Parallel Novels and Anchor Characters and Worlds

There's a type of series that are called Parallel Novels. Where the main character isn't consistent in all of the books. Where the setting and world details are the same, or the the worlds are all in the same galaxy. And the MC of one book is a secondary character in the other.

I am totally in love with the idea of these novels. I love series, and getting to know the world and characters better. I love parallel novels even more because I get to see more of the world and meet more of the characters. Not just the world according to one MC.

Sherrilyn Kenyon does parallel novels well. Her League and Dark Hunter books are excellent examples of novels with the same characters and world but with different people as Main Characters. Melissa Marr is also really good at parallel novels in her Wicked Lovely series.

In writing my book, I have developed an amazing world. At least I think so. I had two series planned one is four books with the MC of the first book and a second three books with the first MC's son. About a year ago I had an awesome idea for a scifi/steampunk YA adventure. I began to work on it in my head and jot down notes. Then I realized this was an extreme prequel to my series and was on the same world.

I refused to accept it for a long while. I almost felt it was cheating. But after a few months I realized that indeed it was the same world just hundreds of years in the past. Then I also realized that with this book I had an opportunity to create an amazing world and have a lot of fun with it.

Since then I have added another trilogy to this same world, and two stand alones. (at least in ideas and plotting out books) As the idea of the story became parallel instead of series, I became more excited. I also have a few novel ideas in an Urban Fantasy world. I'm excited to get working on them too.

So what makes it a parallel novel(s)?

Anchor characters and anchor worlds.

Anchor characters are a character that is seen in all of the novels. Or you might see a handful of characters throughout the books but there is always at least one.

In my Emergence world there are three main characters, one in each series/trilogy. But my anchor character(s) isn't one of them. He is a secondary character in all of the books though. He's a genius inventor and entrepreneur from Australia. He is the character that links all of the books together. I also created a character that although he is almost non existent in four of the books, (but is mentioned in a round about way) is a larger character in the others. He IS is the fix to a universal plot hole in all of the books.

Another type of parallel anchor is world or setting. If you have a world that is unique and interesting you might want to revisit it again and again with different characters.

While two of my series books and one stand alone in the "parallel universe" are based on Earth. The other trilogy/series, and the one extreme prequel is on another world.


In this way, everything is connected by either world or character and you get to enjoy many different places and characters as well as keep up on some old favorites.

Give them a try, I hope you decide you like them.

Found: one main character. . .

I'm so relieved, because how are you supposed to write a book when your character has repelled out of your head in the middle of the night.
My friend at 700blankpages sent me a cool video:



And as I was watching it my missing Lyris appeared in my head and informed me that she knows how to do this. It was then I had an epithany. I have assumed that although my male MC changed and has a different past my female didn't. Boy was I wrong. Not only is Lyris an agent. She is a sword master and is teaching at the school that my never been officially trained as an agent Noble comes to teach at. Of course with years of training and agent work she is going to be better than he is at alot of things. I was assuming she was still the shy demure Lyris in the old book. She isnt; she is a kick butt woman who is sure of herself and packs a powerful round-house kick.

Welcome back Lyris I am glad you're so patient with your author.

If found, please return.

Name: Lyris Trinity Jaimes
Hair Color: dark auburn
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5' 5"
Occupation: Agent

I have lost my second main character. She went missing about three months ago and was last seen in her living room in her house in book three.

You see I have an eight book series in the works. A story about a guy who was bad and turns good. He meets Lyris and falls in love and the books are a record of their exciting adventerous life together.

I went to revamp the plot of the first one AGAIN and decided to take the story back a few years to answer some questions that my readers kept asking. And in this revamping I gave "Noble" a first wife. For me this was totally unexpected. And for my gentle Lyris I guess it was too because that is about when she went missing. In creating this quirky exciting female my sturdy, constant, dedicated Lyris disappeared.

I feel awful, Lyris is opne of my favorite characters and the series is moot without her. I know I will find her eventually but I have a feeling that I must edit and let my "Elite" go before I find Lyris again. AAAHHHH the pains of writing.

Well BIAM is over. :(

Sadly I have to report that Tristi's book in a month challenge is over. I love these challenges because I push myself to write more words on my WIP. (And find creative ways to get it done inbetween kids and house.) We were steaming through July and some of us wanted to continue through August so we did. In two months I wrote a total of 56,257 words. (aprox 160 pages.) 28,344 in July, 27,758 in Aug. Now that the challenge is over and I still have half my Ms to write I am adding an entry on my sidebar for current word count. I hope to have this MS done and submitted by the end of the year.

Decisions...decisions

So I joined the BIAM challenge and I was plowing through my first chapter I got 4000 words in a DAY! then I hit the second chapter and WHAM! I hit a wall.

My dilemma is this, in DD1 Noble has a spirit guide called a Tantra, this tantra is in the form of a talking cat. (think Salem in Sabrina the Teenage Witch) This Tantra named Quelix bothers Lyris it makes her irritated.

So now Lyris needs a spirit guide and I am stuck. Do I ponder and think about giving her a diferent type of spirit guide since she dosen't like Tantras, or do I erase the few lines about him irritating her in DD1 and give her a tantra of her own.

I am leaning toward editing the few lines out of DD1 and giving her her own tantra, I can see her tantra telling her that she is superior to Noble's tantra etc.

July will be busy.

Okay I told you that I had to cut 77 pages, I was wrong—so very, very wrong. I have a tendency to mess up numbers so I transposed or just plain messed up. I had to cut 135 pages. But I did it. So now I have a 474 version and a 349 pg version. I had to cut a lot of fluff, but I feel that the story is still consistent.

However, that is not the reason for this post.

I have signed up for another Book in a month challenge. The idea is to get you rear end in a chair and just write. Seeing that with DD 1 finished to the point of submission and sitting here trying not to go crazy as two editors look at my MS. I decided it was time to really dig my claws into Awaiting (DD 2). I am excited to really get into Awaiting, it is in Dominion Days protagonists wife’s voice. It follows her through some serious trials. The plot is restructured and solid, and I feel really good about it.

So July will be DD2 month. Who knows I might have a pretty good rewrite done by summers end.

Love of Writing...

WhoooHoo!!!!!
As much as I love the revising process,

( I know some of you are thinking I am crazy, but hear me out, I love reworking my books, I love making everything better, sound better, be grammatically correct. )

I LOVE writing!!!!!!! As I wait to hear about my MS I needed to do something, so I began to plot the next two books. Then in a moment of inspiration I started the second chapter of the third book and what can I say but WOW! I love that everything just flows when my muse is happy. I have written seven pages of my new book and I love it. I love the new enhanced storyline, I love that everything sounds better.

I love to Write!