SERIAL WRITER

As you may know, I’ve got a new book out this month. It’s ETERNAL MOON, the tenth book in my Moon Series.

How do you keep a series going that long? For me, it’s a matter of finding a theme that works and fitting in stories, the way I do with my 43 Light Street books. I mean, I don’t have some grand plan like say a season of 24. You don’t have to start at the beginning of the series to get into each book because each of them is a complete story with a beginning, middle and end and a new hero and heroine. Well, there are two Light Street books where I brought back a hero and heroine at a point of crisis in their marriage. One is CRADLE AND ALL and the other is TANGLED VOWS. My next Light Street book is MORE THAN A MAN, and it will be out in August.

ETERNAL MOON is part of my other long-running series. And, in fact, I didn’t even know I was starting a series when I wrote the first book, KILLING MOON. I just had a story I was burning to tell. About a werewolf who desperately wanted to fit into humanity but felt alienated by his–uh–hairy problem. Ross Marshall was the first of my Marshall men. He’s a private detective who uses his werewolf senses to solve crimes. And he comes back to play a secondary role in all of my other Moon books.

Megan Marshall, his life mate, was my first heroine who had to be strong enough to stand up to a guy who can change from man to wolf. Since then, I’ve matched each of my Marshall men with a dynamic mate. In ETERNAL MOON, it’s P. I. Renata Cordona whose lived in Costa Rica when she was young. As you can imagine, I had a wonderful time working in details from my trip to Costa Rica last year. Little details, like the bright color of Renata’s house out in the countryside. The washing machine out on the back porch. And the typical Costa Rican dish of black beans and rice.

The story starts with Renata on an under cover assignment to lure out a serial killer who has been murdering female real estate agents. A vicious pack of dogs is about to attack her when a lone wolf makes them stand down. Minutes later, Jacob Marshall materializes and, with his electrifying touch, Renata suddenly knows the truth. Jacob is her life mate. Yet Renata is a woman who guards her heart because everyone she has ever loved has died a horrible death.

As Renata and Jacob discover, she’s the reincarnation of an ancient goddess and he’s her consort. Down through the ages, they’ve met again and again, only to the destroyed by a malicious demon. Is werewolf Jacob Marshall the key to breaking the ancient curse that hangs over them? Or will the evil stalking them through time destroy them both?

Of course, a werewolf is the ultimate alpha male. And finding women strong enough to stand up to them is one of the challenges of writing the Moon Series. That’s why most of the heroines of these books have paranormal powers.

Do you like the paranormal mixed with your suspense? If so, what are your favorite kinds of paranormal stories?