How Demon Rodeo Came To Be – Part One
Although Demon Rodeo has been a fun and exciting experience, it is perhaps the most challenging novel I’ve ever written. One may think this is because it is a departure from what I normally write, but it isn’t. I’ve written about the paranormal and the occult plenty of times in the past. Plus, Demon Rodeo is still a sports romance. No, what makes this story an outlier is its origins.
See, it began as a short story—one that didn’t quite work. But let me back up. The idea for Demon Rodeo originated when I was presented with an opportunity to participate in a collaboration/anthology. I eagerly wanted to be a part of it and jumped immediately. I threw myself into it. I can’t remember the word count, but it was less than 5,000 words, which is on the lengthier side for a short story. However, everyone who read it stated it felt like it was missing something, rushed, or cut off short. I agreed. In fact, that was what was gnawing at me before I submitted it to be included in an anthology. So, I was neither shocked nor offended by the feedback. Thus, I set it aside to revisit it later. Since, at the time, I was involved in another project, the revisiting took longer than expected.
One may assume that it was the gap in time that created my issues. That would be an erroneous assumption, too. Allowing a manuscript to sit and marinate isn’t necessarily bad. The elapse of time allows for a reset or “refresh” as I call it. The problem was, I am a pantser through and through.
A pantser is a writer who develops a story as he/she goes along. This is the opposite of a plotter who outlines his/her story before sitting down to write. I’ve always been horrible at outlines and hated writing them in school. Why? Because outlines need to be followed. Yes, I understand that outlines do not have to be strictly adhered to and can be flexible. But the point of an outline is for it to be a guide. I’m an unguided pantser and go where the story takes me. It’s like traveling without the GPS—venturing down roads and getting lost before finding the main road again. There are some interesting sights along those backroads even if they shouldn’t be part of the journey. Plotters think this is nuts, but my fellow pantsers get it. But what does that have to do with Demon Rodeo?
Well, Demon Rodeo, the short story, was serving as a kind of outline. Now, on one level, it didn’t work as short story, but on another level, it did. It had a beginning, middle, and end. It had a plot. It had character development. It had story beats and a story arc. Yet, something was missing. And here is where it became sticky.
I thought I could just “insert” where necessary—expand scenes. Others agreed. That had been the feedback. “This needs more.” However, each time I began a dissection, it interfered with the flow and completely screwed up the story. For anyone who can’t understand how this happens, consider when a producer discusses the complications of adapting a book for film. I was adapting a short story to a novel. Approximately two weeks into working on it, I didn’t know what I had, and I set it aside again. I had all but convinced myself that it couldn’t be done.
Fast forward to eight months later. It was time for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo). NaNo is an annual writing event that happens in November and challenges writers to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. That’s the general idea, but participants modify the challenge to fit their needs. Some writers may focus on editing. Others may already have 50k words but are aiming for 70,000. Some may be working on poetry, short stories, or microfiction. Still others, may not care about word count at all. There are no hard and definite rules to NaNo other than setting and meeting a creative goal in thirty days. My NaNo goal was to dig into Demon Rodeo (which at that time didn’t have a name or had some other name—I can’t remember) and to figure it out. Actually, my true NaNo goal was to clear out my “Hiccup” folder.
My Hiccup folder is a place where I save stories or story ideas that I need to set aside for some reason but intend to one day complete. In reality—and I think this happens to a lot of writers—that folder fills quickly with more ideas than time to write. Some of the projects in that folder require research while others are ones that just didn’t lead anywhere. Then, there are story ideas that have become dated or I have no interest in and need to be discarded. Or perhaps, as has happened on occasion, I have multiple story segments only to realize they are the same story that needs to be assembled. However, Demon Rodeo was different from anything else in the folder. Although other completed stories required severe editing, Demon Rodeo needed to be converted. Thus, I gave myself 30 days to complete the task.
All right, honestly, I began in October instead of November. (Yeah, I’m all about that cheating life when it comes to NaNo.) I knew it would be my NaNo project, and I knew it would be a huge undertaking. And more than anything, I knew I needed to determine how to overcome my problem. Yes, something was missing from the story. Something was wrong. But what? I couldn’t answer it, and neither could anyone else. The best I received was generic responses of “It doesn’t seem like a complete story.” Well, duh! But why? What needed more? What needed expanding? What needed omitting? What, what, what? Thirty days wouldn’t be enough time.
To solve my dilemma, I needed to think about the process of converting instead of the story itself. I began by exploring the differences between short stories and novels. The most obvious is that novels have chapters and short stories do not. That was my starting point—not to change anything but just to identify the “chapters” of the story. From there, I investigated ideas that supported (again not changed) what I already had written. And this is where life changed. As I was flushing out a chapter, I realized another character was speaking to me. (Not literally, of course.) My short story was told from a singular point of view—Easton. Although developed in dialogue, Royal’s thoughts weren’t communicated. I went through each chapter giving Royal a voice. By the end, I had more issues, but these were good issues to have. Since Royal’s POV hadn’t been written, there was no “outline.” I could pantser to my little heart’s content. And the rest, as they say, is history.
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There’s more than bulls in the chutes.
My contemporary M/M paranormal sports romance, Demon Rodeo, is releasing on September 5, 2024, and is available now for preorder on Amazon. For video book trailers, visit my TikTok page. The full blurb is on my Instagram and Amazon.
Demon Rodeo is the first book in the Chasing the Buckle series but can be read as a standalone. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance set in the rodeo world. These are not your typical cowboys. It’s a widely diverse cast of characters and a mashup of genres that aren’t always seen together. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser, this may be a book for you. Also, expect a lot of goodies and giveaways.
Preorder
⇨ Amazon: https://readerlinks.com/l/4174852
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Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.
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Out of the Penalty Box (book #1) One minute in the box or a lifetime out. Defending the Net (book #2) Crossing the line could cost the game. Ice Gladiators (book #3) When the gloves come off, the games begin. Penalty Kill (book #4) Let the pucker begin. Future Goals (book #5) The future lies between a puck and a net.About the Author:
Hi, I’m Genevive, and I am a contemporary sports romance author. My home is in South Louisiana. If you like snark and giggles with a touch of steamy Cajun and Creole on the side, I may have your poison in my stash of books. Drop by the bayou and have a look around. The pirogues are always waiting for new visitors.
