After the release of The Shadow Wrath, the ninth and final (at least for now) book of The Shadow Enforcer Series, I was flooded with questions, but the main question I received was “What’s next?” What should we expect after the conclusion of the Shadow Enforcer series?
So, today, I am going to try to answer this question. To the best of my abilities, that is.
Starting on a New Series.
I’ll be honest with you. Starting to work on a new series is never an easy task. There is an enormous amount of work that needs to be done before beginning to write a new novel, let alone a new series. Research, detailed character outlines, plot outline, and a lot more. Even though I am writing Urban Fantasy, research is extremely important. Every book of the Salamanderverse starts with either a legend or a true historical event.
Just to write the prologue of each book, I have to spend quite a bit of time researching. I search the internet, looking for reputable sites on the subject. I spend hours in libraries. I interview people who can answer my questions if I need to know something specific. That also includes international calls. Sometimes, I travel to check a location I am planning to use as a setting in a novel.
But what makes the beginning of any new series so hard and nerve-wracking is those doubts, self-doubt, endless questions that have no answers and a huge number of what-ifs.
Anyway, let’s talk about the new series, its hero and its world.
Who is the Hero of the New Story?
The new series is going to be set in the Salamanderverse. So, I hope for those of you who have read and enjoyed The Shadow Enforcer Series and/or The Fire Salamander Chronicles, it will be comfortable and familiar. Like coming back home.
Just like in the previous two series, the hero of the story is an elemental being, a Child of Air. And just by reading that, some of you had most likely guessed his name already. But if you hadn’t, let me introduce Declan Storm, a powerful Child of Air and a mysterious man with a complicated past, which he refuses to share with anyone.
I hope you will show Declan the same warm and kind welcome you showed Damian Blake and Zane Burns. Declan Storm was born on the pages of The Shadow Storm, the fourth book of the Shadow Enforcer Series. And here is how Damian Blake described him the first time they met in the visiting room of a white-collar prison in Florida.
(In case you haven’t read The Shadow Storm, a little spoiler here… Sorry…)
It seemed like everything about Declan’s appearance was self-contradictory. He was about six feet tall and athletically built. Yet at the same time, he appeared to be slender and graceful, his every move breathing with a leisurely elegance that seemed almost inappropriate for the way he was dressed.
He had strong, chiseled features, yet there was some gentle softness to his face that made him appear younger than he probably was, despite the dark five o’clock shadow covering his cheeks and chin. Besides, it was practically impossible to guess the age of people touched by the World of Magic. While Declan Storm looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, he could have been a few hundred years old, if not older. But all in all, he looked like he belonged on a catwalk and not in a prison cell.
What’s New in the Salamanderverse?
Besides introducing a new set of characters, two more supernatural organizations will come to play in the new series. One of them is the House of Whelan, an old supernatural organization with quite an interesting motto and an even more interesting set of rules.
Motto:
“Removing powerful magical objects from mundane hands since 516 AD.”
The Rules of the House of Whelan:
Never expose your true supernatural identity.
Never tell what you are after.
And no matter what you do, NEVER get involved with the Destiny Council and their teams.
So, What Should You Expect From the New Series?
You know what they say about the World of Magic. You should always expect the unexpected. And I hope the first book of the Declan Storm series is not going to be an exception. So, here are three random facts about the new story:
FACT 1: In the Salamanderverse, where things are never what they appear to be, you can most certainly expect unexpected twists, a lot of action, mystery and intrigue.
FACT 2: As always, gods of different pantheons walk among unsuspecting humans, as well as assorted monsters and dark spirits. If you enjoyed the Slavic lore introduced in the previous two series, you’ll find more in the new story.
FACT 3: Since the new series is set in Key West, Florida, you can expect to meet some familiar faces and hear a few familiar names.
So, there you have it… The Declan Storm Series coming... um… soon-ish? 😉
Walking a fine line between Light and Darkness, they are neither good nor evil. All they want is to do their job, staying under the radar of both human and supernatural authorities. But in the World of Magic, where nothing is as it appears, sometimes, the greater good is best served by being a little… bad.
Meet Declan Storm.
As always, thank you all so much for your continued support.
Happy reading!
N.M. Thorn