The year is 1/6 over! I cannot believe March is here already! Time flies when you’re having fun. And I am having so much fun writing the Spirit Creek Series that I haven’t posted anything new here in months! Please accept my apologies! Here are a few words on my journey with this series.
The title, No More, has never changed since the first draft over ten years ago, but the plotline evolved over time and several scenes were cut. Of course being of the opinion that this ‘brilliant writing’ *wink, wink* couldn’t be lost forever, I toyed with the idea of writing a trilogy. And some of the rejected scenes went into book two. Then the trilogy morphed into a six book series when plotline ideas wouldn’t stop popping into my head! I suppose that’s a good thing. I prepare a detailed plot summary (yes, I’m a plotter) of each book before I start writing. And I write down ideas for scenes as they occur to me, but plotline changes are constantly evolving even as I write.
Keeping all the recurring characters straight is no small feat when you’re tracking an entire town’s population! Mind you, several recurring characters appear in every book, but new citizens have arrived and a few births and deaths have occurred also. A huge poster board occupies one of my office walls with color-coded Post-its covering every square inch. Blue means a deceased citizen, yellow is for children and pink is adults currently alive. I love writing about so many unique citizens, and I’ve had reviewers mention they enjoyed having the characters from an earlier story appear again in future books.
How often have we heard the old saying Variety is the spice of life? Too frequently to count, right? We all enjoy variety in our leisure activities, in our hobbies, in the movies we watch and, of course, in the books we read. When I plotted the Spirit Creek Series, I kept this concept of ‘variety’ in mind. But, sorry, no vampires. Just sheriffs, schoolmarms, outlaws, ranchers, bank robbers and the like.
Book One, No More, finds a recent widow and a wealthy ranch involved in a marriage of convenience to provide their children with two parents. Of course, their secret feelings for each other get in the way, along with a number of other problems facing their blended family.
Book Two, No Time, was written for readers who enjoy lots of plot twists with their romance. Ellie Thomas is a schoolmarm who considers the town’s lawyer a friend who stands by her when she needs help. But Robert has loved her from afar for years, and he hopes to win her heart.
Book Three, No Chance, was written for readers who enjoy a few steamy scenes in a romance story, so beware if you’re not a fan of a ‘hot’ read. Chance Maxwell and Sadie Peterman heat up the pages and each other while Sadie learns a few harsh life lessons.
Book Four, No Ties, is another sweet romance between Sheriff Ernest Jones and schoolteacher, Ivy Paterson who told a little white lie years ago, shortly after arriving in Spirit Creek. When she recognizes a stranger in town, she realizes her fibs are coming back to bite her in the bustle.
Book Five, No Way, involves a troubled widow who arrives in Spirit Creek by mistake.
Book Six, No Hope, features an abducted heroine. Both of these books will be released in 2015.
No Peace, is a Christmas novella released in November 2014. Although not part of the spirit Creek Series, the story is a continuation of a plot line in Book Four, No Ties.
The current releases in the Spirit Creek Series and the Christmas novella are available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007OXHMES
Happy reading! And watch for the release of NO WAY coming in late spring 2015.
