Carmilla’s Gambit will bring the first major arc of the Adventures of Sam Hain to an end, for the most part. There is only one loose thread from the promises put forward in Liam’s Doom that needs to be resolved. But we are moving toward two major changes in the world that will impact the series. So, I want to talk about what comes next (no spoilers, promise).
While writing the past seven books, I deviated from my original plan of producing a “series” of standalone novels loosely connected by small plots that may span 1-2 novels at most. I realized what I set up in the first book demanded a long payoff, a lot of character growth, and a ton of worldbuilding.
That led to me changing to the idea of a “seasonal,” “monster-of-the-week” type of format. With this formula, there were large, overarching plots for the season, but each book contained its own narrative that, while it advanced the season’s plot, each could be read individually without feeling lost. Do I want readers to read all of my books? Of course I do, but I also know that some plots, some scenarios, and some ideas will appeal more to some readers than others will.
So, that led to where we are. The plan was to have Carmilla’s Gambit end the first “season,” and then a duology or a trilogy would follow as a coda to the first major arc’s story before “season 2” would start.
And there still may be a duology serving as the coda.
But what follows may change. I’m considering going back to my original intention of having all novels be standalones with maybe a plot connecting two or three at a time. That will require major changes for the fictional world. And those will transpire in the duology after Carmilla’s Gambit.
Either way, big changes are coming. A lot of big changes are coming. Carmilla’s Gambit will set up the first three big changes that will come.
Be there on 3 June when change comes.
-Robin
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