I don't have a picture of the cover of Her Demonic Angel yet, as I haven't designed it, so I'm going to use a portion of the oh-so-delicious banner of my Her Angel series site (coming soon, I promise! I just need to finish designing the damn thing and get it built) for my posts about the book as I write the first draft. Her Demonic Angel will be the fifth book in the Her Angel romance series and will be the second full length novel.
I have to admit that I've been feeling more than a little apprehensive about this book. After the praise that Her Guardian Angel received from readers and reviewers, and how many of them stated they couldn't wait to see where I took the series next because Her Guardian Angel was a complete game changer, I've spent the past few months stewing and fretting that Her Demonic Angel will deeply disappoint.
This is a new feeling for me and the writer in me doesn't quite know how to process it yet. It's something I'm also experiencing with my Vampire Erotic Theatre series. I've never had reviewers and readers really get behind a book like this and a series, and have expectations about the next. I'm sure it happens a lot to authors and I'm also sure it's something that I will eventually be able to handle, but for now I'm going to write this one on the edge of my seat panicking that it won't be good enough. Paranoid? Probably.
I spent the weekend getting the outline of Her Demonic Angel together so I could start writing it today. I took myself off to my local cafe to avoid my new neighbours moving in and find some peace. Yes, I write best in cafes. I know most people think that's crazy because of all the comings and goings of people around me, and the screaming kids, but I have my music on and I really do zone out when writing. I become immersed in the book and can pretty much block out anything. Years of writing on trains with people sitting right next to me and in cafes at lunch have hardened me to writing in public.
Despite the frigid temperatures in the UK right now, I ventured out into the world to the cafe and assumed my usual spot hidden away at the back. Far from the door and the draught, and tucked into a corner in a comfy seat. I took a few deep breaths and then took the plunge. Thankfully I had already written the opening in a previous fit of scene-note-writing. So I tapped out the opening line and off I went. Want to know what the opening line is? Here it is:
It was the Devil who took her.
And that's it. Following that is around 10000 other words I wrote today, completing the first three chapters of the book. Veiron, the hero, has met Erin, the heroine, and they're starting their love story.
I'm hopeful that my productivity today can be matched tomorrow, and the next day, and every day until the angel romance book is complete in first draft. I take it as a good sign that during my walk home the opening of chapter 4 came to me and I had to pause to jot it down in my phone, even though I nearly froze my fingers off by doing so.
In other news, I also wrote four posts for my Covet Book Tour and managed to snag myself J R Ward's Lover Unleashed and Lover Mine for the princely sum of £3 from the local discount bookstore. That's under $5 US.
Happy days!
Cant wait !!!! :O) it will be wonderful Im sure !
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one having sequel/next book angst. If it can happen to you after so many books, I'm in good company. I wish you much faster progress than I've had on mine!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're able to get a start. Hopefully once you're deeper into your story then the dreaded word 'expectation' won't be so daunting.
ReplyDeleteGreat steal on the JR Ward books!
Thanks Kat!
ReplyDeleteI've never really had it before going full-time, and only really with this series and the VET series. Normally I'm much more relaxed but Her Guardian Angel and Covet have had rave reviews so I've been left feeling that I have to live up to some rather huge expectations :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sophia! I'm going well now, with 22500 words done, and I'm really into it. I think I'm already feeling far more relaxed and I'm learning to treat it as a separate book with its own feel and story.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, what a bargain for those books. Of course, the first thing I flick to is some guy called Qhuinn with a yearning for another guy. m/m isn't my scene. I think women writers really romanticise it.
Hi Felicity!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you are coming from. Let me share a little something with you that might help ease you into accepting just how much your stories have touched my life and just how much you keep surprising me with each new release.
Five years ago, I bought my first ebook, my first paranormal romance. The book was Seventh Circle, by at the time an unknown author to me. Until this day I can remember the scenes between the hero and heroine. I can still feel the goosebumbs on my skin as she accepted that she loved the hero and couldn't continue with out him. You brought me into the world of PNR, Felicity and made me want more. That same night I went back and bought every book I could find by you. And before that day I had never read anything other than Nora Roberts believe it or not. :-)
A couple of years went by after buying up every book I could find of yours, a few things happened that took me away from books, (like living on a ranch with 20 horses and four kiddos) but I never forgot your books or characters. Actually, I read them over and over. And, in fact, you are the author that inspired me to take on my dream of writing. On my twenty-sixth birthday, I turned off my e-reader, settled down with my own notebook and pencil and wrote all the while thinking how I wanted to be an author that could tell a story like you.
Three years have past since that first day of pursuing my dream with you as my guide and I finished that manuscript. Of course it will never see the light of day, but your exciting stories fueled my own dream and above and beyond that, fed my imagination as a reader and have continued to do so until this day. From your first story to your latest release I have seen you grow into an author that knows how to captivate readers with imaginative stories of love and adventure, that knows what her readers want and knows what a romance story is made of. You are a talented author measured my your continuously growing reader base. While you might be anxious and a little apprehensive as to how your next book might be received, I say, relax. You've got this. If you can inspire someone as reluctant as I was to actually step out of my shell to take on the world with my own writing, then you must have the power to weave a story time and time again.
~Talina
P.s. when I took on my own writing and opened BIR I never dreamed of actually talking with you much less actually providing my opinion on your books through my reviews. :-)
Aww, thanks Talina! I don't know what to say. I guess it's just writing jitters. Since going full time, I've suddenly been aware of this writing fun thing as a business and my living, and I think that has sort of built up to this feeling of OMG the next book has to be AMAZING. lol. I've been telling myself since starting Her Demonic Angel to take a chill pill and just treat it as another book, another fun frolic through a woman and a man's romance and adventure. I think it's working, but I have to say your words are really appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI always get a big smile when people tell me I've inspired them to write and give it their best shot, and with you I think that's an even bigger smile because I sucked you into PNR too! I'm glad that you've taken the leap into writing and that we've come to know each other over the past couple of years. And your opinion is always most definitely appreciated.
Keep up the writing and so will I... at least Veiron is being quite behaved and not a tricky hero. :)
Hi my name is Revah I love this series and your a fantastic writer, this series and the vampire theatre romance series are amazing. I can't wait for Her demonic angel to come out I got worried that this was the end of the series cause I just love them. This series will always be my fav as it was my very first e-books. Also I read another page and I read that you was worried please dont be it will be an amazing addition to the series. Thanks for the time you put into writing all these awesome books and I can't wait for more. :)
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