Melding Three books... or were they three?

Novellas, that is my novellas, aren't exactly sweet, but they don't have spice, as there isn't room to have character and plot development, without sticking to the closed door. 

Below are the three novellas in a paranormal series, Mystic Shadows. They are connected by secondary characters, mysticism and an eventual common goal as they look to the unknown. As romances, each has a different couple dealing with not only finding love, but what else is going on out there?

The first of these novellas was When Fates Conspire. It came out of a dream, with needed additions as I decided what would it take to make a satisfying story. Two star-crossed couples, spirit guides, and the mystery of what life might be. It would appear at first to be a tragedy but is it? Can't be if it's a romance. Can the power of the Divine fix what has gone wrong-- and even more, why would it get involved? 

All three novellas are set in the ranching country of Montana, one of my favorite places and where I have spent time when I can.

The idea for the second novella came out of the tragedy that left a mother to run a big ranch and deal with her loss. The story also carries on the earlier couple, some Native American history, and delves into how when someone is reincarnated (in a rather unusual way), what memories might they carry with them. That led to: The Dark of the Moon.  

Although these books are all contemporary fantasy, they are set with real people except-- something extra. The romance in this one gives the mother a chance for her own happy ending with a cowboy, who has rather unusual gifts-- but they are beneficial if he is also a detective.

Would that be the last novella? It turned out another story came to me that encompassed the reason for the rest. Besides magical, was it also science? There were a mix of things I have been told by those who see more of the other side than I do. For much of my life, I have read about mystical experiences. Some have been related to traditional religions. Others, not so much. 

Exploring that led to the third novella with the mysteries of earth and spirit. Storm in the Canyon had a most unusual hero and heroine. That is another plus for a writer. Could it actually happen? Does it matter for a fantasy romance, a paranormal? It is about what can the imagination create. With my own thinking of possibilities, and my luck of being married to a science guy, it came together. 

Three novellas was how it stayed for a month or so, until I began to think I'd like these characters to experience full physical relationships. It took a few months to make the stories into one book, with chapters and those three romances. 

One of the fun things for a writer is the ability to do something like this. An independent writer only has to please themselves and their editors. It has bothered me some that these end up being three novellas and one novel, but with the same basic stories. I enjoyed creating a new cover for that novel, using one couple, but none I'd used before.

So, next blog will have more about how that novel came into being and what that took.

 Couple images were purchased from Romance Novel Covers and Deposit Photos. Backgrounds were our photos and Stencil.

From Where Does it Come?

 

Image from Stencil

 

Before starting to write this blog, I tried to think what was needed. Should I go into what I, myself, have experienced from the other side, leading to deciding to write paranormal stories? Does any reader really care about that but instead just want a good story? If people are interested in mysticism, does it have to be of a religion, for which they are comfortable? Keep in mind that the religions, I know anything about, all have mystical aspects to them. Some probably more than others. But, it's a mysticism that people have grown up thinking is okay.

My mystical books have elements of 'magic' that some might be comfortable with-- if it is in their religion, under authority that makes them comfortable.

So, where did I get the mysticism about which I have written? Some is what I have experienced or been told about from others. In Mystic Shadows, my characters are from the earth or spirit. 

In these books, it is all imaginary for their stories. The first time I wrote a book, that had a spirit connection, was Sky Daughter and likely in the early 90s for its first draft. I had a monster. When I got to where I had to decide if it was to be someone's delusion or was it real, I spent some time deciding?

Because I do a lot of research for my books (all of them), I found books from those who had experienced scary experiences of what they believed had been monsters. They claimed what they saw and had impacted them were real experiences. If someone goes to YouTube today, you can find more such, claimed experiences..

Is what we see, or think we see, all there is out there? You know there are plenty saying even aliens have been and are being impacting human life. No aliens in my books though. 

What Diablo Canyon ends up being is one long book with three romantic couples dealing with a world beyond their expectations. They were each in their own novellas, then secondary characters in the next books.

It was a couple of months later, when I decided I wanted these couples to have the spice, for which the novellas did not have room. Can I complicate my writer life any more? Likely not, but you write what comes to you.

How though do I put one couple on the cover? I think to have all three there would be complicated. How about if I used the couple from the last story? I would say it has one of the more complicated stories, but actually, the first qualifies as that also, given it began with one of my dreams, a very significant dream. More on that later maybe *s* 

The first image from Stencil is the peaceful side of what might be. It is not the only possibility though, as those who delve into the dark side know (from Deposit Photos)..