When the "Prompt" is Wrong: ***WRITE A NEW TRILOGY***

I posted some of this in January 2015 and now we come full circle; this contemporary paranormal Hansen trilogy releases in print on January 26, 2016!

I happen to be one of those odd ducks who refuses to write anything that does not fit her brand; I do not wish to waste either the words or the effort. So when the opportunity arose, I launched into my first contemporary paranormal story. Ever.

I knew enough about the genre to realize that world-building is key. Whatever the rules for the fantastical element, they must be logical and consistent throughout the manuscript(s).

If you know me, then you know that I write the Hansen Series with Norwegian heroes. And the only way I figured I could be true to that brand, was by making the hero a Viking ghost from the year 1070.

“Hollis McKenna walked into the hotel foyer and spotted him across the space, leaning casually against the wall. His eyes flicked back and forth, examining the largely female crowd with unexpected seriousness. She assumed he must be one of the cover models, dressed as he was in costume—though fur and leather were unfortunate choices on this roasting Labor Day weekend in Phoenix.”

And just like that, Sveyn Hansen manifested himself into my life. And into the life of Hollis McKenna, curator for the brand new Natural History wing (which does not exist) at the Arizona Historical Society Museum (which does) in Tempe, Arizona. Boom.

Sveyn was far too compelling to be quiet. He kept explaining what happened to him, and how he really is not a ghost, because he never actually died. And then I realized why he has been drawn to Hollis: to finally get his Happily Ever After.

I bounced my premise and its resolution off several paranormal-reading friends, and every one of them bought into it. And when I explained the major shift in the middle of their relationship, they got goose bumps. Goose bumps.

And now, Sveyn Hansen is set to meet the world.

The release party will be at the museum where the heroine Hollis works. And the collections manager proofed my books to make sure my details were correct. And she got so excited that her intern asked if she could come to the release party, too.

Because of my appearance schedule this coming year, I’m not releasing the ebooks until March 15th so that the print copies get “legs” at the big events I’m attending. So, mark your calendars.

'Cause Sveyn rocks.