Kingdom Journals - Looking back and looking ahead

It's been just over a year since I released the first Kingdom Journals novel! It's hard to fathom that it's been only a year, but at the same time it seems like eons ago. As many of you know I'm a huge paranormal genre fan, and vampire stories are my favorite. So, it became a daunting task for me to create these types of characters. Looking back at this series' journey, I want to give you some more insight as to how it began and where it's headed. The best way I could think of was to frame my thoughts in a Q & A format, so I hope you enjoy hearing more about the Kingdom Journals.

1. How did you come up with the idea for the type of vampires you created? - I wanted beings who were supernatural but not immortal, super-human but organic and real. So, my vampires evolved like humans and other animals, with hearing like birds of prey, a sense of smell like canines, sleep patterns like cats, and an extra-human life span.

2. Where did you come up with the idea that vampires were sired by the devil and witches by angels? - This story line evolved with me coming up with the idea that the main characters were working towards peace between the witch and vampire species. They need to break a curse that prevents witches from entering heaven and vampires from having souls. When the curse is broken, the characters feel there will be no need for the groups to be at odds. An age-old curse must have a reason for existing, so I created the story line that God punishes the angels for siring witches by limiting their souls to purgatory. Because demons, or fallen angels, were cast from heaven, they were stripped of their souls and are not able to sire soul-based beings.

3. How did the series evolve from a mainly vampire series to a mixture of vampire and witch main characters? - When I thought of the curse and how it may be broken, the idea formed that it would take both types of beings to break it. Then, I decided to feature a different character of the trinity in each book and have them tell the story from their point of view, hence the journals theme.

4. Jude isn't one of the trinity, how did he get his own book? - Not to give too much away, I'll say that Jude started out as a much different character. I intended for him to be on the other side of the equation, with the other team so to speak. But the more I wrote about him, the more I liked who he became. When it came down to making him who I'd intended him to be, I couldn't do it.

5. Where is the series going next? - Originally, I had intended Kingdom Journals to be a trilogy, with Alena's (Uh-lee-nah) story, Camille's story, and Hunter's story. Then, I introduced Jude who plays his own part in figuring out how the curse is to be broken. Planning out Hunter's Story (Kingdom of War), I realized there was a wealth of back story that it would be good to fill in. This brought me to Anne's Story. For those who haven't read the books, Anne is Alena's mother and Vampire Chancellor. She is over almost five-hundred years old. I'm working on Anne's story right now, and can tell you it will be quite a extra-sensory, emotional, roller-coaster, wow-factor read! I have it slated for a Sept. 21 release, so you don't have to wait too long!

I'm excited to share all this extra info with you about the Kingdom Journals! Check them out and let me know what you think!

All the best,
Tricia