Wasn’t Han Solo handcuffed when he went in?
So, I’ve had something on my mind for a while. Since December actually and recent events finally made me want to make a post. The question in the title is rather valid. Why? Because Legends of Windemere books are still selling or at least getting looked at on Kindle Unlimited. I’m always impressed when I see them and it helps drive me forward with the newer books. So, what about Crossing Bedlam?
John Cleese/Monty Python
It has basically died even though I hyped it up beforehand and did my usual marketing stuff. Not even a peep and I have no idea why it happened. People have made suggestions and I’ve found that nearly every one has been countered by praise from another party. This issue really came home when someone sent me a message asking if I was planning a sequel. I do hope to write one later this year, but I don’t know about publishing. The adventures of Lloyd and Cassidy are a lot of fun to write, but I can’t tell if I’m alone in that camp. Yes, there’s going for the art and that’s another topic.
So, where am I going with my tale of frustrating woe? Well, at some point I’m going to finish writing and publishing Legends of Windemere. Probably December of next year if things run smoothly. Then I’m left in the lurch. Not that I don’t have ideas since there are the Dawn Fangs, Sin, a one-shot of a survivor, Elysium, Darwin, and I could keep going on. The problem is that I’m starting to wonder if I’m even allowed to step outside of the adventures of Luke Callindor. Is the brand Charles E. Yallowitz or Legends of Windemere or both? If it’s the second choice then everything I write next may suffer the same fate as Crossing Bedlam. Will anybody want to know about the vampire civil war and meet Clyde since Nyx won’t be involved? Will people cheer for Sin when he isn’t teamed up with Fizzle? These may sound like odd questions, but they are a source of worry. Maybe I’ll be safe if I remain in fantasy, but one never knows.
Another source of this comes from what I saw in December. I was gearing up for another book release called The Mercenary Prince and checked out the Amazon fantasy lists. Nearly 50% of them were new editions in various languages of this:
Harry Potter Books . . . Duh.
Yup. I found myself staring down the barrel of this epic series. Nothing against it, but it got me thinking about J.K. Rowling. She’s considered one of the greatest authors of modern times. Yet, she can’t seem to get away from this series. Yes, she had ‘Casual Vacancy’, but I remember reading that those books were doing mediocre until it was released that she was the author. Her brand is her name, which is something we all dream of. Still, she doesn’t seem to be getting away from Harry Potter. Now this could be entirely by choice because why mess with a good thing. Can’t argue with that and it is smart. You don’t see many new authors of fantasy stories move outside of the world or genre. Maybe it is more common than I realized and I merely grew up on authors who forged multiple worlds with no connections. In other words, I’m only going by my own experiences.
As I write Book 13 and mark down notes for Book 15’s grand finale, I have to wonder about the future. What do I do when I have to kick off a new series? Jason and I will be parting ways too, so new style of cover art will come about too. Everything is going to change once The Forgotten Baron (how’s the title?) is published and I have to set my sights on a new project. I can do whatever I want as I know some people will say in the comments. I will pick the series I feel should come next, which will probably be the Dawn Fangs. None of that changes my fear that whatever I do after Legends will become a sacrificial lamb and burn. Seeing Crossing Bedlam get hyped and supported then get crotch kicked a yard from the starting line has given me pause. As well it should. Not that I can take the safest path and push Legends of Windemere forever. My stories are designed to have endings even if it takes a while to get there. Though nothing will be as long as this series. I think I’m at the rambling part of my mind.
So, this is where my mind is at. Just wondering if it’s me or the series that is the brand and if I’m allowed to move to another one when I write ‘THE END’ on Luke’s adventures. FUN!
