There is a small part of me (okay, maybe a little bigger than small) that worries when I finish one story that I might not have another one in me. That somehow, I’m out of ideas and I’ll just be repeating myself if I try to write another book. Each time, something has happened to excite me and a fresh story pops into my head. And each time, it has invariably been from something that a friend has said or done, either directly or indirectly. My friends are incredibly helpful and sometimes they don’t even know it.
Just the other morning, I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I’ve gotten nowhere with plotting my next vampire book and my brain feels “too full.” Then, my friend LeiMomi posted on Facebook, “I am unsmotable!” I kid you not, folks, I came to a complete stop and stared at that word. UNSMOTABLE! She said that she wasn’t sure it was a real word, but I know it is! Maybe not in Marcia’s forty pound American Heritage dictionary, but to me it is. UNSMOTABLE! I finally managed to make my fingers work and responded, “You know this will end up in a damn vampire book don’t you?” Then, her friend Joe posted, “The Adventure of LeiUnsmotaMomi: Peerless Mud Racer, Volcano Tamer, Vampyre Hunter” and that was when the fat lady started to sing for me. I immediately knew what was going to happen. One of my military vampires falls for the long cool woman in the black dress. You know… the one that might just be the death of him.
That one word and short conversation has altered what I thought would be happening in the next books. The Damaged: Blood Link IV will now require a few small adjustments. Okay, maybe a little bigger than small. Then the plan for The Healer: Blood Link V will have to be adjusted radically to accommodate the setup for Book VI. I’m thinking I can’t title it, THE UNSMOTABLE even though that is now how I’m thinking of it.
So with one small smart-ass comment – LeiMomi has a master’s degree in smart-ass by the way – I am excited beyond belief. There are suddenly not enough hours in the day to get everything done. The trick now will be to get all those notes down on paper while I take my time to complete the edits on The Civilian – Blood Link III. It is all I can do not to leap into action on the next books. I’m ready, I’m excited, and thanks to my friends, I am no longer afraid that I don’t have that next book in me.
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