One of the comments from the previous post (regarding my severe levels of negativity with the Royal States series) has created a brain worm. This is not a bad brain worm. It just is. But, it is a great discussion point.
Why do I write the type of books that I do? Why don’t I do the “industry standard” escalations of conflict? Why are my books… calmer?
There should be books for every audience on the market. There should be light and fluffy books that leave the reader happy. There should be dark, tense, and stressful books that leave the reader breathless. There is room for everyone in the wonderful world of books.
I like variety. This should be well known by now. I don’t like being a one trick pony. But… I segregate my books, often by mood, often by end goal.
I will not be going through every single series in detail, but I’ve picked some to discuss the variances.
Let’s talk about the Royal States series, since it started this brain worm. (I will do my best to leave my negativity at the door for this discussion, too.)
The Royal States is a series of wishful thinking, rights being wronged, and society changing for the better. I started the show, technically, with Null and Void… but as sometimes happens, it turns out it wasn’t the right beginning for the series.
Stories evolve, much like life does… and Mackenzie and William did not end up being the heart and soul of the series as I originally intended.
Patrick and Jessica were the heart and soul of the series… I just hadn’t, as the creator, realized I’d placed the “first” book in Texas because the Texan monarchs were the true rodeo wranglers. Quite literally. (I did have it figured out by the end of Null and Void, but I’d already written the book, and I wasn’t redoing that beginning just because it wasn’t the right one.)
That’s why Storm Called and Taken were written… they filled in the blanks missing from Null and Void. You see the consequences of Storm Called and Taken in Null and Void. (And if you missed that there were consequences from both stories in Null and Void, you missed the point. Which is fine. Not everyone reads to GET the point.)
If you track Patrick and Jessica in the series, you’ll see how their arc is ultimately the entire arc of the series.
Change (and the series) began with Patrick and Jessica.
Change (and the series) ends with Patrick and Jessica.
Spoiler alert: yes, the series ultimately does end when the reins of Texas are passed down to the children who benefited from the sacrifices and struggles of their parents. No, outside of Eddie and Deidre, I will not be writing more of the children of the Royal States series.
There is no need for it.
The series will end because Patrick and Jessica changed the world for the better.
New Waters is the finalization of everything they set out to do.
The transition of power, however, marks the actual “end” of those arcs.
The Royal States series was never meant to be an eternal series. You know the ones I’m talking about… the ones that keep escalating and escalating and throwing new things at the table.
I absolutely could end at New Waters, because that is the presentation of the box with the pretty paper tied off with a bow. That book is where Patrick and Jessica’s living legacy truly finds firm footing.
The books I have covers for, which take place after New Waters, just showcase the final changes made to the world before the transition of power and that world can ride off merrily into the sunset. (I could, for example, return to the Royal States world by traveling back in time to the outbreak of magic and the civil war. Originally, I had a trilogy planned around the Monster of Montana, but… see: Vampire of Montana. I honestly doubt I will do the Monster’s trilogy now. Maybe long after the dust has settled, but… I’ve relegated that trilogy to the shelf of shame for the moment.)
Royal States books are feel good stories meant to shine hope in a world that started off rather bleak.
That leads to the commentary about the conflict in the series.
The Royal States is a series of deescalation. Storm Called had a young Patrick Laycal in position to lose everything, quite possibly even his life, because he was part of a society that did not value people like him.
Taken has the rival powers in that world trying to control a young Royal family wanting to bring change to their kingdom and the world.
Null and Void has a woman fighting to keep her child in a society that has only softened a little since the days of Storm Called, forming a pivotal point in that society.
Bit by bit, the series softens as the world, itself… changes and becomes a softer, kinder place filled with more hope than dread.
Bonds, Cold Flame, and Runaway are all stories of generational trauma, where the wronged children of the previous era grow into their own and their lives soften.
The Trickster King, while it jumps back in time compared to Runaway, has conflict… it just isn’t the kind that changes the world. It changes people–or animals–but not the world. Patrick and Jessica have begun the process of setting up for those days of peace.
And so the conflict and tension deescalates.
Trickster King has darkness. It has conflict. It has tension… but the challenges, conflict, and tension are all things that Patrick can handle with grace. It is delivered in a soft fashion because we live in a world filled with conflict and tension, and sometimes… a book just needs to deliver justice and triumph.
The Royal States series has never been about hard hitting conflict. It has been a series for thinking. You need not be presented with life-endangering conflict and tension to accomplish those goals.
I wrote Trickster King to be a warm hug on a dark day, where the conflicts and tensions are designed to be something that can be shouldered even when the going is tough for the reader. It’s supposed to be an escape to a world of kings, queens, and heroes… but the heroes aren’t fighting dragons.
They’re fighting quiet darkness in the world that we can, as a general rule, ignore. It’s a conflict of someone who works hard escaping from the stress and strain before it becomes impossible to escape for a long while… all for the sake of others.
Thar be no dragons here… but there be people with real problems, some of them little, some of them not.
I think, especially in the urban fantasy and paranormal realms, that people mistake the genre as requiring soul-shattering darkness for the book to be “good”.
I disagree. That’s why I write the Royal States series. Because you need not risk a character’s life every five minutes to have a good story. You need not have a woman suffer through atrocities to make her “strong.” (Spoiler alert: these women are rarely actually strong.)
The Royal States series is for those who want to see people triumph over societal evils with magic, romance, love, compassion, and a boatload of positivity generally thrown in. Yes, there is darkness in the series. You can’t have light without a dark place for it to shine in.
But conflict is not the point of the Royal States series, nor was it ever. It is a series of deescalation, meant for those who want to see triumph through the lens of an improved world for everyone.
I have other series for those who don’t want happy, fuzzy feelings and that sort of triumph.
The magical Romantic Comedy series is darker fare, but it’s also not conflict or tension heavy; it exists, but compared to mainstream urban fantasy and paranormal romance, it’s not even a pebble in the pond on the tension scales.
That series is more of an escalation series, but it’s a quiet escalation. We’ve been tiptoeing our way up the escalation charts, defusing bombs along the way, taking steps back, and ending the books on happy notes so the warm and fuzzies remain while the scaffolding for a big bang at the end is still in place.
Yes, the last book in the series will be more conflict heavy than most of the books in the series.
It is still a happily ever after series, and you go in knowing that. (Surprise! It ends with a happily ever after!)
… if you are shocked and this feels like a spoiler to you, you have not been paying any attention to the side characters sprinkled throughout the series. (Spoiler alert: OMG HAPPILY EVER AFTER.)
I’m assuming everyone is reading that series for the reliable access to happily ever afters…
So, let’s skip over to the darker stuff. As I apparently shocked the fuck out of people, wrote the worst male lead ever, and how VERY dare I have actually done a redemption arc of a male who was abused, bullied, and wanted to redeem… let’s discuss Karma!
Yes, the Witch & Wolf world books are my dark playground. Nothing on these covers says “comedy.” Nothing in the descriptions state “comedy.” That is because they are not comedy.
Karma literally opens with her rescuing a baby from kidnapping and murder, with a bunch of bodies. If you entered that series expecting comedy, you were not barking up the right tree.
I love that I am “allowed” to write the full spectrum. But at the end of the day, yes, that trilogy gets a happily ever after for everyone, including Jake. Actually, especially for Jake… because Jake was the character in dire need of rescue all along.
People just don’t like to admit or consider that men can be abused, trapped in abusive familial relationships, and so on.
There are a bunch of readers (current count is at least fifty) who will never ready my books again because of Jake and Karma. I’m okay with that. (Seriously, I am not at ALL sad about losing these readers.)
The series was never advertised as comedy. It was only promised a happily ever after at the end of book three… which was delivered.
it was just not the happily ever people with baggage wanted because it goes against the thoughts of some.
I, as the author, am not responsible for your emotional baggage. I am not responsible for what you decide to read. If you can’t handle dark material, don’t pick up a book that starts with somebody rescuing a kidnapped baby and mention of murders.
That is the only hint needed that there will be dark themes throughout.
If the word “Comedy” does not show up in the description, on the cover, or is clearly portrayed… don’t expect comedy.
I like making people laugh and will include funny things to break tension and make the darkness bearable, but I am not here to provide only hee hee giggle fests.
So, if darkness is your thing, the Witch & Wolf world books are more for you. They have funny bits… but they are almost always about darker things.
Take Pack Justice, for example. That one is all about a poor guy who is horrifically abused by his wife. Because for some damned dumb reason, people tend to think only women are abused.
And that’s why people were so so mad about Karma and Jake.
Because if Jake was the lead and Karma was in Jake’s shoes… there wouldn’t have been a problem with redemption. The redemption arc was only a problem because Jake was the male character instead of the female character.
Yeah, that isn’t fair at all to the men who are abused. (And then we wonder why men won’t talk about being the victims of abuse.)
The Vigilante Magical Librarians world is dark af and it is a story of escalation. I have already exceeded my comfort levels for writing the conflicts, but whatever, I have three more books to write. They will be hard. Woe is me.
Fox Witch trilogy is a moderately dark escalation series. (It just gets worse from here.) The next book is the series finale, and it will not go well. All I will say is this: it is not a tragedy.
Lowrance Vampires is a series of escalation, although it won’t get much more conflict heavy into book three. But it will have conflict.
Bernadette Franklins: I’m sure there is conflict in there somewhere, but I ruthlessly use Juliette Carter to deescalate the conflict because why have conflict at all.
G.P. Robbins: Escalation galore. Sharks will be jumped. Things are not going the way you think they are. I may one day be forgiven for book two. I do all those tense conflict things I DELIBERATELY AVOID in Mag Rom Coms because to have them means the warm fluffies may go away.
Lilith Daniels: I have gentled down conflict arcs on this one because of how I decided to handle some of the plot lines. I would call this one lightly dark, taken at a gentle meander, with a heavy focus on slicing of life, finding joy in the moment, and some murder mystery thrown in. This is the definition of a slow burn.
The whole point here is that not every book needs to be some conflict-filled thing meant to keep readers on the edge of their seat.
Sometimes, we need a book that offers nothing but a calm warm hug and the reassurance that even when things go wrong, there is an escape into a happy place that is available.
I think it’s very easy for readers to forget that there should be a book for every person… and sometimes, that person isn’t you.
And that’s okay.
It is still stranger that there are so many who like EVERYTHING I write, even when I take a reader’s hand and go on a walk through Karma’s story… which is not sunshine, cookies, and rainbows.
It is darkness, pain, and a slow road to healing.
Some food for thought.
And no… I have not read the reviews for Trickster King, and I don’t intend to. Should I want to see love letters to the author, I’ll ask my PA to go cherry pick the nice commentary for me and send them my way.
(Because once again… the reviews are tools for other readers; if I wanted help from readers on how to write my books… I would ask. And I’m not asking. I’m quite content with what I’m writing and do not see a need to solicit unpaid advisors who are not at all aware of what my end game goals are for a series.)
(And yes… there are people who ‘offer to help me improve my books” all of the time. The answer is the same now as it was then: No.)
In good news, I’m in a marginally better mood than this morning and yesterday. May it continue to get marginally better until it’s actually better.
And this is exactly why I read ALL your books. I started with Water Viper, a darker, escalation story, but went straight from there to the Bernadette Franklin books, so I was aware of the contrast among the pen names from the start. I like a certain amount of variety plus as much justice as the story warrants, and I get that from you. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the long haul.
I started with the Mag Rom Com series and feel in love with the women that run on sarcasm, spite and caffeine. I moved from there to your other series and feel in love with them for their own reasons. I just recently read the Royal States and have fallen for that world as well. Now I’m eagerly awaiting Partner in Crime and Grave Affairs and the rest of the Seeking the Zodiac series and other books from that world. I have not bought books in a very long time because I typically am not going to reread them. Once I know the story line I’m done. You’ve changed that, I’ve read all your books more times than I can count and even now I find myself going back to reread them. Knowing the story does not take away my enjoyment of the world and the characters. This has truly been a first for me and I thank you for creating this amazing series of worlds.
I like everything you write, because I am not always in the mood for the same things when I read. It’s awesome to have a writer whose style I enjoy reading that can cross the gamut of emotions and moods I want to feel in different series and under different pen names.
This was brilliant! Have loved exploring your worlds and that there is something for all my moods. My books are my apothecary! Okay, Your Books are my apothecary! Am sorry some readers act entitled and overstep, but there are a huge bunch of us who pre-order, sit back and are thrilled with the variety of who and what appears next. Thank You!
I’m amazed and grateful that you have the scope to write all these kinds of series.
Many authors only have one “flavor”.
I had not analyzed it but now that you have described the character of each series, I think the reason Royal States is my favorite is because it is all about the world getting better. A significant number of the people in charge really are “good guys”. Other than the deceased NY monarchs, I cannot point to a “bad” monarch.
I have trouble with the Librarians because it is close to the opposite. As presented to this date, there is little hope that the bad guys will not rule the world.
As you say, “there should be a book for every person… and sometimes, that person isn’t you.”
I buy *all* of your books as my small contribution to putting a few pennies in your pocket.
Spoiler alert: I write happily ever afters, even in the Librarian books.
Some characters just get a shit show before the payoff. (Sorry, Librarians… you got the shit show.)
But yes, I am not a one trick pony, and I think the thing is… most publishers tell authors they must be that one trick pony. The only trick I do is “happily ever after.” Everything else is up for debate.
And when I DO decide I want to write a soul-wrenching tragedy and leave the tears of readers and the blood of characters pooling on the floor… I will do so incognito, and I will not publicly own up to it. Because I would not want my current readers to seek out that book and get a very, very bad surprise.
I appreciate that you offer de-escalation in politics, which I enjoy as a break from the perennial political of “real life”. Thanks!
(cries in a corner) I want deescalation of politics in real life!!! (more crying)
I absolutely love ALL of your books. I have read and re-read them. They are my therapy… they are my soak in a hot tub… they are my savior on days that are not going well. I have many favorite authors and you are one of my top authors. You make me laugh out loud.. bring tears to my eyes.. please do not ever stop writing. I try not to swear (the grandchildren have ears) but Fuck those who just don’t get it and do not understand the word fiction. There are always those that have nothing better to do than criticize and bring others down to their level because they can’t stand to see someone succeed. Love you.. Love your books.. All of them… PS.. cannot wait for Lowrance Vampire Finale! Love magic and vampires and fantasy, all those things that take you away from reality for that space of time.
I love most everything you write. I’m not a reader of 2 series’, not because they’re not well written and or easy to immerse myself in, because they are really good, just not my cup of tea, and that’s alright 🙂 I adore most of what you create, because I love different, and your writing IS different from most other authors and stuff I read and listen to over and over again. I seriously hate where series just escalates to something so stupid and off-the-wall I cringe and never read that author’s books again. I stopped reading so many authors because of that…
You’ve become my favorite author because you write dark and light, and everything in between including so much sarcasm (which I still believe should be it’s own language because I use it so often LOL!!) and what I’m in the mood for, I just re-read, or listen to a particular series. I’m actually not sure I know how many times I’ve read Dead Weight so far, I just adore it so it’s an often read one!
The Royal States audiobooks are my “keep away the nightmares” that play while I sleep every night. Thank you as I had chronic, wake up screaming, PTSD nightly nightmares.
There is a time and a place for escalation! But you know, deescalation is wonderful. You can reset back to zero and just have “something else happen that is a conflict” and it doesn’t have to be bigger than the previous conflict. The stakes not need to be sharper or higher! They do need variety, and they need to be engaging with the reader.
But “the grocery store is out of hot chocolate” can be as critical a conflict as “the asshole next door just got murdered, should I make the killer a coffee and give them a thank you note?”
Please don’t murder any asshole neighbors… or give the killer coffee and a thank you note. (At the time of typing… I thought it was a good example…)
LOL!! No murders, I promise. Running out of hot chocolate was definitely a bit scary there for Nadine 🙂 And I totally agree with you, hence I refuse to go without my almost daily hits of your books and audio books. They’re so much better than real life so I enjoy escaping when my daily work is done.
Thank you so much for all the time, effort and imagination you share with us!
I’m one of those readers who like and purchase anything you write. I weakness that there are one or two that I don’t like as much as some of the others. I really didn’t think I would like the Royal States. But a bundle of the books was issued at a good price and I thought I’ll take the chance. So glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed them and reread them on occasion. I also reread the mag rom com with a body count whenever I need a good laugh. I also reread the others, it’s like visiting an old and cherished friend. I think I have just about everything you’ve written do I have a lot of good book friends. The only thing that I would like to ask is that you publish the recipe for Patrick Laycal’s yams and chicken. That would be delicious.
Please don’t stop writing. I have to believe that there are more of us readers out there who like and love their books then there are of your naysayers and critics. 📕♥️📘♥️📗
Thank-you for all the writing you do. I have enjoyed all I have read so far. I will keep reading as long as you keep writing.
I’m one of those readers who like everything you write. That is because you write about pain, darkness, light, joy, farce, snark and everyday problems and not-so-everyday problems in varying degrees. In other words, you write about life and leaven it all with possibilities, giggles and hope. So what if your take on language is not the same as mine? You and I do not come from the same background, the same history, the same education – of course, our takes on language will be different! All I care is that you write a darn good story, and I am already looking forward to “Iron Dragon” [having already devoured “Trickster King”]. Now to corrupt my sister …..
Yeah, I’m one of the weird ones who eagerly reads everything you publish, and likes them all. And I posted on that odd objection to the lack of conflict in the new book. I haven’t read it yet because I’m mid-series but it won’t be long.
Patrick Laycal is one of my favorite characters. I can laud him for all kinds of personal characteristics but when it comes right down to it, he’s just amazingly pleasing to read. It’s not just his down home decency, it’s also his ability to roll with the needs of the moment. And do it intelligently and sometimes amusingly. And/or stubbornly.
There’s a class of people who feel the need to announce their imminent departure (in a huff) from whatever group they are a member of, presumably in the hope the other members will desperately beg them to stay. I’ve never seen anyone give them that fulfillment. Generally, the tone of any reply is more along the lines of “Don’t let me stop you.”
Your 50 “unreaders” belong to that group and will be missed just as much. Which is to say, not at all.
Oh, I will sometimes flounce right on out of a group and let people know why I’m leaving. (I leave immediately, because if I’m at that stage, nooope, I’m leaving because they’re nitwits.)
It happened recently in a writing-related group, where I received a lecture from someone about daring to have an opinion that was counter to theirs. Like… I ain’t got time for that nonsense. XD And I told them nope, Not staying somewhere where differences in opinion cannot be held / people attack over kind but non-agreement commentary.
What amused me about that incident is that other authors witnessed it, and I got a few comments about how I’d made the right call lololol
I love your books and the worlds you have created. After re-reading the Magical Romantic Comedy series a couple of times, I bought all of your available books and the audiobooks. I love the variety between light/dark, comedy and serious. You have something for my many different moods as a reader, but you also write characters that are realistic and complicated with shades of both light and dark, that are stronger for what they’ve experienced, and haven’t let their circumstances turn them bitter.
The conflicts the characters face feel relatable and realistic to the character, their story, and growth. I’ve quit reading series because it was nonstop, over the top conflict wIth no resolution or character growth.
You create worlds that we can not only escape to, but want to be a part of. I have laughed with Lucy, Darlene, the Quinns and all of craziness of angels, demons, gods, gorgons, cindercorns, etc., but I’ve also cried for Karma and felt the sting of Catalina’s betrayal. I want to have coffee with Darlene, join the librarians on their crusade, and throat punch Jake’s parents for him and Karma.
I hope you keep writing and that the stories feed your soul and inspire you as they do the majority of your readers.
Oh my. I have to say, I am in agreement with nearly everything said above. I’m just not as good at expressing it as them. I read for enjoyment and I get that from the variety in your stories. Yes, there is conflict, deep messages about important subjects, necessary changes for society, but basically, good writing and great stories, unexpected laughter at times, sometimes a “she did what?”, and I love all of it! I started when you listed a compendium of the Magical Romantic Comedy on Amazon. I think I bought it? But now Amazon says no! I need to go buy every individual book again to re-read them! Alas, I will do so, slowly, for I Need them!😂😂
What can I say, I’m a fan! I started in the middle of the Rom-Com crew, wandered into the Royal States, sidestepped for the Romances, was fascinated by Witch and Wolf world, and then just decided I would jump into anything you write without worrying about how deep it is (I can swim!). Thank you for being willing to continue releasing your books. Don’t ever be surprised to see me at the front end of the line waiting for your next release 😁
I love your books! All of your books. Please don’t let people change the way you write.
For me its different books for different times. Bernadette Franklin for comfort for instance, and the audios for dark of the night insomnia when I want to distract my brain from the dismal squirrel wheels and end up with a better disposition in the morning.
And your other genres for other moods and times.
I love all your books and have bought most of your audiobooks as well. Keep up the good fight and try to find time to enjoy what you do. My world would be a darker one without the pleasure I get from your stories. Especially the cindercorns and Royal States. All the best from the UK. Jenn Yearling. (Yes; I have a horsey name.)
Some people want their books, like their life, handed to them already finished and ready to consume…to their satisfaction. Sorry…not sorry…not happening. So I say to you:
WRITE ON!!! You GO!!!girl
I enjoy your mewsletters, sorry newsletter (thought I’d keep that typo in to amews your furry monarchs) – and I love your books that I have read. You do your writing and I will read what I love. Thank you for all the effort you put into entertaining your readers. Take care. Debbie
I really was glad at the end of Old Secrets that Jake was redeemed and everything was resolved. I thought he was an ass because he kept picking Karma up even though he knew she was scared of heights. I love your warm hugs of books when I am down and sad, but my favorite after Murder Mittens is Declan’s Wild Wolf, which ended on a cliffhanger. Sometimes you want warm and fuzzy, and sometimes you want action and conflict.
It’s really not a cliffhanger, though. All characters are alive and well, and you know where they’re at.
A cliffhanger would be not knowing the fate of characters.
I just didn’t tie everything up with a nice, neat bow.
Okay “well” is a stretch, but he’ll walk it off. he’s fine. It just hurts a bit.
I just want to say thank you.
Thank you for your humor, the laugh out loud momemts thank you for making me think, just thank you.
I am currently re-reading romantic comedy with a death count.
And looking forward to re-reading the other series you have published.
I will say again thank you for the laughter and the hours of being able to just unwind so I don’t have to think about work or having a rotten day.
Those that don’t understand that reading is a chosen escape have to much drama in their life and I think I feel kinda bad for them.
I don’t think I have ever posted before, and not sure if I will again, but I wanted to let you know that there are people that do enjoy all of your hard work.
Thank you
No matter what style, what series, what name you are writing under , its the characters you create who are so real and touch something in us ..Im one of those who read and love everything you write..You bring me much joy even on my fourth or more rereads of a story..I love Karma and Jake and the Librarians..really all of them. Thank you for all the hours of enjoyment you’ve given me..💜💚