But, I thought it pretty much explains my present state of mind and decided to post it as a rerun on my own blog. Hope you enjoy it.
Squire
finally stopped talking.
That may
seem like a strange opening line for a blog post. It’s only strange if you
don’t know who Squire is.
The final
book, REVELATION, in the Legends of Graham Mansion series has just been
released. This five volume journey began when co-author and historian Mary Lin
Brewer contacted me in March 2012. “I have this idea for a series,” she said.
“I’ve got tons of research, legends, and stories. But, I’m not really a fiction
writer. I understand that you are.” As they say, the rest is history, quite
literally now. Two and half years and five books later, the series is complete.
I finally shut up Squire.
For those of
you who have not read the series, “Squire” is Squire David Graham. This
mysterious, but brilliant, man was a powerful entrepreneur of the 1800s in
Southwest Virginia. He amassed a substantial number of businesses and land
holdings in a relatively short amount of time and was known for his ruthless
business dealings and not-so-pleasant personality. The beacon of his success
still stands today in the form of a historic mansion in the beautiful Blue
Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Many say that he has never left his stately home.
I say he has spent the last two and a half years living rent free inside my
head.
While our
central character and heroine was a lovely young lady and time traveler named
Grae White, Squire seemed to be the one who truly haunted me. Through the many
long months of writing the series, he visited me in my dreams. Sometimes so
forcefully that I would have to get up in the middle of the night and pay
homage to him on my keyboard. The grave scene in AMBITION was the result of
three such nights in a row.
As I tied up
the loose ends of the series in the finale, I reread the previous volumes. Even
an author has to remind herself, at times, about what she has written. I
couldn’t leave any key elements unresolved. The more I read the previous books
(REDEMPTION, AMBITION, DECEPTION, and SALVATION), the louder Squire’s voice
seemed to get. He was determined that I finish his story. But, one late July evening, as the final words were
typed, he grew silent. I felt like I had been to a funeral, my emotions were
spent. I had laughed and cried a lot through the final story. I had said
goodbye. I had finished Squire’s story. He has been silent ever since.
Writing a
series is a serious undertaking. It’s not just the beginning and end that are
important, it’s all those words in between that link together to convey the
world you have created for your readers. It’s a commitment. The characters
become family. The readers become friends. You don’t want to let anyone down. Many
readers have asked how I managed to write so many words (about 450,000) in two
and a half years. The answer is simply dedication. Just about every night and
every weekend, words were typed. While I was at work during the day, the story
passed to Mary Lin who would fill in the historical matter, legends, and some
of her own twists. Weeks turned into months and like the little engine who
could, we built a series—one page, one chapter, one book, at a time.
And now,
it’s over. All has been revealed. REVELATION is in the hands of those who will
cherish it the most, the readers. Now in its entirety, we hope that it is
embraced by legions of future readers for many years to come.
The journey
is over. Or maybe, it’s only just begun.
If you would
like to follow Rosa Lee’s writing adventures, like her Author Page on Facebook
at http://www.Facebook.com/rosaleejudeauthor