Wicked Persuasion released on Tuesday! This is your reminder to head over to Amazon and read/buy now!
I write the characters who are in my head, talking to me. Since I was working on Wicked Persuasion until the end of July, you might be wondering how long Frankie and Deck hung out in my head? Or really, how long does any hero and heroine stay around?
It really depends on the couple. Frankie and Deck are my most helpful type of hero and heroine. They stayed through the entire process of writing and revisions. They left before edits, but even though those were light, they came back while I was working on them and then left again when they were finished.
I appreciated this.
When I was writing for New York publishers where there were months and months and months between turning in a book and getting a revision letter, those heroes and heroines would leave. Trying to convince them to return was often difficult. Then we'd go through this again with the months between revisions and edits.
I've also had the opposite situation. Finn and Zo didn't want to leave. It's possible I was part of the problem, too. I had them with me (off and on) for at least ten years before I wrote their book. I might not have wanted them to go. But they were with me from their book, Wicked Intention, through the fourth book in the Paladin League series. That would be Kyle's book, Wicked Deception.
It can be hard to write one set of characters, say Kyle and Mari, when Finn and Zo are still sharing with me.
Usually, though, there's a brief overlap as one couple continues to talk while I'm trying to listen to the new hero and heroine. It can last a week or two. Since I'm usually getting to know the new h/h at this point, it's not too intrusive to have the previous h/h around.
It's when I'm trying to write the new h/h that it can become a problem. Not always. For example, while Finn and Zo were around for two more books, they mostly stayed in the background and didn't interfere when I was working.
But where I'm at right now is my perfect transition scenario. Frankie and Deck stayed with me through every step of their book, but as soon as it was finished, they bowed out and passed the stage to the next h/h. I appreciate that.
