Tidbits: Reflection in the Shadows

Reflection in the Shadows drops on Tuesday; as I write this blog post, I’m inside the window when the manuscript is frozen in preparation for preorders to be shipped, which is pretty much when it begins to feel real for me. While I’m not one to tinker with a story this close to a publication date, I also have this incessant need to do one final proofread in order to squash any egregious typos I missed during the prior 999 attempts. This many novels in, I am more or less resigned to the fact that a few will slip through despite my best efforts; considering how much time I’ve spent with this particular manuscript, I hope it’s fewer than normal.

As is now traditional, here are some intriguing tidbits from Reflection. Since this is a new set of characters — and a new universe — these tidbits will be a bit more expansive than normal, though I will also strive not to spoil anything. I’ll expand on many of these for the podcast that will (hopefully) appear soon(ish).

Will there be an audiobook version?

Yes. It will be published about two weeks from when the Kindle version hits the system; there is a quirk to the way Amazon handles these things, so I can’t begin work on the audiobook until then.

Is this set in the same universe/timeline as Sean and Vasily?

That is an excellent question! The short answer is… I’ve not decided (yet). An early draft of the novel did feature a cameo from Vasily, and my character sheet does indicate that Kate knows and has worked with him in the past; for the moment, thought, this is not canon. As far as the timeline goes, the events in Reflection take place roughly contiguously with those in Bygones, which (if you are keeping track) puts it about a year behind the most recent Vasily novel, Masks.

Where is Santa Marcel?

The city where Kate lives and works is fictional, but is located in Orange County, California. In my brain, it’s a bit further East than Rancho Linda, in a more industrial — and far more middle-class — portion of the county.

Is this book a mystery novel? Or a fantasy?

One of the hardest things I had to do was figure out the primary category for this novel. At its core, I believe the book is actually a standard police procedural/classic detective mystery; there is still my signature murder in Act One, and Kate is a full-fledged investigator working the leads to find her suspect. I have introduced a level of fantasy, but while Ocelot has significant magical abilities, they’re not of the type where he can simply wave his hand (or, I suppose, paw) and just outright solve the case for Kate. In fact, his magic complicates the investigation in ways I’d never be able to write about with Sean or Vasily.

It sounds like you have some strange rules about magic…

I do, at least in the context of the universe that Ocelot exists in. I felt it was important to have a framework he could operate against, one that would provide me with boundaries that would keep the tale feeling realistic and believable (despite the fantasy elements). It also prevented me from magic-ing my way out of any problems; I can’t tell you how tempting it was to have Ocelot snap his fingers and just fix my mistakes.

Tell me more about Ocelot.

I kind of spend the whole book defining him, honestly, so I can’t say too much without spoiling things. Suffice it to say he works on behalf of an ancient deity named Tezcatlipoca to maintain balance in the universe. (No pressure, right?)

Does Kate work with Ocelot?

Eventually, yes. They wind up starting at opposite ends of the case at the center of the plot, and discover they can make more progress if they combine their talents. (Am I allowed to add that was a double entendre?)

Wait, what? Which part?

No comment.

I thought the series was about Kate Oliver and Tenoch Vasquez.

It is, indeed. Tenoch is Kate’s former flame from their high school years, and makes a surprising reappearance in Santa Marcel after literally dropping out of site for more than a decade. Their relationship is central to the story and drives multiple elements of the plot.

Okay, that’s enough for now. If you’ve not pre-ordered your edition, there’s still time to lock in the price and/or get the Kindle version on the day it drops.

Preorder Reflection in the Shadows