With past books, my inspiration generally came with my dreams. My Guardians series (the first of this series being published by Burning Willow Press) and Wolfe’s Fayt: The Rescue are main examples of this.
There were a few times where I had a generalized thought and felt that it would make for a good book. Those were times where the project got halfway through, and I seemed to lose my inspiration.
When it came to Rip Zulu: Revenant of Retribution, it was a completely different animal. I started to get this feeling; like there was something brewing. My muse was working on something, but it was a vague blurred image; nothing clear or concrete. Eventually, I began to realize a character
was coming into focus, but the first thing I saw were her hair and eyes. Her hair was dark at the crown of her head, but as it fell down her back, it transitioned from a darker purple to lavender, until it moved to such a light purple it was almost white. From there it became a silvery color, like the color of stars twinkling in the blackened sky. Her eyes were lavender.
I knew she would be tall, and then I realized she was six feet tall with golden-colored skin. Eventually the name came to me: Ripley Zulu. The muse kept talking to me, letting me know she didn’t like to be called Ripley, preferring Rip instead.
As I started writing the story, I began with how she was formed within the womb of a star; nourished by the light and heat of the blazing sun. I wrote her plummet to Earth and into the lives of some very significant people. As the story was edited, I was told that it might be better to start the story with action and dialogue. The scene of her growing at a high rate of speed within that star womb was pulled, but it was referenced a few times in the book.
The story began taking shape and form, and while I wrote the first book, ideas for the second book developed as well. I loved the times I could sit down and pour myself into this story, the many character that developed during the course of its evolution, and the setting.
I became very protective of my work, and for quite a long time, I didn’t share with clarity the events and such in the book with anyone. I kept many things very tightly wrapped. After submitting to one publishing company, I quickly decided I wanted everything to go my way without any interference from outside influences. Without even realizing it, I decided I would publish it myself, get the cover art done by an amazing artist (who has this ability to take my vision and bring it to the highest level possible), and give it everything I had. I had it edited by a wonderful and insightful person who set me straight on quite a few matters, but at the same time, she had the ability to see my vision and not try to change my voice.
So far, publicizing has not been as nerve-wracking as I originally thought. I have actually quite enjoyed scheduling events, talking to people about doing book signings, and taking care of the little details that goes into a successful launch of a book. I have learned some important things along the way (thinks I will take into consideration when I’m promoting my next book—The Guardians: Warrior Angels—coming out in July 2019).
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Amazon link for Rip Zulu: Revenant of Retribution
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