When I first wrote Dylan’s story, I had no intention of creating a seven-book series.
In fact, it wasn’t even a novel.
It was a short novelette of about 10,000 to 12,000 words. Looking back, it was very much the work of a new writer. I had a story to tell, but I still had a great deal to learn about the craft of writing.
After taking online writing courses and gaining more experience, I made a difficult decision. I unpublished the original version, expanded the story into a full novel, polished it, hired an editor, commissioned a new cover, and even gave it a new title.
That’s how Buried Secrets was born.
The response from readers was far better than I could have imagined.
At the time, I still thought it might be a standalone novel.
But by the time I reached the end of Buried Secrets, another story had begun to form. Questions remained unanswered. New possibilities appeared. That eventually became Living Secrets.
Then something unexpected happened.
Near the end of Buried Secrets, I introduced a new character in the bonus epilogue. As I continued writing Living Secrets, I realized that character had a story worth telling. Before long, that idea became Forgotten Secret.
That’s how the Mirror Estate series has grown ever since.
I rarely sit down and map out six or seven books in advance. Instead, each novel introduces new people, new relationships, or new mysteries that naturally open the door to another story. One character leads to another. One unanswered question leads to another investigation.
The same thing happened with my KC & Orlando Prime series.
I simply wanted to write a shorter Christmas novella. While thinking about the story, I remembered a detective who had appeared as a relatively minor character in Hidden Secrets. She intrigued me, so I brought her into a new series and imagined an entirely new backstory for her.
That detective became Kylie “KC” Cassidy.
What started as a supporting character eventually became the lead in her own crime thriller series.
Looking back, it’s fascinating to see how one decision led to another.
A single novelette became Buried Secrets. One novel became a series. A minor character became the star of a spin-off. And each new book expanded the fictional world just a little further.
When readers ask if I planned all of this from the beginning, the answer is simple.
Not at all.
I planned one story.
The rest grew one character, one mystery, and one unexpected idea at a time.