Before I go back to the final read-through of RAISED BY WOLVES (it’s almost out!!!! So! Excited!), I wanted to talk to you guys about something that’s been on my mind. 🙂
A lot of you have written me emails, messages and comments expressing your concern about my removal of THE PROTECTOR from Amazon (and every other purchasing site), and though I’ve answered everyone who asked me (and thank you so much for that concern and enthusiasm about the book–I’m so glad you loved it ♥ ), I wanted to talk a little about why I did that…and a hopeful fix for the problem.
When I first released THE PROTECTOR…well, that was a very long time ago (in writing terms). Almost two years, now. When writing that book, I was filled with inspiration for it, as I always am when I’m writing a book–if I am not one hundred percent madly in love with the story I’m telling, it’s not the right time to be telling the story. But therein lay the problem.
THE PROTECTOR was meant to be the first book in a three book series. At the time I was writing the book, I was filled with inspiration for it. But, when I released the book, I began to work on other projects that I was also madly in love with. I still, obviously, loved THE PROTECTOR and Elizabeth and Layne, but every time I sat down to work on the next two books…I would work on the other stories I was currently writing instead, because I was MORE excited about those books than the sequels of THE PROTECTOR.
For me, I have to follow the excitement in my writing. If I’m not excited about a story, it’s utterly impossible for me to continue writing it. But as the months went by, I realized that it wasn’t that I wasn’t excited about the book…it was because I was blocked on Elizabeth and Layne’s story. I knew exactly how it was supposed to end, but every time I sat down to tell it, I just…couldn’t.
This has happened to me before (writer’s block on a particular story), and I thought it’d pass. But it didn’t. Months turned into a year, and then, last fall, I realized that I had no idea when I would be able to break through this writer’s block to tell the completion of Elizabeth and Layne’s story. Rather than have more people purchase the book (and be disappointed), I decided to simply take the book down from Amazon and the other stores, because I want my readers to be happy, and I didn’t want more readers to start a series that I had no idea when I’d be able to finish.
It was utterly heartbreaking to delete that book. I worked so, so hard on it, and for so long, and I loved it so much. It was like killing one of my creative babies, and I cried about it for days. But I thought it was the fairest thing I could do under the circumstances.
Then, the last few days working on RAISED BY WOLVES, I got an idea. I think that, possibly, I may have a solution to the writer’s block that’s been plaguing me on THE PROTECTOR. I went back and looked at all my notes and outlines on the last two books in the series and realized something…I had a lot of stuff that was going to happen, but the real, true, important story could be finished in a single book. The real, true, important story is the love story between Layne and Elizabeth. It’s the story of Elizabeth’s legacy, and if she’s going to become a vampire or not, like her father…and what that will mean for the werewolf protector who has sworn to guard her until her dying breath.
I realized that I could take the original manuscript of THE PROTECTOR, revamp the first part of the book (the one that was released), and then add that ending of the story on to the original novel, making it much longer…but making it one, solid book.
I have no idea if this is going to work or not. Remember, I’ve been trying to kick the writer’s block on this book for almost two years. BUT, it would make me so, so happy to finish it, to get another go at it. To be able to complete Layne and Elizabeth’s story.
If I’m able to do this, I’m going to release it as either THE PROTECTOR or LONE WOLF (I still haven’t decided yet), with the original cover, just tweaked. If you purchased a copy of the original PROTECTOR, all you’ll have to do is email me a copy of the receipt or a picture of your Kindle (or other device) with the book on it, and I’ll send you the new, much bigger book for free. 🙂
Again, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this…but it’s been breaking my heart that the book I worked so, so hard on just doesn’t exist anymore…and I’m hoping I’ll be able to take all of that and work through the writer’s block. 🙂
Wish me luck! ♥ And, if you’re not on it already, sign up for our mailing list, to be the first to know when it’s re-released if I’m able to do this! ♥
Bridget Essex, Author 