People
are always asking how I plan a series of books and I'm not sure they believe me
when I say I don't really know. I tend not to plan series—they just seem to
happen. Oh sure now and then I plan a trilogy or a set of stories (the Last Man
Standing books) but a real series is something that for me evolves. The
Effington Family and Friends books grew because I'd write a character in one
book who would be way too interesting to let go. And I'd have to figure out
what happened to him or her. My new series What Happens at Millworth Manor is a
perfect example.
Here's
what happened.
When I
wrote What Happens at Christmas,
set at Millworth Manor, I had planned it as a stand alone book. But the idea of
centering stories around a place rather than a specific family came up and it
was one of those ideas that seemed more and more intriguing the more I thought
about it. And there was that one character who just wouldn't leave me alone . .
.
In What Happens at Christmas we meet the
hero's cousin, Winfield Elliott, Lord Stillwell, and find out he's been engaged
unsuccessfully several times. Obviously there's a story there. And just as
obviously, this is a character crying for a happy ending. So I wrote his story
in The Importance of Being Wicked
(Feb. 2013). Plus, there was the tale of his ill-fated attempts to get to the
altar begging to be told. That became the e-book short Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements (available Nov. 26th).
Still, as his lordship's home is Fairborough Hall not Millworth manor, I did
have to figure out a way to get him to Millworth.
What's
a poor author to do?
I
burned his house down. J
Happy
Holidays!
Victoria
6 comments:
Aloha, Victoria! Even if you burned the poor man's house down, I'm sure you did it with flair! Your fans, including me, would follow you anywhere!
I didn't know you could be so ruthless, Victoria! ;)
Lord Stillwell sounds like quite a rascal. I've got What Happens at Christmas on my TBR list, and am bookmarking The Importance of Being Wicked for February. I can't wait!
Have a wonderful holiday! Give those pups a hug for me!
Janet/Jaye
Hi Victoria!
What a great diversion! I wish I had thought of that because if I had I'd be living in South Carolina instead of living amist snowstorms and having t shovel!
I love that you write series and I've loved them all but becuse of your new found solution to chnage the location it makes wanting to read The Importance of Being Wicked! Hum, it does make me wonder what is going to happen next!
I was thrilled to find out and that I love best is that Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements will be released tomorrow! Now I don't have to go through all the books on my bookshelves and can just pop over to Amazon tomorrow and pre-order today for my Kindle and then it will magically appear on my Kindle tomorrow morning!
Lol, Victoria! An author does what an author
must do! Bravo!
Pat C.
you make me laugh and yes author can do anything with their book right
I just finished Victoria's Effington Family & Friends series - Loved them!
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