This is it! The end! Goodbye to Greystone in this final author commentary for A Circle of Shadows! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Epilogue
Stories never end. They shouldn’t. You should always want more, to see more, to know more about a character’s world. That is the fun of an epilogue and why I thought so many were necessary in this book. Each contains a snippet, a vitally important piece, of one of our cast member’s next steps.
All to show the reader the potential for what is ahead.
Myers
Out of all the epilogues included, I knew this one was going to be tough. After everything they’ve gone through, Loren and Myers make it out the other side but how can they go on? How can Loren ever truly forgive Myers for what happened?
And he doesn’t. Never in the chapter do you hear the words, I forgive you. The sentiment is there, but so is the bitterness over what happened. Not everything is sunny or rosy, though I did try to skirt the line between them as much as possible.
Myers stays. That is the key takeaway from this piece. She is staying in Portents as Head Detective for the Central Precinct. Her new partner is Thel, the siren. How cool is it going to be when we get to see them next? They deserve their own series!
Seriously though, setting up this new dynamic not only allows the reader a glimpse at what could come in the future as well as open possibilities for me as an author for not only plot based threats but also character arcs.
Ruiz
I love this chapter. It brings closure to the Hady Ronne plot, while also opening the next phase of Ruiz’s career as the new Commissioner of Police. Ruiz is my absolute favorite character. As a family man I try to keep him as grounded as possible and show what that truly means in a city like Portents.
It isn’t all sunny and rosy here either, though. Eagle-eyed readers will note what the chiming of the bells means for the future. I won’t say it here but go back and check out Pathways in the Dark for clues to what Ruiz’s actions at Saint Sebastian’s might mean for our heroes down the line.
Loren
This is as open as it gets with a character. A new apartment, no job, but a new partner in the mix and unfettered access to the Library of the Luminaries?
The possibilities are ENDLESS.
I was so excited to close out Loren’s past in this book, to finally put to rest the great mystery of what happened to his wife. I am, of course, scared to death to find out where he goes from here. He’s the one question mark in the whole series, the human side to Soriya’s supernatural–but I can’t wait to take that journey with him.
Soriya
………
What? Did you think I’d spill the beans on what happens next?
I miss Soriya. I miss her brusque attitude, her need to fight, her struggle to learn. Her choices led to this end, something I first noted back in Tales from Portents when I was drafting. This was what was GOING to happen. There was no avoiding it.
But what comes next?
Wait and see. It’s going to be awesome.
Thank you for reading
These author commentaries are the most fun I have all day. Honest. I love digging into the books and recalling the process behind each decision. There were so many times I thought this wouldn’t work, or that the novels would never stand on their own or even come together in a complete package.
I still deal with that with everything I write.
Greystone, however, was a dream to produce.
Thank you for taking the ride with me and I hope to see you again on the next one.