This is Why
Blog | Posted by Carole on Wednesday 26 November 2008
Since Dragon Moon was published, I’ve had quite a lot of emails and blog comments asking me to write a fourth Dragonkeeper book. I always say the same thing. It’s not going to happen. I don’t want to write a fourth book. After all her adventures, I think Ping should have a nice quiet life. She deserves it.
Some people get quite cross with me. They seem to think I’m just being difficult. Or they think I’ve run out of ideas. It’s neither of those things. It’s wonderful that people liked the books so much that they want more. But if my heart isn’t in it, it wouldn’t be any good anyway.
Writing a novel takes a lot of time, about a year for one of my books. It can be stressful, getting it all to work. You have to slog away at it every day, whether you feel like it or not, whether it’s working or not. So it has to be something that I want to write. I know that sounds selfish, but for me it’s the only way to do it.
I’m not the only one that feels that way. I heard Graeme Base talking on the radio the other week and he said the same thing. “I never do market research,” he said. “I just do the stuff that I feel suddenly inspired by and that I will get joy from doing and which I honestly believe is worth two years of my time.”
You never know if a book is going to be successful. I only write the stories that I really want to write, that I have to write, that I would still think were worth all the effort, even if they didn’t do well.
So I haven’t run out of ideas. I’ve just got different ideas. What I’ve run out of is enthusiasm for continuing that story with those characters. And even if someone did write to me and give me a fabulous idea for a fourth book, I couldn’t use it, because it wouldn’t be my story. (And if it was a big hit, bigger than Harry Potter and I got a seven picture deal and became a millionaire, then the person who gave me the idea would sue me!) I have to stick with my own ideas.
The interview with Graeme Base, was on Life Matters on ABC Radio National on 5 Nov and you can listen to a podcast of the full interview.
hi,Carole.sory,could not go into com last few days(high fever)um….can I ask u something?in dragonmoon.u said jiang(gu hongs daughter)meant ginger but on wikipedia it said dawn.
BTW,which character is pings name?(was it 11 strokes?)
Nicole,
I didn’t write the Wikipedia page. I don’t know who did. They got it wrong Jiang can mean many things in Chinese but not dawn. The Jiang I had in mind meant ginger. None of the dragons names mean Dawn, though Tun means morning sunlight.
This is the character for Ping is 萍 second tone.
hey cool!thanz!
I really wanted to read the fourth book from dragon keeper trilogy…can’t you make it like its Kai’s story when he is 50 or 100th years old and how his life goes on in dragon heaven and maybe…he would miss Ping and searching for her…and meet ping when she is old or that she passed away and kai meet her son/daughter and blah blah blah…
Nicholas,
I have thought about that before. But at the moment that’s not what I want to write. As I said in this post, you have to really want to write a book to make it good. Maybe one day.
okay then i’ll just have to wait for it Patiently
btw good luck on writing books on the future!
Cheers!
hey this isnt a question about this but i thought there would be another book because at the end of garden of the purple dragon it said: “but they new it wouldnt last long” s o i guess i thought wrong
Justyn,
There IS another book after Garden of PD. Dragon Moon is the third and final book in the trilogy.
what happened to hua when danzi died
curtis,
I like to leave some things for readers to imagine themselves. You can imagine what happened to Hua.
i think that it’s ok that you don’t want to write another book for the series but you can always write a new fantasy story.i actually had a dream i met you at the airport!!!i finished dragon dawn!!
that makes 4 books….so write a 5th one!!!
Catherine,
I’m writing other things at the moment.
I loved all of your books so much i named my new puppy kai after the charecter in the book.
btw i am only 10
ps and i read the first 2 books in 2 weeks. please right a 5th book when u have time even if it is not in the triolgy.
from amy
Amy,
Glad you liked the books, and I hope your Kai is well behaved.
As I said in the blog post, I have no plans to write another book.
hello… i have just started the sires like… 1 week ago i think and im on the third book in the triolgy and i am thinkin about reading the first book about long danzel before ping. i loved the books so much that I can;t evan say how much i love it… i hope that you mabey right other books simaler to dragon keeper, oh well right now i have too get reading the new book “dragon keeper dragon moon”!!!!! bye bye
love vicki joy
Vicki,
That’s great, glad you enjoyed the books so much.
Carole,
Congratulations on a fantastic book series. a group of my friends all say the same. its a great story of corage and adventure. i think it is perfectly fine to end the book on such a good note and not write anymore. every story has to end and you are right ping does deserve a break! you have done extremely well and i wish you well in your future books. thankyou so much for all your hard work to write this series!
love your work!!!
Carole,
:):):):):):):):):
you do whatever you think is right. you can’t please everyone but i really enjoyed your books. i read them all when they first came out.
even though some people may be mad at you for not making another book, as long as you did you best and are happy, then you are fine. i for one, like you for your writing abilities. although i wish you would make a 4th book, i can respect you choice.
great job
hi carole,
i have a question,
does ping get married?
i haven’t read the books scence they first came out
ps- my full name is caressa
pps,
it says “posted by ress on tuesday october 6 2009, but where i live, its monday october 5
Karli,
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate your understanding.
ress,
Glad you enjoyed the books. It’s up to readers to imagine what happens after Dragon Moon finishes. I haven’t written that story, so anything could happen!
I have written a 4th book, Dragon Dawn,
http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/books/dragon_dawn
but it has not been published in USA.
My computer lives in Australia, so that’s the time it works by. Australia is currently 15-18 hours ahead of the US.
Hey carole, i always thought ping would end up with liu che but i was wrong… or was i?
I can’t wait for dragon dawn to come out in the us. So ping gets a dog? I bet she calls him kai…
your super kool with a capital “ka”
Raf
Carole, finally finished reading the trilogy, including Dragon Dawn, and i was so sad theres not another book
. I couldnt put it down. I beg you, if you are ever thinking of writing another, please dont heasitate 
Raf,
Ping is not in Dragon Dawn. It is set 100 years before she was born.
Anastasia,
I won’t.
Hey, I didnt say ping was in dragon dawn i just said that she gets a dog
Carole, did you really read the whole “Dragons in china and japan” book? I’m trying to get info from the general information sectio and its still hard. Also, in dragon keeper you said that the reversed scales serve for storing things but in the dragon book it says that anyone who touches them gets killed… could you explain this? Please?
I love the books so much im introducing my ‘friend’,Calvin to it.I hope he likes it as much as I do
Rafael,
Ping doesn’t get a dog.
Yes I read the whole book. I did not follow the mythology to the letter. I used what was useful in the story.
nicole,
Thanks. I hope Calvin likes the books too.
This was the best series of books I’ve ever read that would be pretty cool if there was a movie though.i cant wait for dragon dawn to come out were I live
Oh and also i think you should make another fantasy series to.
if you have time of course
I have just finished reading Dragon Moon and i thought that the series is great and I will add it to my favorite series collection. I understand that you can’t write another book and if you don’t have the motivation it won’t be written well. I wrote this message right after I finished reading your book. I already have Garden of the Purple Dragon i think that the first book was the best out of all the books in the series. I stayed up all night reading that book and had to use a my blanket to cover my flashlight so my brother wouldn’t wake up!!! Can’t wait to read Dragon Dawn and I hope you write something about Kai, maybe sequel but with only Kai and the other dragon and see how there life is going. Hehe. Wish you good luck on what ever you are going to write next.
My friend is currently writing a book to and so far its about 200 pages give or take. I designed the cover but obviously it won’t be published. Hehe. His dad is a writer too!!! i was wondering hoe to submit my pictures to this website so others can see my drawings. I have been drawing dragons since I was a kid and thats the only thing I can draw, so I love to read things about dragons. I am very good at history and enjoy reading stories based on history. Another series that I favor is the Five Ancestors.
How do i submit my my pictures for this website?
Reynard,
It would be great to see your dragon pix. If you click on Contacts at the bottom of this page you will find an email address and a postal address.
Thanks! I will ask my mom and hopefully she would send it.
I love the dragon keeper books and Chinese Dragons. I respect your desition, but i want 2 Know what happens to Kai and Ping. I know nothing lasts for ever but i wish your books did
BlueMew210210,
Thanks. I appreciate your enthusiasm for my books but
I don’t know what happens to Kai and Ping. You can make up your own story.
i use to love lui che and then he just goes bad and im just like why? he was awsome
Kaity,
Liu Che was a real person. He was an ethical emperor, but warlike and obsessed with living forever. I tried to imagine what sort of a young man would have grown into that man. I don’t think he was bad. He made mistakes, but regretted them.
do u know a way to get me dragon moon or give me advice on how to get it because ur my favorit aurthor and this series are my favorit books so far i got my friend to read DragonKeeper he loved it now hes reading the garden of the purple dragon i let him baro it its hilarious but the end was sad and suprisingly happy he keeps telling me to tell him the endding i keep saying no but anyway if u find a way email me i live in mo. so i cant find it anywhere
logan,
I don’t know where you live. Where is mo?
I am glad you didn’t tell your friend the ending! I hope he read the book through himself.
logan,
okay I did a bit of Googling and now I think you live in Missouri. I live in Australia so I don’t know the abbreviations for US states. Anyway, you should be able to get Dragon Moon from any good book shop in the US. If they haven’t got it in stock, you politely ask them to order it in for you, and they should do that.
Have you tried looking in your school library or your local library. They might have it there.
If all else fails you can buy it online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or somewhere like that.
Good luck.
i am wondering how long it took you to
write these books it must have taken a long time!!!!
Jack,
It takes me about a year to write a book the size of Dragonkeeper.
I just finished dragon moon and i was wondering if Danzi is now dead. I know Ping says that she knew he was dead in her heart, and that he didn’t visit Kai anymore- but does that really mean he’s dead? Could’nt it be possible that he just doesn’t leave the isle anymore? >.<
Jaclyn,
I like my readers to make their own decisions about these things. I think I’ve given you enough information, you have to make your own decision.