time. You, lucky readers, still get to benefit from my ongoing partnership with Angela, Wanda, and Dan, who help get my books shipshape and Bristol fashion. I’m grateful they have all been involved in my writing for a while, which is especially useful going back to the world of Kingfountain that I love so much.
For this book, I’m grateful to everyone at 47North and Amazon Publishing who have invested so much in my success as a writer. To my first readers who wait with bated breath for each book to finish so they can provide helpful feedback—thank you, Robin, Shannon, Travis, Sunil, and Sandi. And to the amazing Shasti O’Leary Soudant, the amazing cover artist who helps people judge a book by its cover and judge it for the best! Also, to Kate Rudd, my amazing narrator, who has partnered with me ever since she voiced Lia in Wretched of Muirwood—you are spectacular!
Mostly, I’m grateful to you for reading this story and sticking with me for so many years. Thank you!