It’s no secret that my books play with darker themes and showcase the brutality of humanity.
I don’t mince words. I don’t pull punches. If a scene is meant to hurt, if a book demands a scene that hurts, then it’s going to hurt.
Of course, I do the opposite, as well, writing sweet, tender scenes when the book calls for it.
But I don’t recall ever covering why I write the way I write.
I don’t set out with the intention of writing something so dramatic and dark. It just kinda happens.
But there’s still a reason.
Well, more like several.
I haven’t had the easiest life. I’ve been through a decent amount.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had good times, and I’ve known good people.
But I know what it’s like to hurt.
So characters who’ve had it easy their whole lives are hard for me to relate to.
Pretty princesses whose biggest problem is deciding what to wear to the next ball… just don’t work for me. I can’t connect with them.
And since I’m a very emotional person (not that that’s obvious on the outside thanks to social anxiety, extreme introversion, and resting bitch face), not connecting with a character emotionally pretty much damns the story for me.
Characters who’ve hurt, who’ve hit rock bottom and crashed through (because rock bottom is just a muscovite illusion, because things can always get worse), characters who kept falling until they smashed onto a ledge, breaking into a million pieces with their head over the edge staring into the abyss, only to heal just enough to get up and start climbing because they know, yes, things can always get worse, but things can also always get better.
And they know they’ll never have it better if they give up.
Those are the characters I relate to.
So, those are the characters I write. Those are the characters that keep me writing or reading until after the sun comes up.
Because they’re the ones I can identify with.
Writing them helps me get my shit out onto a page. It helps me see the issue as separate from myself because I fictionalize it, changing the details to fit the story, but the emotions are still there.
And that helps me process them.
And I know that I’m not the only one trying to figure out their shit. And if seeing it on a page helps me, it’s bound to help someone else.
Next week, I’ll be discussing which themes come up in my new release, A Heart of Salt & Silver. There are… several.
But for now, I’ll leave you with a progress report.
I finished this round of edits on Where Darkness Leads a couple weeks ago, and promptly moved into a round of edits on Allmother Rising. This round will be done with special focus on beta reader feedback. So, it’ll be a full round of edits, but I’ll also be watching for a very specific thing to come up in the book to see what needs adjusted.
I’m about an eighth of the way through.
I’ve also been steadily writing on The Regonia Chronicles. It’s definitely going to be three books. Plus prequels. Two books for the main series is not going to be an option.
There are just too many planets, too many necessary POVs, too much ground to cover (or space to travel through). And it’s all plot-relevant. So, no cutting it down.
I’m currently adding chapters throughout book two to lay some groundwork for book three, then I’ll be continuing in book three.
And I got some incredible feedback on Second to None today. I’ll be making some minor adjustments, but I’m ecstatic.
Stick around for some snippets from A Heart of Salt & Silver on my social media platforms this week, as well as guest blogs and interviews throughout the blog tour.
I’m aiming to have the new cover for Soul Bearer officially available this week or next week, so keep an eye out for that, as well.
Thanks for being here.
It means a lot.
Keep reading. Keep writing.
Later.