Well I did it! I finished writing my rough draft of Isle of Dawn this past weekend. I’m not sure if it’s because I have been writing this in my head for so long but I have to admit I was able to finish it pretty quickly. I think when you write a trilogy you always know what is going to happen, maybe not every little detail but you have a good general idea of where the story is heading and how you want it to end.

I was surprised at how gut wrenching it became the closer I inched my way to the last few chapters. I actually had to stop writing for a few days because I just didn’t want to say goodbye. I know that I will be continuing the story in my next series and a few characters will be coming back every so often but never again will I be in Willa’s mind and I found that to be completely sad.

Isle of Dawn has been planned for quite some time but as always I was surprised at the little twists and turns that seem to unfold organically. I love straying from my chapter outlines sometimes. I always feel like I am being some sort of rebel if that makes any sense, I mean it’s crazy really, the only person I am rebelling against is myself but there’s a part of me that is always happy to break away from the planned path into darker, winding trails.

The third and final book of my series takes the readers on a completely different roller coaster ride. Willa starts her quest to become a very powerful being and she goes through many changes. I think the readers will see a gradual shift of a more mature Willa take place as the story progresses. The tasks that she needs to go through are physically and emotionally draining. The pure depth of agony that she needs to absorb so she can move forward and end this war that is coming was a very difficult yet cathartic experience for both her and I.

I loved seeing her character subtly change as I started writing the more agonizing chapters. It’s  no surprise that what Willa goes through will make her a bit crazy and mentally unstable. I have to be honest those moments were interesting to write to say the least. I had to delve into a darkness that was inside of me that I always knew was there but never wanted to admit to anyone.

I also had a somewhat interesting and difficult job with this book. I had written the prologue in Mathias’s point of view but then I had to write the last chapter of part one in Willa’s view point. Yes it is the same scene but I think I was able to create somewhat of a contrast because what everyone is seeing is not necessarily what she is feeling. The other challenge I had was to write the last two chapters of part one in first person and in third person. Trying to make sense of both points of view was difficult because I didn’t want the reader to be confused by the back and forth so I had to constantly read and reread what I had written.

I also had to set up the scene for my next series which will be an off shoot of the Skye Trilogy. I introduced a new character who will be the main hero in my upcoming novels. I don’t want to give too much away yet but Lucian is a sexy, charming enigma and I can’t wait to start envisioning some seriously hot character development!

I hope everyone enjoys the last book because I truly loved writing it and even though I’m sad that it has come to an end I’m also finally excited to start the whole process all over again with new characters and new adventures. I will be announcing the title and blurb for that soon but I still need to put the finishing touches on Isle of Dawn before it hits the digital shelves.

I loved putting together my playlist for Isle of Night and I hope you enjoy some of the tunes that I actually did listen to while writing Isle of Dawn.

Look for Isle of Dawn August 28,2014!

 

Playlist for Isle of Dawn

Echo ~ Jason Walker

Between~ Courrier

Bleeding Out~ Imagine Dragons

Just Breathe~ Pearl Jam

An Island Now~ The Canvas Waiting

Human~ Sarina Rose

Young and Beautiful~ Lana Del Ray

Wings~ Birdy

Sigh No More~ Mumford+Sons

Magic~Coldplay

I’ve never seen a Witch~ Lydia

Never Let Me Go~ Florence+ the Machines

Siren Song~ Bat for Lashes

Fever~ The Black Keys

Do I Wanna Know~ Artic Monkeys

Falling Through~ Ray LaMontagne

One of those days~ Joshua Radin

Uprising~ Muse