One of the things I frequently get asked for is deleted scenes. Except with THE BRIDGE KINGDOM, I didn’t delete that much (although there is a sexy scene I removed that I’ll share with you all next week during my post about sex. Hahahaha, please don’t let my mom be on Instagram that day). What I DID do was ADD a lot of content during editorial.

In the first draft of the manuscript that I sent my editor, after the battle on Serrith Island where Lara kills all those soldiers on the path and Aren starts to get little prickles of suspicion it jumped almost straight to the scene where Aren gets shot by the arrow (with acknowledgement that several weeks have passed). One of the comments my editor came back to me with was that it seemed as though the romance was escalating too quickly and also that we weren’t seeing enough of Lara being the badass spy she’s supposed to be.

In the next draft I sent her, I ended up adding about 25,000 words of content. The scenes on Gamire Island with Nana and Taryn where Lara sneaks out to see the bridge. The scenes where Lara attempts to overcome her seasickness by sitting in the canoe (while spying) and playing doctor to Aren’s injures. The scene where she goes with him to Aela Island during the Amaridian attack and wins over the Ithicanians with her bravery. The scene in the safe house where they get snuggly. The scene where they have their moment overlooking the sea of stars. ALL of it was added during that first round of editorial.

In my opinion, when writing romance, the most critical thing to get right is having the correct number of emotional beats that take you from zero to sixty on the romance meter. If you have too few, readers won’t buy into the escalation (especially when one is using an enemies to lovers trope). If you have too many, readers start to get annoyed that they haven’t gotten together. Finding that sweet spot is one of the things I spend most of my time thinking about while writing and while editing.

Now of course, that sweet spot isn’t the same for everyone. It’s impossible to please every reader, because we are all different people who like different things. But I have to trust that I know what I’m doing and that my editors and beta readers will point out the flaws.

Now speaking of those romantic beats, one of my favorite pieces of setting is the sea of stars. What makes it even better is that this actually a real phenomena that occurs in OUR world. I saw a picture on Instagram and it stuck in my brain and I KNEW that I had to use it. Here’s some photos for your viewing pleasure.

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Another thing I’ve been asked about a lot is whether there is a map for THE BRIDGE KINGDOM. The answer is yes, but I’m super embarrassed to share my extremely awful, not to scale, somewhat inaccurate bit of “artwork”. But because I love you all dearly, I will shoulder the embarrassment. Also, it is on my list of things to do to commission a proper map for this series in the New Year for THE TRAITOR QUEEN. 

And speaking of THE TRAITOR QUEEN, I get asked daily about a release date and the answer is that I don’t have one yet. It is Audible Original’s practice not to set release dates until the narrators have finished recording and they have a final product, which means I’ll be announcing the date only a matter of weeks before it releases on audio. I’ve been told early 2020, but that’s the most detail I have. The print/ebook editions will release 6 months after that date. 

I HAVE seen the final cover and it is beautiful. Lara looks badass and I can’t wait to share it.

Giveaway #2

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