Wow, two blog posts one a month. This is a new record.
I’ve been working on a new series. I’m calling it urban fantasy but really there is so much more to it than that. It’s a relic hunter fantasy/thriller. Lots of action and paranormal elements with the ultimate Good vs Evil. I call it Indiana Jones meets X-Men with a main character who is after five Holy Relics. It’s a 5-book series, plus I have ideas for what I’m calling origin stories that will be companion novellas to the bigger books.
Now that you’re all excited about this new series, you’re probably wondering when book one is coming out.
Well, that’s the kicker. I’ve been struggling with what to do with the books. While I love indie publishing because it gives me all the control (and I’m kind of a control freak), the reality is it’s expensive to produce one book, not to mention five. Sadly, the royalties aren’t there for me to re-invest in the books or I would do that. I could go with a small press, but I’ve been down that road and one burned me so bad I’m still trying to recover. I’m considering traditional publishing, which I know will be a difficult, hard road but it’s what I’ve wanted for a long time and I’m not ready to give it up yet. (Please don’t try to convince me otherwise; I know what I want and I think this series is “the one.”)
While I query agents, there’s no reason to sit around and wait for things to happen. Right? I have to keep on keeping on.
After I finished revising book one last fall, I had a crazy idea to write all five books from start to finish. I finished book two in February. Book three is underway which I’m trying to finish by the end of June. If all goes according to plan, I will have all five books completed by the end of the year.
Whew. That’s a lot of writing as the length of the books are 90-100k.
While each book features a quest for a relic and that storyline is resolved, there is an overall story/character arc that starts in book one and finishes in book five. So, essentially, a continuing story. I think it’ll be well worth the wait for readers to release the books one right after another instead of months, even a year, between books. Provided, of course, it works out that way. It’s all a crapshoot.
All this to say there may not be any books released this year while I work on the series. I have a paranormal romance hanging round I’ve considered releasing, but it’s the first book in a trilogy and I don’t want to release it without having at least the second book close to being done. I have backlisted books I want to re-release but they all need heavy revision, which takes time and since I eventually have to sleep, I have to pick what to work on. And there is the cost to consider as well. I hate I have to think about that, but it is what it is.
So, onward! Because, after starting the book five years ago, I really want to get them in the hands of readers. You’re going to love them.
