It's Saturday, July 6th... which means there are only a few more days until the release of Twisted Arrangement 3!
Are you excited? I hope you are, and that you'll be joining me on Tuesday for the Private Book Launch Party! It's going to be a lot of fun!
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, visit launchii.com/twisted-arrangement-3-private-launch/ to find out! You can get the first few chapters of Twisted Arrangement 3 for FREE there as well!
Now that we're caught up, it's time for the BIG news. Just bear with me a moment as I give a little background, for context. And be warned that there are MILD SPOILERS below!!
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| Here's a picture of the masCat, in catmoflage mode, glaring. Because SPOILERS below!!!! |
When I first began fleshing out the idea that would become the Twisted series, it quickly became clear that I had more story than would fit in one novella. Way more! There were subplots and twists and Josh and Emma really insisted on not rushing things in the course of their bizarre courtship.
So, the series has always been intended to be a series. Three novellas, each with it's own smaller subplot (Emma getting the watch back in Book 1, Josh discovering the identity of Madame Butterfly in Book 2, etc), but following the over-arcing plot of Josh & Emma's developing relationship. And I always had the end of the series envisioned. I knew where Book 3 was (roughly) going to end up, who was going to be where and what they'd be doing. Especially Josh & Emma, of course! ;)
The closer I got to writing 'The End' on Book 3, the more emails began flying back and forth between my editor, my publisher, and myself as two things became very clear. One was that I was going to end pretty much exactly where I had thought I was going to.
Two was that it was not going to end how I thought it was going to. (Don't worry, I'm not about to blurt out the end of the book. I wouldn't do that to you all!)
I *am* going to talk a little about the end of Book 3... because, as it turns out... it's *not* the end of the series.
That's right, there will be a Twisted Arrangement 4!!!
I know, I know. Right now you're probably cursing my parents for ever having met, or something equally dire. "Damn that cliffhangering so-and-so," you're saying as you shake your fist at the screen.
Rest assured, there is some resolution to be had in Book 3. Some, hopefully, satisfying all around resolutions.
It just turns out it's not quite the end of Josh & Emma's story yet.
I got them to a place where I thought they were ready to be done and their 'Happily Ever After' was in reach and both of them.... BOTH OF THEM, the cheeky bastards... went "Nope. Sorry. That's not how this is going to work."
If you've read the first 2 books, then you should know by now how stubborn they both are.
I tried to force the issue and got absolutely nowhere. I thought about just writing the ending as I'd originally planned and to hell with what they wanted... but I just couldn't. I didn't think that was fair to either them, or you. (Or me, frankly, as it was rather hard going when I attempted it.)
The prospect of writing another novella in the series was a daunting one. I wondered if people would think I was just stringing them along, padding the story for no other reason than to bilk them... which I promise is not at all the case. (I swear, I thought I'd be done by now.) I thought about asking my publisher to delay the launch of Book 3 until I'd written the rest of the story and then releasing it all as one book, probably twice the length of the other two novellas.
Then I worried that people (meaning you, Morlings, the important people) would not want to wait. I know how impatient I am! You've been clamoring for Book 3, and we did promise you a July 9th release date. I didn't want to disappoint you. I was torn and agonizing in tons of emails over what we should do.
In the end, it was my very wise and wonderful editor who convinced me that ending where I'd originally planned to and then writing out the rest of the story as another novella would serve the characters and the story the best... which, in turn, serves the reader the best.
So, that's that. There will be more Josh & Emma.
I know some people think the development of Josh & Emma's relationship is going too slow. And maybe that's a valid point. Though, technically, in the course of their relationship, they've only known each other a few months. (And I swear to you, I've been trying to hurry them along this entire time. They just insist on moving at their own pace.) This announcement will probably only add fuel to that fire. There's nothing I can do about that. I've got to tell the story the way it's meant to be told, and it's not going to appeal to everyone.
For those of you who are groaning in agony at the prospect of having to wait for yet another book to find out how it all ends... I'm sorry. Really, I am. If it's any consolation, I'm in the same boat. From here on out I don't know exactly what's going to happen to Josh & Emma either.
Now that the decision has been made though, I'm excited. And I'm looking forward to seeing why these two made us all wait. I think it will be worth it, in the end. I hope you'll come with me on the final leg of this journey and see these crazy kids to their Happily Ever After.
~xxxM
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