There are days when I sit at the keyboard with so many projects and ideas rolling around in my head that
I don’t know where to begin. Should I blog? Write another chapter in the new paranormal mystery I’m working on? Finish the novella for the Harper series? Tackle some marketing and promotion work? Sometimes, it’s nearly impossible to choose.
Today, the draw to writing comes from a completely new place. When I set out on this indie-publishing journey, one of the first authors I ever approached for help and advice was Toby Neal. I’d read most of her Lei Crime series books and loved her work. Much to my surprise, she was gracious enough to read my book, write an awesome blurb for the cover and ever since, has been an online friend and an invaluable source for advice and support.
The other day, she approached me about writing something that would be part of the new Kindle World Amazon is creating for her and her Lei Crime Series. I’d never thought about writing fan fiction but the concept is intriguing. How could I refuse?
Neal’s work, starting from Blood Orchid (book one), through Fire Beach (book eight), is amazing. Her characters are rich with depth, her plots are intricate and unpredictable and the location of the stories are prefect places to conduct some tax deductible research. It’s been years since I’ve been to Hawaii and I’d sure love to go again.
Of course, the pressure is in coming up with a story in her world that will do her work justice. It feels a bit like an introduction to Kindle Worlds by way of a fire hose, but the more I study the concept and understand it, the more excited I get about taking her world and bending it a bit to my will.
The one note of encouragement Toby sent that made me realize this was something I could do was when she wrote, “above all, just have fun with it.”
So that’s what I’m doing. Toby blogged about it today to make the big announcement. Hint, my story is the one she mentions that includes a soldier. Of course! Stay tuned for more on the Kindle World journey!
M. L. Doyle has served in the U.S. Army at home and abroad for more than two decades as both a soldier and civilian. Mary is the author of The Desert Goddess series, an urban fantasy romp consisting of The Bonding Spell and The Bonding Blade. She has also penned The Master Sergeant Harper mystery series which has earned numerous awards including an IPPY, a Lyra Award and the Carrie McCray Literary Award. Mary is the co-author of two memoirs; A Promise Fulfilled; the story of a Wife and Mother, Soldier and General Officer (Jan. 201) and the memoir, I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home (Touchstone, 2010), which was nominated for an NAACP Image award. Mary's work has been published by The Goodman Project, The War Horse, The WWrite Blog and The Wrath-Bearing Tree, an online magazine for which she serves as a fiction editor. A Minneapolis, Minnesota native, Mary current lives in Baltimore. You can reach her at her website at mldoyleauthor.com.
3 comments on “Kindle Worlds - Lei Crime Series”
Excellent. Very happy to be part of the series with you, Mary,
eden
Thanks Eden, me too! I'm really looking forward to reading what others come up with.
It's been an amazing adventure. The fire hose analogy is right on. I never wrote so fast.