Seeds of Blood.

 . . . . Or rather, how the idea for The Blood Series began, and why it is the way it is.

Ideas come to writers in many different ways. My ideas are often through dreams, and on an odd occasion I will look at something, or someone will say something and a small seed is planted. Sometimes it rapidly begins to blossom in to an idea, and other times the idea takes some tender loving care and persuasion.

This post is all the madness and reasoning behind how I came up with writing my paranormal series.

Now, if you haven't read my paranormal erotic romance, She-Wolf, this post might be somewhat spoilerish, but by all means if you want to see how my crazy story of Werewolves and Vampires lurking around the United Kingdom, actually began . . . Then put up your feet, and grab a cuppa.

How all the madness began!

November 2008

6:35(ish) am

I am stood waiting for the bus. (The bus that I get goes along residential roads, it is a handy bus, and one of many that were made for the elderly, though anyone can get on them.)

So, I am waiting on this dark, quite road. Every now and again a car drives past, but other than that it is extremely quite. Across the road from me stands a fence, and beyond that is a college. With the sky being that odd blue colour it is in winter, the building looks like a giant black block. I'm tired and cold, hopping lightly from one foot to the other hoping the bus will show up soon, otherwise I'm going to be late. My focus is fixed to the college and its flat roof, and I find myself thinking it would be quite freaky to be walking down that street and look up to see a bulky figure sitting there. Feral golden - or whatever eye colour one would find chilling - eyes locked on to me. I'm alone on this street. If people are up and getting ready for work the lights in their houses aren't on. Would anyone be able to hear me if I screamed? Would that creature chase me now I have seen it? Is it hunting? Or is it up there for an entirely different reason?

Believe it or not, but that's how the idea for The Blood Series started. Yes, I imagined I had a Werewolf sitting on a roof looking at me. Okay, it wasn't exactly that straight forward.

For years I had been playing about writing scripts, and for a while I had wanted to write something to do with vamps and werewolves. I had always loved old school horror, and anything paranormal, and one of the sayings writers do stick to is - write what you know, what you love - well I love me some vamps and were's, so darn it, I was going to write something with them in it.

For two months I sat scribbling and ripping up note after note, trying to figure out what type of a story I wanted to write. There are so many stories out there - stretching back years - with these two particular types of mythological creatures, I knew there was no way I was going to come up with something completely original. So I decided instead of trying so hard to do something different, I wanted to take parts of stuff I loved about those particular stories and just twist it all into something new. Something me, and my odd little imagination could whip up.

I love Dracula - so I knew I wanted to add a little Romanian folklore in there. Now at this point in time we have not met the Vampires in this world, but their appearance is based upon the Strigoi. These types of vampires remind me of the guy from Salems lot. He gives me the creeps. So naturally I loved the image.

I love Werewolves (old school types) - So I made my Werewolves the big bad walk-around-like-I-am-still-a-man-with-a-few-differences Wolves. My guys don't have tails, and they don't run around on all fours -- They could if they wanted to, but it would be a little awkward and uncomfortable for them considering their size and weight.

I love the settings of old horrors, there is always some moors or a forest - So I decided to set some of the series in Scotland. Wide open spaces. Moors. Forests.

And then lets not forget, the havoc when the big bads come to town, which they always do - So I set the other part in London. Because let's face it, who doesn't love the idea of Werewolves and Vampires running around killing in London, England?

Last but not least, kick-ass Heroine - I wanted a kick-ass heroine - or at least a chick who is kick ass in her own right - I wanted my heroine to have a problem though. An addiction, or maybe for her to be trapped in a position that she doesn't want to be in, but has no choice.

After I had figured all of that out the story became a little bit clearer. But, the story was not She-Wolf. Oh no. She-Wolf I wrote in August 2010, and I will get into that in one moment : P

~ * ~

Cranberry Blood (Blood Book 1)

It took me 9 months to write the original. It was the first book I had ever written, so I was still getting use to how to go about everything. Once I finished, I sent it off to some very helpful ladies who gave me their honest opinions. The feedback was positive, and very useful. After reading through CB a couple more times, I realised I had backed myself in to a corner. That was no good.

So in February 2010, I ripped the book to pieces - mentally - and started to re-plan and piece it back together. I took all the ideas, and characters I loved and placed them on my mental "keep" file, then looked at the rest. A week later, I had a new story. My heroine wasn't as weak as she was during the original. She was stuck - vulnerable in a sense - due to the shit life had dealt her. I was completely in love - not to mention in lust - with my new hero. Overall, I was happy. Everything had clicked in to place, and the flow of the story - past & future of all the characters - was crystal clear.

So I got to writing it, and had it finished by June. I sent it off to my helpful star ladies, and got great feedback.

If it wasn't for this book, for the heroine & hero - as crazy as it is to admit - there would be no She-Wolf, and as much as I would like to kill Owen MacLaren - the hero of zed book - I adore that book.

~ * ~

She-Wolf (Blood Prequel)

This book was never planned.

There are a lot of characters in this world, and while writing Cranberry Blood I did a lot of history info (family trees, character profiles etc. - completely agonising, but worth it.) So I always knew the story between Owen and Clare.

It would be a lie to say that I never thought about writing their story, because I plan - and hope very much - to write a few short stories regarding certain characters in this world. All of them have been through some interesting events/situations at one point or another. All of them have a story to be told. I just never thought that I would be writing Clare's and Owen's any time soon.

She-Wolf started when I was trying to write a different story. I was trying to concentrate on a conversation between two sisters from a sweet contemporary romance I was writing, and I kept having visions of Owen walking in to a strip club and finding Clare working there. That was it. That image, over and over again, until it drove me mad and I had to sit down and write. As I started writing, I realised that their story took place before the events of Cranberry Blood, and that the two stories were actually linked.

(I realise that might sound a little insane. I have characters that are in Cranberry Blood so naturally the stories would be linked? Nope, some of my characters - despite the fact they are pack members or coven members - they have stories that don't effect their pack/coven. Just them. I thought that was the case between Clare & Owen. Oh, how wrong I was.)

I planned for She-Wolf to be a freebie. When it went past 10k I decided it would end up being a novella, and I might query it. By the time it had gone past 40k I was pretty certain that it was actually a novel, something that had Owen gloating in the dark corners of my mind. 75k - I was finished, and She-Wolf was queried.

Now, for anyone who hasn't read She-Wolf . . . stop here. I don't want to spoil anything for you. Those of you who have, by all means carry on.

I never intended to have She-Wolf end on a little cliffhanger. I know how frustrating it is when you're watching a programme, and then the screen goes black and those three dreaded words appear . . .

To be continued

You hate the producers for doing it, but you still trust that the next instalment will be worth the wait?

That's the case with She-Wolf. I know I never wrote those 3 words at the end, but I promise the story continues. I promise that you will see Owen and Clare again, and I can tell you that I do plan to revisit them a few times. I also promise that you will find out the deal with the "Rogues" in Cranberry Blood.

She-Wolf was about the romance and the history between Clare & Owen. The pack issue of the Rogues was a link to Cranberry, and there is - I cross my heart - a reason that the mystery is left open. I wrote Cranberry first, remember? I wasn't trying to be cruel and take justice away from the Pack, or leave you all growling because the murdering bastards didn't get the ass kickin' they deserved.

I'm just trying to do something a little different.

I have a plan, and there is some crazy stuff going down, and the incidents in She-Wolf were just the tip of the iceberg.

You're all welcome to poke me, and growl at me for doing such a thing to you all. It is your right as readers. I just ask that you trust me, just a little, because we have only just started on this journey.