I can’t believe that Kari Hunter book 3, The Dark Door, has already been out for an entire month! I hope you enjoyed the story. As I’m writing this, the book has 4.8 stars, but only 17 ratings, and only 5 of those are reviews. So, I’m guessing you liked it..? (Shameless plug: If you liked Kari 3, please let me know and give the book a little shout-out. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Click here to hit the Amazon review page.)
Kari 3 took a long time to write, and finishing it was a major accomplishment. The story was ambitious for my (then) skill set. First, it was a longer mystery than I’d ever written before, and that comes with extra challenges. Second, Kari had more emotional arcs going on. Figuring out how to treat those correctly, and in a fun and satisfying way, was another challenge. (For all you writers out there: KM Weiland’s book on themes is fantastic. Highly recommended! She even includes outlines for positive, flat, and negative change arcs.) On top of that, I was contending with Kari’s need to remain a pacifist, and to do it differently than in the first two books, because I ain’t no one-trick pony!
All of this meant that I was often stopping to research how to treat these different issues. Writing The Dark Door felt like an open-world video game where you have to slay the dragon, rescue the princess, and save the world, but you’re only level 1 and you’re armed with a pool noodle. The only way to win is through 200 side quests. So that’s what I did! I hate that it took so long, but it was all worthwhile, because that work will help me write even better stories going forward.
You might look at one of my books and think of the story, but I remember everything I learned along the way. And that’s honestly my favorite thing. I started out at level 1 with a big idea, went on a winding journey with a million side quests, and slayed the dragon in the end. As it turns out, the princess rescued herself and everyone else.
All of that just to say: I’m so happy with how The Dark Door turned out. I hope you are, too.
And HEY! The paperback is available now, too, so if you want to pick up your copy, just click this link: The Dark Door paperback.
I’m sure you’re wondering what books I’m writing next! I’ve started a spinoff trilogy involving a couple of characters from the Kari Hunter series. If you’ve finished The Dark Door, you might be able to guess who they are…
But maybe you still want a hint? How about this:
The story is set in Listowel, where the newest Immortal State tourist trap is open for business. The voodoo-themed town is her first assignment as a conservator trainee. And everything goes sideways less than thirty minutes after she arrives. Luckily, she’s not entirely alone. Someone followed her to Listowel and is determined to help her, whether she likes it or not.
Now can you guess?
I’m really excited about this trilogy, but we’ll talk more about it later, because first we need to attend to some MAGIC ENGINEERING BUSINESS.
That’s right! Buckle up, Interns of Magic Engineering fans: I’ve got an Interns novelette in the editing stage. And this book will be FREE for all my newsletter subscribers. If you aren’t subscribed, sign up now so you can get it when it’s ready.
In this next episode (technically book 3½!), Dr. Docktor divides the interns into two groups and sends them on important tasks. Charlie gets trapped on the building’s top floor. Poison is filling the air, and something’s skulking around in the darkness, trying to take her down in a very unflattering way. Luckily, Charlie’s got one of her intern friends with her, fighting back with the power of teamwork.
HAHAHA, just kidding. She’s trapped with Indigo.
This book wasn’t in the original plan, but I’ve been thinking about a new Interns trilogy for a while. Beyond the overarching story, I wanted to know what other mysteries and heinous deeds were afoot. The simplest and most effective way to find out was to jump into the world—just throw Charlie Temple into another bizarre life-or-death situation—and see what happened.
As it turns out, there’s a LOT to talk about with the Interns. I’m excited for you to read it. Make sure you subscribe to my new-release list to get the freebie when it arrives.
And hey, don’t forget—if you loved Kari 3, The Dark Door, please let me know by giving it a shout-out. Here’s the link again: shout-out for Kari 3!
Until next time,
Jen