A circuitous path

By Rain Trueax

When I came to the background for the hero in Vislogus, the fourth Mystic Shadows book, I found the research particularly interesting as I always do when someone has been taught by Native American cultures. Mitch led quite a life, and mysticism was always part of it. By the time he comes into the book, he's become reclusive. He's a wolf shapeshifter, whose best friend is a wolf who can talk. Well, it's claimed Adolph is hybrid to make him legal to own. Mitch finds peace in shifting into an animal; danger is never far away whatever form he takes. Mitch's bio is below-- much of the sort that a writer must know but does not make it into a book.

what if

by Rain Trueax

This is the season where the leaves fall off the trees. Do they also reveal what is otherwise hidden? Do we want to know what that might be? I've written before about the fairy tale for adults angle of why write or read books with supernatural elements. It was the fun part of what these books offer-- magical beings and special powers. 

There is another side-- the scary side. Why do people go to horror films? They might like being scared and looking for a vicarious, safe experience to get the adrenaline rush. In literature, there is the popularity of Stephen King's books to recognize that wanting to be frightened has fans.

Fairy Tales for Grown Ups

by Rain Trueax

Recently during a good conversation about many things, a friend told me she was unwilling ever to read my paranormals. She has been supportive of my romances, but a world with demons and monsters was a bridge too far. My mind is much on these books since I finished the rough draft of my seventh in a series called Mystic Shadows.

I didn't ask her specifically about what she feared from them because that's her business. If she's uncomfortable with something, then that's enough reason. I can think of possible reasons she might have concerns, which led to this blog.

Inspiration

by Rain Trueax
 

For writers there is the constant consideration of -- write for the market or write from their own heart. Unless it's a hobby, making money at writing has to be a consideration. Sometimes a writer gets lucky and what the market already wants is what they enjoy writing-- definitely fortuitous. A writer might write to their own heart and hit a zeitgeist-- a time when the winds change, and they ride the first wave.  

This is on my mind today because I finished the rough draft for the last book for a series that hasn't found a market. These books are twice as long as some of the best selling books, where novellas are so popular. I could have written two or maybe three books in the same time. So why write longer books? Why not look at what is selling and try to create my own version of it? Why when I see that my historicals sell better, set a series in contemporary times?

There are reasons for all of that. Of course, one is the hope that this story from my heart will find readers who will love it as much as I have loved writing it.  It's kind of a weird thing how I put off writing more than a couple of chapters for over a year from when I had brought out the fourth in that series. I believe this was the right time for writing it. It's a better story than it would have been  if I'd jumped right in after the fourth. I learned things about the characters that I might've missed back then.

However, a delay like this is another of those no-no's if someone wants to sell books-- regular production is important to keep a market waiting for the next one. A year off and who but me cares that I am writing it now. That wasn't a question lol.