Writing "the end" and discovering the beginning.

Okay, so I'm almost entirely done with CrystalFire. Finally. Finished. Almost. The book will, barring any major calamities, go off in the fancy little FedEx truck on Monday after I finish my final read. This is the last one in the DemonSlayers series--I wrote my final Wolf Tales a few weeks ago,just completed page proofs for StarFire, which releases in April, and I honestly don't know how to feel.

Sort of sad to say good-bye to yet another set of characters I've grown attached to, excited to have completed a series that was merely a few ideas in a conversation I had with my agent just two short years ago, and--this is the biggest surprise!--anxious to get started on the new series that's still in negotiations between my editor and my agent. My editor wants it, I want to write it and so far it's a process of details I'd rather just stay out of.

I know. I am SUCH a wuss! I'm obviously involved in the business side of my career, but I really only want to think about the stories, and I'm surprised at how quickly the old characters are slipping away, and new ones are taking their place. I love this part. I think of it as the discovery period of writing. Just what does my hero look like? And what about the heroine? I need a good visual so I can write them. Sometimes I go online and look through model portfolios, other times I break down and buy a PEOPLE magazine and check out the actors and actresses who are popular. I don't watch television or see many movies, so I'm really out of the loop on what's in and what's not, and magazines really do help.

Then, I need to interview them once I've got a visual. I love to know if my hero is an only child or if he learned to deal with women by coping with a bossy big sister--or caring for a younger sibling. Maybe my heroine dropped out of college because of a bad experience, or maybe she was a volunteer working in a third world country. Maybe the hero and heroine knew each other as kids and couldn't stand each other--whatever the dynamics are that formed them will eventually play out in their internal motivations when I sit down to write. I love the interview process--I sit down and ask my character questions and write what pops into my head. You would be surprised at what I learn!

That's how I knew that Anton Cheval from Wolf Tales had been a magician as a kid, and his ability with sleight of hand helped him survive on the streets when he was a child. Things like that are part of my background and may never actually show up in the story, but by knowing little details about my characters, they go from being two dimensional drawings to three dimensional people.

Of course, the down side is that when I finish their last book, I need therapy for separation anxiety, because by then they're absolutely real to me--and hopefully, they're just as real for my readers.

Think of a favorite character you've read in a story--is there one who really popped off the page and hung around long after you finished the book? I loved Marlowe Jones in Jayne's MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL. For some reason she really resonated with me--I can't put my finger on why--attitude, most likely--but there ya have it! Anyway, I'd love to hear who some of your favorites are, and what it is that makes them special.

Books currently on the shelves--I can't get links on the covers to work, but there are first chapter excerpts at www.katedouglas.com for DemonSlayers, and www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance for Wolf Tales.