Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Collateral Commentary – Starting Points

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Let the commentary BEGIN! As a warning, there will be SPOILERS and in this case they also relate not only to the opening story in Pathways in the Dark but also to The Medusa Coin. BEWARE… BEWARE… (Sorry, my 3 year old says that to me all the time.)

Starting Points for Collateral…

Even though it has the prominence of the first story in the collection, the truth of the matter is I wrote this one dead last.

There were two reasons.

  1. I knew it was a longer story to tell and I had four shorter tales in the works that demanded less commitment to put together.
  2. I only knew 2 out of the 3 critical elements for this story and couldn’t make it work without the third piece to the puzzle.

Setting Up Those Critical Elements

Coming from The Medusa Coin, I had two things going for me. I had a tension building photo that was causing a rift between Loren and Soriya. It gave me a lot of play on how these two would interact, one aware of this secret and the other completely oblivious.

So, Collateral for me was my chance to delve into a new wrinkle in the Soriya/Loren dynamic. In order to see how Loren would handle it as well as see where Soriya was having made many incorrect choices of late.

I knew where I wanted this story to end and how it would be the only one in the collection to showcase the old team. This was another reason why Collateral HAD to be first in Pathways. To not bring Soriya and Loren right to the forefront of the collection would have been a huge blow to the reader, in my opinion, so I’m glad the timeline and the subject matter worked out in order to keep them front and center for everyone.

The second critical piece for this story centered around Henry Erikson. In The Medusa Coin it is stated he looked into a cure for his illness for 3 years without success. But just because he hadn’t been cured didn’t mean he hadn’t stumbled upon something worthwhile during his search.

That was what clicked for me. This idea that this one man’s actions could have ramifications for so many others. That because of his desperation he unleashed not only the Charon during The Medusa Coin, but something else we had no clue about until now.

But what was the threat?

That’s where I was stuck. Without that critical element I wasn’t ready to put the story together. I’ll tell you all about it next time.

Talk to you then!

Pathways in the Dark Author Commentary Introduction

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This is absolutely my favorite time of the year. If you’re anything like me, you love to listen or read the author commentary on a book, film, DVD collection… anything that brings insight into something you loved. To me, the process behind putting a final product together adds to the enjoyment of the product itself.

Pathways in the Dark Author Commentary Begins!

If you’ve enjoyed the book already feel free to dive in right from the start. If you haven’t, be aware that I will be going in-depth into each and every short story contained within. I won’t deliberately go out of my way to ruin a plot point, especially if it doesn’t pertain to what I am talking about during the blog.

Remember, if there is something you desperately have to know about the making of Pathways in the Dark, be sure to email me at lou@loupaduano.com. I have my general list of items I want to hit for the next few months (yeah, it’s a little long…) so be sure if there is something you really found interesting in the book and want to know how it ended up in the draft LET ME KNOW!! Can’t wait to hear from you.

Why this project?

This is a question I will answer for each and every short story in the collection. However, looking at the book as a whole I think this is important as well. I’m not a fan of short stories. I don’t typically read them, anthologies, or the like. I’ve never felt they carried the same weight or meant as much to a series as a full-length installment.

I was wrong.

Or, at least, I set out to prove that conceit was incorrect.

Pathways in the Dark, like Tales from Portents before it, is vital to the Greystone series and deliberately so. There are so many little tidbits layered into the collection. Pieces of a puzzle yet to even be formed in some cases, that I can’t see the series without this book. The overall narrative fails without the arcs contained in Pathways.

Ruiz’s lesson in Trustfall. Soriya’s new apartment. The backstory of Samantha Myers. Each one was designed to showcase a character and propel them forward, to push them toward A Circle of Shadows while also putting them to the test to explain why they are important to the story, to understand who they are and where they’ve been when the next novel opens.

It is a much different collection than Tales from Portents. One that owes much to that first collection, but one that when all is said and done very much stands on its own as a moment in time for these characters and the choices they have made. The impact of those choices and how they came about.

The price they’ve paid or will pay because of them.

Collateral starts next time!

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know your thoughts and if you would like to hear more about a part of the book or the series at lou@loupaduano.com.

Always happy to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Pathways in the Dark Launch Offer Ends This Week

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This last week has been a whirlwind. Launching a book always feels that way, trying to get as many eyeballs on the series as possible in a short burst that hopefully attracts even more people down the line. I couldn’t do it alone. Thank you to everyone helping me out during this launch. Spreading the word is one of the toughest parts of this gig and the newsletter swaps from other authors, the online promo sites, the friends and family involved in making this a success is truly incredible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Launch offer ends this week!

Pathways in the Dark is still only $0.99 but that ends this weekend! Be sure to grab your copy before it jumps to full price!

            

Already read the book?

Have you already enjoyed the hell out of the latest installment in the Greystone series? Be sure to leave a review! Reviews can be as simple as a “Great book” or as complex as a rundown of the contents story by story. It is completely up to you but each one helps provide social proof to potential readers that the series is one worth checking out!

Each review is greatly appreciated!

            

Let me know what you think!

Feel free to drop me a line at lou@loupaduano.com and let me know how I’m doing! I’d love to hear from you!

Pathways in the Dark on sale now!

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Pathways in the Dark is now on sale!!! The penultimate chapter in the Greystone Saga’s first major arc can now be purchased in both ebook and paperback formats!!

From the back cover

The dark pathways of Portents tell of frightful demons and characters’ surprising histories.

Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone’s journeys continue in the next series of tales in the Greystone Collection, Pathways in the Dark. Discover new monsters in Portents, including a phoenix, an onna-bugeisha, and the cult of Anubis. Delve deeper into Detective Samantha Myers’ secretive past, and follow Captain Ruiz as he continues to be plagued by the demons of Portents, even during his leave of absence. As Loren and Soriya battle the city’s monsters and their fractured relationship alike, they come to realize that everyone has two stories…and that nobody can be trusted, no matter how well you think you know them.

The next anthology of the Greystone Collection further casts the city of Portents in the shadows, showing that no one is safe.

 

Six tales that set the stage for war in Portents…

Follow Soriya, Loren and Ruiz as they tackle the growing threats in Portents. The shadows are closing in on them. Will they see the signs in time or is war inevitable?

Order your copy now in either ebook format or paperback!

            

The incredible launch price of $0.99 continues for the ebook!

But as a bonus to those who love their paperback editions you can receive a free ebook copy through the Kindle Matchbook program!

Support the launch of Pathways in the Dark

How can you help? Spread the word about the launch on social media. Write a blog about the latest release in the Greystone series.

And definitely be sure to leave a review anywhere and everywhere once you’ve enjoyed the collection.

I’m hoping to really give this a big push up to the finale in September and all help is appreciated!

Happy Reading!

Greystone Weekend Sale!

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In preparation for the release of Pathways in the Dark next week, the entire Greystone library is on sale right now through Tuesday!

Now is the time to catch up on the thrilling adventures of Soriya Greystone and Detective Greg Loren as they wade through monsters, myths and murder in the hidden shadows of Portents.

Every book in the series is only $0.99 this weekend!

Pick up your copies today!

Signs of Portents

Portents is a city like no other—and one that Detective Greg Loren can’t wait to escape. Since his wife’s death years earlier, Loren has looked forward to the moment he can leave the city of Portents for good—and never look back.

But fate has another plan for Loren. Called back to duty, Loren finds himself embroiled in a series of murders that has shaken the city. Together with Soriya Greystone, a young woman with unearthly powers, Loren must work quickly to find the otherworldly being that is killing citizens of Portents one at a time. Loren is tasked with deciphering the mysterious signs left at each of the crime scenes…even if it means traveling to worlds not his own to do so.

 

 

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Tales from Portents

Six tales of monsters, the dead rising, and the terrors of Portents.

The beasts Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone battled in Lou Paduano’s debut book Signs of Portents were just a hint of what lurks in the city. Tales from Portents explores the city’s immersive history, including stories of Loren’s descent after his wife’s death—and his opportunity to have her rise from the grave. Among the pages, Soriya battles gremlins, navigates lessons with Mentor, and meets the werewolf Luchik. Follow new characters with expansive histories as they come face to face with the horrors of Portents—both human and otherwise.

From the Greystone Collection, Tales from Portents navigates the cases that make even Detective Loren lie awake at night.

 

           

 

The Medusa Coin

Death has come to the city of Portents.

Dozens have fallen before a mysterious menace hiding among them. Their only connection is the grisly condition of their bodies—hollowed-out chasms where their eyes used to be.

Setting aside the aging case on his wife’s murder, Detective Greg Loren has returned to the city with the task of stopping the bearer of the Medusa coin—an artifact with power over Death himself—from continuing to slaughter the people of Portents.

Soriya, no longer able to control the enigmatic Greystone, grapples with the decision to forge ahead in the case on her own, leaving Loren behind. But without the two counterbalancing each other, Death may be the force that levels them both.

 

Amazon  Nook   Kobo   iBooks   Smashwords

 

Pathways in the Dark arrives Tuesday!

The dark pathways of Portents tell of frightful demons and characters’ surprising histories.

Detective Loren and Soriya Greystone’s journeys continue in the next series of tales in the Greystone Collection, Pathways in the Dark. Discover new monsters in Portents, including a phoenix, an onna-bugeisha, and the cult of Anubis. Delve deeper into Detective Samantha Myers’ secretive past, and follow Captain Ruiz as he continues to be plagued by the demons of Portents, even during his leave of absence. As Loren and Soriya battle the city’s monsters and their fractured relationship alike, they come to realize that everyone has two stories…and that nobody can be trusted, no matter how well you think you know them.

The next anthology of the Greystone Collection further casts the city of Portents in the shadows, showing that no one is safe.

Limited time launch offer of $0.99 still available!

          

 

 

Pathways in the Dark Arrives Next Week!

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We’re only a week out from the release of Pathways in the Dark, book four in the Greystone series. You would think it would be old hat by now but when it gets to crunch time like this I am still a nervous newbie.

And I shouldn’t be. Not for this project.

I loved putting this collection together. It pushed me in different directions. It forced me to question certain notions about Portents and the world created over the first three books.

Mostly though, it challenged me on a story level to make this separate tales connect thematically. To really push the characters with unique challenges and test them before the next big thing comes their way this fall.

What’s included?

Six tales rest at the heart of this collection. Founder’s Day, which is still available for free separate from the rest of the contents, follows Loren and Myers chasing down clues connected to the fallen Church of the Second Coming. A classic whodunit that forces Loren to face his past mistakes and choose a better path.

        

In Collateral, see Loren and Soriya deal with the fallout of Henry Erikson’s search for immortality from The Medusa Coin and the damage it inflicts on not only the city but their fragile partnership.

Trustfall follows Alejo Ruiz during his leave of absence from the department. Thefts are on the rise near his daughter’s college campus and he is pulled into the case with danger lurking from both friend and foe.

The Apartment is a solo Soriya tale as she works to find her place in Portents. Connecting with the city has to take a backseat as a haunting threatens the lives of two brothers and leads to a greater understanding of what is happening to the Bypass.

Blackmail puts Detective Samantha Myers in the spotlight as more of her ominous past comes to light.

And Connections follows Soriya’s newest friend Gilgamesh, from The Medusa Coin, as he is abducted by the Cult of Anubis. Can Soriya save him in time before he becomes their ultimate sacrifice? Hints at what is to come in the series are brought to light in this tale.

What are people saying about Pathways in the Dark?

“I thought it was awesome.” – Christina (Amazon Reviewer)

“This series gets better and better and better. Very highly recommended must read.” – Steve (Amazon Reviewer)

“Pathways will keep you on the edge of your seat and begging for more.” – TE (Goodreads Reviewer)

Pre-order your copy today!

The ebook is available now for pre-order at the low price of $0.99!! Paperback fans will be able to order their copy starting February 20th!

            

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