So, for once in my life, I am actually done ahead of schedule! ARCs of Reparation are pretty much ready to go, which is awesome - now just working on small stuff. Work on the soundtrack a little. Realized I couldn't have this series without "Wicked Games" by Chris Isaak - it's practically the theme song for the whole series!
Endings are bittersweet. I love Jameson. I love Sanders. And this is the end. There is a lot of demand for Sanders' story, and I've had murky thoughts regarding Ang's story, and also for a possible novella/epilogue/thingy. But nothing definite, nothing I've "committed" to. Nothing I can put a guarantee on. So for all intent and purposes, Reparation is THE END.
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF!?
And that's the fear. In its own way, Degradation has done fairly well for a debut novel (STILL in the top 100 for Erotica!!! OH MY GEEZY I CAN'T GET OVER THAT!). In fact, it's part of what made me so nervous about Separation - that's a big first book to live up to. And I think Reparation is pretty good (I may be bias, ha ha) as well.
Can I do it again? Degradation - for me - was almost magical. Can I capture that again? I don't know. I don't want to be a one-hit(ish)-wonder.
But I also don't want to be one of those authors that only has one story to tell. That's fine and dandy for them, maybe they've only got that one set of characters rumbling around in their brain. But not me. I've got loads.
Did y'all know I used to strictly write paranormal? Yup.
So who knows. Maybe you'll hate what comes next. Maybe no man will ever be as good as Jameson (he'd like to believe that). Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead(ish).
But I think I'll keep going. I hope none of you are sick of me, cause I've got a lot of ideas rattling around up here - some industrial espionage, some asylum love, some FBI-stalker-drama, some Russian mafia, some voyeurism. It all demands release and attention, so I'm going to do my best to get it out there.
Will any of it be as "good" as Degradation? Who knows. But I think I've decided I don't care. It's apples and oranges. Different strokes for different folks. Incomparable.
I hope you all like Reparation. And I hope you like what comes next.
And who knows ... maybe when I'm more confident in my writing abilities, I'll go back to that Sanders storyline I started.
Wait, you didn't hear that ... (but I will say he won't be in Jameson's shadow for much longer)