From the SRP Editor blog:
There aren’t many editors who can say they’ve shepherded thirteen books retelling the entire King Arthur saga—from Uther’s questionable decision-making right down to Camlann’s heartbreak—without once losing their mind, their red pen, or their faith in humanity.
I am one of the lucky few.
As many of you already know, Once and Future Hearts is finally coming to its grand conclusion, and we’re celebrating the entire journey with a Kickstarter campaign that lets readers collect the full thirteen-book saga in exclusive hardcovers. But before we all run off to build our TBR shrines, let me talk shop for a moment. Because editing an epic like this isn’t just a job. It’s an exercise in restraint, collaboration, and occasionally whispering, “Are you sure, Tracy?” in the most diplomatic tone possible.
Editing Without Bulldozing
Every editor sits somewhere on a spectrum between hands-off cheerleader and benevolent tyrant with a style guide. My job—especially with a series as sprawling, textured, and historically deep as this one—is to walk the razor’s edge between the two.
The editor’s role is not to rewrite the story. The editor’s role is not to fix the story into their version of the tale.
The editor’s role is to help the author tell their story in the strongest, cleanest, clearest, most emotionally resonant way possible—without touching the author’s voice.
In a long series like Once and Future Hearts, voice is the constant that steadies the reader. And Tracy’s voice—rich, grounded, compassionate, deeply character-driven—does a lot of heavy lifting. My job is to support that voice, not drown it in track-changes.
What Thirteen Books Teach You
By the time you’ve worked on a project this long, you learn a few things:
- Characters evolve—but their core essence must remain intact.
- Themes shift and deepen—but they must still feel like they belong to the same narrative world.
- Continuity is a jealous god. Feed it constantly.
And most importantly:
- Trust between author and editor is everything.
There were moments throughout the series where I’d send a note like, “Probably need to give them time to breathe after getting clobbered like that,” or “Ahem…you killed this guy two books ago.” And there were moments where Tracy would push back, absolutely correctly, because the story demanded something I couldn’t yet see.
That’s the beauty of a long creative partnership: you argue only in service of the book.
Camlann, Kickstarters, and New Beginnings
Now we’ve reached the end of this long adventure, and the Kickstarter celebration is almost here. For longtime readers—and for those about to discover the series for the first time—this is a chance to own the entire saga in a format worthy of the story’s scope.
And yes, Camlann is included. And yes, it releases through this campaign six months before anywhere else.
Pre-launch is live, which means you can click that little button and join the crowd waiting for Day One. I’ll drop the link right here for you to check out.
Whether you’re a writer, an editor, or just someone who likes their historical fantasy with a healthy dose of Arthurian heartbreak, I hope you’ll join us.
And if you take nothing else from this post, remember this: A good editor is invisible. A great editor is invisible and indispensable.
I work very hard to be both.
—Mark
