This last fortnight, I have been working on the two prequels for Book 2 of the Rift Bloodlines series. Amelia’s story came out around 8k and Mitchel’s came out around 9k. Both longer than I’d planned. But the end result was worth those extra words.
I wrote prequel shorts to each of the Rift Bloodlines books as part of a way to figure out the motivations of each couple. Why were they running from romance? What was their scar that made them not want to find love, or not believe it was live when they did? And I got that answer and so much more.
Writing this particular couple has given me a great sense of the characters, but revising them has helped me go even deeper, and let me see another layer that I had overlooked the first time. Now they are done, they are going out to my writers’ group to review and give feedback. They have a few more edits to go before they are ready, I expect, but hopefully I have captured the core of who they are now.
Next up is starting work on book 2 itself. These deep dives into the characters will be invaluable as I get into the thick of it.
Are these types of prequels something that you all like to read? Or do you like their past to remain hidden, and secret?