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meredithpraed.bsky.social
Pushing publication of Pendragon to 2027 🙃 #WritingCommunity #AuthorCommunity #IndieAuthor #BookSky #SelPublishing #KingArthur #Pendragon #TheFutureKing #Editing #Rewrite
Publication delay – Pendragon
2026 will be a good year for dragons, they said. Someone said. Or perhaps I saw it on TikTok? Dragons of the Chinese zodiac; not actual dragons. The year of the fire horse was meant to be great for…
mlmackworthpraed.com
September 19, 2026 at 9:00 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Huge, ginormous, MASSIVE spoiler for The Future King: Pendragon - readers who don't want to know, l👀k away! #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #TheFutureKing #Pendragon #KingArthur #Dystopian #MeanGirls #Orwellian #IndieAuthor #BookSky #ArthurianLit #Uther #Arthur
Chloe’s dead gaze flashed into Arthur’s mind. ‘I should have helped more. Excuse me if I don’t see the good in cold-blooded murder.’ ‘We execute people for less,’ Luther went on. ‘You tell us every boy has to wear that uniform, yet it seems to fit you pretty well.’ Wildness filled Arthur’s eyes. ‘You nearly did. Execute me. I knelt in a room where twenty-three people were shot in the head. If that woman hadn’t checked her list… you’d be scrubbing my brains off the floor.’ His teeth bared. ‘But it’s been twelve years. What do you care? You abandoned me and left me alone.’ ‘I did no such thing. You had Rosaline, and you had Robert. They looked after you better than I ever could.’ ‘OK, I’m sorry. I guess you left before then. You fucked off seventeen years ago when you found a bottle of scotch more interesting than your own son.’ ‘I wasn’t drinking when you were born,’ Luther ground out. ‘And when I did drink, I wasn’t drinking long.’ ‘You were; I remember it.’ ‘What do you remember? You were five. Half of what you think you know, you were told. Can you even remember me, properly? Or do you only know me from old photographs?’ Arthur jumped to his feet. ‘You don’t get to question my reality. Not when yours is such a lie.’ Luther rose to match him. ‘I am doing what I have to for the sake of this country. What are you doing, boy?’ Luther was taller and broader than Arthur, but not as tall as Arthur remembered, because Arthur had grown, and New Morals had made him tougher, stronger. ‘More than you think.’
September 10, 2026 at 7:56 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Not done one of these for a while. Only one occurrence of "elevator" in my WIP. Spoilers! #TheFutureKing #Pendragon #KingArthur #ArthurianLiterature #Dystopian #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #BookSky
Gwenhwyfar turned her back on Victoria’s satisfied expression and strode down the corridor. As the Watchman trailed behind her, Victoria’s words thumped her in the chest—Richard. Dead. And his wife, and his daughter—the daughter who had prompted him to show Isolde mercy, who had perhaps been the root of Richard’s empathy towards her. The tears that sprang to Gwenhwyfar’s eyes were unexpected, but by the time they stepped into the elevator she had blinked them away. Then she and her escort were upstairs in reception, and she got her mobile phone back—suspiciously unchanged. Now she had to get a new one. A policeman drove her home. While in the car she almost messaged Arthur to tell him where she’d been, but then she remembered they weren’t doing that anymore, and was left with a profound feeling of loss. By the time she walked through the front door and into the Swans’ dining room, Melissa, Grace, George and their remaining refugee family were eating dinner. ‘Gwen,’ Melissa said, eyes wide. ‘Everything all right?’ Up until that moment she had been certain she would tell them. Now, however, there seemed little point. ‘Sorry I’m late, I was at Emily’s and forgot to charge my phone.’ Melissa was already on her feet. ‘Are you eating? I made you a plate.’ Nodding gratefully, Gwenhwyfar dumped her bag in the corner and followed her aunt into the kitchen. She hovered while Melissa retrieved her supper from the fridge. ‘How long do we leave it?’ she asked. ‘Until we say my mother’s probably dead?’ Melissa set the dinner plate on the kitchen counter. ‘Forever. We don’t give up hope, Gwen. Not until she’s found.’ ‘But everyone else who’s missing is presumed to be…’ Dead. ‘And statistically speaking, it’s likely that she’s…’ Dead. She swallowed the words. ‘Is there anything else we can do?’
September 7, 2026 at 12:12 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
It’s only a rough outline and mainly what Arthur and Lance will be up to, but it’s a start! #Pendragon #TheFutureKing #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity #booksky #KingArthur #writing #selfpub
August 30, 2026 at 10:19 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Editing for Pendragon is going well! Down to 255k words (from a 390k starting point). That's more than a whole novel cut! 😅 #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity #BookSky #Editing #BookEditing #KingArthur #TheFutureKing
August 4, 2026 at 12:06 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Broken through the ceiling! 😱 Dropped below the 300k count to 298k 🤣 Aaaaaah! #writing #wip #bookediting #writingcommunity #indieauthor #booksky #TheFutureKing #KingArthur #Pendragon
June 4, 2026 at 7:44 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
I did a thing for the thing I've been doing for the past 20 years 🙃 #BookSky #CoverReveal #Pendragon #TheFutureKing #IndieAuthor #DIY #selfpublished #writingcommunity
Cover reveal – Pendragon
So I finally got my act together and made the final tweaks on the cover for my upcoming release, Pendragon. Not to say that the cover is finished. No doubt I’ll fiddle with a few small things…
mlmackworthpraed.com
June 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
New review! 😍 #Logres #TheFutureKing #ArthurianLegend #booksky #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity #ArthurianApril #IndieApril
April 1, 2026 at 1:58 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
King Arthur as you’ve never seen it. High school. Rebellion. And the famous love triangle against a backdrop of resistance. Fighting for their Camelot #ArthurianApril #IndieApril #ArthurianLegend #TheFutureKing #WritingCommunity #BookSky #KingArthur #Dystopian #YACrossover #Arthurian
"Surveillance isn't just about spying on you, Merlin. It's about controlling you. You know that." - Arthur "I saw police ofiicers shoot down civilians. And now the New Morals are snatching people from their homes. You had people to stand up to them-you had over five thousand. You still have people loyal to you, who are waiting to follow your lead." - Gwen "Do you have any idea what is happening right now? Do you? Or is this just some game that you and Arthur can play when you're atyour secret little club? This is real, Gwen. It's real life and it's fucking dangerous!" - Lancelot Arthurian - Dystopian - YA Crossover - Near Future - Political
March 24, 2026 at 11:15 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
I entered my book in the Libraro Prize! Go support it here: app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... #LibraroPrize2026 #LibraroPrize #BookSky #IndieAuthor #Arthurian #KingArthur #TheFutureKing #Logres #WritingCommunity
Book cover of The Future King: Logres by M. L. Mackworth-Praed Reader feedback on The Future King: Logres taken from the Libraro competition 2026. Reader feedback on The Future King: Logres taken from the Libraro competition 2026. Reader feedback on The Future King: Logres taken from the Libraro competition 2026.
March 24, 2026 at 11:07 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who’s read and liked my entry so far! 🥰 #writingcommunity #booksky #indieauthor #writingcomp #KingArthur #TheFutureKing #LibraroPrize #Hachette
meredithpraed.bsky.social Meredith Mackworth-Praed @meredithpraed.bsky.social · Feb 27
Want to see a King Arthur/1984/Mean Girls mashup win a big book prize? 👀

Go vote for it here!

app.libraro.com/manuscript/d...
Poster for the film "Mean Girls" Eye on red background above figures for the novel "1984" Movie poster of the 2004 film "King Arthur" showing Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot.
March 1, 2026 at 11:10 AM
ukcomicsales.bsky.social
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February 21, 2026 at 1:27 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Novel has been submitted to the Bath Novel Award 2026! I said 2026 was going to be the year of submissions and taking chances 😅 Wish me luck! #writingcommunity #bathnovelaward #indeauthor #TheFutureKing #ArthurianLiterature #dystopian #selfpub
February 12, 2026 at 9:54 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Currently trying to cut 360,000 words in half in case you were wondering how it was going 🫠 #writingcommunity #booksky #indieauthor #thefutureking #Pendragon
January 9, 2026 at 11:12 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
So pleased! What a great review of Logres 🥰 #Logres #TheFutureKing #ArthurianLiterature #KingArthur #Dystopian #BookSky #review 💙📚
Bookish vibes: The Future King Logres is a dystopian future King Arthur story! Combining two of my favorite things is really 🔥🔥 dystopian 🤝 Arthurian In a future England, the government is controlling the people by surveillance and by propaganda and misinformation. 15 year old Gwen joins a secret society to dismantle the government and expose the cruelty.. she’s also the new girl at the school and has a rough time until she meets the right friends. Instantly falling for Arthur the quiet one, her life is upset once again once the rebellious Lancelot comes back from suspension. I loved Gwen’s agency and loved seeing Tristen and Isolde. I am unabashedly, once again, rooting for Lancelot. It’s my own personal character flaw, I love him and his “I can protect everyone” vibes 😍 the rest of her friends were fun, except Tom, what a loser. I hope we see more of Morgan in the next once cause she is full of secrets! Overall this was a great story! Action packed with drama and teenage angst. Recommended for readers who liked Legendborn, The Enemy’s Daughter and Alex Rider!
December 8, 2025 at 7:14 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Nearly NEARLY got through the next 100 pages of editing my fast draft. Only 400 pages to go 🫠 #writingcommunity #Pendragon #TheFutureKing #BookSky
November 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Still free until Monday! ALL my books 😆 #booksky #writingcommunity #indieauthor #arthurianlegend #kingarthur #dystopian #contemporaryfantasy #freebook #amazon #kindle #freebookpromo #thefutureking #logres
meredithpraed.bsky.social Meredith Mackworth-Praed @meredithpraed.bsky.social · Oct 8
To anticipate the upcoming release of Pendragon, the third book in my The Future King series, I'm giving away books 1 & 2 (Logres & Logres 2) free on Amazon kindle from October 9-13. Teen drama meets Arthurian saga in this near-future dystopian tale of King Arthur www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BHY2V4Q
Close up of the eye of Arthur Humphreys, the 'King Arthur' teen character in the series, The Future King by M. L. Mackworth-Praed. Close up of the eye of Gwenhwyfar Taliesin, the 'Queen Guinevere' teen character in the series, The Future King by M. L. Mackworth-Praed. Close up of the eye of Lancelot Lake, the 'Sir Lancelot' teen character in the series, The Future King by M. L. Mackworth-Praed. A 5 star review stating: Great dystopian young adult fiction at a frighteningly-appropriate time in history.
October 10, 2025 at 6:28 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Forgetting to do these of late, but here's my contribution for "memory", raw and unedited #WIP #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #Pendragon #TheFutureKing 💙📚
'Pendragon. If anyone in this country can fashion themselves after the high kings of legend, it's you. You are the Pendragon.’ There was no irony in Marvin’s gaze. He truly believed what he was saying. ‘And what would that make you to me?’ he asked, steadily. ‘Merlin? Merlin the advisor, Merlin the wizard?’ ‘You may think I’m being facetious, but do you not think it odd? Arthur. Gwenhwyfar. Lancelot. Bedivere. Morgan. Whether the stars have alined or the universe is just trying to give you a nudge, your whole life is blessed by the Arthurian legends. I believe there is something in that.’ Arthur thought suddenly of what Gavin had told them once, about how he’d found a whole closet in Marvin’s lined floor to ceiling with books on the legends. ‘Coincidence, Marvin. It means nothing.’ ‘Maybe not, but there is power in your name, Arthur. Britain has a long and rich history, and its memory is long. Everyone knows the tale of King Arthur and his knights. They already know you. Fashion yourself after him, as your father is doing, and you may find your path lays itself for you.’ Prime Minister. King. Could he picture it? The alternative was to trust some other man with the fate of this country, with the fate of his loved ones, his friends. He didn’t trust his father, and if he couldn’t trust his own flesh and blood, who could he trust? For a moment he considered another alternative, a quiet life where he said nothing of note and did nothing extraordinary. A life where he lived a New National life, a life of servitude, watching others fall beneath the wheel and hoping he wouldn’t be next. But he had already seen others fall beneath the wheel: Percy, Julie. Gwenhwyfar’s parents. Even Grace and Lancelot. But what Marvin asked? He couldn’t do it.
July 16, 2025 at 7:56 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Arthur back from the dead for "yesterday" 💙📚 #WIP #Pendragon #TheFutureKing #KingArthur #ArthurianLegends #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Arthur didn’t get far until the boys from his troop stopped him, each one grasping his hand and clasping him on the shoulder to tell him how happy they were to see him, and then Gavin collared him in a one-armed bear hug. ‘Arthur the hero. Saw you on the news just now. Missed you, buddy.’ ‘You too,’ Arthur said, and he meant it. Lancelot stepped into their space. ‘Fuck you for making me think you were dead,’ he said dourly, but then he put his hand on Arthur’s collarbone, and Arthur grasped him back. They held on to one another for a moment, leaving the rest unsaid. Arthur broke their embrace with an affectionate pat. ‘Anything we can do to make this day easier?’ Gavin asked. ‘Yeah. Keep other people away from me,’ Arthur said. The three of them started to walk to the Sixth Form block, Gavin and Lancelot taking his request to heart and flanking his either side. Gavin stooped to try to get closer to their level. ‘You saw Marvin yesterday? How was he?’ ‘Pissed. Pissed that I went, pissed that I didn’t tell him I was there sooner.’ ‘Why,’ Lancelot asked wryly, ‘did he know something was going to happen?’ ‘He says not. But I’m not sure I believe it.’ ‘You’re lucky you’re not dead, you know,’ Gavin said. ‘I think Gwen would have killed you twice. She’s been beside herself, mate. We all have.’ ‘Yeah, well—it’s been a shitty two weeks,’ Arthur said, unwilling to go into it. ‘And here?’ ‘Also pretty shitty, but in different ways. Obviously there’s been a lot of fighting going on in the major cities. Car bombings, politicians dead. Copycats. Patrol’s up, curfew’s been expanded. Greater restrictions on detrimentals. Enough to make Lance consider signing on for real. Right, Lance?’ Lancelot said nothing, but didn’t protest. ‘Milton’s not been seen since the bombing. Some people think he’s dead, I think he’s just in no state for photos. He’s a pretty vain man, he won’t be seen dead if he can’t stand on his own two feet unaided.’
July 2, 2025 at 9:47 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Not done one of these for a while, but here's my contribution for "team" from my WIP 📚💙 #Pendragon

Been busy first-drafting, now at 368,000 words and nearly at the end 🙃 #IndieAuthor #BookSky #KingArthur #Arthurian #ArthurianLiterature #TheFutureKing #WIP #Arthur #Merlin #Lancelot
‘When’s his first session?’ ‘This Tuesday. I need to figure out a way to stop him from getting killed.’ ‘I suppose you want him to establish himself in the hierarchy,’ Marvin observed. ‘Create a sense of fraternity with the troop?’ ‘With them all already resenting him. They’ll think he’s lazy and that he’s been shirking his duties. Particularly since he won’t have been with us through cleanup. Even though he was digging graves with the other detrimentals.’ ‘Even though,’ Marvin agreed. He returned to the armchair to retrieve his wine. ‘I have to say, it’s good Lancelot has finally signed on with the Young Morals. Though I worry it may be too little too late. Already there’s pressure from the governors for Ravioli to refuse him a place at Logres next term. No one wants a detrimental in their school. He’s going to have to find a way to get his SOCs score up fast. It may not be so impossible, he’s the best piano player the school has and could find a way to use it to his advantage. James and I are trying to figure out what to do, a way we can defy the governors without getting everyone in trouble. As for Young Morals, the only advice I can give is try to get it all out of the way in the first session. Think of a team-building activity, something that gives the recruits the chance to have a go, and Lancelot the chance to prove himself.’ Arthur nodded, thinking. He could choose any number of things where Lancelot would excel. But that would turn the rest of his troop against him, too. The doorbell sounded. Arthur instinctively got up. Marvin gestured for him to leave it. ‘I’ll go,’ he said, clutching his wineglass as Arthur picked his up too. ‘But before we let the others in, there is one last thing I think you should ask yourself. Does it matter that Gwen made a mistake, if you made one too?’ Perhaps Marvin saw the answer in Arthur’s eyes, because his expression softened, and he offered Arthur a sympathetic smile. ‘I thought not.’
June 16, 2025 at 9:14 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Huge thanks to @bookspotlight.bsky.social for such an interesting and in-depth interview! #IndieAuthor #AuthorInterview #TheFutureKing
May 31, 2025 at 7:48 AM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
somehow I wrote 3,400 words today. I guess Gwenhwyfar & Lancelot just write themselves 🙃 #WIP #TheFutureKing #Pendragon #KingArthur #ArthurianApril #Arthurian #BookSky
April 13, 2025 at 8:31 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Another day, another split lip for Lancelot #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #BookSky #ArthurianApril #KingArthur #ArhturianLiterature #TheFutureKing #Pendragon
‘It can drive them further apart. I’m just saying,’ Gwenhwyfar added, ‘With everything we’ve been through, surely now’s the time to—’ ‘Lance, no!’ Gwenhwyfar spun around at Emily’s outcry. Her stomach flipped. Lancelot had appeared and was dressed in the charcoal-black Young Moral uniform, the beetle-like red eye-cross and Young Moral variation on his chest and his arm. He looked neat, he looked deadly, and had a thunderous expression to match. The entire sight was unnerving. Gwenhwyfar wanted to ruffle the starchy collar and pop the buttons on his charcoal shirt, yet was afraid to go anywhere near him. Then she saw the split in his lip and the bruising around his cheekbone. Gavin’s mouth hung open. ‘Dude, what happened? ‘Your face—’ Viola began. ‘You’re Young Moral suddenly?’ Bedivere exclaimed. ‘You could have bloody told us,’ Gavin objected. ‘Seriously Lance, what happened to your face?’ Lancelot glowered as he pulled out a chair and sat in it mindfully. Gwenhwyfar felt his presence burning next to her like the heat of a bonfire. ‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ he glowered. Gwenhwyfar stared at the ripe plum marks across his face, at the ruby split in his lip. She suddenly realised how long it had been since she had last seen him like this, knuckles bruised by somebody else’s face, his eyes dark and troubled and his shoulders hunched. She wanted to reach out to him and smooth his hurts away. ‘What happened?’ she asked. He faced her momentarily. ‘Nothing happened. I’m Young Moral, now. Just like everybody else.’ ‘But you were the last of the resistance,’ Emily complained. ‘Literally the only guy in school not in uniform.’ Gavin scowled. ‘Which troop?’ ‘Arthur’s.’ ‘Your troop did this?’ Viola asked with concern. Suddenly she was looking for Tom.
April 12, 2025 at 9:37 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Too many goodbyes in my book; too many goodbyes this year #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #BookSky #KingArthur #Arthurian #ArthurianApril #TheFutureKing
Gwenhwyfar emphasised how her friends were her life, her ride or die, determined to make her mother understand just how looked after she was. She would be OK. That’s all she wanted to emphasise. That everything would be OK. She didn’t know it yet, but in six months she would wish she had used this time better, would wish she had forgotten about the practicalities that needed discussing, wished she had disregarded the trivialities of the fleeting day to day and focused instead on asking her mother something to know her better. Tell me about your childhood. What is your favourite memory from it. What is your favourite memory of when I was young. What were you like in school. What was dad like when you first met. How did you feel when you realised you were pregnant with me. Do you have any regrets? How she would yearn for voice recordings of all these things. Instead she talked about school, about the League, about Arthur, about Viola, about their photoshoot, until it was finally time to go. They all embraced, and then the bravery that Eve had demonstrated throughout wavered, and she turned to Gwenhwyfar with a slight frown on her brow. ‘Have you heard from Richard?’ At first Gwenhwyfar shook her head, thinking she would lie, thinking it could be a small morsel of hope for her mother in the hours to come, but she knew it would be false, and the shake turned into a nod as the smile she forced wobbled. ‘He said he’s already doing everything he can.’ Eve nodded. Her eyes were now glassy. ‘Everything he can?’ ‘Everything he can,’ Gwenhwyfar repeated, knowing it wouldn’t be much. He throat felt dry, like a burr was stuck in it, like she wanted to press something, say something, state the obvious which sounded something along the lines like so this is goodbye but couldn’t, instead swallowed the dry feeling down and said, ‘When we know where they’re sending you, we’ll come visit,’—as if they could, as if it were possible.
April 11, 2025 at 3:03 PM
meredithpraed.bsky.social
Our real task? Consumption #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #BookSky #WIP #TheFutureKing #Pendragon
‘It’s all a lie, you know. Everything, the whole system. You go to school every day to learn a trade, and for what? So you can work forty, fifty, sixty hour weeks, propping up a false economy to make enough money to perform your real task: consumption. And you do it, because that’s what is done, and you’re told that if you’re good and fill your societal role well, and work and buy and consume enough, your government will pat you on the back and give you a bit of money so you can keep consuming when you can’t work anymore, and all the while the police will keep you safe, so you can keep working, keep consuming; will jail the robber that steals your phone, will catch the burglar that robs your house.’
March 9, 2025 at 8:14 PM