Expanding Plans

Honestly, when I started out writing “Secret Keeper,” I didn’t even know I was going to write my first novel. And I had no idea I’d be writing a lot more stories about Jane than just the first one. I also had no idea I would be doing my own AU series with the Black Knight Agency (“Going Legal,” the second novel of that series, has just come out). By now, I have decided to expand my writing even a little more. Beside the Knight Agency and the Black Knight Agency, two more series will have their premier this year.

In May, I plan to publish the first volume of “John Stanton - Agent of the Crown,” which will include three novellas about John and his colleagues. All three novellas are done already and only need to be proofread and edited, which I will do in May. John lives in a Steampunk version of the early twenty-first century and is an agent of the Bureau, a secret government agency which deals with cases which can’t be solved by normal means, be it because of those involved (nobles hold more power in his reality) or because the case just doesn’t fit with the profile of the regular government agencies. Within the first volume, John will expose the crimes of a modern Bluebeard, find out how a young socialite can die several times without staying dead, and catch an extinct fish which has been causing troubles.

In August, the first volume of The Magpies will be published, “One For Sorrow.” Inez and Tom are working on Inez’ first really big heist in this one and even though I had to fight a little with the story, it’s a good start for the series. I do have potential titles for ten books overall, but I’m not sure how many I will write. Still, Inez and Tom are refreshingly unlike Jane and Steven, even though they’re just as good a team. I like Inez’ sunny disposition and Tom’s relaxed and personable personality and I think they fit much better with a pair of jewel thieves than characters like those of Jane and Steven would fit. They’re not agents, they’re much more ‘normal’ people, albeit people who are almost as specialized as my agents/criminals. The first novel centres on Tom’s past, more precisely on how and why he got his stiff right knee, but it’s still Inez’ story just as much, if not more, than his.

In November, I will return to the Knight Agency with “Grave Diggers.” The seventh novel is written, but not yet edited or proofread. I’ve taken a break from the whole ‘Syndicate’ situation and returned more to Jane’s close surroundings, setting a lot of the action in high society or connecting it to the people Jane knows. Like “Key Pieces,” it’s a more personal story, hitting closer to home than the actions of a Russian crime syndicate. It also does have a few traces of “Secret Keeper” about it, though.

And afterwards? I plan to publish my Swenson & Carter stories on Amazon, but probably not within my regular publishing rhythm - or I’ll put them in next year, since the third novella for that package still needs to be written, I only have the first chapter so far. I also want to put out the six novellas of The Loki Files, probably gathered in two e-books. They (and Swenson & Carter) will be cheaper than my novels - currently, I’m still debating myself over the price for John Stanton’s stories. Then there’s the topic of my erotica, which are not yet published, but I will have to figure out a suitable cover for them first (my new series for this year will use an alteration of the Knight Agency/Black Knight Agency covers).

In addition, I have the basic idea for the third Black Knight Agency novel in the back of my mind (working title for the file is “Grey Areas”). I do have stuff to write and I’m sure I’ll be writing much more this year, too.

So I have plans to expand my own story universe - I might add the odd other story, especially in pulp style, as well. I do have plans for a series of pulp horror stories following a common story arc, but so far I haven’t even started researching them, let alone writing. There’s a lot of potential stories waiting to be told over time, so stay tuned!