Planning a Book Series

 When I started working on my book, Blood Red Moon, I didn't expect to have it be part of a series. Originally I had an idea about a woman who hunts vampires and ends up being caught by the Vampire Lord. At first it was an enemies-to-lovers type of story, but it eventually became the story of reunited lovers.

 In this story a group called the Alchemists are in charge of the magic that binds phoenix shifters and the portals. When they regenerate, they create new portals to different worlds. Phoenixes have connections to elements or to other shifters and vampires. Those connections act as triggers for the phoenixes to transform. 

Meanwhile, I had to put the book aside for a while so that I could work on my novella, Metamorphosis. Since it was going to be part of the Pets in Space 6 anthology, as it turned out it was going to be published first. I mentioned a few things that were also included in Blood Red Moon, such as portals and phoenixes. 

Another thing that's mentioned in both books is the Floating World, which is where the Alchemists live. It's a place that is between the portals and it's the center of learning for studying the magical texts. In Metamorphosis the Floating World is featured prominently as the home of the heroine. 

I'm planning to add a couple of other books to the series, one about a cyborg and another about dragon shifters. The books don’t have to be read in a specific order, however. The characters don’t have to interact with characters in other books though I might have that happen at some point. But for now, they're on different worlds that are connected by the portals, which is the element that connects them (which is why the series is called Worlds of Fire). 

It's challenging to have an overall idea of how the stories will intersect, while building individual worlds and developing characters. I have to remember to tie things together in a way that there is a mention of the common elements. But on the plus side since the books don't have to fall into chronological order – or any order to be honest – that also gives me a lot of freedom. 

Creating a series provides a way to write related stories while not having to use the same characters or settings (unless you want to). And it gives the readers a chance to find "Easter eggs" and familiar elements. 

If you're interested in find out more about my Worlds of Fire series, check it out here: https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks/worlds-of-fire-series/