This happens a lot.
🤣
I've been in a book club for over 10 years and we've referenced the questions in the back of a book MAYBE twice. For those of you in a book club, do you ever use the questions in the back?
I thought it would be fun to see what people come up with off the top of their heads. I'll go first...
It was a dark and stormy night, and the wind howled through the withered branches of the sycamore trees.
I did a thing last month... I went back to the beginning.
Let me back up.
I knew the Darkborn Saga would be a four book series. But loosely outlining the plot-points for each book only carries the writing progress so far when I sit down to get the story out of my head.
Bloodborn came relatively easily, and book two, Soulbound, even more so. But as I started writing book 3, I realized how much my characters had changed and devloped over two completed books, and I needed to go back to the beginning to introduce them to the reader better. I needed my foundation for the series to be as solid as my understanding of the world and characters writing book three.
That's why I went back to the beginning of Bloodborn and fleshed things out. In doing that, I've grown to love my characters all over again, adding little nuances Easter eggs that will come back later in the story and give readers all the feels.
One character that I LOVE in the Darkborn world is Brunhild. She is a human hearth mother who is introduced in the first chapter of Bloodborn. And she comes in sharp as a whip and doesn't put up with freshly-turned Darkborn bullsh*t. In short, she's kind of my hero.
And so, I give you Brunhild of Rockhavn, hearth mother to a village of survivors and refugees... and begrudging keeper of the Darkborn.
She's blunt and ornery and the perfect foil to a bunch of angry vampire-like warriors who brood, have tempers, and wreck havoc (even when they try not to).
I can't wait for you to meet her in book one, Bloodborn, which releases in June (members will get a copy early).
More character intros to come!
Linds (and Scarlet)
Don't forget you can preorder Bloodborn and get all four of the origin stories in Scarlet's bookshop. Pogue Gone Rogue and Scarlet Members receive these stories free.
Hey Roguelings!
Did March (WHAT!?) sneak up on you like it did to me? I can't believe how quickly the days are passing. The seasons are changing so fast, nostalgia seems to be my current state of mind, I'm aging far more quickly than I'd like to, and all the things. Ha!
All of that being said, the hubs and I snuck out this weekend for a sunset picnic at the Grape Crusher - a statue here in Napa Valley. The rainy weather lightened up for us, so we took our moment to have a simple date night. He's been busy transitioning out of one job and starting a new one. And I've been knee-deep in revisions and writing.
So, that's about all I have to report.
*If you're a Grumpily Ever After Podcast fan and are wondering why we haven't returned for the second season yet... Well, Dennis has a chaotic schedule with the job change, and I haven't had the energy to put into planning, editing, posting, etc. for the podcast. We miss it though, so hopefully we'll be back to our regular programming soon!
Here are more pics from our picnic! I know, I know, riveting stuff. :)
