My Writing Corner : A Visit to A Faraway World

Writing one book can be challenging, but think about those authors who write a series! It means not simply one commitment, but several -- to characters to plot to coming up with distinctive stories that all work together. Today's guest in My Writing Corner is Lyndi Alexander who has written several series. She says she always dreamed of faraway worlds and she has made them come alive in her stories..

She tells us she lives as a post-modern hippie in Asheville, North Carolina and is a single mother of her last child of seven, a daughter on the autism spectrum. She says she finds that every day feels like first contact with a new species. Since she has written a number of series, and I am currently teaching a writing class on how to write a series, I asked her to answer a few questions on this difficult endeavor as she tells us about her latest book.

What is the most challenging thing about writing a series?

I find that the hardest thing for me is to begin the second book or third book with enough information for a new reader to get into the story, without over dumping info. An author can never know whether the person who picks up the book knows anything about the rest of the series. I’ve managed it so far by switching to a more objective third party as first-chapter narrator. That narrator can put their own spin on what’s happened so it’s not just regurgitation.

How do you keep track of all your plotlines and your characters?

While the overarching stories of a series may continue through consecutive books, I try to have each book wrap up some part of the situation. For example, in the Horizon Crossover series, HORIZON SHIFT is the story of Captain Rogers’ arrival into a new universe via wormhole, and what he needs to do to refurbish his ship and rebuild his crew. HORIZON STRIFE goes on with his struggle to fit in the new place he’s found and his run-ins with the government Agency and the mysteries of the Ancients. HORIZON DYNASTY allows both stories to wrap up as well as various triumphs of minor characters in furtherance of their own destinies. This keeps me from having to remember everything about everyone and keep the drama active throughout multiple books.

I then had an idea using a few of the tangential characters in the trilogy, and thus we have SIXSHOOTER, which is part of the series by virtue of having a similar setting of the star system in which all these characters operate. The action happens somewhat simultaneously.

What is most rewarding about writing a series?

Definitely I think that readers enjoy a series—continuing to discover more about the characters and their adventures. It is a self-fulfilling way for your audience to stick with you. When I first got into reading science fiction, I picked up one of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight books. She created so many of these (followed up by her son) that I had steady reading material for years. Plus, as an author, it grants your wish to keep on with people you’ve loved to create. It’s hard for me to let go of my favorites!

Let's hear more about Sixshooter:

Valeni Pascual wants to be free to make a living hauling cargo with her spaceship and to understand the shapeshifting alien who presents sometimes as the steamy male Nik and other times as the blonde bombshell Nikki.

As a rebel insurgence builds against the oppressive government known as the Agency, Valeni and Nik/Nikki encounter a sexy Terran cowboy named Garrett Rawls. Since being pulled into this region of space by another mysterious wormhole, Garrett has looked for a way to return to Earth. After meeting Valeni and Nikki, he might have found something worth staying for.

However, dark forces may have a much bigger picture in mind for all of them. Valeni, Nik/Nikki, and Garrett are pulled into a life and death fight that lays bare all of their secrets and their desires. Will they lose everything as the battle against the Agency rages around them or can love pull them through?

SIXSHOOTER [©2021] A Horizon Crossover series novel by Lyndi Alexander | Cover Art by Kat Hardy | Science Fiction Romance (R) 280 pages / 100,000 words | Available in ebook and print from the DFP Books label of Dragonfly Publishing

Print editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more. Find ebooks at retailers, lending libraries, and subscription services, including: Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Blio, Kobo Books, Open Library, Overdrive, Scribd, Smashwords, and more.

If you would like to know more about Lyndi and her books, here is her contact information and where you can buy her books:

Author Links

Website and Blog https ://lyndialexander .wordpress .com /

Facebook https ://www .facebook .com /lyndialexander 13/

Goodreads https ://www .goodreads .com /author /show /4185290.Lyndi _Alexander