Tag Archives: writing

Kerbasi spin-off series

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I’m going to get down to the nitty gritty of my thoughts over the years on this topic for those who have been hoping Kerbasi would get a full novel or series. Of course, he did get a holiday novella from his perspective (Sensor Series book 4.5) and a short story included at the end of Darkness Wanes (book 6), but those were shorter reads. Not to mention, a lot has happened to him since those were written, especially at the end of the Dark Destiny Series. I won’t spoil that twist for anyone who isn’t caught up, but it was a game changer for Kerbasi.

Anyway, since I finished the last spin-off with Cori and Bartol, I’ve been pondering how to handle the next chapter in that universe. There were a lot of ways to go with it. I could do a PNR single-novel spinoff, but I honestly think only the hardcore fans of the Sensor Series would pick that up, and I’d be lucky if I made my money back on the publishing expenses.

Next, I considered Kerbasi being the main lead for 2-3 books with a female side character who he’d eventually fall for in the story. She would get little or no time told from her perspective. This sounded better, but it still didn’t get me very excited. I have a lot of ideas for brand new series in my head I’d love to write, so if I want to do something with Kerbasi next year and keep those on the back burner, it has to be an angle that is super motivating for me to focus.

Then it came to me that I need to create an urban fantasy female lead who has some sort of interesting power but also a lot of issues that will get Kerbasi’s wings in a twist and instigate the event where they meet. I want them to clash hard against each other somewhat similar to how Lucas and Melena did (with their own unique journey, of course). It’s gotta be slow-burn, yet explosive so I could go four to five books and give them time to settle into a true relationship. There will be hot, spicy elements when the time is right for it as well, so it’s not going to be clean. Just giving fair warning for those who might need it.

Something about starting the story with the female but also giving Kerbasi his fair perspective (similar to how it goes between Bailey and Aidan in the Dragon’s Breath Series) is what feels right to me. That’s generally my happy writing place where I feel my best for writing. Also, it will work for any new readers who want to jump into this new series without knowing all the backstory of the two previous series.

So this is the tentative plan. As soon as I’ve finished the Galadon novel at the end of this year, I’ll do a deep dive back into the Sensor World because I need to refresh myself after the long break. After that, I’ll begin writing and give you all a tentative book release timeline and hopefully have figured out a series title by that point. I’m sure I’ll also share some excerpts to tide you over during the wait.

And for those wondering, I will squeeze in some appearances of the other Sensor Series characters, but they won’t feature heavily due to the fact Kerbasi will be in Melbourne, Australia. The long distance will make those opportunities more limited (I know from experience it’s a super long flight and none of the nephilim can flash that far). Having said that, ten years will have passed since events in Destined for Eternity (Kerbasi needed time to settle into his new life), so I definitely want readers to have a chance to see how the crew in Alaska is doing.

That’s the update. Hope this gets you excited for the next chapter in that universe and feel free to ask questions!

Note on the Dragon’s Breath Series and an excerpt

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As some of you know, I’m in the midst of writing Cast by Flames, the final book in the series with Bailey and Aidan (not including the spinoff). There is a lot to cover in this novel, but it’s coming along well so far, and I’m finding it easy to write. Well, except for one little twist.

Long ago when I released the first book, I let readers know this one would not contain spicy elements. Some may recall this, some may not, and people who started it later probably never knew about that promise. I wanted readers who prefer not to have naughty parts in stories be able to enjoy the series. Also, I’d rather that when my boys get older they can pick these books up and it not be awkward. I’ll just have to steer them clear of the others.

Having said that, it was tough to stay within my promise while writing Torn in Flames because obviously Bailey and Aidan had a lot of pent up passion when they reunited after five years. I had to walk a fine line to show that without it going too far. It wasn’t easy! Since beginning Cast by Flames, it has gotten even more difficult. As I was writing the final part of chapter five, I deviated into “forbidden” territory because I just had to get it out of my system.

Later, I mentioned it to the readers in my Facebook Fan Group and how I’d have to heavily edit the scene later. There was a large response of people who thought I should still share it somehow (ideas varied on this). I ended up revising the scene with a lot more of what I wished I could have written had I not been holding back (even with crossing the line a bit). Then I posted the 1700 word scene in the group. They loved it.

I know I have a lot of readers who are not in that group who may wish to see it as well. As a result, I’m posting it below. Keep in mind that this scene takes place in the midst of the next book, so there are some brief mentions of things going on in the story, but they are vague without context and shouldn’t feel like actual spoilers. No one who has read it so far has had an issue.

If you’re still with me and want to read it, continue below. Please do keep in mind this is just a draft and has not been edited except me running through a few passes to try catching any typos/issues. Hope you enjoy!

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Torn in Flames dragon map and character sheet

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In anticipation of Torn in Flames releasing in a few weeks, I have a question for you all. I have a map of where all the pertinent dragon territories are in the U.S. My beta readers and editor found it helpful to keep track of clans in the story. There are more mentioned in this installment than previous ones.

Keep in mind, it is a generic map I altered with colors, name labels, and territorial lines for my purposes. It’s out of my price range to have a professional do it, unfortunately, but it does the job. I referred to it many times while writing the novel. I just can’t include it in the ebook because I got the country outline from a separate source. This map does not list every clan that exists because if they have no relevance to the story or my personal notes then I’m not taking the time to name or outline them. So a blank area does NOT mean it’s free of dragons. I already had this question and they know who they are, though in their case they were just messing with me. I will say the Cast by Flames (book 7) map has an even more comprehensive map because I did have to add a lot more clans for that due to the plot, but you won’t get to see that one yet.

Also considering creating a Torn in Flames character list explaining who is who if there are enough interested people. I make a spreadsheet for each novel I write, but those have a lot of details that are for me. This would be a cleaner version in a PDF document with a couple of details on who each person is for this installment to use as a quick reference for readers.

Please let me know in the comments below (or on Facebook) if you all would be interested. It would take extra work on my part, but I would be happy to do so if readers think they’d find the map and/or character list helpful.

If this does happen, I’ll let you all know when the document(s) are ready and email them to those who wants them prior to the book release.

Writing and publishing updates for September 2022

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I’ve got a few news items for you all. Mostly, it relates to the Dragon’s Breath Series, but also a side note about the Sensor Series.

First, Stalked by Flames is no longer free and back to its regular price. I hope everyone who wanted a copy managed to grab it over the last few weeks. In the coming days, I am going to start pulling the Dragon’s Breath Series off of the other retailers so I can start enrolling the eBooks in Kindle Unlimited. This is going to happen one at a time, so those who are still working their way through the series from Nook, Kobo, etc have a reasonable chance to get the next installments before they’re gone. After that, the series will only be available on Amazon. I know times are tough right now, and for some readers, it’s easier to borrow books.

For those who have already read Captured in Flames, I’m sure you’d like an estimated release date. I’m shooting to have Torn in Flames out by Christmas, but I won’t say for certain until I’m farther along in the book. I know many of you are itching to find out what occurs next, though, so I have posted the first two chapters (almost 10k words) on another page on this site. You can read them here. I’m working on the novel every chance I get because I definitely don’t want the wait to be long for this one!

Also in regards to that, Torn in Flames is the sixth installment and then there will be one more afterward to wrap up Bailey and Aidan’s story (making the total seven). I plan to do a spin-off with Galadon as well once the main series is complete. His will be more romance focused, but still plenty of action. If all goes well, book 7 and his novel will come out next year (2023).

As for the Sensor Series, some people have been asking if I’m totally done with it. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of other things going on with my life and needed to wrap up the Dragon’s Breath Series first before considering anything else. Having said that, I’m still wanting to do at least one book with Kerbasi because he’s fun and the most requested. Please let me know your thoughts.

April update

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First of all, thank you to everyone who has picked up a copy of Darkness Wanes.  I’ve appreciated all the wonderful feedback I’ve received via email and Facebook messages.  If you’d consider leaving a review on Amazon or whichever retailer you use, I’d greatly appreciate it.

The paperback should be out within two weeks for those interested.  I’m getting it formatted now.  Many people have asked about the audiobook and my publisher has set it to release on June 21st.  Sorry it can’t be sooner, but hopefully the time will pass quickly!

As for Dancing with Flames (book 2 of the Dragon’s Breath series), I have begun working hard on it.  I’d done some of the preliminary work last year after finishing the first novel, but now I’m getting deep into the writing.  One thing I’m enjoying is that with the apocalypse and basic world-building tasks are out of the way, I can focus more on the characters and plot threads with this installment.  There will be some recap of events from the first book, but mostly I’ll be pushing the story forward.

Yesterday, I spent some time on research I needed for the novel, going to visit a couple of sources for various information (don’t want to spoil anything).  It’s amazing how many people are patient with me when I ask crazy questions related to the series and that they’re willing to help.  I also walked through the location for one of the battle scenes and took a bunch of pictures I’ll refer to later.  There was a skateboard park nearby.  The guys there were giving me strange looks because I had to pass by them along my way while snapping photos (in another direction), but I ignored them.  Unfortunately, their colorful ramps couldn’t figure into my story due to their location.  This particular battle scene is already written, but my first drafts are bare bones with little description so I needed to get the proper lay of the land for when I do my revisions.

I know a lot of people want a hard date for when the novel will be out.  Believe me, I wish I could give it to you, but after all the delays with Darkness Wanes I’m a little nervous to do that just yet until I reach a certain point in the book.  Nothing bothers me more than letting you guys down when I miss a target date.  At the very least, we’re looking at two months from now.  That is doable, barring any unforeseen circumstances.  It’s spring, though, so keep your fingers crossed that Oklahoma doesn’t get another spat of tornadoes to distract me.  Speaking of which, there are storms forecast for the next couple of days so I should probably get off here and get some writing done while the weather is still calm.

Thanks again for all the support you’ve given me and for your patience.  I’ll post another update later in the month.