 Very excited about this! As work on the final episode continues, all nine to date are now out in e-book and audio! Episode Ten has been scheduled for recording in the summer so audio listeners only have a little longer to wait for the whole series to be completed!
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Have you ever noticed that time passes more quickly when you promise to do something by a specific time? I wish I had Akalya's ability to time shift. Then I could get it all done and present it without such a wait! The holidays and all that go with it have been pretty disruptive this year. Visitors, travel, everything has made it difficult to just sit down and focus on writing. However, I did finish reading all nine previous episodes and have notes written for details to work in to Episode Ten. If there's anything I hate, it's a series that fizzles out at the end or leaves loose ends. I'm determined this won't be one of those. Despite all that happened in Episode Nine, I've got some drama saved back for an exciting conclusion. In other news, the audiobook of Episode Nine: Remember the Future should be out any day now. The recording has been approved and it's just a matter of how long Audible takes to do their quality checks and post it. So Yay! So, I'm back in the swing now and tying all those loose ends together. Momentum is growing and this story is looking pretty healthy. I also have a final cover design! Let me know what you think.  I love it when a story seems to suddenly click into place. I started the final episode of the series with a few ideas in mind of what needed to happen and with a pretty good idea of the ending. That ending is partially written now, pending what else might happen that I haven't discovered yet.
If you've kept up with the episodes released so far, you'll know that some major story lines have already been resolved and some new faces showed up in Episode Nine. How the past connects to the future has come together now and it all fits neatly like a new set of Lego! What I find fascinating is discovering hints I've left in previous episodes for a so far unseen character whom I didn't have planned. I'll say no more about that for fear of spoilers! I think the series will have a satisfying end. Whether the episode is finished by the end of the month as I hoped is yet to be seen. It's amazing how much time the Christmas holidays take from us for shopping and even just wrapping presents! Real life and family are important to keep up too. I'm on Episode Seven for my re-reading of the first nine episodes. This puts everything in much more recent memory so that I can work with details established long ago and keep a grasp of continuity. Chances are I won't write another post before Christmas so everyone have great holidays, whatever you celebrate! I'll make a point of giving you an update right after the holiday. As stated last blog, I've been reading the series from the start in order to catch any loose ends that might have been forgotten. That doesn't mean I'm not writing! The last episode has direction and is progressing, but the plan is to finish reading the previous episodes before moving on from first draft in case I need to work anything in.
Case in point: While reading episode two, I noticed a description of Gaye. I don't think I've referred to her description since then, so it's time I remind readers what she looks like! Not only that, but the contrast between her and Connor, who resembles his father more, would be interesting to comment on. So, it looks like I'm working in some scenes with Gaye, which is good because she's been pretty quiet for a while. I haven't yet come across anything major, but, it's the little details I'm looking for. I'm also rather enjoying reading it after all this time has passed. Episode One came out in 2014 after all! Like any writer, I see parts in the early episodes I would write better if I was doing it now, but also parts I really feel proud of. So, rest assured that Episode Ten is progressing. The cover is getting final tweaks. I thought one part of it needed a little more detail, so that's being seen to now. I'm on track for having this one finished before the end of the year. That will be ten books in five years! I'm starting to feel a sense of accomplishment. Hopefully my next post will have a final cover reveal! Don't panic. I'm not wandering off and leaving the last episode unfinished for some silly amount of time. The shape of the story has fallen into place nicely. However, I keep worrying about missing out a loose end somewhere that needs resolving, so I'm taking a short break to re-read my own stories. It has, after all, been quite a long time since the early books were released and I've been moving forward with only occasionally looking back to see what nuggets of foreshadowing I've left myself. With Episode Ten being the last of the series, I want to make sure everything is covered and wrapped up nicely. This is me being a completist. So, never fear. I want the series finished as much as my loyal readers do. I just want it finished well. I promise to have it released before Christmas. That's plenty of time considering what I have so far.  It's on Amazon now and should be out at all retailers within 48 hours!  Wow, lots going on! I've started writing Episode Ten, the Final episode of the Chronicles. It's a weird feeling to get this far. The series has dominated my writing life for years now! On the one hand I'm sad to leave the world of the Harekaiian. I've become attached to Akalya and it's like moving away from a long-time friend. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to developing other projects. Akalya has her life and I have many more to explore. Yes, I do know how this ends. What I didn't know until a few days ago was how the end begins. Looking back over the series, it follows a progression that I could easily believe was planned in advance, at least if I didn't know my writing process. The fact is, after I finish an episode, I wait a few days for the next one to grow organically out of my subconscious, then suddenly I'll have to furiously write down a beginning for the next book that's bursting out of me. This time was the same, but those first couple of paragraphs showed me a character arc for Akalya that I never could have thought out and planned! After so many things got resolved in Episode Nine, I really had no idea where I would go with this last one, apart from having set up some new characters in Episode Nine to take Akalya in a fresh direction. Meanwhile, I've had word that the audiobook of Episode Eight has completed production and will be released any day now. Squeeee! These are close to catching up with me, so audiobook fans won't have to wait much longer than those who read on e-book. As for paperback aficionados, you haven't been forgotten. Episodes Six - Ten will be published in paperback very close to the release of Episode Ten. It's just waiting to be complete.  The cover is ready to go and it looks really good next to the first volume with Episodes One - Five. I'm very pleased with the design!
So, back to work for me. I've got a few last loose ends to resolve and a trauma or two to come, then maybe a happily ever after... or maybe not. We'll have to wait and see. I've finished Episode Nine and it has gone to edit, Yay! It will go on pre-order on Amazon and possibly other places by the end of the weekend I'm told and is scheduled for release on 5th May! This one has taken it out of me emotionally, I have to admit. All I can say is where one door closes, another opens. I've set up a few new characters to explore further in Episode Ten and the cover for that one is already in progress! I have to admit, if I had known how much a ten episode series would take over my writing time, I never would have committed to it. Yet I'm glad I did, because following this story through the episodes has been as much fun for me as I hope it is for you, my readers. Will I ever explore this world again? Maybe. I want to write some backlogged ideas and finish the re-writes on my previous two books, then perhaps some new adventures though time will call me. In the meantime, I'll be working on Episode Ten very soon. I always wait until edits are finished so I don't lose my connection to the current story. Oh, and the audio book for Episode Eight is due to be recorded in May! It's running right behind me, eeek!  I'm down to the last couple of chapters for Episode Nine. Things have been flowing into place. I even have a first draft of the Epilogue written, because when I get this far in a book, I know what's coming as if I worked from a strict outline. The edit has begun on the early chapters, Yay! I expect this episode will be out in a week or two. There's been some excitement and I'm coming up on a part that may be difficult for me to write, but it's all going well. Just as well because the next episode in audio is going to start production next month! The narrator is only one episode behind me, eek! I mustn't say very much about the story because spoilers! But if you've stayed with me this long, you won't be disappointed. This has been a fun series to write. I can't wait to see what happens in Episode Ten!  |
Shanna Lauffey
Author of paranormal and science fiction Archives
May 2020
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