The Friday Five - Reasons I'm Not Finished With Legends & Lovers

Wednesday night I was laying at the foot of my bed listening to my husband talk abut trucks. He loves jacked up 4X4s and monster trucks and truck pulls and off-roading. I confess, I love Monster Truck Thunderdrags and I have been known to enjoy truck pulls (yes, I have my favorites).

He held up a magazine photo of some truck and I said, "What do you think about the title The Soul Catcher's Lover? The hero is a photographer. Kodak invented the first roll film in 1888. Well, Kodak didn't, but some guy named Eastman did."

Lord, give me strength. No, on second thought
I might use it to smother someone with a pillow.

And he continued to talk about the truck. I didn't like the ring of the title. A few minutes later he said, "What did you say?"

I repeated the part about the camera. He blinked. "You said The Bed Sheet's Camera, right?"

I just rolled my eyes.

The magazine photo of the truck landed on the bed. "I thought after this one, you were done with that."

"No, I never did write Ransom's story. I promised."

His turn for an eye roll. I didn't mention that I'm dabbling at a novella with a couple of the characters from The Sky Pirate's Wife. Specifically the first mate and Van Buren's mother. Because they deserve each other, mostly for having to put up with Van Buren.

Anyway, here are five reasons The Turncoat's Temptress won't be the last novel in the Legends & Lovers series.

See? Woolly chaps. Say hi to the Interwebz, Ransom.
Apparently he fancied himself some sort of
woolly chap wearing gunfighter?

#1) I never did write Ransom's story. I wrote the beginning, about a Scottish man named Ransom (named after a deceased family member who wore woolly chaps), who rescued kidnapped women and was betrayed/lost someone and pretty much became a bum before his superior asked him to help with another case. He fell in love with a young woman who couldn't speak, but could sing. I don't know, okay? It was part of a curse. Obviously that idea flopped. Instead, I got to thinking about the superior, who was a ginormous pompous a-hole. And The Turncoat's Temptress was born. I promised Ransom I would come back to him.

#2) There's a character from TcT who intrigued me right away. This works out because the superior who was supposed to boss Ransom around is a paranormal investigator. The character from TcT happens to be a paranormal creature. Currently she's betrayed the investigator because his superior has something she wants.  I plan for her to flee the East Coast for the West where Ransom is now a photographer instead of a rescuer. The reason I want to call it The Soul Catcher's something is because of the native theory that when someone took a picture, it sucked their soul into the box. Ta-da! Genius, right?

#3) I found a picture I desperately want to use on the cover. It. Is. Perfect for the story I have in mind. No, it does not feature woolly chaps.

If I stop, clowns will eat me. 

#4) I have an idea for another series, but I'm a-scared to move on. I am in my comfort zone and I shiver with fear when I think about not writing steampunk romance. It would still be romance and it would still have historical elements, but it wouldn't be steampunk romance. I know, I know, knock that baby bird outta the nest and fly, dammit, but I'm an adult and I can work at my own pace if I want to. My mom said so.

#5) Writing The Soul Catcher's something could inspire me to keep going. There could even be five books eventually. There could even be more more. Maybe. All it takes is one tiny spark and I'm off again like a shot.

Oh, and in case you missed the FB posting, you can now read chapter one of The Treasure Hunter's Lady and The Sky Pirate's Wife now for free.