Hi Everyone!
This is a new kind of way of reaching my readers--and I love it! I'm so glad Amazon.com has done this for us so we can share more directly with you, our readers! Wow! I love technology!
The first thing I want to say is 'hello' to all of you 'out there' in Cyberland. Secondly, thank you for being a reader of my books. I love hearing from my readers; they are my best support system and they often tell me what they'd like to see next, insofar as a story goes, from me. Never stop telling me what you'd like to see next because, in reality, I listen to you very closely. A good example of that is Morgan's Mercenaries, which I created back in 1988 at Silhouette Special Editions and the snail mail was overwhelming, positive and enthused. As a result, your letters to me, and later, as we moved into the cyber age, emails, continued to show me you loved the saga-series of Morgan's Mercenaries. And I have kept writing them--and will continue too--for you. So, you're a very key ingredient in my life. Sometimes I just sit back and am stunned by people who want to read a book I write! You have to know that writers do their thing alone and no one can create the story for them. It's a very 'alone' process--but a satisfying one to me. And to think that anyone would want to read what goes on in my head is just awe inspiring. So, thank you!
Now, to UNFORGIVEN. This is my latest book to come out in October, 2006. You must know the story behind the story on this book that I love so much. Three years ago I started creating a world that would be a spin-off of my Black Jaguar Squadron books for Silhouette. And even earlier, when I wrote my first paranormal series, Heart of the Jaguar (Silhouette single title release in 1990), and then Heart of the Warrior and finally, Heart of Stone, you got to discover a mystical place called Village of the Clouds. A magical, intriguing place where people from around the world came to learn their sixth sense skills such as hands-on-healing, energy healing, teleportation, shape-shifting, and many other gifts that we humans possess.
UNFORGIVEN was the next big step in my vision for a this paranormal world to continue to develop, flourish and mature into its own, unique drama. I ‘sat’ on this book for three years after I had written twelve chapters on it! I had a lot of other books under contract to write and a writer can’t spread herself too thin--or at least, I can’t! So, UNFORGIVEN birthed very, very slowly. A chapter here...a chapter there.... Between other books.
Calen Magdalena Hernandez of Quito, Ecuador and Reno Manchahi, the best Marine Corps sniper in the military, intrigued me. They called to me. I never stopped thinking about them, about who they were and that they were Warriors for the Light. They were on the front lines of combat from not only a physical standpoint, but from an energetic one as well. And they were wounded souls to begin with. Were they going to be able to transcend their wounding to become the vital, powerful Warriors that they were destined to become or not? Would they be able to forgive themselves...forgive one another...to find love amidst danger and death?
No matter what I was writing...my mind and heart always came back to Calen and Reno, the hero and heroine of this book. They are unique people endowed with some incredible paranormal abilities. And yet, each had suffered so very much, that I, as the writer, wondered if they would ever be able to grow through their pain, their past to live fully in the present--and then--be able to take on the biggest threat the world has ever seen.
Their story was always full of surprises, twists, turns and the unexpected. Even more, as the chapters began to accumulate, I found myself with a huge, mass-market book staring back at me. I had originally plotted this book to be about 150,000 words. I had that much plot to it! Great secondary characters with stories for them, later on, if the readers loved the book/idea as much as I did.
But then, UNFORGIVEN was put back on the shelf. Again and again. You know, some stories develop more slowly--like fine wine--over a longer period of time than others. UNFORGIVEN was my champagne in the making! Further, I had envisioned in this series, to become my second saga-series, and work hundreds of hours on multiple plot lines, historical research, ancient history research, to name just a few things this mission entailed. Morgan’s Mercenaries had been my first saga-series. And now, with three years of developing a huge new world to write about, I waited to see when it would birth.
The call for UNFORGIVEN came in January, 2006. I was asked by Silhouette to become the launch author for Silhouette Nocturne--their new, exclusive paranormal series! I was shocked at being asked a second time to launch a series line (the first was Silhouette Bombshell and Daughter of Destiny). If a writer gets once chance at a launch--that is a rarity. To be asked twice--gosh--I’ve never seen it happen. Scraping myself up off the floor, my editor asked me if I happen to have anything in mind for a launch book. Well! Did I ever! I launched into the Warriors for the Light concept/saga-series. I told my editor in breathless excitement about UNFORGIVEN, and the larger picture that I won’t spoil here for you--because it’s all contained in the book!
I don’t know who was more excited: me or my editor! She fell in love with the concept, the ‘big picture’ and there was joy all around. That’s the story behind the story and I’m happy to share it with you.
Even better, the first chapter is available at my website, thanks to Harlequin/Silhouette, for you to read. Just zoom over to www.lindsaymckenna.com and you’ll see it there! And then YOU decide if our mutual excitement over UNFORGIVEN is warranted or not! I’m looking to create an initial 8-books for the Warriors for the Light series for Silhouette Nocturne. And of course, it will be you, the readers, who decide whether or not it is a success or that it continues to expand, have more depth and more stories....just as Morgan’s Mercenaries has had. Do let me hear from you after you’ve read the chapter!
Warmly, Lindsay
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Lindsay McKenna sent the following post to customers who purchased Heart of the Tiger (Silhouette Special Edition No. 434)