COFE Staycation – Where Did the Idea Come From?

I’m back! Did you miss me?

In July, I finally released my first paperback. Today I’m pleased to announce that it’s companion is on the way. Crossroads of Frozen Eternity, the second book in the Mystical Island Trilogy, will be available to purchase on September 18th – that’s one week from today!

When I released Island of Lost Forevers I decided to go on tour – it was my first time taking my blog show on the road and I think it worked pretty well. But my fingers are still a bit tuckered out from all that touring, so for this release I’m throwing a Staycation – and you’re all invited! The entire month of September is going to be devoted to Crossroads of Frozen Eternity, so be sure to check back every Monday and Friday for more inside scoops.

I kicked off the IOLF blog tour by talking about where the idea came from since that’s where discussions of stories always start. Considering that there is a Mystical Island Trilogy, you might be surprised to learn that we originally planned for Island of Lost Forevers to stand alone. The idea was self-contained, neat and simple, with all it’s loose ends tied up. Until we actually wrote the thing and realized there was a lot of potential for growth. No matter how careful you are, there are always dangling threads. And there was one, in particular, that stuck in my head.

What if the final confrontation with Sentomoru ended differently? What if Catilen felt no compulsion to reveal the secrets Sentomoru shared with her? What if Damian’s spell failed?

Of course, we didn’t want to re-write the ending of the first book. For one, I’m a big fan of happy endings. But the what if plot bunnies are always the strongest and hardest to ignore. It’s no secret that I write tons of alternate universes for my characters. And since the island our characters inhabit is known for hopping between dimensions in the first place, the next logical evolution seemed to be the ability to leap between timelines as well.

This led to other questions. Such as what, exactly, keeps the island from encountering alternate versions of itself? What are the rules regarding where the island can go and how often it can move? And what would happen if something went horribly wrong with that process? How different would the characters lives have to be in order for the changes to be relevant? And what if the people they encountered were so different, they weren’t even recognizable?

We just had to answer some of those questions. So as soon as James and I finished penning the first installment of the Mystical Island Trilogy, we began laying out the second. As one Amazon reviewer pointed out – it may just be your first encounter with a twist opening!

Purchase a digital copy | the paperback arrives September 18th!

The island is on a collision course with an alternate version of itself…

The island flourishes under Catilen’s rule. But Damian can’t escape the former lord’s shadow. It haunts him keenest in the form of Catilen’s seven-year-old daughter, Morulin. Damian wants to be part of her life, but fears rejection when she learns the truth about her father’s death.

With the island at her back, Catilen thought she could deal with any crisis. But when something tears the veil between worlds, she comes face to face with the man she spent the last eight years trying to forget. Worst of all, the island’s predicament has infected Catilen’s daughter with a mysterious ailment.

Catilen must put her personal strife aside, and stop Damian’s from consuming him, because saving the island’s inhabitants means making peace with Kenjiro Sentomoru.

Win a copy of both Island of Lost Forevers and Crossroads of Frozen Eternity signed by yours truly!

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