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

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 6

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This is it! The final author commentary for The Final Gauntlet! FINAL FINAL FINAL. (Okay, that’s enough…) SPOILER WARNING is in effect.

My last word on the series

The Greystone-in-Training trilogy has been a dream to write. It was supposed to be three short stories at one point. That was it, just brief glimpses into Soriya’s training to be the Greystone.

The growth that came in building this series was tremendous, and a point of pride for me. Soriya’s world has evolved to the point where the characters know the story better than I do. They set the tone and the pace. I am merely the chronicler.

I am grateful to have been able to return to Portents, and with how this trilogy now impacts the five remaining novels in the main series. It’s made the journey so much more interesting for me, and I hope for you as well.

My last word on The Final Gauntlet

Now for the rest. There are times when I look back at The Final Gauntlet and absolutely love the challenges it presented – both internal and external. This is my 14th novel, and each one has had its moments of pride and pure agonizing torture.

None more than this one.

The truth of the matter is that the book is what it is and I love the action and adventure. The climax in Rose Riley Forest is one of my favorite sequences since I started. I really pushed the action elements with this one to keep readers going.

And that’s where I feel like the weaknesses come out as well. In the back of my mind, this book was always about connecting the Daughters with Evans and the history of Portents. I think I could have done more there. There were some important things to discuss and push to the forefront, but I was too afraid to deviate from the path.

I regret not doing more with the Daughters. My notes are filled with info about their history, about what they did for the founding of Portents. Some of which WILL be coming out in a Greystone book.

But should it have been here?

That’s what I keep thinking about as I write these commentaries. Could this book have been more than it was? Could I have done better with it?

I think the pandemic influences these thoughts of mine. The external forces were tremendous in the creation of this novel. Maybe if I had pushed back the release, not jumped the gun in marketing and put more effort into the draft…

Or maybe The Final Gauntlet is what it always should have been. The choices I made are the ones that ended up on the page. That’s all there is to it. There is no going back. There is no what if scenarios or updated versions to come out at a later date.

The Final Gauntlet will always be the book where everything that could go wrong with the world did, but the book still found its way to life. All those challenges weren’t enough to stop Soriya Greystone from reaching her potential in these pages, and for that I am eternally grateful to the family, friends, and colleagues who push me to keep writing.

Thanks for reading.

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 5

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Big time SPOILER WARNING in effect for this one, folks. The author commentary of The Final Gauntlet continues this week with a look at a late addition to the book: Bethany Loren.

Connecting to the main series

Remember that nugget? Yeah, my third goal for this book was making sure it transitioned nicely back to the main series.

Turns out that was a tough nut to crack.

The Final Gauntlet needed to stand on its own, close out the Greystone-in-Training trilogy, AND push readers to pick up Book Six of the main series? Sometimes I hate myself. (Sure, we’ll go with sometimes…)

When putting together the book, I needed a character or event that carried over between series. It didn’t take long to find. Beth’s fall cemented Loren’s path in Greystone. So I thought it would be interesting to show that same event from Soriya’s side.

Originally, it was meant to close out the series. That was such a downer ending. Annabelle’s closing scene resonated much more with me, and offered hope for the future.

Still, Beth’s fall was a great way to push Soriya forward.

The Final Gauntlet no more

The idea that all our trials end, that there is no more pain or suffering in our lives, is such a child’s view of things. The entire purpose behind The Final Gauntlet was to show Soriya that her line of thinking was flawed. That there will always be the next challenge and the next mystery. There will always be life and death, hope and sorrow, pain and joy.

Nothing ever truly ends. There is no finality when there is still life to be had.

I didn’t have this theme in mind when I started the book. It came when drafting the end with Soriya looking down over her friend. The one she failed to save. That cemented the theme in my mind: that moment forced Soriya to grow up and truly be something more than she was.

Now she was the Greystone, because now she saw the never-ending nature of the job.

Setting up the end

Having Beth’s fall from Soriya’s POV opened the door to some revisions on the rest of the book. There had to be a set up. Soriya can’t just show up at Beth’s.

A Circle of Shadows made it clear there was more interaction with Soriya and Beth, including a phone call just prior to Beth’s fall. That call was the first step in building up to the death of Soriya’s friend.

But I needed more.

Enter: a new opening chapter.

Originally, the book started with Annabelle Waterhouse. That made narrative sense to me. Inciting incident and all that. (See, I paid attention in school.)

To have the book open and close with a new character instead of your tried and true hero seemed like a slight against Soriya. I wanted to open with Soriya and Beth. I needed to with how things end. Beth couldn’t be someone off screen until her passing. There had to be that moment, that one look from Beth, where Soriya realizes she might never see her friend again.

Where worry and concern carry us forward so that when Beth is found on the pavement we aren’t surprised. Or we shouldn’t be, at any rate.

So the opening chapter became the diner scene, which has one of my favorite stories in it from Soriya. I still chuckle when I read through her dialogue.

Bringing it home. Pushing us forward.

The story of Greystone continues in Alpha and Omega. That’s always been the plan. Book Six was to be a transitional novel, a flashback to Soriya and Loren’s first case together: the Kindly Killer.

Beth’s fall opened the door to set up that meeting. Sure, the main thrust of the chapter is the theme of there being no final gauntlet, not really, but it led to Soriya realizing what her next challenge SHOULD be.

The Kindly Killer. And Greg Loren.

That was my way of connecting to the main series. I think it worked well and set up the reveal at the back of the book of where the stories continues.

I’d like to think it was there in the first draft, but let’s be honest. I ain’t that smart. Thankfully, this connection came through in the editing process.

Next time:

Closing out the author commentary with a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the book.

Thanks for reading.

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 4

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The author commentary for The Final Gauntlet continues! Old friends return to close out their stories and I’ll be talking about the whys behind it all, so SPOILER WARNING is in effect!

The truth behind the book

That’s what these author commentaries have always been about for me: giving insight into the writing process, explaining the connections that occurred during the drafting, and why changes were necessary in the editing phase. I think it is incredibly important to pass along the trials and tribulations of the job. Not so much for sympathy points, though I’m not adverse to milking some every so often, but more so the casual reader understands that writing is not a straightforward path.

There are constant decisions to be made. Constant questions to be answered.

The Final Gauntlet was no exception.

When I sat down to outline this book, the end of the trilogy, I almost immediately ran into problems. I had my three goals, as discussed previously, but beyond that what did I have?

Nothing. Not a clue. Not a whit or iota of a subplot.

The story was all about Soriya and the Daughters of Salem. Yes, Annabelle brought some tension and a bit of mystery to the piece. However, for the most part, there was only the big fight.

I needed more meat in the mix. I needed something for readers to glom onto to keep them engaged in the larger story at work.

The return of some old friends came out of this need. Suddenly, I went from a ten chapter fight to an actual book, with character development and exposition and plot build up to a natural climax.

Old Friends

Urg was a natural fit for what I was thinking when I started outlining. He came quick to the forefront with what I thought was important to impart before the series finished.

Eddie was someone I never thought we would see again. I really thought Hammer and Anvil closed out his story. Yet, when I dug into the case for bringing him back I quickly came to see the potential of his character. There was more to tell, the next step of his evolution as it were, as he tries to accept the mistakes of his past with the choices of his future.

Neither one would work, though, if there wasn’t some connection to Soriya to bring back around. Again, this is her story. It always should be centered around her to some extent. While Urg and Eddie both go through something profound during the crazy night in Portents, the most important part of their presence in the book is to reflect on how they see Soriya. On how Soriya changed their lives by being there.

Once I had that hook to their storylines, I knew they fit. That it wasn’t just a need to fill pages, but an honest to God truth that needed to be shared before the close of the series.

Mentor

Mentor was always going to be involved. The true impetus of the book, the reason for its being was the use of the hide-and-seek game in the beginning. Soriya’s final test to become the Greystone.

It was meant to be fun and exciting for them both, so of course it goes completely awry. But Mentor’s presence will always affect Soriya and the series in general. His role as teacher and guardian will never disappear, not completely, so I thought it was important to bring it around full circle from Hammer and Anvil.

In the opening book, Soriya is dismissed from the role. At the end of The Final Gauntlet, Mentor passes over the stone to her and with it the mantle of Greystone.

The importance of filling out the world with old friends

Yes, there is a lesson to be learned in my meandering. This outline, this very book, would not have come together if it weren’t for the supporting characters already present in the series. Sure, some new faces might filled a role or two, but they would not have brought that sense of history or connection that Urg and Eddie did.

It would have felt hollow in comparison.

By stretching out the canvass, by playing with all the toys in the toybox and learning who they are at their core, it was a much more interesting experience bringing Urg, Eddie, and even Mentor back into the series to bounce off Soriya. To push her character more. To build her up, tear her down, and really understand the virtue of her spirit.

Supporting characters matter.

People question my desire to change POV’s and dig into more than just the main character’s arcs. This is why.

They strengthen the narrative and the hero’s at the forefront of the tale. But only if you give them the time to do so.

Next time:

How Beth’s return changed the book.

Thanks for reading.

 

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 3

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The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary continues with a look at the intriguing character of Annabelle Waterhouse. SPOILER WARNING is in full effect as I will be talking about events in the novel, including the very end of the book!

Who is Annabelle Waterhouse?

By the time I reached The Final Gauntlet, I knew I had to answer the question posed at the beginning of the trilogy. Who is the doormaker?

The question wasn’t obvious from the first instance, but it stuck in my mind enough that I fleshed it out more in Book 2. The opening scene of The Gifts of Kali originally had no shadowy dame running off. It was merely the gunrunners finding the door with Shiva.

That needed to change, but in what way?

The edits during Kali really fleshed out my starting point for this book. I had an answer, of a sort, in the form of a young red-haired woman. But who the hell was she?

Annabelle Waterhouse didn’t come fully formed. Part of her was pulled from the images I had snuck into the previous books. The full picture didn’t focus until I had my bad guys: the Daughters of Salem.

She really pulled from their story, and that was intentional. They grew organically together. The Daughters from pure menace to possible sympathetic villains, and Annabelle from this vague misshapen walking accident to someone trying to find herself.

It was that notion of trying to find herself that made her click in my eyes. That was the entire purpose of this trilogy: Soriya’s journey to become the Greystone. Her way. Self-discovery was crucial to each of the three books, and Annabelle fed right into that.

The parent connection

Annabelle’s search for her parents brought a deliberate wrinkle to the narrative. It came early and I tried to make it prominent in the early stages of her time with Soriya. I needed that connection between them at the forefront.

Why, you ask?

Oh, no reason. None at all. Just a little something called foreshadowing for Greystone Book 8, 9, and 10… That’s all.

I know it’s silly to be planting seeds at the end of a trilogy. It should be about closing doors, not opening new ones. But the moment was there and I took it. I had to. Soriya’s parentage has been an open question mark since the very start of the series. It has to be addressed, so when the chance is there to mention it, I go for it.

Connection to the Daughters of Salem

This was a little more tenuous. I left it vague for a reason. Were the Daughters telling the truth when they tried to convince Annabelle to open their door? Was Annabelle’s mother really one of them way back when, and therefore a victim of circumstance?

That’s not how I saw it, but I didn’t see the need to answer those questions definitively. Better to leave some wiggle room in case an opportunity arises in the future. Never let it be said that I won’t string you along if there’s a chance at an Annabelle versus the Daughters sequel somewhere down the line.

Final moments

I honestly thought about ending the novel with Soriya. It’s always her story and should stay with her.

But Annabelle was calling for one last scene. Like the others in this book, she needed a closing moment–even one as open-ended as this one.

She predicts her return to the city. That was on me. Those were my predictions more than hers, I’ll admit. Annabelle’s story isn’t finished. All that power in her and we let her hide in a cabin in the woods until the end of time?

No way.

Annabelle Waterhouse has a HUGE role to play in the main series. I promise you that.

I loved writing her character in this book, and the strength she came to own at the end. Where she goes from here will astonish you.

Next time:

Saying goodbye to Urg and Eddie.

Thanks for reading.

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 2

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The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary continues this week with a look at the Daughters of Salem. SPOILER WARNING ahead.

The Daughters of Salem

As I discussed last week, I wanted witches in this book. That was one of my original notes when figuring out the threat for this closing installment of the Greystone-in-Training trilogy.

I wanted something fresh in the pages of Greystone. Instead of the physicality of the previous villains, (the Minotaur and Shiva) there was something intriguing about spellwork and witchcraft. A new image, a new language to discover, as well as a new writing challenge for me in how to depict that on the page.

Origins of the Daughters of Salem

Once I had witches locked in my brain, figuring out who they were and what their story was took hold. I considered other things, more foreign concepts, but quickly withdrew them.

Maybe it was the safe call on my part, or maybe it was a lack of imagination. I’ve always been fascinated by Salem and the witch trials.

My goal was to give these Daughters of Salem, these survivors of that tragedy, a layer of sympathy because of what they had to endure. I needed that level of temptation for Annabelle Waterhouse at the climax of the novel. There had to be that connection, that empathy, in order to really sell that maybe the Daughters weren’t the monsters they appeared to be.

I don’t know if I pulled it off. They were pretty much monsters throughout, but that was my approach when crafting their story.

Connecting to Evans and Portents

One of the things I love about Greystone is the building of the mythology of Portents. The Final Gauntlet is one of the first opportunities in a long time to really dig into what makes Portents such a unique and dangerous place.

Building up the story of Portents has always been one of my main goals. This novel opened the door for that with the inclusion of the Daughters of Salem.

When it came to crafting their backstory and using the Vertrum House as one of the main set pieces, I found a way to really connect the Daughters to William Rath (or as we know him, Nathaniel Evans). I could have written an entire book about their experiences, about what secrets they uncover.

That was one of the connections I wanted to put in the work. So that readers take those details and carry them over into the main series.

Because the Daughters will be back in one form or another. They have to be. That was another reason why they made the cut over other options. Their backstory played perfectly with what I needed, or will need going forward. Sometimes the connections come from NOT answering all the questions presented. I hope readers can understand that. It’s frustrating, I’m sure, but if a question comes up that isn’t addressed you can be sure that story is not over.

Not by a long shot.

Favorite moments with the Daughters of Salem

This is complete opinion on my part.

The entire Rose Riley Forest climax is one of my favorite action pieces from the entire series. I think it came together perfectly.

In terms of their characters, crafting Maggie is a personal favorite. I wanted a very unique visual for her, and stapling her mouth shut for the entire book and having her “scream” telepathically was such a fun way to bring out her madness.

Their deformities were fun to work out as the draft came together. That horror aspect will always be present in the series, but might have been lacking in the previous two books, so I wanted to focus on that more. Really amp up the creep factor with these three.

Next time:

Annabelle Waterhouse. Her origins and her potential future in the series.

Thanks for reading.

The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary 1

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Welcome to the first installment of The Final Gauntlet Author Commentary! Sure there was an introduction last week but why quibble over semantics like that? (Quibble is a funny word.) Okay, enough rambling. Prepare to be astonished at the massive amount of over-thinking that went into the three goals for this book and, as always, SPOILER WARNING!

Three goals

I approach books with certain expectations. As I discussed last time with The Gifts of Kali, I wanted to explore the origin of Soriya’s ribbon. On top of that, I really was excited to write a car chase of all things. So there were certain expectations with that one.

The Final Gauntlet came with its own set of expectations and absolutes right out of the gate. Being the end of a planned trilogy meant wrapping up certain elements, closing off arcs, and buttoning up threads, so that was the beginning for this book.

The final door

Hammer and Anvil introduced the concept of a doorway into our world, and of someone creating these doors. That theme carried over to Gifts and was expanded upon with a brief glimpse as to who was behind these events.

The first goal for The Final Gauntlet was answering this mystery. There was no getting around that one. Having the series end without an answer to something introduced in the first book would have been absolutely a mistake.

So, the outline started there. It started with Annabelle Waterhouse and her motivations. Were they nefarious? Were they altruistic? What was behind the door and how did it fit into the larger narrative of Greystone in general?

That was always a question in the back of my mind. Was there a way to tie the prequel trilogy to the larger series as a whole? I love adding connections. Every time one came together it was like lightning in a bottle. It always led to a stronger moment, either plot or character based.

Once Annabelle was in place, things started to rock and roll.

Witches

Coming up with the main threat of a narrative is always a treat. For The Final Gauntlet I set a couple requirements as I started researching.

The first was a non-physical threat. Hammer and Gifts both brought very physical beings into Portents. There were brawls. There was blood. It was more about strength than cunning in both cases. I wanted Gauntlet to run differently. There needed to be a subtlety to it, something otherworldly to make it different. If this series was all about testing Soriya Greystone, then let’s put her through the wringer.

The second was the use of multiple threats. Again, the main basis was to be different from the previous two installments. Most of the Greystone stories are centered on a single menace. Raising the stakes is always a goal when it comes to series writing, so having three main threats really amped the action, in my opinion.

The final requirement I had in the back of my mind was the use of witchcraft. I wanted witches in this book right from the start. It came back to a change from the previous books, more mystical than physical in terms of danger to Soriya. More than that, I just wanted a new visual. Introducing the Daughters of Salem brought something fresh to the table, and I loved the concept right out of the gate. (More about them next time…)

Transition to the main series

I am a loon, I know. Three goals was way too many when starting this book. And it made for a tough ride, but who doesn’t like a challenge?

Everyone who read A Circle of Shadows thought it was the end of the story. It wasn’t. Everyone who picked up the prequel trilogy thought it stood alone.

It doesn’t.

The third goal I had when starting The Final Gauntlet was to find a way to transition back to the main series. There was always going to be a second act to the series, five more novels including a flashback book about Soriya and Loren’s first meeting. I have notes dating back five years that attest to that.  So how the hell could I close everything else out with this book, but leave just enough to connect to Book 6 of the main series?

That was my challenge and my starting point. I’ll talk more about this aspect later in the commentary, but yeah, it’s all about Beth… again.

Next time:

As promised, a detailed look at the Daughters of Salem.

Thanks for reading.

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