Even though this was a short week I’ve managed to squeeze in several more novels from John Conroe’s Demon Accords. An amazing series btw if you’ve hadn’t checked it out yet. I’ve had a couple friends point this series out. This weekend I’ll be sure to give Mr. Conroe some well deserved reviews for his writing. Since I’ve started writing there is never just a “pleasure read” so to speak.

It’s not that I’m not fully enjoying the writers I talk about in my blog, but there are really important examples of how the writers have done something in particular that I’m also researching. It’s one of the best things about writing. I can research and learn while enjoying great stories. Gotta love that!

What’s really interesting about John’s main characters are that they are so incredibly overpowered. For those of you that have read Flight, then I expect you can understand my interest in how he handles his characters stories. I know some people might instantly think that an overpowering man character would make for a dull story, but that’s entirely not the case. No matter how powerful you are, there are always things that make you vulnerable. Also, I just enjoy the raw power of the main character and how it's welded into an incredible plot line. I take my hat off to John for his amazing stories. As enjoyable as the “Good Intentions” series is, the Demon Accords are just as good. Although not at the same level of eroticness they are definitely worth reading.

Just in case you were wondering, the answer is "yes". I was also researching the different levels of sexual/eroticness between the stories to assist in my own learning/writing of my own stories romantic scenes. My ideas are definitely falling somewhere in-between these two writers flavors.

For those of you wondering how I can write and read in an evening, I tend to finish off most normal sized books in around six hours or less. Yea, we are not talking about Wheel of Time books, those just give me a headache because it takes me like three or four sittings to finish a freaking book, although great stories. So far I’ve been faring better when I read first and write afterword, since the reading will keep me up to 4 in the morning, but the writing I’ll go to bed by 1. It means I get a little more sleep for my work day.

Right now I’m working on the Elven part of my story. All of my characters are there in the middle of it, so it’s like not “ALL” Elvish, if you know what I mean. But there is so much culture involved that it keeps my mind working full time on getting the flavor where I want it to be while bringing the world to life. It would have been easier to just make one species of elf, but in all of my time playing D&D or reading Fantasy. Just having one type of elf didn’t seem right, hence why I have three distinctive Elven cultures in the story.

Anyway, it’s time to get writing tonight, so I’ll blog again another day.          

After talking to some fans about the desire to have more romantic/erotic action in book two and then doing some research by reading the Good Intentions series, I had to sit back and think deeply on how that would affect my overall story line. While I loved how the erotic action of the MC in the Good Intentions series, I had to consider how this would work in my own story arc. Honestly I have to say this kind of tied me up for a good week to week and a half before I felt comfortable with how to proceed further.

I ran some of my ideas by my friend Deanna, Patrick and Richard who all have different perspectives on the topic. Everyone had some awesome perspectives that really helped me find peace with how everything should fit into the story.

I have found that I need to be careful when I’m getting outside influences into my writing style and how I allow the different things I read or hear affect my story. Richard listens to a lot of discussions and training sessions from various successful authors, which is very good and gives you some great ideas for what to consider when writing. At the same time, I’ve found that sometimes these different perspectives can really make you question your own story line and ideas. Finding a middle path between your own ideas and outside influences I think is very important. I know I listened to one forum of six well known authors discussing magic theory and world design that messed me up for a good two weeks before I felt like I was back to where I needed to be for my storyline.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to listen to how people are creating these very successful stories and worlds, because it is. What I will say is that you need to be careful once you start writing to be able to keep a certain distance between theory and your current story’s design.

Luckily for me, I was able to find myself once again and keep my magic and their practitioners where I wanted them to be. Somewhere between general accepted character types such as Clerics and Paladins while hopefully still keeping a slight mystical unknown quality to their abilities that come out in a logical way within the story.

Recently my biggest dilemma was how to add in romance/eroticism into my story in a way that fit my characters and overall story arc. When I think of some of the best stories that many of us love, a good example would be The Lord of the Rings series, there is not a lot of romance/eroticism within its pages. Even the love between Aragon and Arwen is very light and subdued, there is no question to the depth and the love that they have for one another.

Now I have to be somewhat careful to not give away any spoilers, but I was always a big fan of Pierce Anthony’s The Apprentice Adept series. I read the series at a very young age and there is no doubt that the mixed species relationships within the story affected me greatly. I will be exploring my own twist to such a story line in my Book Two.

Startüm Ironwolf will be facing many new challenges on Irlendria, including those involving the heart. Along with him are many new supporting characters that are dealing with their unique love situations. Although many of these relationships will be interspecies love affairs that cross many boundaries, I am not going to make the story into an erotic novel per say. At the same time I do plan to explore each of these relationships in much more depth than I had originally planned ... at least in the heavy panting way, so there will be a flavor of the erotic to a point. I think it’s important to have a comfortable medium that works within the overall flow of the story.

If that sounds confusing, think of it this way. Would the Lord of the Rings have been a better story if Aragon and Arwen had hot steamy R-rated sex scene in the movie? Wait … wait, I mean yea I could have gone with seeing more of Arwen too, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. Let me try this again. Would an R-rated sex scene have fit within the overall flavor of the series itself? I think not. At the same time, I would have liked a little more focus on their time together.

With the Last Paladin Series I have more flexibility within the story in this way. I think the story line itself is better setup for more closer and descriptive romantic scenes between characters that would not detract from the overall story itself. At the same time the story is not the same flavor as Good Intentions. Startüm doesn’t have a Succubus at his beck and call to lead him down a path of eroticism while fighting the good fight. Part of my week and a half pause in writing was to determine how best to tweak the story and fit in the intimacy between characters that many of us find so interesting, while still keeping true to the overall story arc.

I believe I’ve found a happy medium for the Last Paladin Series.   

After talking to different fans that have read Book One, I’ve heard multiple comments requesting more “erotic action” in the story. Luckily I’d planned for this within the series, but I needed to get some good examples of how I wanted to do this within my world and its characters. Also, there is that whole “Good Paladin” thing I have to take into consideration, but I have a good twist in the story that will fit what I want to do. I think everyone will like it.

Startüm is coming of age, and for his Werewolf side this means some intense emotional and physiological changes. On Earth he’s considered 24 years old, but on Irlendria he is fast approaching his 18th birthday. Unbeknownst to Startüm, this “coming of age” is extremely significant for his Werewolf half. Fighting his intense aggressive feelings was bad enough, but nothing in comparison to dealing with his raging hormones. He suddenly learns what it means to be a horny teenager.   

Richard, a buddy of mine, suggested that I check out a book series to get some ideas of how I might want to think about doing the intimate scenes. I wasn’t sure what I thought initially when I read the book’s excerpt, but once I started reading I couldn’t stop. Thankfully there are only two books in the series, because I don’t think I could have stayed up for another night to read the third book. Two sleepless nights of reading and working through the day was hard enough on me.

Yea, the books are THAT good!

The author is Elliott Kay and the first book in the series is: Good Intentions http://www.amazon.com/Good-Intentions-Elliott-Kay-ebook/dp/B0054E8QYE/ref=la_B00B6QGFMY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407580735&sr=1-1

The second book is: Natural Consequences http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Consequences-Elliott-Kay-ebook/dp/B00EENE9G0/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407580694&sr=1-2&keywords=good+intentions

Both are awesome. If you get a chance check them out. The only warning I would give is for those people who are closed mind about religious stuff. If you’re one of those people I would suggest not reading the series, but I figure if you’re reading my blog and have checked out Flight then that’s not an issue. They have a modern Robert A. Heinlein feel to them, mixed in with some Dresden Files and Patricia Briggs.

I now have some awesome ideas for how I want to do some of the specific intimate scenes. For those people who love the intense action, don’t worry. The story is still action packed.