Beyond the Shadows Release Party! Day 6

Hi everyone!

Sadly today is the last day of the Beyond the Shadows release party. I know, I know, I've been having fun too. The good news is, if you are in the Columbus, OH area, today is the big book signing at the RT convention! If you're in the area, stop by and you can get one of the first copies of the book! If not, it's only three more days until it hits the shelves. Who knows, it might be out early in some spots, so head out to your local booksellers and ask if they have it in yet. That way everyone wins.

For our last day of the party, I thought I'd talk about the future of the series. I love finding new potential heroes and heroines in the backgrounds of the books, and I thought it might be fun to talk about some of the more interesting background character who might get a book of their own someday.

Now I'm doing my best to not be spoilery, but spoilers are subjective. If you want to know nothing about the book before you read it, you might want to skip this post and go right to the comments, but any information I give will only be brief character descriptions.

First up is Tola Pinaro-Trabal. We first meet Tola in the very first chapter of Beyond the Rain. He's the lieutenant serving under Cyani who has to get the team out and leave her behind. I liked him, and I liked the hints that he may have harbored a secret love for Cyani that he never acted on. I really wanted to get to know Tola better, so I brought him back around for this book. Now I'm a sucker for healer characters, so I have to admit, I can't stop thinking about Tola. I've got a little bit of a crush on him and his dark exotic looks.

Another background character who comes around again is Cyn's friend and fellow pirate, Xan. He's the tortured reluctant hero-type I also can't help but adore. Xan reminds me a little of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings and Moses. He knows eventually he's going to have to stand up into a role he isn't sure he can fill. We'll have to see if the strength of one man is great enough to free his people and save the universe.

The new boy in the background is another pirate. I can't wait for everyone to meet Maxen. There's so much more I want to know about him. While his eye, arm, and leg are biomechanic, he'll hit you in the face with his hard hand if you call him a cyborg. He tends to think of himself as an amputee, but his integrated parts speak of money. How did he get so injured? How did he afford expensive integrated replacement limbs? If he has that kind of cash, why is he hanging out in a pirate haven and playing mechanic to a bunch of intergalactic scum-bags. Hmmm, we're going to have to wait and see.

It's not just the guys that have sparked my long term interest. Yara's Elite friend Onali has some depth I find interesting for one of the Elite. I may have to play with her a little. Then there's Xan's second in command, the fierce pirate Venet, who has the heart of a mother tiger. I'd also like to see whom Nualsha of Hel might find attractive if she was so willing to throw Cyn out in the proverbial cold.

So there's a lot of potential out there for some amazing stories. I'd love to see this series grow. I'd like to thank you all for your interest and support. I can't do this without you. It means the world to me.

Enjoy Beyond the Shadows, I certainly enjoyed writing it for you.

Today I'm giving away a signed copy of Beyond the Shadows and a copy of Rebels and Lovers by Linnea Sinclair. Leave a comment for your chance to win. The contest closes at 8:00 AM EST on May 2nd. I'll pick a winner at random and announce the winner on the sidebar. Contest open to U.S. residents only.

Happy reading, everyone!

Jess