As the Dangerverse winds towards its conclusion (and let me just say in passing, YIKES), I cannot help but wonder. Have I done all I could for you, O readers, these last ten years? Have I kept you excited to see what happened, intrigued by the secrets, contented with my twists on Harry Potter canon? In other words, how'm I doing? The reason I ask is that the Dangerverse has a strong hold on my mind. So strong, in fact, that new stories often take DV shapes in my head without my intention. And I think that perhaps, O readers, some of you, the ones who've been with me for quite a while, would enjoy seeing those stories. Tell me if I'm wrong... that's what I thought. But then, am I shortchanging new readers? Am I writing with so many inside jokes that anyone who hasn't been here from the beginning will be lost and confused and give up on ever understanding me? Or is that just a side effect of writing as complicated of stories as I do? Which is, believe you me, not intentional at all! So, I wonder if there could be a way to satisfy everybody. If there could, say, be a series of stories which is based on the DV, but is also enjoyable to someone coming at it cold. If it has nuggets of fun buried in it for people who've read and loved the DV, but doesn't scream "INSIDE JOKE HERE" to anyone who hasn't. Survey says... Well, I don't know what the survey says. I know what I think, which is that I gave it a good old try when I published Homecoming, my second original novel, very definitely based on the DV -- and on elements of the DV, I will have you know, that didn't come into play in the actual fan fiction for another year! (Yes, I'm a dork. You knew this.) But is writing just based on the Dangerverse enough? Or should there be actual, material rewards for those who have loved the DV for a long time, say, free stories or even full free books? Is that disadvantaging those who are new to my worlds, or is it rewarding those who have been faithful? I can't decide, O readers. Can you? And as for writing based on the DV, there's two schools of thought about that as well. Some of my readers say they would love to see original works based on the DV, while others feel that it would be too repetitive, that I should let those characters rest and move on. Sounds great. Got any brilliant ideas you'd care to share with the class? The fact is, I'm not the greatest at coming up with fully, wholly, entirely original ideas. I do my best writing, at least so far, when I have something to springboard off. In the case of A Widow in Waiting, that was "Celtic Thunder: Storm"; in the case of Homecoming, obviously, the Dangerverse, which itself springboards off HP canon. As for Killdeer -- well, I don't think I'll tell you where that idea came from. It's a secret, as deep and dark as what the B stands for in my name. Mwahaha. But I have a lot of decisions to make, O readers, and some of them could influence the course of the rest of my life. Any help you'd care to give me would be very welcome. Though looking back at the past, it's almost always the small and seemingly inconsequential things that make the difference. Case in point. Lounging on a futon in my college dorm room, almost ten years ago, gazing up at our Harry Potter beach towel curtains, and thinking, "Huh. What if Hermione had an older sister?" Thanks for coming with me on this particular long, strange trip, O readers. Forgive me if I hope it's far from the last one we take together. Now, if you'll excuse me? Chapter 61 is calling my name, and then I need to decide what I'm doing for my Personal Novel Writing Month in September. See you (I hope) on Thursday! |