One thing you may not know about me is that Arthurian Legend is one of my borderline obsessions.

(They are ALL British, though I’m American. But that’s another story.)

T. H. White’s The Once and Future King is one of my favorite books of all time.

It taught me how to introduce deep themes of providence, morality, and the meaning and purpose of life into fantasy.

It taught me how to write children as characters.

It also solidified Sir Gawain as my favorite character in Arthurian legend.

White’s Gawain is an INCREDIBLE figure. He’s so well-developed as a character, even as a child. You know what makes him tick.

He struggles with anger, and he wants to be a good man and to do good things, but he never really quite gets there.

He is a natural leader, both as a knight and the eldest of five. That makes his struggles and falls all the more tragic. He learns and he grows, but by that time, it is too late.

My heart reaches out to him in a way I’ve rarely known with other characters. (Remus Lupin would be an exception.)

Sir Gawain and his brothers as boys definitely influenced the three princes, their adventures, and their relationships in book two of my Herezoth trilogy.

I also have a family of brothers (with one sister) in my first HORRIBLE, unpublished novel based upon Gawain and his family. So you can definitely say the impact and influence was real.

I can’t recommend The Once and Future King enough if you’ve never read it.