Updates on The Vampire's Favorite and Things Yet to be Written

I keep a weather eye on my writing schedule, tweaking it usually every time I complete each step of the publication process, from developing a story to releasing it to readers. I've had a lot of ideas floating around in my head as I work on the first draft for The Vampire's Favorite . 

Before I get into those ideas, here's a quick update on TVF: The first draft is about halfway completed. When I started looking at my publication schedule for this year, I had hoped to publish it this month. That's obviously not going to happen. There's a slim possibility TVF will be ready in July, but for now, I'm tentatively shooting for an August release. Don't set that in stone! Something could happen between now and then to delay publication, though I'm going to try my hardest to get it out by then. 

Part of the reason TVF has been delayed for so long is because it's simply an emotionally difficult story for me to write. It begins just a few months after the end of The Vampire's Pet . Gianna is in something similar to an induced coma, Jason is essentially paralyzed from the waist down (though not completely), and Eric is still reeling from all the changes that have taken place in his life over such a short period of time. There are a lot of relationship issues Eric and Jason have to sort through, plus Jason has to figure out how to explain Eric to his family. There's a lot more to this story than just relationship issues, though. Jason's past rears its head in some unexpected ways. He and Eric are unwittingly drawn into a conflict between two rival vampires. Oh! There's a vampire hunter on the loose, always an interesting situation when one is a vampire. So, lots going on. Hopefully, y'all will enjoy this installment as much as you have the other two.

Once the first draft for TVF is finished, I'll start working in earnest on The Master Vampire . I hope to release it either late this year or early next year. No spoilers on this one (I'm still developing it), but it should be a doozy.

And after that... I have no idea what I'll work on under this pen name. I've started sending out feelers to readers as to what they'd like to see once The Vampyr Series comes to a close. There are several possibilities, including an historical featuring Elizabet and Marco that would be a sort of prequel to the Vampyr Series. Darien, Nathaniel, and Alice have fascinating back stories and present strong possibilities for additional stories set among the Vampyr. If you have a favorite character you'd like to see get his or her own story, drop me a line. I'm always interested in hearing from readers.

Another possibility is to develop a completely different story world, and here, I had help from a truly unexpected source. My father is a songwriter. He knows I write under a "secret" pen name, though he doesn't know exactly what I write. (He's a pretty smart cookie. He's probably guessed it's not something he'd feel comfortable reading.) 

A couple of weeks ago, he asked me if I'd like to use lines from any of his songs in my books. He mentioned a particular stanza that really resonates with fans of his songs. (And he has a really hardcore group of fans that truly love his work, including me.) Immediately, I homed in on a phrase that would work very well for a new story world and series. I haven't decided anything yet. It could be that I'll stick with the world I've already created and write stories for established characters. Or it could be that I take a right turn into this new world and go from there. 

Then again, I'm just the writer, so please, don't be shy. Let me know if you have a preference. Until then, happy reading!