Crafting the perfect 'hunky demon slayer/ghost talker dude'

I had to take a hiatus from writing after the release of my last book "Spirited Away" for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons were because I was so exhausted, too dang busy at the day job, and (hangs head in shame) I had lost my writing mojo.

It happens occasionally to all writers, I think. The idea of picking up where I’d left off on my next manuscript — or any new story — struck me with a combination of writer’s block and dread, which was a sure sign I needed to take a break.

It’s interesting what can trigger creativity again. I mainly used my writing hiatus to do more reading (or listening, considering my reading these days comes courtesy of audiobooks) and movie watching, mostly thanks to Netflix. Nothing makes me want to write more than experiencing a good story, and I’ve been lucky to have found some good ones in both book and movie form lately.

For the past couple of months, I’ve actually been itching to get back to my unfinished manuscript. For anyone who has read my psychic detectives series, yes, this is Connor’s book. Almost every review “Spirited Away” has received has mentioned the “hunky demon slayer/ghost talker dude” who those readers are anxious to learn more about. Talk about pressure.

For those who haven't read my series, Connor Manning shows up in "Something Wicked," the second book in my psychic detectives series. More than a little mysterious, the leather-clad stranger hints that he's part of a secret society of psychics and it's obvious he has far more knowledge of the paranormal and supernatural than that book's heroine, who is a renowned psychic medium. Then Connor again shows up in "Spirited Away" when that book's main character, Spider, finds herself knee-deep in the middle of a paranormal mystery. Again, Connor saves the day without quite revealing who he really is. Plus, he wants something from the team of psychics I've already portrayed.

Connor is one of my favorite characters to write, and it feels good to be giving him his own story.  Yes, I'm a huge fan of "Supernatural," so Connor might bear a slight resemblance to what I imagine another long-lost Winchester brother would be like, although I have to be careful because I don't want to make him too much like either Sam or Dean. I want Connor to be as unique as I can make him given there are hundreds, maybe thousands of hunky demon slayer dudes in paranormal romance fiction, plus I want him to be awesome. So I'm taking my time with his story. I'm also exploring the secret society hinted at in the other books, which makes me all giddy and feel kind of powerful right now. Or, I might just be losing my mind, which is completely possible.

I have no idea if readers will like Connor's story; the book also isn't contracted, so I have no idea if my editor will want to publish the story, but I hope to finish it by the end of, oh, April, maybe? Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I sure am having fun Googling images of hot, young men to match the image of Connor that's in my head. Feel free to share who your favorite hunky demon slayer dude is in the comments. Pictures of hot dudes are also welcome. ;-)

***

Angela Campbell is the author of the psychic detectives series. Learn more about her and her books at www.AngelaCampbellOnline.com.