I don’t take input from anyone on which of my stories to
tell next…
Or what events should happen to which secondary character,
who should fall in love with whom, or any other aspect of my various series.
I’ve been writing for myself since I was age seven. I write
the stories I want to read more of and can’t find, whether set in ancient Egypt
or the far future of my Sectors. I LOVE
that I have readers who enjoy the stories too! I like hearing from readers and I don’t mind at all if someone tells
me they’d love the sequel to Mitch’s adventures in Escape from Zulaire someday, or asks why am I “wasting my time
writing fantasy when I should be spending my time writing more scifi romance”,
as I was told by someone after my book The
Captive Shifter came out. Well, as it happens, I wrote that story
originally in late 2010, I like that story, I like the characters and I let it
sit and stew until I felt I could revise it to the point where it was ready to
be published and then there it was. Two sequels will be forthcoming, and maybe
more, because I have other tales I want to tell in that world. I’m personally
excited by that world!
But I get that I have passionate readers who really prefer only my
scifi romances and equally terrific readers who prefer only my Egyptian paranormals. (And some
wonderful readers who love it ALL.) It’s
good feedback to have.
I’ve even been told that at least one reader wants me to get
on with the end game war between my deadly aliens, the Mawreg, and the
human-ruled Sectors. Don’t hold your breath, anyone. I have a LOT of stories to
tell in the Sectors and none of them is a giant space opera full of space
battles to resolve that conflict. I’m drawn to the more individual stories, set
on one ship or one planet. Filling in the edges of the puzzle, not doing the
whole 1000 piece finished-architecture at once.
I do have a sequel in
mind for Mitch of Zulaire now, by
pure coincidence, but I don’t know when my Muse and I are going to get around
to writing it. As everyone here knows (because I say it so often), I’m quite
superstitious about how my Muse works and I only write what I’m really in the
mood to tackle at any given time. If the words are flowing – yay! If a
new and shinier idea pops up, I’ll go where the creative energy is. I don’t
usually hop to a new plot about some other set of characters in the middle of
writing a specific book, obviously, but as the next new project down the road.
It’s probably just as well I’m not traditionally published,
with a contract that says I need to write the next book in series XYZ.
Apparently my Muse and I rebel at such direction! We like to meander among the
myriad of creative possibilities and pick whichever thing appeals to us.
I don’t want to sound truculent (always wanted to say that word!) but I don’t take direction either.
Life is too short, I have too many stories to tell and the Muse knows which one
needs telling next.
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| Not the Author but I liked the way the photo representing me with a myriad of creative possibilities! Photo purchased from DepositPhoto |
