Being True to the Story: Where All This Is Going
I'm sure everyone will be happy to hear that Episode 4 of The Vampire's Pet series is right on schedule for release on Friday, just two days from now.
Last night, I was contemplating one of the scenes and the steadily darker tone the series is acquiring. When I first set out to write TVP, I had no idea where I was going with it. It was an experiment in writing, a way for me to explore the stories in my head that couldn't be written under my other pseudonym.
Now, you might hear a lot of writers refer to themselves and their stories as "character driven" or "plot driven," or even "tension driven." A few even advocate for writing cookie-cutter stories that exactly follow a set formula, but none of those are what I try to do. For me, it's all about the story and whatever I have to do to be faithful to it. So, Punished featured mild bondage and The Vampire Queen contains some dark and, frankly, disturbing imagery that might put a few readers off, but that's where the story went. If I tried to work within a specific genre convention, the story would suffer and readers would notice. I'd rather not let y'all down like that, so, just be aware that where the story leads, I follow, and sometimes, that will be places you'd rather not go.
Now, along those lines, I also want to put it right out there that TVP is the first part of what will eventually be a trilogy. I have no idea what form or forms the other entries in the trilogy will take yet and I can't reveal the titles without spoiling the ending for TVP, but here's how the series is shaping up:
Part 1: The Vampire's Pet Series, told from Eric's POV.
Part 2: A story (either serialized or in novel or novella form), told from Gianna's POV.
Part 3: A story (either serialized or in novel or novella form), told from Eric's POV.
There will be a Happy Ever After, but it doesn't happen until the end of the third series/book. Until then, just think of these as your typical Urban Fantasy with romantic elements. It'll keep you from going nuts.
There are a couple of other things I want to mention while I'm on this subject. First, I'm not sure what forms the second and third stories in the trilogy will take. I'm very tempted to do Gianna's story as a novella, but that will take time. The beauty of the short story serial format is that I can finish each episode in a relatively short time without making too big of a dent in my established writing schedule (for stories written under my other pseudonym, stories that I'm committed to releasing at certain times). For example, I try to finish writing the first draft of a chapter of an episode (about two to three thousand words each) in one sitting, which usually takes about two to three hours, after which I need additional time to polish and format the story before it can be published. (I estimate that I spend at least one hour polishing for every hour spent on the first draft.) Three weeks gives me plenty of time to write and publish an episode without interfering with my previously established writing schedule.
A lot of readers (not mine!) complain about the serialized format, and some even go so far as to accuse authors of trying to milk extra money from their readers. Not me, I swear! If I didn't serialize TVP, it would never be published, thus denying readers a really interesting story. If Gianna's story turns out to be better in novella or novel format, it will likely take at least two to four months for me to develop, write, and polish it. Yes, two to four months, and that's at the earliest. It's a long wait between stories, so I might find a way to serialize it as well. We'll see!
The other thing I'd like y'all to know is that I absolutely will be offering TVP and other serialized stories as bundles. Anyone who wants to wait until that bundle comes out before reading Eric's story is more than welcome to do so. Remember, my goal is to bring you the best story possible and to make it easy for you, the reader, to access it. So, please have patience with me as I finish out the entire arc from Eric's introduction to the world of the Vampyr, to Gianna's role in the overall story, and then back to Eric to end with what I hope will be a very satisfying HEA.
Peace and much love, my friends.
Last night, I was contemplating one of the scenes and the steadily darker tone the series is acquiring. When I first set out to write TVP, I had no idea where I was going with it. It was an experiment in writing, a way for me to explore the stories in my head that couldn't be written under my other pseudonym.
Now, you might hear a lot of writers refer to themselves and their stories as "character driven" or "plot driven," or even "tension driven." A few even advocate for writing cookie-cutter stories that exactly follow a set formula, but none of those are what I try to do. For me, it's all about the story and whatever I have to do to be faithful to it. So, Punished featured mild bondage and The Vampire Queen contains some dark and, frankly, disturbing imagery that might put a few readers off, but that's where the story went. If I tried to work within a specific genre convention, the story would suffer and readers would notice. I'd rather not let y'all down like that, so, just be aware that where the story leads, I follow, and sometimes, that will be places you'd rather not go.
Now, along those lines, I also want to put it right out there that TVP is the first part of what will eventually be a trilogy. I have no idea what form or forms the other entries in the trilogy will take yet and I can't reveal the titles without spoiling the ending for TVP, but here's how the series is shaping up:
Part 1: The Vampire's Pet Series, told from Eric's POV.
Part 2: A story (either serialized or in novel or novella form), told from Gianna's POV.
Part 3: A story (either serialized or in novel or novella form), told from Eric's POV.
There will be a Happy Ever After, but it doesn't happen until the end of the third series/book. Until then, just think of these as your typical Urban Fantasy with romantic elements. It'll keep you from going nuts.
There are a couple of other things I want to mention while I'm on this subject. First, I'm not sure what forms the second and third stories in the trilogy will take. I'm very tempted to do Gianna's story as a novella, but that will take time. The beauty of the short story serial format is that I can finish each episode in a relatively short time without making too big of a dent in my established writing schedule (for stories written under my other pseudonym, stories that I'm committed to releasing at certain times). For example, I try to finish writing the first draft of a chapter of an episode (about two to three thousand words each) in one sitting, which usually takes about two to three hours, after which I need additional time to polish and format the story before it can be published. (I estimate that I spend at least one hour polishing for every hour spent on the first draft.) Three weeks gives me plenty of time to write and publish an episode without interfering with my previously established writing schedule.
A lot of readers (not mine!) complain about the serialized format, and some even go so far as to accuse authors of trying to milk extra money from their readers. Not me, I swear! If I didn't serialize TVP, it would never be published, thus denying readers a really interesting story. If Gianna's story turns out to be better in novella or novel format, it will likely take at least two to four months for me to develop, write, and polish it. Yes, two to four months, and that's at the earliest. It's a long wait between stories, so I might find a way to serialize it as well. We'll see!
The other thing I'd like y'all to know is that I absolutely will be offering TVP and other serialized stories as bundles. Anyone who wants to wait until that bundle comes out before reading Eric's story is more than welcome to do so. Remember, my goal is to bring you the best story possible and to make it easy for you, the reader, to access it. So, please have patience with me as I finish out the entire arc from Eric's introduction to the world of the Vampyr, to Gianna's role in the overall story, and then back to Eric to end with what I hope will be a very satisfying HEA.
Peace and much love, my friends.
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