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Who is Tom, my captivating lead in Rise of the King?

Tom's Arthurian Legacy

I thought it was about time that I wrote about my main characters, other than the Arthurian ones! I’ll start with my leading man, Tom.

Tom is 16 years old, and is a descendant of King Arthur. Obviously he has no idea he’s related to King Arthur until he’s summoned to the Other and the Lady of the Lake springs it on him, along with the news he has to wake Arthur up from his long sleep on the Isle of Avalon.

It’s fair to say that Tom’s a bit grumpy when we first meet him. His parents have split up and his granddad has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He has a younger sister, Amy, who lives with his mother, and he lives with his dad in his granddad’s cottage.

He sets out to find his granddad with his cousin Rebecca, more commonly known as Beansprout. I have no idea where that name came from, it just popped into my head! But more on Beansprout next time.

Tom, despite his grumpiness, is a very determined character who does not like to be defeated. His stubborn attitude gets him into trouble, but also gets him out of it. He’s also very loyal to his friends, and amused to find out about his link to King Arthur.

And he’s brave, so he plunges headlong into things before thinking of the consequences. His need to help Brenna sees him stuck inside an Under Palace, trapped with murderous Woods Sprites.

Like a lot of teens, he’s confused about his future and what he should be doing, and his stubborn streak doesn’t help his decision making.

The heart of my books is about friendships, so his friendships with Beansprout, Woodsmoke, Brenna and Arthur, are important. He looks up to Arthur, but is also a bit awestruck by him, and doesn’t want to disappoint him. This leads to trouble!

Tom grows and learns by his mistakes, and The Silver Tower (previously called Twice Born), sees lots of changes in Tom. In fact Twice Born is about change for all the characters. They test each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

I’m currently writing book 3, and Tom keeps growing and maturing.

Book 3 teaser – we learn a lot more about the Forger of Light who made Excalibur, and find out the true history of Galatine, Tom’s sword that used to belong to Gawain. For more info on book 3 subscribe to my newsletter here for advance news. You also get a free short story on what happened when Tom’s granddad, Jack, first met Fahey.

And to finish, what else about Tom?
He’s a big reader, and loves history and maps, which helps in Twice Born. 
He plays chess, and is pretty good at it.
He does not like horse riding.
He learns to sword fight, and shoot a bow and arrow.
He does not like magic, or trust it.

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