William Traverse

West Midlands fantasy author and creator of the world of Lotine.

William Traverse

Author biography

Building a world from one lost story.

William Traverse is an independent fantasy author from the West Midlands and the creator of the Heroes of Lotine series.

He began building Lotine in 2020, after playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends during lockdown renewed his fascination with collaborative storytelling and world-building. The earliest idea was a short story about a young farmer rising to become king. Although that original version was lost in a computer mishap, the central idea endured. As William rebuilt and expanded it, the single protagonist divided into Tarimev and Torvald: two friends shaped by very different paths.

What began as one story grew into a planned four-book saga spanning rival kingdoms, warrior tribes, pirate fleets, political alliances and ancient magic. William’s fantasy is grounded in a medieval world where choices have lasting consequences and relationships develop across years of conflict.

His influences include The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Dungeons & Dragons and the open-world storytelling of Skyrim. When he is not writing, he can often be found out on his motorcycle.

Explore the books Email William

The creative process

Planned in detail. Allowed to evolve.

Lotine is built around long-term continuity, but its characters are allowed to reshape the route to the ending.

World first

William began with a map, then added nations, cities, seas, politics, landmarks and history until the world could support stories beyond a single kingdom.

Four-book plan

The main saga was expanded and divided into four novels before the first book was completed, giving the series a defined destination from the outset.

Deep continuity

A detailed timeline tracks births, wars, rulers and key events across roughly four thousand years of Lotine’s history.

Character-led change

Published events remain fixed, while future plans are revised whenever the characters develop in a more convincing direction.

Writing Lotine

A method built for a long saga.

William works from extensive plans. Each novel begins with a full plot, followed by chapter breakdowns and detailed scene outlines. This structure allows clues, relationships and consequences to travel across multiple books without losing sight of the larger story.

At the same time, the outline is never treated as more important than the people inside it. Supporting characters who began as brief necessities have often grown into significant figures because their voices and relationships made the world feel more alive.

“Just start writing. It does not matter if you do not think it is any good—that is what practice and drafts are for.”

Press biography

Short official bio.

William Traverse is an independent fantasy author from the West Midlands and the creator of the Heroes of Lotine series. He began building the world in 2020 after a lockdown Dungeons & Dragons game inspired him to create stories of his own. His work combines grounded medieval fantasy, long-term character development and detailed world history. He is currently writing The Trials of Heroes, the fourth mainline novel in the series.

Official contact william@heroesoflotine.com

For interviews, reviews, events, bookshop enquiries and other professional correspondence.

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