The End Of A Series

Finishing a series mingles satisfaction and pride with a severe sense of “what now?” For nine years, I’ve dwelt within the borders of Caledon, developing a world where I’m very comfortable, thank you. But with Book Ten’s publication, I find myself abruptly deported—cast adrift on an unnamed ship in a thick fog, banned from those shores where I’ve lived for so long. I don’t know where I’m going, and I’m not sure I want to leave. Part of me wants to go flying back to Caledon and write Book Eleven. There’s a lot of fodder for stories in 17 centuries. But it’s time for something new. New can be scary.

So I grasp the rudder and inhale the damp air, forging a path through uncharted seas, listening for voices to guide me to a new world and a new story.

And I procrastinate. I need to research literary agencies so I have places to query another manuscript for which I’m seeking traditional publication. I need to write queries and send them. Social media posts? I’m so far behind. My author website needs cosmetic improvements. And my blog! I haven’t posted a blog in forever, and my Play On Words website needs fresh content. Got to figure out something interesting to put in next month’s newsletter. I should develop that new idea I’ve been mulling over… Oh. That’s the one I’m avoiding.

Psychologists could tell us many reasons we avoid striking out for unfamiliar territory. I like comfort zones, and characters who’ve become old friends, and settings as familiar as my house.

But a new story—that’s fresh places, unknown characters, new everything. Nine years ago, when I started The Rose of Caledon, I had no expectations for it. I just couldn’t get the story out of my head, so I wrote it to tame it. To extinguish it. And it took over my life.

Do I fear being devoured again by a force beyond my control? Or am I hoping to be swallowed whole, and this post-publication downtime has made me dread that I can’t replicate the joy of the past nine years? This new idea is taking time, effort, and thought—maybe it sucks.
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Or it might be amazing. Time to focus on developing the story playing at the edges of my brain. Onward!