Well, we’re just a few short weeks away from Solitude becoming available to download. I have to admit, this is the part of the process where I’m always just a bit manic. It’s hard not to be incredibly excited — getting to share the next stages of my character’s journey with you is always something I look forward to, but that excitement is tempered by the fear that I might have missed something, or that this time, the plot will fall flat (or worse, will be loathed by my readers). I’m certain I’m not the first author to experience this sort of rollercoaster in the days leading up to release, and I have to say, almost four years into my time an an author has not helped me to cope with this at all. I’ve talked about this sort of anxiety before in this space; maybe, someday (and with enough books under my belt) it will get easier.
One can hope.
Setting all of that aside, I am truly grateful to those of you who have already preordered your version of Solitude; it hasn’t been lost on me that each successive release in the Sean Colbeth Investigates series has garnered more interest than the last, a leading indicator that maybe, just maybe, I might be on to something with this character. I still have dreams and schemes and grand plans for where we are going to go with Sean, and honestly, I’m glad to have you along for the ride.
I’ve tried to make each novel in the series slightly different, both thematically and in terms of the particular puzzle Sean faces. Not repeating myself is a mantra that I take seriously, especially since I want the overarching series to be one where the reader can return over and over again as though you were visiting with an old friend — and, in the return, find something new, something unexpected that you might not have noticed on first read. I generally go back and re-read the prior novels before embarking on writing a new one, and even I see things that make me step back for a moment; events from those early pages shift subtly in meaning, enriching my perspective on Sean, Suzanne and the entire gang. There is a lot to mine there, intentionally; the relationship between Sean and Suzanne is especially complicated, in ways that I’d not initially seen back when they met in Blindsided. I’d always intended for her to be Sean’s main love interest, but as she has developed — as their relationship has matured — I’ve come to understand just how difficult it is for the two of them to reconcile their feelings for each other, and their fears of love ultimately going wrong. This shouldn’t be much of a spoiler if you’ve read Vengeance or my holiday-themed short, Snow Drifts; for the sake of those who might need to catch up, I’ll only say that the road is long, and might not always lead to the destination we’d hoped for.
After what happened to Sean in Vengeance, I think both of us needed time and distance; part of the genesis for staging Solitude on an island heretofore unmentioned as being in Windeport Harbor was to provide a safe place where we could find solace. I’m also a huge fan of one of the better Agatha Christie movie adaptations, the 1982’s Evil Under The Sun, which is set on an exotic island somewhere in the Adriatic. It’s a classic version of the so-called “locked room” murder mystery, where all of the major players are stuck in the same location, with the killer hiding in plain sight among their victim(s). I love the form, but until the main themes for Solitude began to coalesce, I’d not had a viable reason to place Sean into such a situation. I think my version has a unique Chris Jansmann twist that my readers will appreciate, but as I said at the top of this blog, my anxiety over how well I hit the mark won’t abate until I get past the release date and the first responses begin to appear.
As with my prior releases, I am planning on posting a podcast for this book; I’ll also do my standard Q&A blog posts as we get closer to release. If you have a specific question you’d like me to answer as part of either the podcast or the Q&A, please send it to me or post it on my Facebook, Instagram or GoodReads pages. I’ll try to answer as many as I can — without spoiling too much of the story.
Related Reading
Snow Drifts is being included in a several holiday-themed giveaway promotions this month. Some are romance, others are just wonderful short stories from writers you may not have heard of — yet! I love to discover new authors — and who can resist a free read? If you are so inclined, check out what’s available using the links below.
Enjoyable Holiday Stories
Looking for something to curl up with beside the roaring fire? Some great options here, spanning both romance and mystery genres.
Sweet / Clean Holiday Romance
A wonderful collection of pitch-perfect holiday romance stories that will go well with your eggnog.
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