[About]

What is Destined Books?

This website is a place I am posting entire novels of an epic story I have written entitled Destined, which is broken into a series of books. This story began life as things I wrote in two or three note books while bored on a caravanning holiday as a teenager. Years later, I went back to the notes and based on them I produced a story spanning numerous books. I also hope that this site will help other first time writers get some attention.

What kind of story is it?

Destined is a fictional pseudo-medieval action and adventure tale. I have a strong love of manga, comics, anime, and all things epic and as such these tastes have rubbed off on my writing. People who have read things I have written over the years describe my style as manga with no pictures. I'm not sure if it was a compliment or not.

What age group is it for?

There isn't a set age group really and don't let reference to comics, manga, or the like bother you if you've never read anything like that in your life. I would say teenagers and upwards would be the people who would most enjoy the story and that younger readers should wait a few years. It sounds ridiculous; but violence can be more graphic in written form than any comic book. There isn't excessive bad language, but there are also many suggestive and powerful themes that might influence younger people.

When do you post new chapters?

I will aim for posting a chapter within two weeks. So two chapters a month give or take.

What is the average length of a chapter?

It dances around a bit but as a sort of guide I aim for about seven or eight thousand words per chapter and 10-13 pages (A4, 5" margin, single space, font 12, Times New Roman).

What spacing scheme do you use for your writing?

Thoughts of characters or unnatural speech is expressed using italics within paragraphs. A line is missed between paragraphs so that it is easier to stop and start while reading at the screen if need be. Two lines are missed out if the point of view has changed from one character to another or the scene has changed but little to no time has actually past.

I found an error in a chapter, do you want me to tell you about it?

That depends what kind of error you have found. If you believe you have found a continuity error (that is a mistake in the timeline and events of the story) take into consideration that it is a progressive story and just because I have not explained something straight away or something seems 'a bit off' that does not mean that I will never explain it. If it is a spelling or grammar error then yes, I suppose you can. Keep in mind I am only human and will make mistakes. I do read over my work but I still miss things. If anyone wants to donate the £1000-1500 needed for hiring a proper proofing, editing and publication person then I'd gladly accept the assistance.

Have you published this story?

Yes, sort of. I have self published the first book so far through a site called Lulu which is great for first time authors. The content on this site is (and always will be) free, the book is just there for anyone who wants a physical copy to go on their shelf. In the future, subsequent books will also be published through this website. A link to my store front can be found HERE or in the links section of the website.

Who are you?

My name is Ian (although I go by the name Flik online), nice to meet you. I enjoy anime and manga way too much and I am learning to read, write and speak Japanese. I can juggle and play bass guitar. I dislike far too many things to list here. I am a Gemini.

Can I get in touch?

Yup. My e-mail is iandawson@destinedbooks.com.

What's the best way to view this website?

This website is best viewed in the latest version of Mozilla Firefox and using the custom font Nailscratch. It'll make the menus and things look a lot nicer if you get it from over here. If you don't use it many menus, headers and so on will display in your brower's default font instead.