Geelong author publishes series finale

GEELONG-based author Samantha-Ellen Bound has published the fourth and final book in her fantasy series.

Released on March 25, Seven Wherewithal Way: Into the Faerie Realm, completes the series of stories inspired by a love of folklore and fairytales.

The latest instalment follows the story of Celeste, Esme, Ferd and their friends when their home comes under siege, and they are forced to flee through the portal to the Realm of Fae.

Portals in previous books have taken readers to places inspired by different worlds including South America, Japan, Africa and more, with the final story inspired by Britain.

Ms Bound said she has always loved fairy tales and folktales, reading them since she was a young girl, obsessed with the beasties and creatures within them.

“I always knew that I wanted to write a series that was based around folklore, but I didn’t just want to do British because I also love the others,” she said.

“I wanted to end the series with British because that’s where it all began for me, and I had so much material to draw on, so the final book was perfectly fitting for that.”

Writing the series has been a full-on process for the author, publishing a new book every year for the past four years.

Ms Bound said completing the series was a bit of a bittersweet feeling.

“I’ve spent five or six intense years with this world and these characters now but I also feel that the world is always there to come back to, even if it’s not as more books in the series but spin-offs or using elements of the world building in other stories,” she said.

“That world is set up now so that I can do that, I don’t really feel like this is the final goodbye; I feel like we’ll be seeing a little bit more of this world in other stuff that I write.”

The author hopes her readers will feel that the book is a little bit personal to them and thrilling in its own right, and they can find themes around family and belonging.

Wherewithal Way: Into the Faerie Realm is available from bookstores now.