As much as I love my characters — and I truly do — it’s been a few books now since I felt so wrapped up in the story, the words just flowed like the proverbial river to the sea. I think the last one to do that was Vengeance; after Suzanne swerved in a direction I never expected, trying to keep up with Sean’s emotional whirlwind while simultaneously tracking down a killer was electrifying for me as a writer in a way that I’d not experienced to that point. Before you think otherwise, let me hasten to add that I’ve never felt like any of the novels were slogs to be gotten through; far from it. I enjoy the experience of carefully crafting the worlds my characters exist in, and revel in discovering new facets each time they are presented with challenges to overcome.
But like any good series, there are ups and downs in the process; I freely admit that one or two of the novels are what I think of as “bridge” stories, ways to connect through lines that don’t always adhere to my usual narrative structures. Both Ditched and Solitude fit into this category, novels that were intended to get either Vasily or Sean from one chapter of their life to another while still attempting to solve my “murder of the week.” These can be especially tricky to do, for by necessity the life issues involved tend to trump the mystery readers tuned in for; Ditched is probably the one that I received the most feedback on in that regard, especially since Vas doesn’t actually solve the case. (Then again, the novel was titled Ditched. Just sayin’.)
Ditched was very much top of mind as I was working on Bliss, the latest Vasily Korsokovach novel, mostly because it features a significant storyline with Rosie Frankenhoffer; her medical crisis — and Vasily’s need to fly back to California to deal with it — forced Vas to face his assault and the decisions he’d made afterwards. It led him back to the life he’d started post-Windeport, and, of course, the man that would ultimately become his soulmate. Ditched is also where we first meet Alejandro Ortega-Cortez, and by the time we see him in Bliss, he’s become a main character in his own right. For a someone originally intended as a one-book relationship, Alex has shifted in ways I’d never anticipated, so much so that I cannot see a Vasily novel without Alex by his side.
That’s a major reason Bliss nearly wrote itself. While it did take me a month longer than usual, that was mostly due to working around other obligations; when I did have time to write, the words simply flowed. The wedding was a joy to write, a watershed moment that took way too many books to get to. There are some marvelous scenes in that section, including this section where Vas is melting down waiting for the ceremony to start:
“Dude, he’ll be here.”
I turned slightly to look at my best friend of many years, who was wearing a shit-eating grin. “Is my anxiety that obvious?”
“Only to me,” he replied quietly. “Though if you keep messing with your shirt, everyone else might start to catch on.”
“It feels like it’s shrunk two sizes since I got up here,” I muttered.
“And here I thought you liked showing off your assets,” he chuckled softly.
I glared at Sean Colbeth, late of the Windeport Police Department but current Statewide Commander, Major Crimes for the Maine State Police. “Under other circumstances, perhaps,” I said as I gave up resisting and adjusted my collar for the umpteenth time. “Today, not so much.”
“I haven’t seen you this wound up since our 400 IM relay final in Beijing. Did you even eat anything at breakfast?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I can barely keep water down at this point.”
Bliss: A Vasily Korsokovach Mystery. Copyright: Christopher H. Jansmann
The mystery was also a bit closer to home, considering I’ve had relatives living in retirement communities, though none that experienced the sort of crime wave I depict in the novel. I had a bit of fun reimagining what it might be like to live there, for I’ve long thought it appeared — at least on the surface — to be a version of college life, one where you don’t always get to choose who your dorm roommate might be.
This will also be the third (?) book with chapter titles, patterned after the initial ones I use when working on the first draft. Not every gem makes the final cut, of course, but they do act as a reflection of Vasily’s personality (and, often, snarky outlook on life).
I’ll have much more to share about Bliss in the coming months; publication is slated for sometime in 2027, but can keep an eye on my website for any changes.
In other news, submissions have opened for the 2027 Tucson Festival of Books Independent Author Experience. I’m leaning toward sending in Aftermath which will be out in November, but if you have a suggestion for something else I’ve published (within two years of March 2027), drop it into comments below and I’ll consider it.
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