I had this idea in 2007. A buddy-cop dramedy about a stay-at-home mom and a detective tracking down myths and legends. Soriya carried the Greystone, a weapon she knew nothing about – one that came to be the center of the story. Loren was there as well, his story nowhere near as fleshed out.

Eleven years later and look where we are.

Five Greystone novels into the saga of these two characters that have changed so completely from those early days.

Reflections on the series

It wasn’t until 2016 that I figured out the story. Okay, that’s not entirely accurate. I wrote the original version of The Medusa Coin in 2012 so there was some indication where Greystone could go…

I didn’t see the potential of the arc until I wrote Tales from Portents. When I realized these smaller stories could carry the narrative and open the possibilities for these characters, that was the turning point for me. Suddenly the map became clear for the entire arc. Three novels, two short story collections, each offering pieces of the puzzle until the conclusion.

Setting the deadlines for each book was pretty key to making the idea work. If I had limited myself to one book per year, I don’t think I would have had the drive to push through my own fears to make Greystone a reality.

Fun deviations

I tried to change the ending of The Medusa Coin several times. I was so angry that I spent an inordinate amount of energy building up the Loren/Soriya relationship only to tear it down in what was considered the second book at the time.

There was a version where they were secretly pretending to drift apart to draw out the threat. There was another where Soriya was doing it to protect Loren and he saw through it, grateful to have a friend like her.

They were messy and complicated, never quite fitting where the story was meant to go.

Each book was a challenge, from conception to execution. Each one caused me to sweat and bleed to pull the narrative together. Yet, A Circle of Shadows only took 16 days to write. I’ve never written anything so quickly and NEVER felt a first draft was as strong.

If only things went that smoothly for every project…

Regrets?

There are a few. Greystone was meant to be more metaphysical in nature; the concept of the Bypass as a corridor to infinity, a vital component of each adventure. The idea of Mentor and Soriya choosing their names/titles as positions of power was supposed to more prominent.

I wavered on it mostly because I knew my audience wasn’t ready for it. Having a character named Mentor alone drove a few readers away in the first novel.

I think Signs of Portents, as a whole, could use a new edit. A tighter, leaner version to fall in line with where the narrative turns by The Medusa Coin. Again, I have Tales from Portents to thank for that change in style. The restrictive nature of short stories really forced me to tune in on each moment, utilize each chapter to its fullest. Some might feel the short story collections aren’t as pertinent to the overall design of the series but to me they strengthened me as an author more than anything I’ve ever written.

Speaking of Tales from Portents… I had this notion of putting Resurrectionists first in the collection. It was to showcase Soriya and Loren first. It was to make sure previewers on retail sites didn’t get a full story and more, before hitting the purchase button.

It shouldn’t have happened. I wish I put the story in the proper order so it flowed perfectly timeline-wise.

The Journey Continues…

Two and a half years. I picked up the draft of Signs of Portents in March 2016 and set to work on completing this saga from start to finish.

I made it to the halfway point.

Yes, A Circle of Shadows closes out Loren’s story. It, however, fails to answer some of the most important questions of the series. No, I won’t spill the beans on what is to come but if you look closely enough you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Portents will always be part of me. It is in everything I write, everything I imagine, and it creeps to the surface every time I talk about the books.

I can’t wait to visit again soon.