I am so excited to finally start talking to you all about my latest book! It’s with my editors now, and I should have a cover reveal really soon <3 In fact, if all goes to plan, I’ll be releasing it this month! For now, I want to share some thoughts about it.
Most of my series are meant to be pure escapist entertainment. I set out to make them as easy to read as possible so that my readers can just relax and enjoy them.
And then I wrote the second Blades of Janus book.
Let me be clear right off the bat. I adore this series, this world, and especially this book. From the feedback I’m getting, it’s my best writing, best plotting, and best world-building yet.
I think this book will really pull people into the world of the Blades. In that way, it is escapist and entertaining. But it’s not as easy to read as most of my other works. There’s a lot to remember, and I can easily imagine people re-reading the series to pick up threads that I’m weaving into the story. Lots of threads.
The plot is layered with conflict and the characters are really complex. Like seriously, even they have trouble keeping track of…certain aspects of the story.
While I was writing it, that bothered me a lot. My characters are confused and have trouble tracking things. It’s important to their arcs, to the plot, and for making the story believable overall. When you read it, you’ll see what I’m talking about 🙂
Let me say that again, though. My characters have to be confused about certain things in order for the book to make sense.
During the first draft, I kept wondering how the heck I was supposed to write it so that my readers wouldn’t be confused as well?
I finally realized that I had to be okay with the readers sharing the characters’ confusion at certain points. I couldn’t just explain everything that was happening in advance. That would have spoiled everything! I’m trusting that my readers will stick with it to see how it all makes sense in the end (and it will <3 ).
The book itself is very clear. It’s my best writing because it had to be. But it’s not a “read it, let out a sigh, and move on with your life” kind of book. I expect this story to stay with people for a while. I expect readers to have questions about the book, just like they had for Pack (yes, I do know what a “curator” is, and no, I’m not telling you…yet 😉 ).
This is, in short, a “thinky” book.
Some readers will love it. Others…not so much, especially if they’re comparing it to my other works. It’s still very much a Romance novel, but Urban Fantasy fans and readers who enjoy high concept Scifi will enjoy it just as much, if not more.
There are weird things in this book. Weirder than spider-headed zombies or alien parasites turning people into werewolves. Ideas that my early readers say they’ve never encountered before.
I’m proud of that. This is my unique take on fairies, viewed through a Scifi lens, and always always always presented in the context of a romance.
I hope you all love it as much as I do. And I’m absolutely here for your questions 🙂
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Need to catch up? Don’t forget to start with the first Blades of Janus novel, Pack <3
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