*This installment of your Reader Crew News is dedicated to Regan Chase & Mira Ellis fans. 💕
Hi, all—
I hope everyone's March has gotten off to solid start. Mine's clipping along nicely—now. But during the first two months of 2024? Creatively, there were more than a few sputters. I blame my muse. Not only can the wench be exasperating & stubborn, but at times she can be downright disobedient.
As you all know, my current stint in the creative cave is supposed to be centered on Kate & Ruger. For the most part, it has been. But a funny thing occurred while I was pushing through the outline for Last Dog Out. In the middle of plotting the Hidden Valor installment, my muse pivoted 180 degrees and began to focus on another book and series.
At first, I strove to ignore those insidious whispers. After all, there is nothing more dangerous to a writing deadline than the lure of a new idea. But the whispers? They grew louder.
My response? I ordered my muse to return her attention to Kate. Immediately. The wench's retaliation? A massive plot twist for the next Deception Point thriller, Pitch Black, followed up by an equally tantalizing revelation in the character arc of…Regan Chase. And, wow, are both beautiful. Especially the plot twist.🌪️
Now, I've had the overarching terror thread for Deception Point in mind for nearly three years. But from the beginning, I made a conscious decision to avoid getting too detailed with that overarching thread beyond the current book in the series. Why? I knew the strategy would keep me better positioned artistically to pivot across the potential plot points of a future story while ensuring that I also didn't write myself into a corner in the final installment because of facts I'd established way back in book 1—and could no longer change.
It may be that I'm simply close enough to the end of the initial series arc now that the fear has faded. Because this killer twist my muse recently offered up? Not only does it tie back to Blind Edge, it incorporates plot & character threads from Backblast, Chokepoint and pulls a forgotten character from the prequel, Aimpoint, back to the series forefront.
Naturally, once I realized the enormity of what my muse was offering, I took notes! I even ran the thrust of those notes past my critique partner & my alpha reader. (I had to share my excitement!) But then I dutifully closed the file I'd just created, backed it up and returned my attention to the book at hand. Fortunately, my muse has allowed it to remain with Last Dog Out since.
And there you have it. A long, if teasingly vague explanation as to why today's newsletter is dedicated to those of you who've emailed me with pleas to hurry up and get back to writing Regan & Mira. Don't forget about them. Trust me, they're never far from my brain.
My muse insists on it. 😁
—Candace