The End: An Author’s Mourning

I’ve been writing books since 2005 (professionally, anyway), and there’s a particular experience that I (and many of my fellow authors) go through when we finish a book. Writing ‘the end’ can (and often is) like taking a deep breath of fresh air after being in a cave. From page one to those two words, a book is a journey—not only for the reader but also for the author. We spend countless hours, days, months, even years, planning and plotting, dreaming and writing, agonizing and rewriting. All through that time, we’re not alone. Our characters become a part of us—extensions of ourselves, as close as family sometimes.

There have been many times when I’ve written ‘the end’ and felt an almost indescribable sense of emptiness. Writing a story is the literary equivalent to baring one’s soul. ‘The end’ is like saying goodbye forever to a soul mate (or mates).

Shayne and I have gone through it with our series, The Prince’s Angel. We just released the final book for Mael and Cian, the main characters, and we already miss them. Although their story is done, they may make cameos in later stories, but nothing more will ever be written specifically for them. As a solo author, my biggest “the end” moment hit hard when I finished Dragonblade, book two in my Secrets of Socendor series with Samhain Publishing. It’s not even out yet (still with my editor for a look-over, as a matter of fact), and it’s not the last book in this series, but when I wrote “the end,” I almost cried.

The Lost Son (book one in the Secrets of Socendor series) set the stage for Dragonblade, but I wasn’t prepared for the shocking twists my characters put me through in book two. By the end of the book, I was in shock—both from the unexpected plot turns and the profound sense of melancholy that hit me when it was done. Out of all the books I’ve written in the past several years, Dragonblade affected me the most. It’s only book two of a trilogy, but its impact on me surpassed anything else I’ve ever written.

Dragonblade had a lot of surprises, even for me. There were moments when I thought my men had completely lost their minds, but, of course, things worked out eventually. There were also parts that broke my heart, to the point where I had to stop writing just to breathe normally again. But trials like these are what make the characters human, and they are what make the books so memorable. We authors–like readers–get so wrapped up in our characters’ lives that when we write ‘the end,’ it can be as devastating as it is refreshing.

Mychael Black:

What do online gaming, Spongebob, cooking, writing, and an unnatural addiction to Mountain Dew all have in common?

Not a damn thing, which is what makes Mychael Black an interesting bird indeed.

Born in north Alabama, Mychael now resides on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Having run the gamut of labels in regard to gender and sexuality, Mychael now shuns society’s views on normality and embraces a poly-everything attitude. Call Mychael her or him—it doesn’t matter. Just keep reading the books.

http://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/

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The Lost Son

One warrior, one sorcerer, and a legacy that will change their lives forever…

Secrets of Socendor, Book 1

In the world of Socendor, humans are forbidden from using magic and elves keep their distance.

Kalen Ysindroc has risen far from his humble beginnings as a blacksmith’s adopted son. Now the king’s general, he investigates reports of magic-wielding half-human, half-elven lithings sighted along the kingdom’s borders. It would be a lonely life, if not for the company of his best friend and long-time elven lover, Micheil Theirauf, the king’s sorcerer.

An attempt on Kalen’s life makes it clear to Micheil that there’s more afoot than random breaks in the land’s defenses. His lover is plagued by dreams no human should endure, and Micheil’s probe into Kalen’s subconscious reveals a past neither of them expected. And a future Kalen can’t escape.

Suddenly, everything Kalen never knew about his life is laid bare. A father possessed of terrible magical power. A half-brother who could be the family Kalen never had—or the catalyst that will rip Micheil out of his life forever…

This title was previously published but has been revised.