Pre-Release Thoughts of an Independent Author (TAC: The Warrior Returns backstory and characters.)

To eagerly await something to happen is just human. To feel the nerves. The excitement. The hope. The wonder. At this moment in time everything is possible. And anything can happen.

On November 8th my thirteenth novel is set to be released. You'd think that after writing and releasing twelve previous novels I'd be an old hat at this. Nope. I'm hoping all of my ducks are in a row. I've received responses and notes from those who read them before hand. I'm crossing my fingers and looking for ANY and EVERY little publishing gremlin that will pop up and surprise me. I've got my drafts ready on Kindle. I've got my manuscripts uploaded for the physical books. My final proof arrives in the mail on Monday and I've got four days to make any changes to that. Oh, gosh, I certainly hope the USPS doesn't screw up and put the package in someone else's mail box. Then I'll never get it. 

OK. Just breathe.

So, let's talk about this new book that's releasing on November 8th. It's part of The Allegheny Chronicles series. 

And that in itself is a treat.

Some Background: The series is a spin-off of my Portrait of an Unlikely Affair series. It comes to the forefront in book four of that series, Embers to Ashes. In that series it is a book series written by Seth Jacobson that is loosely based on the life of Brian Ridley because no one would believe his story even if it were truth. In Embers to Ashes, running in the background, is the Allegheny Chronicles television series that is written by Seth and W. Howard Stone. The Chronicles main character is The Reaper, who was a child who was trained to become a deadly weapon and gets rescued into "the program." In this fictional world, Avonlea Stone plays a secondary role in the television series as Eden Halifax Magnuss.

Although I haven't written any of the Reaper's exploits as of yet, he first appears as a secondary character in my book, The Allegheny Chronicles: Eden and the Alchemist. This plot line makes an appearance in Embers to Ashes so I had thought to myself, "How would that story actually play out?" So I sat down and wrote it in less than a week with the thought that it was a "TV Show." It was different than my Portrait novels and my Along the Way duology. I figured that novel would be a stand-alone novel and nothing further would be done.

A year later, I put together my short story collection, Could've Been Something. I wrote a "what-if" story based on the idea of a murder-mystery writer who decided to write a smut-like romance novel just because that's what's selling. The only catch is she is not the kind who can write those kinds of things. That launched the story of Gia Bennington, a small town author who lives so much in her head, stuck on an ex from her past, that she can't even realize what is going on around her with her best friends. Once I finished that story off, those characters kept "talking" to me and suddenly I was writing that same story from a different angle -- From Mason's perspective. Words flowed from my fingers as I typed and before I knew it I was shocked to learn that I had another book on my hands. And not only was it another book, but it was an Allegheny Chronicles book that I had never intended!!!! That's how The Allegheny Chronicles: Veil Falls came to be. 

TAC: Veil Falls ended on a cliff hanger and that's where The Allegheny Chronicles: The Warrior Returns begins. 

Fair Warning: There are events, thoughts, and feelings in TAC: Veil Falls that are heavy. They could trigger or stir feelings in some folks. If you ever find yourself in a situation like the book depicts, definitely seek assistance. The statistic is that 22 veterans a day choose to end their life. If you or someone you know are having a difficult time, the Veteran Hotline is 988 then press 1.

So, let's talk characters now. I have done some AI renderings on Canva. Most of the time I hate it.

Since we're talking TAC: Warrior Returns let's look at Mason Beaudrie.

Mason is a quiet man. He's a smart ass. He likes sarcasm. He's been through hell and everything he seems to try falls through. He's very unlucky in love. He's not at all the ladies man by any stretch of the imagination. He likes to be in the background because he draws such strong responses from the people he meets. If someone takes the chance to get to know him, he is a very likable person and is very loyal. He is holding onto trauma and has a secret that he does not want anyone to know. I don't want to give away too much because there can be theories as to why Mason has gone through what he has gone through in order to be where he winds up. Perhaps we can have a chat about that at a later day. 

The way you first meet Mason can be shown in the image below. 

By the time he goes through what he goes through in The Warrior Returns, Mason has grown. He has changed. He is represented by these AI generated image below. 

The Allegheny Chronicles series was written in the way that I'd imagine them being a television show but there is much, much more to them. Each book could really be a season. Even though I write them in my same "What-if" writing style, they have a life of their own. I don't even know where their story is going at this point in time. I just know that The Warrior Returns is going to run concurrent to the next book, whose working title is "the Healer." Twists and turns and adventure await you in the world of the Allegheny Chronicles. I hope you enjoy it. And now we will all wait until November 8th, just to find out where this next addition will take us. 

There is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book. Thank you for coming along with me. 

You can find all of my books in ebook, paperback, and hardcover at Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, Apple Books, Lulu, Kobo, and more!