I haven’t given a writing update for a while because I was hoping to have a book cover first so that I can do a cover reveal, but I figured I might as well just go ahead without a book cover. (The picture to the left is just random. You can ignore it if you want).

I’m Currently Editing: Secrets (Crystal 6)

I sent it to my beta readers this morning so they should all get back to me within a week and then it can go for its final edit. It’s on schedule to release in August. But cover design is hard for this one. If anything is going to hold up publication it’ll be the cover design because we’re having a few issues with it.

You finally get Juda’s point of view in this book. You get into his head and see all his dark and confused thoughts. It’s not pretty. He’s tried to be a little sweet and romantic in previous books, but…well. Wait and see. I hope no one will be scared. Here’s the book description:

Two unlikely people. An undeniable passion. A devastating secret.

Two passions consume Crystal: vengeance over the SOT, and love for Juda. Nothing may ever come of either.

Juda feels connected to Crystal in a way he has never felt with anyone before. But a devastating secret holds him back. Crystal may be the most forgiving person he’s ever known, but even she would never forgive him if she finds out what he did.

Some things are best kept secret.

But can he live with himself if he doesn’t tell her?

I’m Currently writing: Nothing 🙁

I finished writing The Lincoln Manifesto on Tuesday, and I had so much fun writing it. But it’s been four days since then and I haven’t decided what to write next. Too many ideas, not enough time…

What is ‘The Lincoln Manifesto’ I hear you ask, lol. Well, it’s the first book in a new series that is set in the same world as the Crystal Series and the Beauty for Ashes series. In fact, I have ideas for three more series set in that world.

I’ve received a few messages from readers asking what’s next after the Crystal series. The Crystal series isn’t even all out yet? But it’s nice that people are already getting withdrawal symptoms at the prospect of it ending.

I have been thinking about what to release after it. All the Crystal series books have been written, so I’ve been brainstorming a couple of follow-on series.

Here’s the lowdown:

Idea 1 – A series of books about the Lincolns. The Lincoln Manifesto that I just finished writing is the prequel to that series. I can’t tell you who the Lincolns are because it’ll be a spoiler for something that is yet to be revealed in the Crystal series. But just think, Luke’s surname is Lincoln. So is Juda’s. (hint hint). This series will be standalone romance books, each with a bad boy main man. Think the current ‘billionaire bad boy’ trend in fiction.

Idea 2 – A team is set up by the FBI specifically to fight crime by craft practitioners. The team is headed up by a badass assassin lady who is in conflict with herself and as a result no guy who tries to get her attention gets very far. Naturally she will probably fall for a practitioner and have even more internal conflict over the fact that the nation is trusting her to protect them from dangerous practitioners, and she can’t get her mind off some practitioner guy with broody dark eyes. (Bear with me, I think I’m brainstorming live in this blog post). Insert evil super-powerful practitioners who do evil things and make badass lady realize she needs more than assassin expertise to overcome them; she needs Jesus too. And maybe she needs Jesus so that she can deal with her issues. And why on earth is she an assassin anyway? Does God want people to be assassins? Now that she’s saved does she need to give up her job and forget the practitioner guy who has pretty eyes, or does God have a purpose for her job, and can practitioner guy get saved? Insert handsome saved guy to cause love-triangle-type conflict. Assassin lady doesn’t know who to choose. She retires and moves away to get away from both guys and all the confusion. Insert big scary plot by practitioners which forces assassin lady to come out of retirement to fight again. Insert lots of explosions, car chases and broody guys and rival women.

Hmm…I’m thinking I’ll have to read some famous assassin books to see how a series like this would work.

Idea 3 – The Crystal saga continues. After the end of the Crystal series, there will be some closure about which guy she ends up with and about whether she succeeds in bringing down the SOT. But this new series will start a year after the final Crystal book and there will be a fresh challenge that is bigger than ever before. There will be angst, there will be craft magic thrown around, practitioners might succeed in ushering in ‘Neo Cosmos’, the rapture might even happen. Nah, I’m not having the rapture happen in a book.

Anyway, those are a few of my ideas. You can tell that my mind is a strange and wonderful place. To be honest I want to write all three of these series. But in what order? What do readers want most? I also want to write other things that are not set in the world of Crystal and Lexi, etc. Like normal books that don’t have any practitioners or supernatural things. I will have to send out a survey when the Crystal series ends and see what you all want. In the meantime you can email me or leave a comment below.

God bless.