Research mode

I am now in full research mode, my brain trying to absorb all that I am reading. After reading Warlords and Holy Men, I have moved on to Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This is to prepare myself to write the second book in my Dark Goddess trilogy. As I read, I am taking some notes and have compiled a timeline so that I can link important events. Though I am only writing about a certain area and time period, I want to be well informed about everything going on at that time. The research is actually interesting because I love learning about history, especially the Dark Ages. The time period I am writing about is especially turbulent as Christianity fought to make its mark on the people of northern Britain and Scotland (Alba). I find that exciting to learn about and write about. My only problem with some of the research sources I read is that most of the material is influenced by Christian monks because they were the ones who put everything in writing. The pagan people, the Picts and Celts, were an oral society so I have to read between the lines on some of the information and rely more on archaeological evidence.

I am finding Bede to be a great source for the history of Britain even though some of his views have been criticized and I know some of his writings are biased toward Northrumbia (English), but it is interesting to read about the events of a long lost time through the eyes of someone who lived in that time period. I am getting closer to the actual writing process and I cannot wait. It is always exciting to start a new book, but I want to make sure I am prepared first. My fingers itch to start writing and my brain is whirling with ideas, but I have to hold back until the research is done. I am an impatient person so this is not easy for me. I hate that lull between books because I have all this creative energy that is ready to burst, but I know I will be thankful that I took the time to do the research and I am sure the readers will appreciate it too.

Kelley

Writing Update

I have been very busy writing and am thrilled that I have finished the prequel to Of Water and Dragons and Ravenwolf. The title changed to Night's Daughter, which is another name for the Greek Erinyes and Roman Furies. After tons of research, the story came together for me fast, which pleased me because I wanted to have it finished before February. This story takes the reader back to ancient Crete and Anatolia and is a new twist on the conflict between the Titans and Olympic gods. The mysterious Tuatha de Danaan of Ireland are also introduced in this book and their origins are revealed. Night's Daughter is scheduled for release in early 2009 by Awe-Struck.

While I was finishing Night's Daughter, I took a break to write a short story called The Enchanted Meadow. This story will be in an anthology from Freya's Bower titled In the Gloaming: An Anthology of Faery Stories. I am very excited about this because this is my first anthology. The release date for this is March 2008.

Currently, I am working on the second book in my Dark Goddess trilogy. The first book, Cat's Curse, is scheduled to be released in early 2009.

Anyway, that's what I have been up to lately.

Kelley

My new release--Ravenwolf

I am very excited about this latest book, the sequel to Of Water and Dragons. This was not a planned series, but the characters had more stories to tell. Ravenwolf was fun to write and is more of an adventure romance, incorporating body switching and a trip to the Celtic underworld. Since this was not a planned series, I approached it differently by making each book a separate story so they can be read together or separate.

Currently, I am working on a prequel to these books, which is set in ancient Greece and Antatolia (Turkey). The working title is Goddess of the Flame and is a different twist on the conflict between the Titans and the Olympic gods. I did tons of research for this book, studying not only Greek mythology, but also pre-Hellenic, Egyptian, Anatolian and Sumerian myths. I hope to have this finished by February 2008.

Stay tuned!
Kelley