I haven’t done one of these in a bit. My absolute favorite parts of the writing process is how stories evolve over time. Every draft, every step of the process, creates new variations until the final product you receive in your hands. Same with all media. I love reading about that process with other writers, which is why I always try to find a way to do these author commentaries for you.
I hope you enjoy learning more about the behind the scenes machinations that occur.
Where did Hammer and Anvil come from?
I’ve written about this before. After closing out the first half of the Greystone series, I knew I needed a break from Portents. Laying the groundwork for a multi-book arc takes time and I was pushing my deadlines at the end of the five book journey.
Rather than leave a void for my lovely readers, I wanted to have something for them. Some content that would keep one toe in the world of Greystone, while I went ahead with the launch of The DSA.
The prequel trilogy was born.
Not in this form. No way. My original plan was to release one short story per year. They would be small pieces that could be linked directly to my newsletter readers. The thought was to provide background on Soriya’s training years by spotlighting key moments in the history seeded in the main series.
The Minotaur was always going to be first. The Ribbon of Kali was always going to be in the series as well.
Nothing else was set in stone.
How the story grew in the telling
I don’t take shortcuts with my writing. I try very hard to pull every ounce out of a story before I write my first draft. What I mean by that is I outline like crazy.
It starts small. It always does. For Hammer it was all about that moment in Signs of Portents where Soriya faces the Minotaur. That was what I wanted to focus on and build upon. But there was so much more to it by then.
It was all Beth’s fault. By realizing she had a connection to Soriya I knew I needed to explore that. This was a purely selfish need, just something to explore on my own.
The two separate threads started to bleed into one another. What if Beth was involved in taking down the Minotaur? What if the start of their relationship came from that circumstance?
A Circle of Shadows helped plant that seed. The flashback of the pair in Atlas Books cemented the situation and from there, Hammer and Anvil grew from a simple confrontation with a monster to a full-fledged novel.
Setting up the series
I told myself there would be three adventures. That was the limitation I placed on the series. I figured one per year would give me the time I needed to make sure Book 6 of the main series was ready for publication.
Again, everything changes. All three books will have come out in a single year. That’s mostly my own impatience at wanting you to read the story.
And what about Book 6? Oh, it’s coming and it is all because of this series.
But how did Hammer and Anvil set up the trilogy? It set the tone of what I was trying to explore. Soriya’s inexperience, the trials that forge her into the Greystone, I thought was the heart of the series. Her relationships are critical to her being – something the main series always explored – and they start here.
What you’ll see coming up in the next few weeks is what went into building the novel. From the Minotaur’s evolution to Mentor’s fall to so many other cool tidbits that were never part of the initial outline.
Join me next week for more insight into Hammer and Anvil. (Don’t forget to grab your copy now. It’s FREE!)
