As promised...

Well, as promised I have new website and I'm creeping ever closer to the completion of a WIP which, I must confess, has been on-going for far longer than I anticipated.  But, life does manage to get in the way sometimes. While not using that as an excuse, it does offer an explanation, at least to family and friends who've been enduring my long-term efforts... somewhat.

This novel was originally intended as a stand-alone piece. But the characters, and my imagination didn't seem to agree with that intent, so in the coming entries to my blog, I'll try to explain my process, and change in attitude, toward the characters and stories of the good, gray and dark folks residing in Fortune's Gate. Let's begin,

On Creating A Series:

For my first novel, I decided on a main story that offered the reader a murder mystery. Yes, I know murder mysteries already fill the shelves of many a used bookstore.  But when writing a fantasy, especially dark fantasy, a simple whodunnit just isn't enough. Hence, the tagline "Magic, Murder and Mystery" entered my mind.

So, creating fantasy murder brings a whole set of ideas and problems with it..

         How do I keep it original (or, at least out of the norm)?
         Creating a killer worthy of the name.
         Providing a motive worth the risk.
         Writing a horrific series of murder scenes.

In the days ahead, I'll try breaking down these ideas and discussing the problems, without revealing, I hope, too much of the story.

So, come back if you'd like to see how a new guy handles the beginning of a series that was never intended. Perhaps you'll learn something, right or wrong, about creating your own series.

See you next time.