If you read my post on Tuesday, you know this was a bittersweet week for me. I’m in the process of saying goodbye to favorite characters. Tortured Soul, the fourth and final book of the Medici Protectorate series, is now available for preorder. Soon it will be released, and then the end will be official. It’s “bittersweet” because I’m proud of finishing it but sad to see them go.
That’s why I found this week’s quote to be so fitting.
How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?
—A. A. Milne
Milne had Winnie the Pooh, one of my all-time favorite children’s series. I have the Brotherhood, which I love more than I thought possible to love something fictional. Maybe because they were conceived based on family heritage, maybe because the guys are just so deliciously complex—both impossibly strong and heart-wrenchingly vulnerable at the same time. Maybe I’m just sentimental.
In any case, I consider myself very lucky.
And now, this week’s writing links.
Posts by me, about my work, or at sites I contribute to:
- Write What You Want | Story Empire
- Speaking Engagements as Platform-Builders | Romance University
- Tortured Soul available for Preorder | Staci Troilo
- On This Day | Story Empire
- Deep Research | Romance University
- Writing Question: Audience | Story Empire
- 10 Tips for Pitching Your Book | Romance University
Posts by others in the industry:
- Plot Clock | Fiction University
- SSL Security and Social Share Counts | Nicholas C. Rossis
- Creating Your Story’s Mythology | Re:Fiction
- Uniqueness and Creativity | Nicholas C. Rossis
- 5 Steps to Creating a Perfect Fantasy World | Fiction University
- Free Book Writing Software Programs | Just Publishing Advice
- 5 Reasons to Give Up on Your Novel (and 1 Reason Not To) | Fiction University
- How Readers Discover New Books | BookBub
- Is Your Opening Intriguing or Confusing? | Fiction University
- Keyword Strategies | Kindlepreneur
- KDP Expanded Distribution | Chris McMullen
- Writing Characters You Hate | A Writer’s Path
- Crafting a Perfect Ending | The Write Practice
- Authors’ 5 Emotional Stages of Book Releases | BookBaby
- Selling at Conventions | Fiction University
- Free and Low-Cost Photos | Blogging Bistro
- Legalities of Operating a Business | Blogging Bistro
Have a great weekend!
Ah, Staci… it’s never “goodbye” to our characters… even the ones whose books never see the light of day. After all, it’s not as though they’ll let us forget them! 😉 Mine pop up even from stories of 20 years ago, where I’ve since lost the manuscripts.
I love the Milne quote – it’s wonderful. Thanks for all the terrific links. Hugs!
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That’s a great point, Teagan. I know these guys will always be with me.
Have a great week!
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Staci, I felt the east same way when I had to say goodbye to my characters from Point Pleasant. They’d become like family. The plus side is being able to meet new characters in new stories that I create, and I know you’re doing the same with Nightforce, and probably already have much more up your sleeve. If it’s any consolation, I’m really going to miss the Brotherhood, myself 🙂
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Thanks, Mae. When I ended the Cathedral Lake series, I started calling it the Keller Trilogy because I devised a bunch of spinoffs. I didn’t want to leave that world, either. But this is so much worse! I LOVE these guys. Nightforce Security was a great way for me to put off a goodbye. But I’ve already written half (actually, I’m finishing the fourth of eight now), and the outlines are all done. It won’t be long before I have to say goodbye for good. That will crush me.
I loved Point Pleasant. This reader certainly wouldn’t mind if you decided to revisit them some day!
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Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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Thanks for sharing, Kim.
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Ending a series would be like moving away from home, terrifying and exciting at the same time! But just think of the new worlds you get to create 🙂
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What an apt analogy. So true! And I can always visit, right?
Thanks, Jacquie.
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I’m sure it will lead to bigger and better things. Congratulations on finishing your project. If you don’t want to let them go, write more of them.
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Thanks, Craig.
Their stories have really run their courses. But I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so they pop up now and then in the Nightforce Security series. It’s nice to visit with them now and again. I can honestly see them popping up in any series I write, just as comic relief and a nod to their fans. (That’s one of the best things about writing a series. I can pull other things into it at will.)
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I like that idea, and can use it too, even if it’s to a lesser degree.
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CLOVIS!!!!
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What a perfect quote, Staci. You know I’m a Pooh fan.
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We were just cleaning out my son’s closet yesterday and I found his baby bedding. (Pooh, of course.) Such warm and wonderful memories. I adore him, too.
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Reblogged this on DSM Publications and commented:
Check out this great post from Staci Troilo with some author inspiration and helpful writing links.
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Thanks, Don.
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You’re welcome.
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I love Pooh and that’s a great quote. Medici was a long time in coming for you so I know it’s hard to say goodbye. Looking forward to the book’s release.
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Pooh just puts a smile on my face. Every time.
Thanks. Medici was a long time in coming. And I am happy to share the end with the world. I’m just not happy that it’s ending at all. But all good things come to an end. When one door closes, another opens. (Insert appropriate adage here.) 🙂
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Great quote, Staci! Best of luck with the fourth and final book release! 🙂
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Thanks, Harmony!
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Reblogged this on Nicholas C. Rossis and commented:
Staci’s Tortured Soul, the fourth and final book of the Medici Protectorate series, is now available for preorder — and some great writing links.
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Thanks for the share, Nicholas!
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Wow, that’s so exciting! Bittersweet, yes, but also a source of great pride and an excuse for celebration 🙂
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I’m always happy for a chance to celebrate something! Thanks, Nicholas.
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I’m a fan of Winnie the Pooh too. Great quote! Thanks for the links and have a great weekend!
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Who doesn’t love Pooh? He’s so … Pooh! I just adore him.
Thanks, Denise.
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