As the Muse Demands...

Happy Halloween! Trick or treat! I very much prefer treats over tricks, so here's one from me. My new release! Last year on Halloween, I published Helix, my spooky season short story from the Galactic Explorers universe. This year, I give you... my summer book. *snort laugh* Hey. The books are done when they're done. I had to give up on the idea of releasing my seasonal books in the correct season with Rimehollow. At least I'm halfway through the series now. Ready for the next adventure? Then come with me!

I will admit that I didn't expect this one to be as long as it is. But as with all of my stories, it took on a life of its own and evolved well beyond my initial boundaries. As I get ready to outline my next book (more on that in a moment), I marvel at just how much evolution my plans undergo from outline to finished product. With almost thirty titles under my belt, you'd think I'd be used to this by now, but no. It still amazes me every time.

I did a lot of artwork for this book. There were so many scenes which stuck in my brain with such vivid visuals. It certainly helps when I have beautiful subjects to work with, but the beachy setting and palatial location practically demanded I spend time rendering them out. Plus, I mean, come on... Blond, tan Haruma on a sunset beach? Yes, please.

Ah, my complicated little vulpine prince. Minoru was one of the most demanding characters I've ever written. He outrightly defied so much of my outline and is a big part of the reason why Emberport is significantly longer than I'd planned.

Minoru went through a lot of stuff in this book. But he also learned a lot too. This is from the very first scene and from here to the end of the story he matured in so many ways. I'm really glad he allowed me to explore his personality.

Here's a better look at what Minoru looks like in his shifted form. This is the version of himself that he chooses to show to the world. As far as alter egos go, I have to hand it to the guy for choosing an illusion which looks incredibly royal, but we all just want you to be yourself, sweetie.

Okay a couple more... I truly regret what I did to Junnosuke. The way his role in this book unfolded is pretty much exactly how I intended it to. Reading through everything during my edits, my heart ached for poor Jun. He deserved a lot better than I gave him. I hope I can redeem myself with him later. His story isn't over yet.

I had this one in my head almost from the moment I started writing Emberport. The funny part about this one is that I had originally chosen different outfits for both of them. Haru's didn't play nicely with me while posing it, though, so I picked something else. And then Minoru's outfit didn't look right, so I had to change his too. Naturally, that led to me having to change the descriptions in the book. So, it's not always the words determining the images. Sometimes, it's the other way around.

So... About the post title and the mention of my next book above... As I was finishing Emberport, three books were fighting for space in my head. And none of them were the book I was intending to write next. *sigh* My muse is stubborn to the point of blocking things in favor of what it demands. I know (broadly) what the other two Vulpine Tales books will be about and whose stories they'll be. But what I'm writing next is Galactic Explorers Book Five. That's what's speaking to me the loudest right now.

And when I say it's not what I intended, I mean I was going to write a completely different story for Book Five. But I did a little soul searching and decided I needed to remain true to my own voice and write the story that wants to be written. I've already started planning it, outlining it, and playing with artwork for it. The other story will eventually be written, but I think it will need to be a side story to the main series. I've always believed that you can't force inspiration. It's either there or it isn't. And I have to go with what's inspiring me right now. So, I'll take a little break from Vulpine Tales to finish up Galactic Explorers. Don't worry, though. I still have plenty of ideas and more stories to write.

At the time of posting, most vendor links for Emberport are live. As usual, the paperback will take a little more time to format. I should have it submitted for review this weekend, though.

I really appreciate you taking this journey with me. It's never boring, is it? Thank you for your attention and thank you so much for reading!

Update 11/1: The Barnes & Noble link went live overnight, so the book page has all active vendor links now. Check back for the paperback link soon!