Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Happily Saying Goodbye by Guest Amy Braun



Happily Saying Goodbye

It’s never an easy thing to do, especially with books. There’s always the wish for one more chapter, one more scene, one more minute with characters you love in a world that has brought you a free escape from reality. It’s even harder for an author. We don’t just create these characters. We live as them for a time, experience their world and their trials as intimately as they do. I’ve carried the Dark Sky series with me since I was a teenager, and now that Obsidian Sky is released and the series has closed, I feel a mixture of pride, relief, and a little sadness that it’s over.

Don’t get me wrong––I love the world I created for the Dark Sky series. Aon, its capital city, Westraven, and the hellish dimension known as Hellnore were the first places I created as an author. It’s been an experience that has helped me grow, and has created connections and friendships that have progressed my career. Crimson Sky received way better reception than I was expecting, even going so far as to earn the attention and advice from renowned fantasy author (and one of my biggest inspirations) Michael J. Sullivan.

Still, there’s a piece of me that wishes I had more stories for Claire, Sawyer, Nash, Gemma, and the new characters I created to join them on their adventures. I’ve toyed with the idea of a prequel series, but the truth is that I don’t want to be an author who carries one series with her for most of her career. I have literally dozens of other stories I wish to write, and I want to grow and progress and learn and (hopefully soon) write full time.

The way to do that is to move on. I love the Dark Sky books. To date, this is my most favorite series to have written. I had the time of my life inventing these characters, putting them in dire situations with some of my favorite monsters, and watching them fight their way free in a world I’d envisioned for years. Sometimes I even go back and skim over scenes that I adored writing and recall why writing them kept me up until ungodly hours of the morning. There were definitely ups and downs to writing these books independently, and I had more than my fair share of stress, headaches, confusion, restless nights, and face-palm moments. And yet, the series took an unexpected turn, and ended up being better than I could have hoped. It proved that with hard work, trial and error, patience, and determination, any story can be told. Honestly, I didn’t think such a strange mash-up of vampires, pirates, and steampunk would be able to coherently combine and become what it has. I thought it was just a daydream brought on by the over-active imagination of a teenage girl who read too many of R. L. Stein’s Choose Your Own Adventure books and watched Pirates of the Caribbean until she could recite every line.

But now that I know it’s possible, I can only imagine what other possibilities are open to explore. So while I would love to stay with the Dark Sky series and its characters, there are other worlds to create, more adventures to bring to readers. I can only hope they’ll enjoy them as much as I have, and still do.


Obsidian Sky Excerpt

“I have seen your mind, Claire,” continued the Vesper. He hadn’t blinked once since the start of our conversation. “You know what it is like to be weak. To be desperate. Imagine that weakness and desperation, combined with pain. Every second of your existence consumed with an ache that burns like acid in your stomach. Constant hunger, giving up your own blood to feed your own.”
The Vesper’s grip tightened. The fabric of the tunic ripped, but my skin remained intact. For now. He bent closer. I choked on bile and the smell of blood and rot as he swarmed me.
“You have endured hardships, Claire. But you know little of true pain.”


Buy Links:

Obsidian Sky



Crimson Sky


Midnight Sky


Amber Sky (Prequel Novella)

Kindle | Kobo | Nook | iTunes | Goodreads | Smashwords 

Smoke Sky (Prequel Novella)

Kindle | Kobo | Nook | iTunes | Goodreads | Smashwords 


Author Bio

Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She has short stories in various horror and urban fantasy anthologies and has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.


More From Amy Braun

CURSED

DEMON’S DAUGHTER | DARK DIVINITY | DAMNATION’S DOOR

DARK SKY

CRIMSON SKY | MIDNIGHT SKY | AMBER SKY | SMOKE SKY

STANDALONE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS

STORM BORN

PATH OF THE HORSEMAN

NEEDFIRE

Social Media Links


Tags

#DarkSkySeries #CrimsonSky #MidnightSky #ObsidianSky #amybraun #amreading #steampunk #YAfantasy #YAbooks #vampires #pirates #IndieBooksBeSeen #indieauthors #booklover #bookworm #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookpromo #bibliophile




6 comments:

Diane Burton said...

Welcome, Amy. I found ending a series two-edged. I'm glad I concluded the series, but I don't want to leave the world I built and the people in it. Best wishes on this series and your next adventure.

Amy Braun said...

Thank you so much! :D

J Hali Steele said...

Welcome, Amy. Like you, I hate to see a series end because I usually feel like friends slip away. Often, I have the same feeling as a reader wishing characters I fall in love with could hang around...just a bit longer!

Best of luck.

CJ Burright said...

Oh, so true! Saying goodbye to favorite characters is so hard - it's like people you love all dying at the same time. *Sniff*

Maureen said...

I agree that there is good and bad to goodbye. It opens you up to new exploring new characters, ideas and worlds, but it's so hard to leave the ones we've grown to know and love.

Nancy Gideon said...

LOVE this series, Amy. I feel your separation anxiety and admire your fortitude to move on (advice I need to follow myself). Will follow you wherever you choose to boldly go!!