Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Work In Progress - Possible Spoiler! Be Warned. ;)

My turn to blog. Great! It just so happens, I have a new book coming out next week, but instead of making this a big promotional post, I’ll just say please check out FireDrake when it comes out next Tuesday. (Isn’t that a gorgeous cover?) ;) In the meantime, I thought I’d talk a bit about the book I’m finishing up right now — or at least trying to finish up. The next installment in my Resonance Mates series (that started with Hara’s Legacy and Davin’s Quest) is nearing completion. The book is called Jaci’s Experiment and is due to release in ebook formats from Samhain this August. Which means, I really need to finish writing it, like yesterday! But with one thing and another… the most time-consuming of which had to be the Romantic Times Convention a few weeks ago… well, I’m running a little behind. Which I hate. But not to worry! The book is moving right along with some really interesting characters that showed up and demanded to be included along the way.

Of all the series I’ve written, this one is the most planned-out. By that I mean, I had a definite 5-book story arc in mind when I started writing. I knew what would happen, and when, on all the major plot points for all five books and had a general idea of how everything would play out and who the main characters of all the books would be. I have to admit, I’m usually not quite that organized, but this story just lent itself to BIG plans. ;-)

Still, I’m not a writer who plots every last exhalation of every single character before they even start to write. Rather, I like to let the characters introduce themselves to me as we go along. I like to hear the way they talk and see the way they act given the general outline of who I want them to be while each new situation in the storyline pops up. That’s what makes writing fun for me and I hope that enthusiasm finds its way into the pages as I write them.

So in Jaci’s Experiment, I came across a few new characters that have developed into things I never expected when I laid out my oh-so-organized 5-book story arc. In what way, you ask? Well, here’s a big SPOILER I haven’t told anyone yet — one of them has wings. Oh, he’s no angel. Far from it. And the way he’s dealing with his past as an assassin is becoming increasingly interesting. The friends he’s making along the way are making me curious as well. And if I’m curious, I bet some of my readers will be too.

Sure, I knew these characters had to be in the books as supporting characters, but I didn’t realize they’d be SO intriguing that I’d want to write stories for them too! Now I have a dilemma. Should I try to incorporate their stories into the planned 5-book arc? Or should I bust up my plans and insert another book or two — or maybe just a novella or two as off-shoot kind of things? Or do I finish the 5-book arc and then start a new arc for these supporting characters?

I really don’t know what I’m going to do at this point. Essentially, I need to contract the next book in the planned series (Grady’s Awakening) first, then see what happens from there. But you heard it here first… there may be more Resonance Mates. I just don’t know yet what form they’ll take. Hopefully things will become clearer while I’m writing Grady’s story. He’s a pivotal character and I think with his forceful, warrior’s nature, he’ll make a lot of things happen in the world that will help dictate where I go next.

See? I let my characters push me around all the time! It’s a good thing I like Grady so much. I hope you will too! In the meantime, I think you’ll enjoy Jaci’s story and her mates – Mike and Dave. They’re very special guys.

Now it’s back to writing for me, so you’ll actually be able to read this story in August. nose to grindstone And don’t forget, FireDrake is due out this Tuesday! Drake is a rascal and a rogue. You’ll love him! :)