It has been
forever since my last ‘real’ blog post – I apologize. My life has been in
transition recently, in a good way. I am now officially a full time author!!!
Happy Dance!!! This is honestly a dream come true!
Beyond this transition I have been completely
consumed with writing and plotting and pushing to get the next chapter of this
'Web of Hearts and Souls' story out.
It never crossed my mind to name any of my
series. I simply called one the Insight Series and the other the See series (and
very soon I will have one called the Rivulet series). And trust me there are
more to come.
Web of Hearts and Souls is the best way I
can explain how each of my series connect with each other.
It dawned on me as I was answering a few
FB posts and reading comments, that my master plan or how all these works
connect may not be clear to my readers.
I have also figured out I have Insight
readers, and I have See readers, then I have readers who read both. And what is
so awesome about them is each of those fractions of readers walk away from the
story differently. And I LOVE that.
There are also lingering questions, such
as: “do I have to read one series to understand the other?” or “Is Enflame the
last Insight novel?”
To answer the first: no. You can easily read
one series and not feel that you are missing any part of the story. But, when you
read them combination with the other, you give yourself a wider view, one that
allows you to see how each character has been weaved together by fate. So, if
one character makes an off the wall comment like this conversation in SEE …
“So where’s your friend Austin anyway?” I
asked, trying to change the subject.
“Home, I think. Maybe traveling,” he said,
trying not to smile.
“Home is the UK?” I asked.
He shook his head no. “We met him here almost
three years ago. We were writing one night, and…and well, he kinda just showed
up.”
“Just showed up?” I asked, glancing at him, not
understanding.
“We were ‘writing’ really loud – lots of
energy,” Draven said with a wink.
If you were an Insight reader, your brows
might raise and you might say to yourself, ‘Austin … do I know an Austin? … a
guy just showed up when a lot of energy was produced … hmmm?’ And as the
conversation moves forward and you hear that Austin ‘travels’ a lot and that he
has to face ‘storms’ you may at that point have an ‘Aha!’ moment, and think “what
if that guy is from Chara? What if he travels through the strings? – how is
this going to connect?” Later you might notice little things that would lead
you to link with Insight such as, when Landen is mentioned, or when Madison
speaks of her dreams … you would be looking for associations to that story as
you fall into a new one.
But, if you were just a See reader you
would find yourself witnessing a simple, basic scene where a young couple was
getting to know one another. (Love the “getting to know you” parts!)
The same is true if you were only an Insight
reader and were casually reading along and came across this conversation in
VITAL book four of INSIGHT…
“Do you know who that is?” I asked curiously.
He nodded, “That’s Austin.”
“Austin?”
“Remember when we were looking through your
paintings that were saved from the fire at your old house, like when all this
started, and I told you that one of them reminded me of Austin’s soul mate?”
I furrowed my brow, trying to recall it; I had
been through so much, it took me a moment.
“I think so. Is he a traveler? I thought you
said then that you had to help him bring that girl home that I painted?”
“He’s a traveler. He usually travels to the
dimensions that are really far away. He just wanted our help then because of
the storms. Travelers seem to take a lot of extra precautions when they bring
home their own soul mates,” Marc said, pulling Stella to him and grinning
slightly.
If you were just an Insight reader you may
think this was just down time in the novel— building toward a conflict, but if
you had read the See series you might be screaming at Willow at that point
telling her to find Austin – Austin is one of the answers she’d
been relentlessly searching for.
(If there is one thing my characters have
taught me it is the rule of ‘one degree of separation.’ At all times you
already know one person that will lead you to your dreams/ desires. You just
have to open your eyes and ask the right questions.)
I will admit that the two series, much like the
third that will be out in a few months, are completely different. Insight
begins as a sweet story with a hint of fantasy that becomes a reality—it builds
toward darkness.
See is more urban, set in a teen life with teen
issues, in a dark way (Jamie Magee dark way that is) and moves forward toward
that sweet fantasy. At least this is where I am at with both series.
The second question: no. Enflame is not the
last Insight book. I almost see it as a peek in the climax of the series (even
though I have no idea how many novels will conclude this story). Willow and
Landen have been building toward darkness, they have slipped away from who they
are. It’s gotten dark, really dark and that is just not their style, so I see
an awakening for the couple as they face the last of their trials. They will
have to find one another once again. They need a chance to discover each other all
over again.
Now, I’m ready to really confuse you. This ‘Web
of Hearts and Souls’ at this time (the characters surprise me every day), will
have eight combining series—and possibly a few other spin offs.
Where do I get that number from?—how does an
author that never plots have this inside information? Simple, there are seven
deadly emotions that must be conquered to reach a new “world order” in this
story of mine.
Seven deadly emotions
• Anger
• Grief
• Fear
• Shock
• Worry
• Obsession
• Joy
And each of these emotions has
a story behind them, a web of spells and past lives that must be unraveled in
order for the characters to rise to their fate.
The girls/ couples will discover, as
Charlie unraveled recently, they have five shots to take down current
Sovereigns or rather Master Escorts.
They have to conquer these battles in
order, if not they will fail. The issue is that some of these feats have been
accomplished in past lives.
For example, the only remaining
challenge Willow and Landen have is to eliminate Donalt the king of fear. Their
issue is that in past lives they have blindly entangled themselves in their
strives to reach their fate. Donalt never died so he knew exactly what debts
were in place. Landen and Willow began every life blind. So now, before they
can strike him, they must over come the curse of ‘eight beyond the sun and the
moon.’ (among other issues)
Where as Charlie is just beginning her path,
she has only recently discovered whom she is fighting, the why is still
unclear.
I do not see each series connecting as deeply
as Insight and See did with Book 5 Insight – VINDICATE and Book 3 See—SYNERGY.
However, in some way they will all know each other.
Some of the connections are apparent at this juncture;
others will be clearer once the next three series in this web are released to
the readers.(Which will happen before spring of 2014.)
Seven deadly emotions
• Anger ~ TBA
(she is a feisty one!)
• Grief ~
Indiana Genevieve Falcon// Rivulet Series
• Fear ~ Willow
and Landen // Insight series
• Shock ~
Charlie // See Series
• Worry ~
Skylynn
• Obsession ~
Madison
• Joy ~ TBA (
this girl already has my head spinning!)
• And of course
the couple that will rule all of these fated Sovereigns – a guiding light
if you will.
What is mind blowing to me are
the lessons these characters have taught me. Willow was my first character, so
to have Charlie see her in a dim light, one that was not favorable, for me was
an awakening. I knew that I understood Willow the way my readers did – we heard
her thoughts not just her words. Where as Charlie only saw actions and heard
what actually came out of her mouth, which gave us a different side of Willow.
Same is true for Madison. We only see
what others think of her at this point. We have no idea what she is thinking or
why she has said the things she has said. The same is true of Skylynn and
Silas, they may even be seen as the ‘bad guys’ at this point. But as I walk
their path with them I perceive them differently. Their actions have purpose
and do not seem selfish or even cold.
(Really makes me think how this could
be true in my reality – how often have I perceived someone differently from
what they are – how many times have I passed judgment on someone before I took
time to understand their actions or the reason behind them.)
Every author changes with every story
they write. I am no different. I have found myself stepping out of my comfort
zone. Madison’s story will be told from two points of view (at least the first story
is) as well as Insight 7. I see the stories behind anger and joy being told
from a third person POV.
Which leads back to the very first
question. No you do not have to read all of them to understand the other.
There very well may be a couple you
do not care for, or the story may be told from a point of view or from a
different world which you would not prefer.
Some of these stories are set in
a fantasy setting, others deep in reality, some are haunting, some are
romantic, some are passionate, and some are sweet. Yet, they are all connected.
Much like we are in this reality.
So this is where I’m at, where I’ve
been, and where I’m heading.
