Hi everyone and welcome!
So I've gotten asked this question a lot in the past; how did On The Edge of the Forest come about? What gave me the idea for my first novel? The first book in a series of 4?.
So, I thought I'd hop on here and share some of the answers with you!
I cannot tell you exactly when I had the idea for my novel. It was the first novel that I've ever written, though I did start a few others along the journey in writing On The Edge of the Forest.
I initially started my book mainly for fun and to see if I could do it. At the time of starting my novel, paranormal movies, books, and television series were very popular with vampires and werewolves. While some of them intrigued me, I found myself wanting something different.
I've always been intrigued by wolves...and in the mythical sense, werewolves as well. I started wondering about wolves. What goes on in the life of a wolf? What is their life like? What is it like to be in a pack of wolves? And then all the what if questions...
From there my mind started expanding. I wanted to create a world that involved wolves and humans intertwined, but not in the scary senses; not in the typical beastly werewolf sense. I wanted to create a world in which, although very mythical/paranormal related, seemed slightly more realistic.
That is what started me on the path of my On The Edge series.
I played around in that mythical world, got lost in that world and then let my characters sweep me away. It's taken a few different routes and detours along the way than what I'd initially expected, but all of those--in my opinion--have only added to the story and made it more interesting.
After I had the first draft of my novel written, I presented it to my brother to get his opinion of it. It had a different title at the time, and he suggested I change the title and offered a few other revisions. I took his advice and while working on those revisions, he passed away unexpectedly.
My brother's passing was an extremely difficult time. I incorporated a lot of my emotions into the novel as I worked on it, and I think it gave a little bit more depth into the story and the main character.
I finished the novel and was so very excited about it that when the opportunity arose to self-publish it, I jumped on it and got it published right away. While I regret acting so hastily as far as not having time to properly edit and proofread it, I was very excited.
I'd already started on and nearly finished the second book in the series at this time as I wasn't ready to let the characters go. And over time, the story has increased and raced through my mind, taking different twists and turns. I'm excited about the direction this series is taking. The first 2 novels are completed and available for purchase, the last 2 books in the series are still being written / edited.
While I do regret not taking the time to edit and proofread my novel properly, I am very pleased with it. I think it is a great story; it gives you an escape from reality and sweeps you up into a mythical world...
If you are interested in my novel, it is available for purchase here and if you have any questions, please be sure to leave them in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!
