Blood Alliance

 

While organized and structured in almost every aspect of my life, I am rather undisciplined and more free-form in my writing. 

Just typing that is a shock to my system, but it is true.

I actually do not even have a writing process. 

My novels typically evolve once a single character has formed in my mind. I can spend weeks and months allowing that character and others to develop. From them, the storyline unfolds. By the time I am ready to begin typing, the personalities and temperaments, as well as the backstories are as known and natural to me as my own. Further, I have a general idea of the overall plot, although I may not be exactly certain how the characters and I will get there. 

There is satisfaction and pleasure in having the characters reveal themselves through dialogue, thought, and action. As well as I think I know them, they constantly surprise me, often taking me through scenes and interactions necessary to help them evolve that I had not even considered. For the most part, the characters dictate the story because they seem to know better than I do the catalysts which are required to forge them.  

Apparently, this is contrary to how books and articles advise one to proceed with the writing process. I am told there should be outlines breaking down the story into several formulaic parts to maintain a certain pace to keep the reader's interest, etc.

I am not knocking any of it, not in the least, especially as I have not yet made any of the bestseller lists. 

As a stickler for structure and systems in all other parts of my life, it surprises me that with my writing, I let my hair down and allow my imagination free reign to do what it will. 

Out of all the stories I have written, both published and unpublished, this one was different. 

Instead of spending weeks and months allowing the characters and story to evolve, I simply dreamed a dream on a Saturday night. When I woke that Sunday morning, I could not shake the images or movie from my mind. The characters came to me mostly formed with a cohesive and nearly complete storyline. I debated with myself that entire morning about what to do with it because I was halfway through a two-book manuscript I needed to finish (Sea Wolf), and I hated to start a new project before completing an existing one. 

By noon, I literally told myself "What the hell," sat down at my laptop, and began writing. 

By midnight, I was all in. 

Taking a week off from work, I wrote every day, all day, and late into the night. Several mornings, I woke before four and could not sleep, so I went upstairs and continued to write until late in the evenings.

By six on that Friday evening, I had over 70,000 words and what I thought was a complete rough draft of a manuscript. 

I had never written an entire book, straight through, in less than a week before. 

Life intervened. The day job once again consumed most of my daily attention and the holidays came and went. Months passed and the entire project had gone completely cold, as my mind began developing new characters and a completely different story (Silent Requiem). 

Ultimately, I returned to the draft and read through it. 

To my surprise, I loved it, even more than I had when I wrote it. 

I read it again. Delight and excitement filled me. 

It needed careful editing because as quickly as I type, my fingers cannot maintain pace with my brain, and I tend to skip words. 

I edited the draft several times, then I printed off a copy to edit again and asked the husband to check the spelling and grammar before sending it off for more editing.  

Two months ago, my good friend and editor gave me her corrections and told me: "The last forty pages are rushed. Re-write them."

She was right.

I did, then added a few more chapters before editing it several more times. 

Now, here we are. 

Emerson Kimball is an accomplished young woman. In addition to being a seasoned criminal defense attorney, she is an aspiring author with a traumatic and unsavory past that continues to threaten her. She has spent her life trying to free herself from the expectations of her powerful father and the dark burden of his name. However, when one man brutally attacks her and another seeks to own her, she finds safety in the gilded cage of her controlling family. Rebuilding her life and following her dreams once again, a chance encounter leads her right back into the folds of her dangerous family.

Dominic Salazar left the seedy underworld of the boroughs to carve a new life and empire in the fresh air and under the blue skies of Texas with his brother and nephew. Despite their success, the congenital curse which took his mother now threatens to claim his beloved brother Sebastian. Forced to act on Baz's behalf, Dom is set on a path where his world collides with Emerson's, and he must face the ghosts of his past, including the sins of his father, to evolve into the man he was destined to be. 

Of course, I still need to get back to the project (Sea Wolf I and II) that was underway when this one interrupted it; however, two more storylines (Silent Requiem and Terlingua) with complex and intriguing, as well as provocative, characters have also presented themselves. 

While I have yet to construct any outlines (because I do not do outlines), I have been making notes. 

I also have the cover art for the next four books:

Alas, there is much more to come. 

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy "Blood Alliance" as it is now available on Kindle and paperback.