[Originally shared on my newsletter]
As an avid reader, I am well aware of how frustrating it can be to wonder if/when an author plans to finish their story. There’s nothing more infuriating than getting invested in a character or plot, only to wait years to discover what happens. It’s even worse to watch a beloved creator start new things when you want them to finish the old things. Trust me, I know.
Which is why I’m preemptively answering the question:
Why did I start three series at once?
When I was aiming for traditional publishing, I was told to never write the sequel of a book that hadn’t sold yet. It was a waste of time and energy, everyone said, to continue down a path that might not go anywhere. So, in my Sisyphean labor to see my book on shelves the ‘right way’ (ha!), I wrote EIGHT starters to EIGHT different meticulously plotted-out series (along with a smattering of standalone novels). Most were trilogies. Some were longer. But all of them were springboards, boulders perched and waiting for someone else to roll them down the hill.
As you all know, I’m doing my own rolling these days.
(That came out wrong…)
Anyways, when I started all this back in January, it seemed foolish to do just one series at a time. How dull and parsimonious, to go through the whole cycle with each project, finishing one thing before starting another. Call me impatient, but I wanted to give more to my readers. I wanted everyone who found my author page to have options, even right at the beginning. So I made the call and launched myself with three Book Ones, crafting the (perhaps insane) plan to juggle their completion over the course of the year.
Just be glad I didn’t start with all eight!
I do apologize to all you completionists out there, and to everyone who’s been burned by an author who failed to finish what they started. I know that pain! But I promise, I won’t be one of them. I will finish, and I’ll keep you posted of my progress here, every step of the way. All three series I’ve started have been mapped out, outlined, and planned. The stories are there.
I just have to write them.
So whether you’re a fan of Hooded, The Scottstown Heroes, or The Affinity, know that your favorite characters ARE getting their due. I won’t leave them hanging, cross my heart. All I ask is a little patience for my ambitious, distractable muse.
It’s got lots going on right now.
Best wishes and, as always, happy reading 🙂
