Showing posts with label Monster Haven. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Old World, New Series

It’s been nearly a year since I wrapped up my six-book Monster Haven series. If my main character, Zoey, shows up anywhere else, it’ll be in a short story or as a minor character. Her story is done.

Well, done enough. I admit, I left her pregnant with no word on the flavor of baby she was carrying. Girl? Boy? Reaper? Empath? Time Lord? In Monster Haven, anything is possible.

Characters died. Characters lived happily ever after. The world changed so completely, the Hidden no longer needed to stay hidden. I blew up their world, declared the story finished, and walked away.

Here I am, a year later with a new series in the same world. I’d left our nutty djinn, Kam, to walk the Earth alone, hoping to find herself so she could someday return to the djinn world. In my head, she was a mix of Sam Beckett from "Quantum Leap" and David Banner from the old "Incredible Hulk" series. How about a little sad walking away music for Kam at the end of each book in her series?

Except that Kam doesn’t roll that way. If she’s ever sad, it’ll last about twenty minutes, max, before she’s on to something else. After all, she’s lived over a hundred years. She’s seen things. She’s done things. And all those things buzz around in her head and send her thoughts off on a tangent in the worst, most inopportune times.

So, come join me on a brand new set of adventures. The old, beat-up pickup leaves any minute. Let’s hope it doesn’t break down and leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere. Or if it does, let’s hope the locals can tell us where to find the World’s Biggest Ball of Twine or a collection of Elvis’s underwear.

Kam loves side trips.

It won’t be all wild costumes and disjointed conversations about pie. People are going to die. But there’s no reason we can’t take some time to see the sights while we solve the murders.

(Fake spoiler: Zoey still hasn’t had her baby, so don’t expect Kam to tell you anything.)

Rachel writes stories that drop average people into magical situations filled with heart and quirky humor.

She believes in pixie dust, the power of love, good cheese, lucky socks and putting things off until the last minute. Her home is Disneyland, despite her current location in Kansas. Rachel has one husband, two grown kids and a crazy-catlady starter kit.

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Saturday, April 2, 2016

The Genie Is out of the Bottle

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

Zoey’s story in Monster Haven has been done for a year. It wrapped up with book six, Phoenix in My Fortune. Not so with Zoey’s friend Kam, the escaped djinn. She stuck with Zoey for four books (I’d only planned for her to be in book three and maybe book six, but she grew on me). In the end, she went off into the world on her own when most of the other character’s stories in Monster Haven wrapped up.

Well, four years after I dreamed her into existence, Kam is finally getting her own story told. I’ve signed a three-book contract with Carina Press for Kam’s Djinn Haven spinoff series.

Kam’s out there working as a freelance soul chaser, solving mysteries, beating up bad guys, running from the past she never shared with us before, and trying to reverse the disfigurement that caused her to lose a third of her magic.

You guys, Kam is so much fun to write. I loved writing Zoey, but she was the straight man. Kam’s hilarious. She has no filters, and her life experience is limited to random episodes over the last one-hundred years when she escaped captivity. Kam will use the word “gams” in the same sentence as “rad” without batting an eye.

The first book in the series is called To Catch a Stolen Soul. I don’t have a tentative release date for it, yet. I’ll let you know when I do. Some of the other titles I’m playing with for future entries are To Save a Lonely Aegis, To Chase a Fallen Reaper, and To Love an Angry Monster. Those aren’t set in stone, but I have ideas for all of them. And unlike Monster Haven, Djinn Haven isn’t set up to necessarily end at any set point. And the romance storyline? Way more complicated than what we had with Monster Haven. Kam’s hiding something. She’s been hiding something for a hundred years.

So. I hope I’ve dropped enough teasers to get you interested. I still have one more Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Muse book to bring you before I switch over to Kam’s first book. And Kam’s only coming once a year for now while I continue writing Mt. Olympus books. (What’s next? Furies? Oracles? Fates? I’m not sure yet.)

I’m also going on vacation for a little while because, damn, I’m worn out. So, hang with me a bit longer. I have a lot more stories to tell you of monsters, mythical creatures, gods and goddesses, and urban legends.

I haven’t used up all my words yet.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Finding My Smile

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

2015 has been a rough year. The previous year, my dad had a stroke, and we spent nearly a year taking care of him and hoping he’d get better. This year, we said goodbye to him. Having never before lost anyone close to me, let alone a parent, it rattled me pretty hard. It's easy to wallow in the hard stuff, especially with the holidays here, and somewhere along the way, I'd lost my smile. I’ve had to take stock of my year and try to refocus on the good things that happened instead.

Not only did I find a lot of good in my year, thanks to modern technology, my phone kept a photographic record to remind me. Let me show you.

In January, I published my short-story collection, Transmonstrified. In March, Phoenix in My Fortune, the final book in my Monster Haven series, came out. And in July, Unfinished Muse, book one in my new Mt. Olympus Employment Agency series, released. Book two, Unamused Muse will be out before the year is over. I wanted to do more, but I've learned where my limits were, at least while dealing with grief. Still, I'm really pleased with how much I managed to get done. Four releases in a year means I'm finally getting the hang of this. But work isn't the only good that happened this year.

I love going on adventures, and this year, that was how I coped. Adventures can be grand and planned out, or they can happen in the quiet moments when you're feeling your lowest. You just have to be open to them. Here are some of mine for the year:

One afternoon I took a long drive to clear my head. I came around a corner and found a herd of reindeer in an enclosure. Since then, I've visited them several times and come to realize they're probably just regular deer, but in my head, I found magic reindeer. No matter what they are, they were beautiful and unexpected.

My husband and I went on a drive-through safari. This zebra looked up from his grazing, made a beeline for me, and stuck his head in the car for me to scratch. He stayed a long time, even though we weren't feeding him. It was magic.

Mother's Day this year was all about dinosaurs. Because I love dinosaurs and my family loves me. My daughter made me this T-Rex pancake, because when your children grow up, they can do loads of cool stuff for you.

I was a guest at Kansas City's SFF convention, ConQuesT. I was on several panels, met new people, drank a lot with my friends, and pretended that George R.R. Martin was too shy to approach me in the bar. Bless his heart. I am intimidating.

We went to a Huey Lewis/Jimmy Buffett concert. My first. It was spectacular.

Went to the drive-in for the 4th of July. Best non-Disney fireworks I've seen, plus a double feature afterward. In jammies. With snacks. You can't beat that.

We spent the night in one of the most haunted rooms in the Stanley Hotel. Though we failed to see or hear anything supernatural, we did freak ourselves out. There was also a weird moment where the front desk guy came to our room because he thought I wanted corn. I did not. But the question was--if he thought I wanted corn, why didn't he have any corn to give me?

I went to Denver to hang out with my best friend since third grade. We went to a butterfly garden, tried on squid hats, and went to the Celestial Seasonings factory. The factory was already closed, but we drank tea samples and spent money on tea-related goods. The next day we all went to the museum and saw dinosaurs. Did I mention I love dinosaurs?

Not exactly an adventure, but I bought a new car. (My daughter was using my old one, which left me stuck at home all day, every day. So, I needed a car for adventures. And sanity.) She's purple in the sunlight. I named her Iris in honor of a certain skunk ape from Monster Haven.

We went to the Oztoberfest and watched the Oz shenanigans while eating lunch from a food truck. Then we tasted many different wines from the Oz Winery and bought several bottles. Lest you should think the Oz winery was a spontaneous side trip, you should know the bartender recognized us from several earlier trips, despite the unusually heavy crowd. Oz wine is special. It comes from the other side of the rainbow.

A lot of other things happened this year. Two of my dearest friends were married. My daughter started college. My son moved out, but started coming home most days to have lunch with me. My friends showered me with love and support. My readers were enthusiastic and patient. My brother and I grew closer through all the difficulties we shared. And as always, my husband stayed by my side no matter how grouchy, sad, or introverted I became.

So here we are, nearly at the end of the year. Not a bad year after all, was it? I looked for the good, and I found it. And in the end, I remembered where I left my smile. I hope your year has been filled with more good than bad. And I hope you never lose your smile.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Author Confession

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

This is Oatmeal. He has trouble finishing what he starts, too.

When people who know me read my Monster Haven books, they laugh and say they hear my voice coming from Zoey. She often says things I would say and in a way I would say them. I laugh and reassure them I am not Zoey.

Now I have a new series out. Wynter says a lot of things I would say, too. I am not Wynter.

But here’s a confession: I was Wynter, not too long ago.

Wynter starts a lot of things—relationships, jobs, craft projects—and she never finishes them. She’s stuck in a life she doesn’t like with no hope of ever changing it because she can’t follow through to change herself.

I never patterned Zoey after anyone but the character I made up in my head. Wynter, however, was born from the memory of what I once was.

Depending on how you count, I’ve been engaged four or five times. I have credits from six different universities, but never finished the degree. (Don’t ask. I moved a lot.) I have bags and bags of half-finished cross stitch, polymer clay, crochet hooks, knitting needles, and yarn.

And up until four years ago, a hard drive full of unfinished short stories and novels.

Despite being, technically, in my senior year, it would take me at least two years full-time to complete a degree at this point. I’ve let it go. I’m 47 and doing what I love. (The P.E. and math classes I still have to take won’t make me a better writer.) My eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be, so cross stitch is probably done for good. My hands hurt from typing all day, so crochet and knitting attempts are over. I’m married to the man of my dreams, so I won’t hightail it out of here like a runaway bride and restart my entire life—again.

Last week, I published my seventh full-length novel in less than four years. So, no. I am not my character, Wynter. But I was, not so long ago.

And maybe by the time her whole story is told, she will be more like me. After all, aren't we all works in progress?

Unfinished Muse (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency #1)

Wynter Greene is a chronic quitter—in work, in life, and in love. When she quits a job, a boyfriend, and a seemingly minor craft project all in one day, the dormant deity blood in her veins triggers a Welcome Package from the gods. A talking—and singing—houseplant named Phyllis bullies Wynter into taking a job at the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency.

Stuck with a job in the Muse department, Wynter discovers that helping others finish what they start isn’t easy, especially for someone who can’t seem to finish anything of her own. And how is Wynter supposed to focus on anything when that guy from the Dreams and Nightmares department keeps distracting her with his rippling muscles and magnetic stare?

Wynter needs to figure her job out soon. Each failure is a tick mark on her record, and if she continues to miss her deadlines, she’ll be reassigned to the Underworld as a dog walker.

And scooping poop for a giant three-headed dog is nobody’s ideal career.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iBooks

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Top Ten Reasons Mt. Olympus Is As Much Fun As Monster Haven

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

So, yesterday something crazy, terrifying, and wonderful happened. I finished the first book of my brand new Mt. Olympus Employment Agency series. People have been so positive about my Monster Haven series, beginning something new has been really intimidating. Throughout the writing of Unfinished Muse, I’ve waffled back and forth between “THIS IS AWESOME!” and “OMG, everybody’s going to hate me because this isn’t Monster Haven and that’s all I know how to write.”

Honestly, I just handed it off to my editor. No one but me has read this thing, and I sure can’t be trusted to tell if it’s any good or not.

So, here’s what we’re going to do. In an effort to convince you to give it a try when it comes out in July, and in an effort to convince myself that I should trust myself a little more about not sucking, I give you this:

Top Ten Reasons the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency is as much fun as Monster Haven

A talking plant named Phyllis who sings pirate shanties and the theme song from “Fresh Prince” in the voice of someone’s beloved grandmother.
A mom who can’t remember if she slept with a firefighter, a traveling Bible salesman, or a Greek god before she got pregnant.
A gorgon receptionist with an attitude and a stylish updo.
A super hot guy from the Dreams and Nightmares department who keeps showing up dressed as a cowboy, Roman gladiator, or vampire.
The ability to be invisible and snoop through the hot neighbor’s apartment looking for clues.
Transmutational Thought Transference Bubbles and Beastie Discombobulator Dust.
Clubbing in the Mt. Olympus Euphoria District.
The threat of being transferred to Hades to scoop the poop of the three-headed dog, Cerberus.
Secrets, lies, paranoia, and sabotage.
The fate of the world is someone else’s problem. She’s just trying not to get demoted to hell.

So, there you go. If I did my job right, the new series will be loads of fun. But if I didn’t do my job right, my editor will be more than happy to let me know and make me fix it. Either way, it’s going to be fun in the end.

Keep an eye on this space or any of the many places you can find me out in the virtual world to find out when Unfinished Muse goes on sale. Better yet, add yourself to my newsletter and find out before anyone else!

Now I’m off to work on book two, Unamused Muse. I’ve already got the cover, so I should probably get back to work.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Demonic Adventures in Wichita

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

So, yesterday, book five of my Monster Haven series came out. Demons in My Driveway is out in the world. Yay!

That’s not what I came to talk about today, though. Oh, by all means—if you’ve been reading this series, go now! Hurry! Grab it! And if you haven’t started the series yet, now is a perfect time to start. The first book, Monster in My Closet, is on sale for $0.99 for another week or so.

Ah. No stress.

Nope. I want to tell you what I did last week. I went away. (It’s okay if you didn’t notice I was gone. I’ve been really quiet lately. It’s cool.) My husband and I went to a town on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas, and rented an Internet-less cabin in the woods. And we wrote. A lot.

S'mores action shot! Kapow!

I’ve got to turn in book six, Phoenix in My Fortune, in two weeks, you see. I needed a stress-free zone. Most mornings we had coffee on the screened-in porch, overlooking a river on two sides. We named a few of the squirrels, though they didn’t hold still long enough for the names to stick. We rejoiced in our foresight in bringing our binoculars and were filled with regret that we didn’t bring the bird book so we could identify the birds we couldn’t name.

And in the middle of the week, I traipsed off by myself into a strange city to meet a bunch of strangers at night.

A wonderful group of women, the Bitchin’ Book Club of Wichita took me out to dinner. You guys,

This is most of the BBC ladies. And me!

they had presents for me. Really thoughtful presents. I now have a framed, tatted-lace Bruce the pygmy dragon. I have a quilted purse with my book covers on it. Crocheted earrings made around pop tabs. Sparkling wine. Jars of tasty jams. Seriously. I felt so incredibly spoiled and important.

I signed books. I laughed. I ate. And I worried my husband because I got back so late. Are all book clubs that awesome? If they are, I suggest you all find one if you don’t already belong. Aside from being thoroughly spoiled and treated like a celebrity, I snagged a whole lot of excellent book recommendations.

They want me to come back next week. Too bad I still have work to do. I hate that I’m missing roller derby.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Postcards from Monster Haven

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

I can't believe I'm saying this already, but book four of the Monster Haven series, Golem in My Glovebox, came out earlier this week. Seriously. That's insane. It's all happened so fast. And developmental edits are coming in next week for book five, then the following week I start writing book six.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Most days, I feel like a big lazy slug who doesn't do any work. Then I look back at the last two years and I can't believe all that's happened.

Maybe that means I need to work even harder. Hmm.

Anyway. Book four, Golem in My Glovebox, is a road trip book. Zoey finally gets out of Northern California and sees something new. Over the past few weeks, I posted some postcards of her trip on my Facebook page. I thought it might be nice to put them all up together here to give you an idea of what's in store for our wardrobe-challenged heroine and her reaper boyfriend.

These are actual places from the story in the order they're visited. Zoey and Riley are in for a wild ride. (Click on the pictures to read the messages from Zoey.)

Center of the contiguous United States, home of the Hidden government. Of course you can't see it! It's disguised by a time-loop bubble. As you can see by the note, Zoey thinks she'll be home soon. Ha!

What's better than spray painting ten nose-deep Cadillacs in the middle of nowhere? Finding a dead body there. Just across town is the Bug ranch, where someone duplicated this marvel of modern art with five VW Beetles. Zoey still thinks she'll be home in a few days. Bless her heart.

Bright lights. Live entertainment. Kitschy museums. And the Leprechaun Mafia with a new scam. Those guys are so slimy. Poor Zoey doesn't even realize she's now driving away from home.

There are entire websites dedicated to the exploration of defunct amusement parks. When I watched a video of this place, made years after it was closed down, I knew Zoey needed to go. In the dark. With the bad guy laughing from inside concrete caves with peeling paint. Will Zoey even make it home?

For better or worse, this is where it all leads. If you've been reading the books so far, you might know what's so important about this location. Will Zoey get everything she's been longing for? Will she be in time? Will she be able to save anyone, including herself?

Join us on the long trip. Misery loves company! Visit with old friends, meet a bunch of new ones, and see some of the stranger parts of America. Golem in My Glovebox is on sale now wherever digital books are sold.

Rachel's head is packed with an outrageous amount of useless Disney trivia. She is terrified of thunder, but not of lightning, and sometimes recites the Disneyland dedication speech during storms to keep herself calm. She finds it appalling that nobody from Disney has called yet with her castle move-in date.

Originally from Northern California, she has a tendency to move every few years, resulting in a total of seven different states and a six-year stint in England. Currently, she's living in the Heartland, planning her next grand adventure. Rachel has one heroic husband, two grown kids, a crazy-catlady starter kit, and an imaginary dog named Waffles.

She doesn't have time for a real dog.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Win-A-Book Wednesday with R.L. Naquin

Posted by: Jax Garren

R.L. Naquin

Rachel’s head is packed with an outrageous amount of useless Disney trivia. She's terrified of thunder, but not of lightning, and often recites the Disneyland dedication speech during storms to keep herself calm. She finds it appalling that nobody from Disney has called yet with her castle move-in date.

Originally from Northern California, she has a tendency to move every few years, resulting in seven different states and a six-year stint in England. Currently, she’s planning her next grand adventure. Rachel has one heroic husband, two grown kids, a crazy-catlady starter kit, and an imaginary dog named Waffles.

She doesn’t have time for a real dog.

Golem in My Glovebox A Monster Haven Story (Book 4)

In her role as Aegis, Zoey Donovan has rescued and cared for hundreds of monsters and mythical creatures. Now humans are the ones in need of her help. Someone with a personal vendetta against the Board of Hidden Affairs has kidnapped all the other Aegises in the country—including Zoey's mother.

With the Hidden government in shambles and a string of deadly clues to follow, Zoey and her reaper boyfriend set out on a cross-country chase to stop the kidnapper from killing the captured Aegises. Along the way, they pick up a miniature golem who's on a quest to find his humanity…and may be the key to solving the grisly clues.

If Zoey succeeds in defeating this new evil, she'll finally be reunited with the mother she lost over twenty years ago. But if she fails, she'll become the final victim. (80,000 words)

***

This is the latest installment in the adventures of Zoey Donovan. Golem is a little different from the previous three, since it takes place on a road trip across America instead of in her home town. It comes out Monday, April 21st, so you can win it while it's still shiny and new. The virtual ink won't even be dry yet!

But you know what? If you haven't read the previous books in the series, you can choose any one of those instead. The first one, Monster in My Closet, is on sale for $0.99 until Saturday, April 19th, in case you want to start catching up right away. Lots of options. I'm flexible. Well, not like I was flexible when I was younger. I'd rather not pull a muscle.

But I totally will if it'll make you happy.

Thanks for stopping by and entering!

Rachel

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Out of Order!

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

My whole life, I have lived in ignorance of the ways of others. In fact, I didn’t even know such things were possible.

People read books out of series order.

Seriously? We’re allowed to do that? I thought there was some kind of law. No?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a book that looked really good, but it was the second or third in its series. The first book was nowhere to be found. With a sad heart and a full wallet, I put the book back on the shelf.

Golem in My Glovebox, book four of my Monster Haven series, comes out next month. Writing a longer series has forced me to really think about this idea of reading out of order. Sometimes I see reviews of book two or three and people say they really liked it, so they went back and read the rest of the series.

I’m thrilled! I’m grateful! I’m so pleased they liked the book all on its own! But I still don’t understand how the books were acquired this way. They’re digital, so anywhere someone got book two or three, they could’ve bought book one instead.

I’m not complaining. Honest. I’m trying to understand. I’m also kind of mourning all those books past-Rachel put back on the shelf and never read because of a deeply held belief that if you read out of order, demons will eat your soul.

Mine aren’t meant to be stand-alone books, so it worries me. Yes, you can read them alone, but they’re written with a story arc that goes chronologically through the books and grows in tension with each one until the finale of the last book. It seems to me that book one would feel kind of wimpy and disconnected if you started with book three.

And yet, it seems to work for some people. I’m wondering if I’m trying too hard to build tension in increments. Or if maybe I should write less books in my next series. Or if maybe I should stop taking the whole thing so seriously and just chill. My readers are awesome. They’re chill. I should be chill.

But what about reviewers? With book four coming out, I hesitate to go on a blog tour and try to attract new reviewers—book four is a terrible place to bring someone in. We’re more than halfway. How can they possibly like the book if they don’t know how the characters got to that point from the previous three books?

I’m at a loss. Do any of you read books out of order? Does it work? Are you still satisfied?

Should I try it?

Hang out with her here: Website Blog Facebook Twitter

Buy her books here: Amazon B&N Carina Press

Monday, March 3, 2014

Here Be News

Posted by: Unknown

New Releases

Master of the Opera, Act 5: A Haunting Duet

In the fifth erotically charged installment of Jeffe Kennedy’s scorching Master of the Opera, a daring young woman follows her reckless desire for the perfect lover-to the point of no return. . .
He is more than just the man of her dreams. He is the master of her destiny. A mysterious masked stranger who haunts the darkened tunnels beneath the Sante Fe Opera House, the Master is like no other lover Christy has ever known. He has lured the beautiful intern to the very brink of ecstasy-and beyond. He has pushed the boundaries of her sensuality and tested the limits of her passion. But now the Master wants more. If Christy accepts his challenge, she must be willing to go further than she’s ever gone. She must surrender to his every desire. She must submit to his every command. She must expose herself body and soul-or bear the scars of a broken heart forever. . .
Tonight is the night she must make a choice: to free herself from one man’s obsession. . .or bind herself to him for life.

Buy

Cover Reveals

A Monster Haven Story, book 4

In her role as Aegis, Zoey Donovan has rescued and cared for hundreds of monsters and mythical creatures. Now humans are the ones in need of her help. Someone with a personal vendetta against the Board of Hidden Affairs has kidnapped all the other Aegises in the country—including Zoey's mother.

With the Hidden government in shambles and a string of deadly clues to follow, Zoey and her reaper boyfriend set out on a cross-country chase to stop the kidnapper from killing the captured Aegises. Along the way, they pick up a miniature golem who's on a quest to find his humanity…and may be the key to solving the grisly clues.

If Zoey succeeds in defeating this new evil, she'll finally be reunited with the mother she lost over twenty years ago. But if she fails, she'll become the final victim.

Coming April 21, 2014. Pre-order: Amazon B&N

Pulling a chariot for the goddess Freya is no picnic, but Hall and Avarr don't mind protecting her from all harm. They're waiting because they've been promised a rich reward for their loyalty—Eira, a stubborn valkyrie who drives them to distraction. Unfortunately, they’ve been told they can't have her until they're ready. And they've been ready for fifty years.

Eira is disappointed that Freya's huge guards are so dull. They won't fight, they barely talk, and to her knowledge they've never used a bow or spear. It's embarrassing, and such a waste of two such mighty specimens. But when she spies them having at each other, suddenly they're not so boring. Or embarrassing. They’re freakin’ hot. When they unleash an enormous rage on Freya’s enemies, proving they really are the bad-asses of legend, she’s not sure that boring is bad. Because they’ve set their sights on her. And battle cats have been known to toy with their prey…for an eternity.

Beasts of Burden Available May 2014 from Fated Desires

Coming April 7, 2014
from Carina Press
Read the first 2 chapters &
pre-order here!

Twisted Miracles by A.J. Larrieu
First in a new urban fantasy series: The Shadowminds - Book 1

Cass Weatherfield's powers come with a deadly price.

Cass knows it was her telekinetic gift that killed a college classmate five years back, even if no one else believes her. She's lived in hiding from her fellow shadowminds ever since, plagued by guilt and suppressing her abilities with sedatives. Until the night her past walks back into her life in the form of sexy Shane Tanner, the ex-boyfriend who trained her…and the one she left without saying goodbye.

When Shane tells her that his twin sister, Mina—Cass's childhood friend—is missing, Cass vows to help, which means returning to New Orleans to use her dangerous skills in the search. But finding Mina only leads to darker questions. As Cass and Shane race to learn who is targeting shadowminds, they find themselves drawn to each other, body and soul. Just as their powerful intimacy reignites, events take a terrifying turn, and Cass realizes that to save the people she loves, she must embrace the powers that ruined her life.

Group Announcements

Here Be Magic contributor Veronica Scott's first "Sci-Fi Encounters" column for the USA today/Happily Ever After blog has now been published and will be appearing at HEA on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. Veronica plans to talk about science-fiction and fantasy (SF&F) romances (with a little paranormal thrown in from time to time). She’s thrilled about the opportunity to give a "signal boost" to SF&F romance of all kinds. She’ll provide a mix of news, author Q&As, reviews and reader views. For her first column Veronica interviewed best selling SFR author S.E. Smith and featured five books including Fighting Cat (Carina Press) by P. J. Schnyder.

Win-A-Book Wednesday Winner

Congratulations to Erin, the winner of last week's Win-a-Book Wednesday! Seleste DeLaney will be contacting you soon about your prize.

This Wednesday we'll have another mystery giveaway; stop by for more chances to win!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Throw Me a Life Preserver

Posted by: R.L. Naquin

Now that I’m writing book five of a six-book series, I’ve discovered a problem. It’s not a plot problem, exactly, because I’ve known the complete story for some time now. It’s not that I’m bored with the series, though—sure—some days are a little slower for me than others. It’s not a fear of disappointing my readers or finishing the series and never writing anything people like again. Those problems might show up later, but right now, it’s cool. I got this.

No. The problem I’m having right now is sort of an embarrassment of riches.

I’m drowning in characters.

I love my characters. Readers tell me they love my characters. Reviewers who weren’t in love with the plot often said they love my characters. But with each book, new characters have entered the already crowded world and made themselves important.

I’m on book five, folks. Demons in My Driveway. There’s only one left after this. Half my cast is standing around backstage, waiting for their cues. How can I give them each enough page time to complete their arcs? How can I keep all the most-loved players front and center when the pace of the story is moving too quickly for the character-building tea breaks and heart-felt talks on the front porch?

To make matters more complicated, writing book five isn’t like writing all the previous books. I’m not working on just one book. Book five is more like the first half of a two-part finale. The scope is so much larger. And I’m painfully aware that I really do have to start wrapping up all the storylines I started so many books ago.

This has all been Zoey’s journey. But part of Zoey’s journey was picking up new friends and family everywhere she went. That’s her thing. And it’s caused a huge headache for me. Every scene, it seems, I have to figure out where everybody is. If she’s home, who’s sleeping in which bedroom or tent? This includes monsters in closets and under beds—which closet and whose bed?

I’ve been sorely tempted to whip out a box of LEGO mini-figures so I could stage it all. People are everywhere. Creatures are everywhere. And as the danger increases—as it must—more people of all different types rally to Zoey’s aid, creating further crowding.

Zoey and I are drowning.

So, maybe some of the characters won’t get as much time on screen after this. But I did discover something I can do about it. I’ve started writing short stories in Zoey’s world. It helps me spend a little more time with Zoey and her friends without the pressure of the world coming to an end. So far, I’ve put out two short stories, “Ill-Conceived Magic” and “Hidden Holidays.” A few more are coming. In fact, I’ve got my eye on a whole group of people from the upcoming book four, Golem in My Glovebox. Characters who were that much fun to write deserve more than a chapter and a half. They might even get their own novella.

So, that’s my solution. Keep the plot moving forward and write short stories to keep the characters from feeling slighted. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’ll get me to the end of the series.

And who knows…maybe someday I'll write a spinoff.