The story of the sequel

The sequel did not at all go like I planned.

For starters, I had to do a major rewrite - scrapping 60K words I'd written before we finished the plot edits on Moonlit, because part of those edits was cutting a character who didn't play a big part in Moonlit, but was spotlighted in the sequel. Oops.

So I began again, and somewhere in there, I got lost inside Tanzy's head and forgot her feet. In Moonlit, Tanzy comes face to face with some of the darkest places of her soul. She even shocked me, and I know she scared herself. So I think we had to acclimate to each other again, who we both were, emerging battle-scarred from the grenade dropped at the end of Moonlit. In the process, we wandered over the choices she made without moving forward. I wasn't really inspired. I was just sad, and more than a little despondent.

Around the time I sent a draft of the sequel to beta readers, Moonlit was making the rounds on a couple of blog tours. I read a couple of feverish posts, new members of the Moonlit tribe who understood Moonlit and Tanzy, and were eager to dive into the sequel, and I started to panic. The sequel isn't right. It's wrong. WRONG. But how? Why? What is missing?? My beta readers felt the same way. They loved the plot I'd crafted, but the fire that lit the "explosion in reverse" fuse of Moonlit hadn't carried over into the sequel. It was a hard truth, but it was the truth.

Then I read a couple more posts from other new fans, and several mentioned how they thought the coming war would play out. ...... war? what war? there's a war? ..... HOLY $#*%! There's a WAR!!! Inspiration struck like a freight train. That night, I gutted the sequel again, saving only about 20K of the original words, and started over.

This pushed my self-imposed May 31st deadline back A LOT. A war between a few people would be boring and over in a paragraph or two (maybe a couple of pages if there's a lot of witty dialogue exchanged between the blows.) So I had to explore all the sides of this war, this brand new, breathtaking, crystal clear moment in my head when all sides converge on the veil. It's a spectacular sight, and I can't wait to write it. But not yet... when you have a WAR on your hands, you have to thoroughly understand each side's motivation, the complexities of alliances and traitors, the gray that exists between good and evil.

I'm so excited to introduce you to this growing cast of new characters. I wrote the first book for myself - to get the story out of my head and to explore Tanzy's voice. But this second book is for my tribe, for those readers who took a leap of faith and dove head first into Tanzy's life and saw the shifting world through her eyes. I want it to be perfect for my tribe. I want to give them what they're hungry for.

Years of working mostly alone around horses inspired Moonlit. But my readers - my tribe - inspired the sequel. I think it's the coolest thing to happen to me since becoming published. I submitted it to my publisher a few days ago, and I'm eager to see what my fantastic editors think. They loved Moonlit as much as I did - even though they helped me work on Moonlit, I also consider them members of the Moonlit tribe. Their opinion means everything to me, both professionally, and as readers. I'll know I did right by my readers if my acquisitions editor gives me the green light. You better believe I'll let you know as soon as I hear back - either way.

Until then, I'll do my best not to stalk my inbox. To keep myself occupied, I'm drafting a scene to add where Tanzy and readers alike will be able to see exactly what Lucas is capable of when someone he loves is in jeopardy...

Enough about me. What are you up to? :)

A-Z Challenge: T is for Tanzy Hightower

Moonlit's main character and heroine is Tanzy Hightower, a barn-girl of little words and a big past. First, her recent past: Tanzy's father died in a freak accident. Tanzy was the only one who saw what happened, and she's keeping a big secret about the last moments of his life. And then, her TRUE past, her first life in north Africa a thousand years ago.

Her name had to mean something - especially in light of the decision her soul was brought back to make. I tried many names on her before I found "Tansy," which in Latin means "immortality," a perfect fit.

As for her personality, I would call her a blend of Sookie (True Blood), Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Katniss (Hunger Games) with a heavy dash of the adorable main character of MTV's show "Awkward."

As far as "casting" Tanzy should Moonlit ever make it to film... I would want it to be someone no one (or few people) have ever heard of. A natural horse person, dark hair, athletic instead of skinny, eyes that say everything, soft spoken, and smart. Here are a few pictures I've collected for my online inspiration board of Tanzy:

A-Z Challenge: D is for Dancing 'til the world ends

Music does something to me - I can't explain it. The right song comes on, and the energy that kick starts inside of me insists that I move with the beat. So, naturally, the "playlist" in my head for Moonlit is something I take pretty seriously. Of course I'm about to say the name: Britney Spears, so maybe that hurts my credibility...

Anyways, there's a scene in Moonlit when Tanzy and Vanessa go dancing at a swanky nightclub - with some unforeseeable consequences. I can see it in my head, the bright, iridescent energy swirling around the room full of throbbing, wanting people. And I hear Britney Spear's song: Dancing 'til the World Ends every time I read the scene.

Tanzy isn't one to let loose, so she takes some coaxing from Vanessa on the way there. Check out an excerpt from Moonlit, where Tanzy gets her first taste of letting go:

           “That’s a good song. Turn it up,” Vanessa says, and starts to dance in the driver’s seat. “Come on, Tanzy.”

I turn up the volume and nod along to the beat.

“Aw, you’ve got more than that.”

“I don’t know how to dance,” I finally admit.

“You don’t have to know how to dance, you just have to know how to let go,” she says, and promptly releases the steering wheel. She twirls her hands above her head as we fly down a straight road.

“Vanessa!”

“I’m not stopping until you start,” she teases.

I do my best to copy her.

“Do you feel that? How can you not want to move? Close your eyes and feel it, Tanzy.”

Well, at least this way if we crash I won’t have to see it coming. I hold in a breath and close my eyes. The deep bass thumps like a heartbeat. My hands drum against my knees as the sounds flood my veins.

“There you go!” she says. I open my eyes and Vanessa grins in approval as she rocks her hips in her seat. I mimic her movement, feeling the little twists in my waist. My shoulders join in, rolling side to side with the music. Before I can stop them, my fingers press against the ceiling of her car and my body sways to the pounding rhythm.

Louisville’s lights fly past like a whirling disco ball as we speed through the city. Vanessa throws her head back with laughter, and I can’t help but want to feel just how she does in this exact moment. At last, I let go of the final thread of hesitation. I brace myself, sure it will feel like falling. But it doesn’t. Not at all. I’m soaring. I’m free.

 

You know what else starts with D? Discount! A friend of mine saw that Barnes and Noble online (BN.com) is currently offering print versions of Moonlit for $10.95. The price for print copies on Amazon (amazon.com) is also reduced, and they're selling kindle copies for $1.99.