Welcome back to my poor, neglected blog. Guess who’s popped back up from the abyss of editing?
I’ve been laid off from work for a month and a half now. In that time, I’ve completed the major edits on “Beyond Dark 1: Belladonna”. I have some minor ones to finish, then it’s off to the editor next month. Why does editing always feel like it will never end?
With two weeks to go before I return to work, I’ll finish this editing, finish watching “Luther”, re-binge “FBI”, read, and can focus once more on simply writing. The first 10 chapters of “Beyond Dark 2: Unwilling Sons” are posted on Wattpad. “Belladonna” focused on Alyssa. “Unwilling Sons” lets us look into Thayer’s life and history.
ALSO, I am ecstatic to inform everyone that I also started a spinoff series. “Beyond Cover” explores the world of undercover agents, within the same fictional realm as the original series. Alyssa and Thayer give us a glimpse into the mafia, but Jonathan and Emily will draw us further into the underworld, working to keep their undercover colleague, Dwayne, alive. In the first book, “Living in Shadows”, Emily is undercover as a jewel thief and Dwayne’s daughter, as a way of watching out for him. Yet she soon finds herself into some trouble of her own when $50,000 worth of diamonds go missing and she has to summon her inner jewel thief to find them once more before their superiors discover the mishap. Be sure to check out Patreon for character descriptions and extra content. The first chapters of this are also on Wattpad.
This is my first time writing a spinoff. I had it planned for months, though I wasn't sure where to start. Once I was laid off, I had time to sit and make character profiles and do some planning. It’s fun to explore other areas of a fictional world not fully covered by the main storyline. I originally wanted to put Dwayne’s story into the original series, but it couldn’t seem to find a place. That’s usually an indication there is too much happening at once, so it went to the backburner. As I got into Jonathan and Emily’s character profiles, I just knew I wanted to write more about them.
Let’s not talk about the fact my insane self has two other spinoffs planned… hey, if Dick Wolf can do multiple “Law and Order” spinoffs, I can do it too. That’s the level of committed crazy I aspire to be. I also grew up reading “Nancy Drew” and “Sherlock Holmes”. There is something that feels like coming home with those long series. “Beyond Dark” will have 14 books - that’s a rough estimate and is bound to change. I am not sure yet about “Beyond Cover.” I am still plotting out the entire story arc, but I think it may be shorter. My Discord writing group would cackle at me right now and say “Yeah, right, Lav!” And they’re probably correct. They know me too well.
Anyway, that’s my update. I hope everyone is staying safe and well in these chaotic times. Take care of and love yourself and each other.
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