Now that BOATK2 is finished, what's next?

So the sequel to BOATK, “Who We Are” is finished.  To be honest, I’m surprised I finished it as quickly as I did, especially given its length.  I started it two days after BOATK’s release, or August 14^th and completed the epilogue last week.  The plan was for me to finish by December 1^st (the Kid wouldn’t shut up, no matter how much I tried to have him do so—hence having it completed already).  As much as people would like me to work faster (and I take that as a compliment), that is still only a two month turn around time on a novel.  That’s huge, at least to me, especially since I’m not writing the typical 70-90K words that are passing for novels these days (and I don’t mean that as a slight to any other author at all.  I just don’t seem to be capable of such a feat, no matter how hard I wish it so.).

Which inevitably brings around the question as to the length of “Who We Are”.  Keeping in mind that this number is subject to change in the editing process (it could go slightly down or slightly up), the word count is approximately 141,000.  BOATK finished out around 147,000.  “Burn” (more on that in a minute) is currently sitting at 197,000, although I do plan on doing some significant cuts in the editing process.  I tried to write a short story and it turned into a WIP 90K words.  See a trend here?  *sighs*

As to the story for “Who We Are”… well, obviously you’ll get no significant spoilers from me.  I will say it picks up two weeks after the end of BOATK and spans quite a bit of more time than a single summer. I’ll just leave it at that for now.  Should it get accepted for publication, it’d still be a ways off, so no need to really say anything more.  Well, okay.  Maybe one more thing: FYI—I don’t cry.  I’m not a crier, never really have been.  Just isn’t who I am.  But fuck, did I make myself cry by the time I had finished, both sad and happy tears.  Good grief.

Now onto “Burn,” the formally titled “This Is How We Burn The World.”  The title has obviously been shortened and while I was hesitant to do that at first (I just loved the original), having it down to “Burn” is absolutely growing on me.  It’s blunt and quick, and brings to mind so many different things to me, and I hope will do the same for the reader.  It also works on completely different levels throughout the story, levels I think you’ll be able to see once you’ve read the novel. 

Since it was announced that this was the first part of a trilogy all following the same narrator (Felix) and characters, I’ve been asked if the book ends in a cliff hanger.  While I am loathe to reveal any major plot points, I will say this:  its book one of a trilogy.  How do you think it ends?

So the question arises of how Book II and III will play out and what my schedule is like.  My plan (and remember, it’s a plan, not carved in stone) is to alternate between Bear and the boys and  the Elemental world.  It’s a nice balance for me, to be able to have the sunny angst of BOATK to trade off with the darker world of Burn.  Now that I’ve completed Who We Are, I’m itching to get back into the more action oriented writing of Burn so I can blow some shit up.  The “plan” is for me to publish two books a year, one Burn, one BOATK, starting next year.  There’s three books for Burn, and three or four for BOATK.  So if you’re the type that needs to wait until an entire series has been published, that’s what my timeline hopes to be.

I’m not a writer who can work on more than one WIP at a time.  I put my sole focus on the one project because I want to make it the best work that I possibly can.  Some writers are able to multi-task; I am not one of them.  I remember reading how a popular M/M shifter writer has something like 90 works in progress.  I was horrified at the idea.  I feel pressure when I have one series I’m working on and another that I’m about to launch, but 90??  Holy fuck me sideways.  That author obviously has a greater knack at mult-tasking than I ever could hope to have.  But that’s also why you won’t see me release six or seven (or 23) things in a single year.  I’m happy that I have completed three novels and I’m not yet thirty years old.  It’s the little victories, you know?

So the publicity for Burn will kick in to high gear in the next couple of months.  And now that I actually kind of know what I’m doing, things will be a tad bit different than they were when BOATK came out.  There’s no manual that’s handed out to first time writers to tell you how do things, what is accepted and what is considered faux pas.  I made mistakes, sure.  I wish that I could have edited BOATK better.  I wish that I had known what Goodreads was.  I wish that I had used FB and my blog more.  But hindsight is blah, blah, blah, so I’m ready to have a kickass launch for Burn and can’t wait for everyone to read it.  I’m very proud of how it turned out and hope that you all enjoy my new guys as much as I do.

Oh, and just because, I’ll reveal another “Burn” character here.

Who you’ve met so far:

Felix Paracel—narrator.  An Elemental capable of controlling fire and wind, possibly the only dual Elemental in the world.  Called Findo Unum—the Split One.

Seven Fortis—A non-Elemental, or a “Normal,” as they’re referred.  Also known as the Luravit Cor to Felix, as revealed in the first excerpt.  What does Luravit Cor mean?  Sure sounds like Latin, doesn’t it?  As a matter of fact, a lot of this world is based in Latin.  Strange.

The Clock Twins, Tick and Tock:  Seventeen year old Asian twins capable of controlling Water and Earth.  Also, they are tech geniuses whose hacking capabilities are unparalleled.

New Character:

Edna Brunelle: Sixty-seven year old Fire Elemental, one of the more powerful in the world.  As a Magister—teacher—to the Split One, she will help Felix with the Fire side of his abilities.  Has an affinity for younger men.

Couple more characters will be coming next month, and I’ll release the second excerpt for “Burn” sometime in December, so stay tuned for that.  I’ll also keep you all updated on the status of the BOATK sequel after I’ve submitted it to the publisher.  If all goes well, I think we’d be looking at a mid-late summer release for “Who We Are,” much like BOATK was.  A winter and summer release each year?  That I think I can do.

Happy Reading!

TJ