Hi,
I did a read-through of my most recent Luna book, tentatively titled “Lycan Legacy – Prodigy,” and was happy with the overall story. But something wasn't right. The story didn't flow well, the beginning lines didn't compel the reader to continue.
What to do?
I believe the intro to a book has to grab attention. Gone are the days of setting up a backstory, character studies, and adding incredibly detailed descriptions of characters before getting to the story. Readers want action.
Blame it on Hollywood style storytelling, shortened attention spans, or even Amazon's “Look Inside” feature. I don't know why; I just find that my books sell better when they start out with a bang.
I wasn't happy that the new book started slow. My original beginning had nearly a full page before the SWAT team bursts through the door. Exciting, but maybe not exciting enough for Luna fans.
So, I rearranged the chapters; putting Luna's fight against an assassin with super-speed at the very beginning. Then I had a flashback to a few hours earlier, when this adventure started. The SWAT team is now in chapter four.
Of course, moving the timeline around causes other headaches. I have a deadline with my editor, and now I'm shuffling chapters and re-writing sections to make the timeline make sense, before sending it to her.
I think the changes make the entire book stronger. But I had to push back my publication date, so now we're looking at 15 May, 2020 for a release date.
I'm sorry my fans won't get the book on my original schedule. Sometimes the muse is silent, sometimes everyday life interferes, and sometimes world events cause so much disruption that everybody is delayed.
As a taste of what's to come, here is a sample section from Chapter One. This is where I got the title for this piece.
***
Mason bent over and placed a wooden box on the ground. It was over a yard long and about half a yard wide. He popped it open and picked up my bow. He stood with a tiny grunt; the bow was solid iron and weighed nearly fifty-pounds.
I took the bow and strung it, using the same steel cable used for winches. A thinner cable was braided down the length of the larger cable, looping out at mid-point to create a nock for my arrows.
Yes, arrows. Specially created arrows; steel shafts and razor-sharp tips. Iron and steel were anathema to almost all the creatures of Fae. Bringing these here were in violation of Fae accords.
Engraved on each fluke of the arrowhead were tiny mystical symbols. Mason had spent days making these weapons. He called them a backup plan.
At Mason’s nod, I nocked the first arrow and aimed at the stars. Mason corrected my aim by a few inches, stepped back, and wriggled his fingers in a headache inducing gesture.
He halted, then pointed at me to do my part. I gathered magic and magnetism and focused both on the steel missile. There are thirteen words for vengeance in the Fae language. Each word a prayer, each word a curse. As the bolt left the bow, I whispered the first of those words, naming that arrow.
The thwack of the cable, louder than a gunshot, was a shock. My heart skipped a beat at the sound, then I realized Mason had set up one of his sound-dampening fields around our clearing.
The arrow went through the canopy as if it was fog. Even the plants here avoided the touch of iron.
Twelve more times I shot at the night sky at Mason’s direction, a baker’s dozen of deadly missiles loosed in Fae. I expected to hear the arrows land some distance away. Even the strongest bow powered by werewolf muscles couldn’t send those heavy shafts over one-half mile.
But Mason’s glyphs and spells, combined with my magic and magnetism, did their job. The arrows never came down.
I was breathing hard when we finished. I unstrung the bow and Mason silently replaced it in the wooden case.
***
I will be setting up a preorder for this book on Amazon. Look for the announcement soon.
Veronica
***
PS – This is the part where I humbly beseech you to leave a review for my book on Amazon. Social proof is incredibly important to a new author. Please take a few minutes to leave a review. Here’s the direct link to Amazon to leave a review.
