Release Day +1

Let’s start this off with a big thank you to everyone who pre-ordered Witchstorm Rising or who downloaded it yesterday. After so long without bringing anything new out, it’s awesome to see folks still want to read what I write. So here’s a big thank you to each of you. Of course, that comes with a favor request: let your friends and family know about the book please. Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of promo for an author.

Without getting into spoiler area, this book really did take some turns I hadn’t expected. One reason I’m not a full outliner when it comes to my work is because I know my muse. Myrtle is evil and she loves disrupting my carefully crafted timelines. This time, not only did she do that but she threw a huge wrench in the works when it comes to romance. In my rough draft, in the base outline, Shay wasn’t going to have a romance in this book. That was one of the departures from the formula of the other full-length novels in the series. I had that particular aspect saved for the final book in the story arc.

But Myrtle had other plans.

She always has other plans. She’s evil, remember?

And, true to form, she didn’t let me know about the change until it happened. Let me tell you, it’s more than a little weird to see something appear on the page you had no clue about.

(Before you contact the men in the white coats, this is part of being a writer. Sometimes, our sub-conscious, our muse, knows something we don’t and it’s sprung on us.)

As I reread the scene, I realized it felt right even if it wasn’t something I planned.

Even if I knew there might be some folks raising an eyebrow or two about it.

Them’s the breaks, especially where Myrtle’s concerned.

That “little surprise” is one reason I’m letting the final book in the story arc sit for a bit. This change in plot and character development means changing some important things in the next book. I want to let that sit and give Myrtle time to find new ways to torment me in the process.

In the meantime, if you’ve already picked up your copy of Witchstorm Rising, thanks. If you haven’t, I’d really appreciate it if you’d think about it. Oh, and please leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long. But those reviews help, not only do they encourage other readers to buy the book but they help with product placement on Amazon.

For now, I’m going to find coffee and then head over to Fuercon and see what sort of trouble I can get into there. Trust me, even though Fuercon exists only in my mind, I can get into lots of trouble there, as seen by the Honor & Duty books already out.

Until later!