More Post Witch Trial

The series bible is coming along nicely. Not that many care about my progress on that, but after that’s done, the next novel will get underway. I imagine that is what readers want to hear. 🙂

Just finished Jack Kursed. I forgot what a fun novel that was. There are, of course, some things I’d do differently now, looking back. Jack Kursed, for me, is where it started to feel like a true series. By the end of the novel, I’d knew there would be many more, with characters popping up all over the place.

Let’s talk about Witch Trial for a second. Stop reading now, if you haven’t happened to finish it yet. Don’t want to SPOIL anything.

Another Kevin Mishnar story has come and gone. I’ll never claim to be a great mystery / suspense writer, but hopefully I had readers wondering about the direction. Would Kevin and Leese stay a couple? Would they agree that while caring for each other, separation was best?

It’s ironic that one of the characters that grows isn’t even granted a point of view. Alex Teague. I’ve had a few readers tell me he was a jerk in this novel. I didn’t mean for him to come off as such. In a way, he is right about certain things. Kevin is a magnet for trouble, at times. But Alex is put in place by the end, when he realizes he’s not immune to unwanted attention, either.

That’s another mystery that may or may not have had the punch I wanted, but was still a good element. I was trying to paint that Kevin was the target of the villain, and hopefully I got a few Ohs went the truth came out. But again, not a great mystery writer 🙂

I like the subtle changes Kevin goes through, which he’s done throughout the series. He’s young, but puts a lot of thought into his magic. I love the idea of a central place, where he stores everything and make potions. I like that he’s broken down different magic for fighting different things, and uses a variety of belts, depending on what’s needed. Almost anal-retentive to me, but somehow, it fits. 🙂

Okay, the direction of the next novel. The cast is pretty much set, I think. I’ve even got a few scenes done. Some threads will continue off Witch Trial, there are even a few hints. 🙂 I will say I think this might the closet gap in time, in terms of story. I’m purposely vague about time between stories, leaving it up to the reader. But this novel will probably only be a few weeks after Witch Trial.