I’ve received a lot of emails since I released The Dragon of Falconer, most of them a variation of: “Why are you writing all this short stuff? When are we going to see Harley Firebird in a novel?”
And I get that. I do. I’m one of those people who walks around with their fingers in their ears for weeks, trying to avoid spoilers about series I want to watch. I will not watch a season of a favourite series until ALL the season is available.
Then I’ll binge watch in a few massive sessions, and fully immerse myself in the story and characters.
A novel in the Harley series would be almost the same–lots of storytime in Harley’s world.
For various reasons, many of them technical, behind-the-scenes limitations, I couldn’t do a novel. One of those reasons was that I was committed to writing a 7 novel series in seven months under one of my other pen names. I was tapped out, time-wise.
So, when I released story five of the Harley series, The Badge of Our Tribe, I broke one of my personal rules: Instead of waiting at least a year, I rushed the five stories so far into a boxed set, Harley Firebird Files, and put the boxed set out immediately. My thinking was that readers (you guys) would appreciate a chance to sink into the series.
To binge read, in other words.
And from some of the email I got in response to the release, you really appreciated it.
However, that’s where I shot myself in the foot. Only I didn’t know that until just the other day.
The next book in the series came up on the schedule — and ended up being The Firebird’s Regret — today’s release.
So far, no problems.
Only, now my production schedule has changed around. I’m no longer over-committed on other series under other pen names. My schedule has freed up so I can now focus on finishing my two series: Magorian & Jones, and Harley Firebird.
And I really, really want to write a full novel for Harley.
But now I’ve got the first five books in the series in a boxed set, then a single short one, then a novel. That single story six is going to be the unwanted ugly step-child–not a novel, not in a collection.
Oh, well.
But anyway, I thought you might like to know that after today’s story, there will be a novel in the works. 🙂
Is the firebird’s past catching up with her?
The brakes on Harley’s official police vehicle fail, sending her and Bohdan Trask into an icy river. Only Harley’s special talents save them.
Harley can’t dismiss the incident as a mishap, for the coincidences swiftly pile up after that, including her catching a frightening glimpse of someone from her dark past. But is it merely her stressed out imagination, or is the threat real?
The Firebird’s Regret is part of the Harley Firebird urban fantasy series of novelettes, which is set in the same world as Taylen Carver’s Magorian & Jones series.
The Harley Firebird series:
1.0: The Dragon of Falconer
2.0: The Orc Who Cried
3.0: The Shepherd of Fire
4.0: The Mad Folk of Falconer
5.0: The Badge of Our Tribe
5.5: Harley Firebird Files
6.0: The Firebird’s Regret
…and more to come.
Urban Fantasy Novelette
Cheers,
Taylen.