Last month I officially wrapped up the Born of Shadows Series. What started six years ago as a trilogy turned into five books, three of which I wrote in the last year. It was definitely a journey and in the end hardly resembled my expectations when I first started writing Ula. For instance, I had intended the book to be a psychological thriller – not a fantasy. I also thought it would be a stand-alone book, not a five-book series. I originally published Ula with a small publisher and then a year ago got the rights back so that I could follow the indie path instead. The characters changed, the story arc changed and perhaps most shocking of all was the ending, which I did not foresee until I was writing it. It’s amazing how our books take on a life of their own and much like our own lives are filled with unexpected twists that even we, the authors, cannot predict. I love the mystery that is as prevalent in writing as it is in my everyday life. It’s a reminder to me that I do not know, that I cannot know, and that it’s okay not to know. It’s preferable in fact. If I believe I have it all figured out, where is the discovery, the adventure?
I’m forty-thousand words into my next book which is currently without a title, a cover, or a clear ending. I’m peeling back the layers each morning and excited to be embarking on a new series – very different than the Born of Shadows. I’m writing now about the Northern Michigan Asylum – my fictionalized creation of it anyway. It’s a real place, a beautiful Gothic, spooky place filled with towering oak trees and eerie buildings. I often take my son there to play on the sprawling grounds, which has been partially renovated. You can see a picture of the grounds at the top of my post. I’ll keep you updated with things I learn along the way and I’d love to hear from you if you have any asylum stories to share. I’ll leave it at that for updates. I’m just sitting down to listen to an Interlochen Public Radio show about the asylum and hoping to learn some new insights to weave into the upcoming book. Thanks for reading!
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