Bear Mountain Cometh...

I know I posted last week about the issues I was having with my muse... and how I was really struggling with life in general and the lack of stories circling in my brain...

BUT...

I feel like I might be crawling out of the black pit of despair, slowly but surely.

I actually finished an outline for ONE of the books I'd mentioned and I'm back to writing. I'd already had it partially written (some scenes here and there that had come to me), so now it's just a matter of putting them into place and connecting the dots; adding more flesh to the bones.

So what was that ONE book?

A Bear Mountain story.

I know I've told some of you guys that I was planning a Return to Bear Mountain/Next Generation series...

NO... this book is NOT in that series.... but YES, I still am planning to write RTBM.

But in my quest to get all my p's and q's in place, I re-read the entire Bear Mountain series, took copious notes, and let some ideas churn.

And I noticed I'd never told the story of Declan's YOUNGER brothers Kai and Landon.

They were mentioned at Gregor's funeral and then never showed up in the series again. In my mind, I knew where they were. I just forgot to tell you guys...

They aren't the next generation. They're about the same age as many of the McCreary boys.

So it didn't feel right to include them in a next generation series.

Kai and his brother bear Lane will be book 21. Landon and his brother bear, Chase, will be book 22.

Both of these stories will be post-Zed and a bit of a bridge between the stories that have already come and the new ones to come in the Return series.

Neither have firm titles yet, but I *HOPE* to have book 21 coming to you the end of October.

Switching Gears

As many of you know, Bear Mountain is slowly coming to an end.  I only have two more stories planned in this series to release this year.  Of course, the series lives on some in Project Zed and there will be at least two more books in that spin-off, perhaps more.  But it won't be as large as the original series.

There *might* be another spin-off in the works, but more on that when the time is right.

Bound to Two Bears was a flash of something amazing. I was struggling with what I was SUPPOSED to be writing, so I decided to switch gears and work on something else instead.  It was going to be a one off... no series, nothing more than one book.

But after writing it, I really liked the bare bones of the world I'd created in that story.  So, I decided to write another.  Each story added more meat to those bones and I felt sort of like Bastian in the Neverending Story, creating a world from my imagination as I took a journey through it. Many of you have been with me every step of the journey...

I'd started my career as Kelex writing edgier erotica, but as I continued with this series, my stories grew more romantic. More story than sex.  Some of you liked that... whereas others haven't.

Ben was the turning point for me. His story put a wrench in my usual plan.  My other stories had been filled with a lot of BDSM and hardcore sex.  But here was this widower who ached for his lost mates and felt drawn to new lovers he was guilty for wanting.  He needed love, tenderness, and care, not whips, paddles, and bondage. Other stories in the series needed a gentler hand, as well. Eric's story... after what he'd endured at Tymber and Taryn's hands, for instance. The series evolved along the way...

But now I find myself nearing the end of the journey and I feel as if I'm on shaky ground.

I miss writing the harder erotica of my past yet really enjoy weaving the softer stories in this new direction, too. There needs to be balance in my life... a little of this and a little of that, I suppose. 

Nailing the Foreman is my next release, returning to both JLC Construction and the world of Kent Street.  It was a challenge to write -- JLC was very hot and sex fueled, whereas the Kent Street stories were a little more romantic.  Thankfully, many of the earlier characters in the JLC stories are now married or in long term relationships that allowed for a little more romance to come into the tale.

Where do I go from here? I'm not sure, but I know there are two sides to my writing and some fans only like one of those sides.  I will endeavor to keep you all happy all while keeping my muse appeased, too.

UPDATE - JLC Construction Series

Morning folks!

All the JLC Construction Stories (Books 1-5) have been re-edited and updated. The new 2nd editions are now available on the Twisted E-Publishing website.

Very little has been added. I only tweaked a few sentences, caught a couple of grammatical errors, and noticed one guy had green eyes in one book and they were blue in the next.

So, if you've read them already -- NO, you DO NOT need to get new copies. The story themselves have not changed.

If you would like to purchase them elsewhere:

Smashwords has the new versions ready. 

Amazon might have them now -- just check that the version says 2.  If not, wait 24-48 hours to check.

iBooks should be good to go by the weekend.

BN are slowpokes and I'd wait until next week, to be sure you're getting the newest copy.

A good indicator if a site has updated their copies -- the covers for books 1-3 have changed from the cottage background to the blueprints. If they have the new covers, than I was assume they've updated the contents, as well.

In case you're wondering why I updated -- I am FINALLY getting around to publishing Nailing the Foreman.

It'll be here before you know it -- so catch up on the series before you dive into this one!