I have characters running loose everywhere right now. Not only do I have the characters from Eternal Nights still present (and I need them), but I also have a cast of thousands from Through a Crimson Veil. Actually, I should say related to Crimson Veil because not only are characters that appeared in that book still here, but so are characters that were only mentioned and now I've added a new one that is completely post story.
This wouldn't be a huge problem if I could connect with Ryne and Deke solidly enough to write their story, but I only feel semi-connected. I'm writing, but it's slow going and I'm second guessing myself. I had Ryne wrong once and she came in to set me straight. Now I'm worried that I have Deke pushing her too hard in this scene.
The WIP starts out with a lot of action, but once the hero and heroine meet, the book quickly turned hot on me. It happened in the proposal when the characters were driving me, so I don't have a problem trusting that the heat level is right. My problem is trusting the characters' actions and reactions.
Deke is a pot stirrer. I knew he was a smart ass, but he's worse than I thought. If I were Ryne, I'd want to kill him too. But would he push her, a virtual stranger, this hard this soon? And would Ryne, who is incredibly driven and usually in completely control, react this strongly to his provocation?
Neither character has complained about anything I've written. That's a positive sign, but I'd feel more comfortable if their presence felt stronger. But all these voices... Sigh. If it weren't for the Crimson City blog, I think I'd have lost the characters from Crimson Veil; I always do during the galley stage. Although, the series is drawing to a close soon. Jade Lee's Seduced by Crimson comes out next month (4 1/2 stars Top Pick! from RT BOOKclub!) and Liz Maverick's finale, Crimson Rogue comes out in April. I don't know how much longer after that we'll keep the blog going. We're all so busy, but we haven't discussed this.
