What am I doing here?
Introducing Morrigan McBride and her supernatural found family
1. Why this, why now
I’m in the middle of the last book of my epic fantasy Storms in Amethir series, and…
I’m stuck.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and a lot of story threads to tie up and character arcs to complete. I’ve been stalled for a couple of months. I need something fun and lower stakes to write.
When I whined about this to writer friend, weird little crumb, and ass-kicker par excellence Russell Nohelty, he essentially asked me, “If it’s not fun anymore, why the fuck are you doing it?!”
To which I responded, “Good question!”1
Then Russell asked me, “What would you write if you could write anything at this moment?”
Enter Morrigan McBride.
2. What kind of community am I looking to build here?
I hope you like supernatural and spooky stuff, and I really hope you’re interested in reading supernatural and spooky stuff set in Indiana. You should love werewolves and crazy cat ladies who are just hitting their stride once they hit 40, and themes of found family and love is love.
You’ll definitely fit in if you want lots of gaming geekery, especially if you love Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Tolkien jokes and hobbity lifestyles are welcome, and don’t be surprised to find lots of Midwest-specific jokes.
Some whispers are warnings. Some are invitations.
3. When will I be posting?
I’m going to start out by posting twice a week, because I’m going to start writing this as my November-is-Novel-Writing-Month project. So I’m planning to post on Mondays and Thursdays, because everyone needs free fiction on Mondays, right? But I don’t want to overwhelm you, so twice a week it is!
Free subscribers get the stories.
Paid subscribers get the stories plus some extra behind-the-scenes stuff.
I’ll be collecting these posts into books that will go into Kindle Unlimited, so after the stories are published, they will no longer be available anywhere but on Amazon.
4. Come join me in Harding, Indiana!
Welcome to Harding, Indiana, where the coffee’s warm, the ghosts are talkative, and the banshee always knows when death is near.2
Harding, Indiana, is basically Madison, Indiana, with the serial numbers filed off. It’s a beautiful small town in southern Indiana, right on the banks of the Ohio River. It has an historic mansion, lots of boutique stores, a healthy arts scene, and a nearby liberal arts college for that extra bit of culture and mayhem.
I love Madison, but I also don’t want to be bound to the facts—and I don’t want to libel anyone who actually lives there—so I found a different president to name my town after, whose name conveniently lends itself to Dragon Age jokes, and we’re off and running!
5. So who is Morrigan McBride, anyway?
Well, she’s a banshee in denial, a high-performing sales rep in St. Louis, and she’s about to have her life turned upside down.
She’s about to inherit her aunt’s small-town stationery shop, and pretty soon she’s going to be enmeshed in figuring out how Aunt Meg really died—and whodunnit—while coming to terms with the fact that, yes, she can, in fact, predict death.
Fortunately for Mori, her best friend Vera’s bookstore has lots of supernatural reference books, and her other best friend Olivia’s coffee and tea shop has lots of sustenance. With a crew that includes Holly the librarian, George the IT guy, and Nick the gay hardware store owner, she’ll have lots of support along her journey.
I hope you’ll come with us!
Death has a voice — and Morrigan McBride is listening.
Well, I actually responded, “Good point, but Colin!” Because Colin, I SWEAR I haven’t forgotten about you, and I know you’re going to be disappointed by this announcement. But don’t despair, I am not giving up on Amethir FOREVER, just for NOW.
And yes, Harding DOES have a Hightown. IYKYK.
Looking forward to meeting them :)
This sounds fascinating and fun!