That’s right, you heard it here first!  It’s finally TIME FOR TROUBLE!  Just yesterday, I released the final book in my Blake brothers trilogy.  It was touch & go for a while there but the Book The Would Not End has finally ended.  And though I know I haven’t caught all the typos (they are legion, & I suspect they’re reproducing), I published it anyway.  Because lordamercy I needed to cross that finish line.

Why?  Well, this series has produced three full-length novels & one novella.  That’s a lot of words for one writer, & committing them all to the page took me the better part of three years. (I’m a tragically slow writer, as I might’ve mentioned in the past.)

Now, setting aside the fact that readers like to be fed, and quickly, being a slow writer isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I mean, I met TIME’s hero, Drew, back in the first book of this series, TASTE FOR TROUBLE.  He was just a kid back then, barely 20. When TIME picks up, he’s nearly 30.   I’ve given him about ten years of story-world time to grow up, but he’s also been living in my head–talking to me, arguing with me, nudging me–for the better part of three real-world years. It’s a good long while to live with somebody.

And that’s kind of a luxury when you’re writing a book.  I usual get one year, tops, to live with my heroes.  And I have to start the book when I barely know the guy. But I got three whole years with Drew’s voice in my head.  It allowed me to really get to know him, inside & out.  I watched him grow up.  And that gave me plenty of time to dream up his One True Love.

Which is how I met Meghan Wise, & she’s a firecracker.  Which is, of course, exactly what our easy-going, lazy-bones, baby-brother Drew needed.  Meg’s driven & smart & sharp, and she doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  She’s totally worthy of him, but better yet?  She makes him want to be worthy of her.  Which could’ve been a tough sell, because Drew’s a lover, not a fighter.  But I’ll tell you what–the second somebody threatened his Meggy, he discovered his inner hero, no problem.  Quick, fast & in a hurry.

And it was absolutely delicious.

Meg & Drew’s happy ending was exactly right for them.  And it was right for me.  As I said, I’ve lived in this world for a looooong time.  I’m ready for something new, something fresh, something exciting.  Something that pushes me in new creative directions & stretches me as a writer & a thinker.

But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss these guys.  The Blake brothers showed me what family could be.  What it could mean.  Their bedrock belief in putting family first, in valuing each other above all else, reminded me of what’s important.  Spending time in their world every day made me want to be a better sister, daughter, wife & mother. I might be moving on to other stories & other worlds, but I’m leaving a little piece of my heart in theirs.

Which is how every good story should end, don’t you think?  If the author does it right, you really ought to leave a little chunk of your heart in the book.  And take a little chunk of the book into your heart.

So what about you?  Did you ever read a book–or a series of books–that kept a little chunk of your heart?  Is there a story-world that lives in your heart?  That you revisit every now & then like comfort food?  What is it?  One lucky commenter will receive a free Kindle copy of TIME FOR TROUBLE!