BLOOD KISS, the first in my new BDB Legacy series, is out today- and I thought I'd reflect a little on how this spin-off came to my tiny mind.

I don't read reviews; it's true. For one, you can't write by committee- reading is very subjective and what one person likes is what annoys another. Two, the stories aren't interested in even my opinion of them- if I try to make plotlines or people do things, the voices and the pictures go silent and dark and I got nuthin'. And three, by the time the reviews come out, I'm two, or sometimes, three books down the line- and trust me, my own catalogue of failures is so extensive, there's no space in that file cabinet for anybody else's list of what they wished were different or better.

What I do tap into is the zeitgeist about my books. People come up to me at signings, or drop me PMs or emails, or talk to the team- and my team keeps tabs on everything in the market. About three or four years ago, it became apparent that although a huge portion of my readers loved the big, more complicated BDB books- and I loved writing them- a portion of the folks mourned the shift away from the more traditional, PNR feel of the first four stories. DARK LOVER, LOVER ETERNAL, LOVER AWAKENED and LOVER REVEALED are at their core true paranormal romances with the kind of hero and heroine focus and HEA that readers who love those stories have every right to expect. As the Black Dagger Brotherhood series continued, however, the world kept getting bigger and more complicated- and keeping up with that required a bifurcation of focus that ramped up the overall drama, but did, by necessity, mean that other POVs and plotlines outside of the main romances had to get air time.

Again, there is no right and wrong when it comes to story or storytelling- or personal preference. But in my line of work, only a fool doesn't consider the opinions of their audience and at least explore whether they can be met. And in this case, it was a resounding OHHHH SHINY! About a year ago, as my GM and I were putting our heads together and looking at the next work cycle, he said, Hey, you know what people would really like...?

A return to the good ol' days.

Needless to say, Nath is always right. The Black Dagger Brotherhood books are going to remain big, juicy, epic releases with lots of drama and erotic stuff in them. I have no intention of stopping that series or slowing down its production schedule- every spring, I'm booked to release another BDB! (God willing and the creek don't rise, etc. etc.) Meanwhile, the BDB Legacy books will come out in early December, and they're going to be a more traditional love story, interspersed with updates about the original Brothers' lives and snapshots of their general... well, Brother-ness, as it were.

I think this strikes a nice balance between keeping the world in Caldwell, NY going and growing while at the same time, not leaving behind the true roots of the series that has changed my life and my career forever- and that I love with all my heart.

In BLOOD KISS, for example, you have Paradise, the sheltered daughter of Wrath's First Advisor, and Craeg, the fighter from the wrong side of the tracks, meet, fall in love and overcome their differences to a resounding HEA. You also have an update on Butch and Marissa- where they're at, what they're struggling with as a couple, how they work together to grow and deepen their relationship. There are four POVs in the book. That's it. (Well, one scene where you get in Peyton, Paradise's best friend's head.) By keeping the lens tight, I made sure that the love stories are the primary two plots of the book, and that the romance feel is really in the forefront.

Just like, yup, in good ol' days.

Oh, and you get to see a crap load of the original Brothers as they work together to teach the trainees- well, and kill the poor SOBs on First Night. Jeez. And then there's Lassiter in the pool...

WOW.

Anywho, that's my two center on this new series- I really hope folks enjoy BLOOD KISS. I had a great time writing it and I'm already outlining the second in the series which I will start drafting as soon as I get ANGELS' SHARE, the second in the Bourbon Kings' series in the bag!

As always, thank you so much for all your support! I wouldn't get to do this job I love so much with out it!

Hugs, J.R.