Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Collateral Commentary – The Phoenix

By

Your friendly neighborhood SPOILER WARNING here! I will be discussing the plot of Collateral in detail including the threat behind the story so you have been sufficiently WARNED…

Finding the threat

I stumbled out of the gate on this one. Usually I’m quick to know the threat of a story. I like to have it worked out before I start putting plot to paper.

To start, I focused on what I knew.

This was Loren and Soriya’s show. Their dynamic, more than anything else in the series, has been the driving force of each and every book. So I needed their case, their shared menace, to be solely about where they were at this moment in time.

Loren was reeling from the gut punch of learning Soriya was present the day his wife died. Another secret, one too many kept from him.

Soriya, during The Medusa Coin, learned that trust is necessary to make their relationship work. Oops…

I wanted to play with those crossed wires and really charge each scene with Loren’s anger and Soriya’s constant joy at just being near him again after his close call with the Charon.

The second piece I had was the background of the threat’s arrival. Henry Erikson. His actions in The Medusa Coin set off this tale. His research into saving his own skin brought something to Portents that should never have been there.

Thus my search began. What was it? What could it mean for this specific story? For these two particular characters?

Finding the Phoenix

Yes, I am a fan of the X-Men. No, this had nothing to do with that.

In my search through a database of mythical creatures I tried to dissuade myself from using a phoenix. Because of the X-Men, because of its constant use through media.

Yet, it was because of this use that the phoenix ended up working perfectly.

The Phoenix as this life-giving force, this creature of light, twisted by her arrival into Portents was meant to prove counter to Soriya’s journey. Throughout The Medusa Coin and even before that, Soriya viewed herself as a force of destruction; offering little more than death.

Here, she tried to save the day, tried to save the city and this creature who was meant to do the same stood in her way. Soriya is forced to play her dark role for the betterment of Portents.

At a cost.

The innocence of the Phoenix, her reasoning behind her actions really drove it home. She is trying to help people live to their fullest in spite of causing their deaths. The fact that she can’t understand the pain being caused by her actions and that Soriya has to intervene in the harshest way possible made it that much brutal.

Maybe there is no real light, no real victory to be had in this fight.

The toughest one to pull off…

I struggled with this tale. More than any other in the collection. For me, the joy of writing the series is the interplay with the characters. To see Soriya and Loren at odds, to feel the tension in the background the entire time, was difficult to manage and more difficult to conceive.

I think it worked though. And I definitely think it was necessary to push these two further apart, which is where they are when A Circle of Shadows opens.

What are your thoughts? Shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Collateral Commentary – Starting Points

By

Let the commentary BEGIN! As a warning, there will be SPOILERS and in this case they also relate not only to the opening story in Pathways in the Dark but also to The Medusa Coin. BEWARE… BEWARE… (Sorry, my 3 year old says that to me all the time.)

Starting Points for Collateral…

Even though it has the prominence of the first story in the collection, the truth of the matter is I wrote this one dead last.

There were two reasons.

  1. I knew it was a longer story to tell and I had four shorter tales in the works that demanded less commitment to put together.
  2. I only knew 2 out of the 3 critical elements for this story and couldn’t make it work without the third piece to the puzzle.

Setting Up Those Critical Elements

Coming from The Medusa Coin, I had two things going for me. I had a tension building photo that was causing a rift between Loren and Soriya. It gave me a lot of play on how these two would interact, one aware of this secret and the other completely oblivious.

So, Collateral for me was my chance to delve into a new wrinkle in the Soriya/Loren dynamic. In order to see how Loren would handle it as well as see where Soriya was having made many incorrect choices of late.

I knew where I wanted this story to end and how it would be the only one in the collection to showcase the old team. This was another reason why Collateral HAD to be first in Pathways. To not bring Soriya and Loren right to the forefront of the collection would have been a huge blow to the reader, in my opinion, so I’m glad the timeline and the subject matter worked out in order to keep them front and center for everyone.

The second critical piece for this story centered around Henry Erikson. In The Medusa Coin it is stated he looked into a cure for his illness for 3 years without success. But just because he hadn’t been cured didn’t mean he hadn’t stumbled upon something worthwhile during his search.

That was what clicked for me. This idea that this one man’s actions could have ramifications for so many others. That because of his desperation he unleashed not only the Charon during The Medusa Coin, but something else we had no clue about until now.

But what was the threat?

That’s where I was stuck. Without that critical element I wasn’t ready to put the story together. I’ll tell you all about it next time.

Talk to you then!

Pathways in the Dark Author Commentary Introduction

By

This is absolutely my favorite time of the year. If you’re anything like me, you love to listen or read the author commentary on a book, film, DVD collection… anything that brings insight into something you loved. To me, the process behind putting a final product together adds to the enjoyment of the product itself.

Pathways in the Dark Author Commentary Begins!

If you’ve enjoyed the book already feel free to dive in right from the start. If you haven’t, be aware that I will be going in-depth into each and every short story contained within. I won’t deliberately go out of my way to ruin a plot point, especially if it doesn’t pertain to what I am talking about during the blog.

Remember, if there is something you desperately have to know about the making of Pathways in the Dark, be sure to email me at lou@loupaduano.com. I have my general list of items I want to hit for the next few months (yeah, it’s a little long…) so be sure if there is something you really found interesting in the book and want to know how it ended up in the draft LET ME KNOW!! Can’t wait to hear from you.

Why this project?

This is a question I will answer for each and every short story in the collection. However, looking at the book as a whole I think this is important as well. I’m not a fan of short stories. I don’t typically read them, anthologies, or the like. I’ve never felt they carried the same weight or meant as much to a series as a full-length installment.

I was wrong.

Or, at least, I set out to prove that conceit was incorrect.

Pathways in the Dark, like Tales from Portents before it, is vital to the Greystone series and deliberately so. There are so many little tidbits layered into the collection. Pieces of a puzzle yet to even be formed in some cases, that I can’t see the series without this book. The overall narrative fails without the arcs contained in Pathways.

Ruiz’s lesson in Trustfall. Soriya’s new apartment. The backstory of Samantha Myers. Each one was designed to showcase a character and propel them forward, to push them toward A Circle of Shadows while also putting them to the test to explain why they are important to the story, to understand who they are and where they’ve been when the next novel opens.

It is a much different collection than Tales from Portents. One that owes much to that first collection, but one that when all is said and done very much stands on its own as a moment in time for these characters and the choices they have made. The impact of those choices and how they came about.

The price they’ve paid or will pay because of them.

Collateral starts next time!

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know your thoughts and if you would like to hear more about a part of the book or the series at lou@loupaduano.com.

Always happy to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Greystone Saga Vol. 2 Box Set Available for Pre-Order!

By

The second digital box set of the Greystone series is now available for pre-order! Contained within this massive document are The Medusa Coin, Pathways in the Dark AND an exclusive sneak peek at A Circle of Shadows!!!

CRAZY!

Cover reveal

Kit Foster Designs did another amazing job putting together this cover. Keeping in line with the first box set and focusing solely on the dark streets of Portents was an inspired choice.

I can’t say enough about the man and his work. Every time I get a new cover in my inbox I spend way too long staring at it.

There is a lot of talk about covers being on genre. For me, this cover and every cover for the Greystone series has been about building an image, setting the tone for what is within. That is more important in my mind. It may cost me a sale or two but when people find a Greystone book the very first thing they tell me about is the amazing cover image that drew them in.

I can think of no higher praise for Kit and his work on Greystone over the last two years.

Pre-order the box set today!

The digital box set comes out June 12th but you can pre-order yours NOW! It is being offered for the special launch price of $2.99 before heading up to $4.99 post launch. You’re getting an entire book for FREE at that price!

            

Help spread the word…

We’re nearing the end of this journey and anything you can do to help spread the word and make this launch as successful as possible is deeply appreciated.

If you’ve read and reviewed The Medusa Coin and Pathways in the Dark be sure to do the same for this new box set. You can rate it now on Goodreads!

Social media posts, reviews, every little bit helps and I thank you for your continued support of the series!

Thanks for reading!

A Call for Reviews

By

I’ve set a few goals for myself this year. There are the usual suspects in the mix. Finish a new series of books, edit a couple sitting in the drawer next to my desk. Maybe spend some time with the family. (That would be nice…)

First and foremost on the list is asking for reviews.

Calling all reviewers

I know how difficult it can be to leave a review. You never know what to say, how long it should be, if you’re giving too much away or not saying enough. The fact remains each review is crucial to the success of a book.

I set a goal for Signs of Portents this year at 50 reviews. I would love to see it hit the mark. Right now it is at 27. Totally workable but I need your help to make it happen.

Tales from Portents and Pathways in the Dark are stuck at 9 reviews. It would be incredible if they both reached 20 by the end of the year.

The Medusa Coin had the strongest review count out of the gate thanks to my fantastic advance reader team but since then has had a total of bupkus. It is currently at 16 reviews. Let’s see what we can do to make that 25 by the end of the year.

If you’ve read both Signs of Portents and Tales from Portents consider leaving a review for The Greystone Saga Volume One which contains both books. I would love to be able to promote the box set more but with only 3 reviews it makes it very difficult to manage. If we could get it to 10 reviews it would be a big help.

I can’t do this without you.

One of the main reasons I love to write is that everything is internal. Everything stems from me and when the chips fall the final product is all mine based on my choices and what I wanted to see in the pages.

But the success of such a book is not up to me. It is up to you. Leaving a review is your voice in the process and I take each to heart. Each one is truly appreciated and I can’t say enough about the folks that have been able to leave one for each and every installment of the Greystone series.

Thank you for your help with hitting these goals.

Also, if you would like a free copy of the next Greystone book, A Circle of Shadows, to review ahead of the release in September please shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com.

And now… LINKS!

Signs of Portents

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KLEREBW

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1124265435

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/signs-of-portents-1

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/690511

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1188449431

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31391171

Tales from Portents

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU7MCU0

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1125454110

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tales-from-portents

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/695182

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1193911014

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33872782

The Greystone Saga Volume One

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VHCHZ3

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1126358230

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-greystone-saga-volume-one-signs-of-portents-and-tales-from-portents

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/722910

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1234243174

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35438272

The Medusa Coin

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073FZYYBN

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1126791229

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-medusa-coin

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/736461

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1260418619

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35722978

Pathways in the Dark

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784CX1RY

Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1127501454

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pathways-in-the-dark 

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/760086 

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1342339307

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36636028

 

 

 

Sticking the Landing – A Circle of Shadows Update

By

It’s crazy to think that in five months the final book of the Greystone saga arrives. When I started planning the arc out back in 2016 this point seemed so far away, so out of reach.

I spent last week revisiting A Circle of Shadows and I have to say… I really enjoyed it.

I know what you’re thinking. Big deal, the writer likes his own book. Well, if you know me at all then you know I dislike pretty much everything I write. I can see the weakness, the flaw in it. The parts readers will jump on, harp on, and ridicule – though all exist for a specific story purpose. It isn’t a negative outlook, though it might appear that way – it is merely wanting to make the book as strong as possible.

With this book? Not so much on the negativity front.

That scares me. But it also excites me. There are so many pieces in A Circle of Shadows, so many touchstones to the series as a whole, that it seemed planned from the very start. (pssst, it wasn’t…)

Did I stick the landing?

That will be up to you. And yes, some will be greatly upset by the ending of this next novel. The stakes are higher but so are the final costs. No one feels each loss as much as I do, I promise you that. The world of Greystone, the city of Portents, is part of my daily life now and to not hear some of the voices from the past few years is sad, however, it opens the door to the adventures to come.

For my own impressions, I think A Circle of Shadows does an excellent job closing out the narrative started with Signs of Portents. The callbacks to every other Greystone novel are there. Character moments grew organically. Every single player gets their moment in the spotlight, all making their own choice and changing from the repercussions.

If you’ve followed the story so far I think you’ll dig where it ends. I have never been one to write on an epic scale. There have been little moments of it like the climax of Signs of Portents but never has the action been so prevalent as it is in this last chapter.

For now…

I keep saying it because there is more story to tell. In fact, reading through A Circle of Shadows last week brought to light a number of new areas to explore for the second half of the series.

Questions remain but as to what those entail you’ll have to read the novel when it arrives this September!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Disclaimer: Links throughout this site may be affiliate links. All commission earned through these links go to Eleven Ten Publishing to produce more books for your reading pleasure.

You can view our privacy policy here.

Recent Posts