Guest Author - Jaime Rush (Guest Post & Giveaway)

I have the wonderful Jaime Rush here today to talk about building her first paranormal thriller series called the Offspring. The third book, Touching Darkness has just been released (April 27). Jaime also had an Offspring novella in the recent Bitten By Cupid anthology.

Description for Touching Darkness:
They live ordinary lives, but they are extraordinary. They are the Offspring, children of a mysterious experiment gone awry—and they are in terrible danger.

Nicholas Braden has an uncanny psychic talent for finding things—which is why he's been recruited for a covert government program designed to hunt down terrorists. While his work for a shady controller named Darkwell is leading him down some very questionable alleyways, it's also bringing him closer to Olivia, Darkwell's stunning young assistant. A "good girl" with a wild, secret side, Olivia tempts Nicholas in ways he never believed possible—and in his business, a loss of control could prove fatal.

But there is something not right about the operation. And as Nicholas and Olivia's passion reaches a white-hot intensity, chilling reversals of good and evil, of right and wrong, suddenly threaten their very survival.

You can read Jaime's earlier guest post from last fall here. Jaime will be by to chat, so please take the opportunity to say hello and ask a question or leave a comment. Jaime has also generously provided two copies of Touching Darkness to be won by commenters. Giveaway details at the end of the post.

Welcome Jaime!

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And then….and then…and then…

After writing 18 stand-alone books under my real name, Tina Wainscott, I embarked on a totally new adventure—a series under a pseudonym. A couple of years ago I needed a change, a big fat change. So I let my muse loose and told her to pick whatever she wanted, no limits. (Not that she listens to me anyway.) Like a dog let out of the house after being confined for days, she bounded through imaginary wood and swamp, into caverns and deep into the ocean. When she came back, happy and panting, and dropped her bone at my feet, I was shocked: a series idea? Really?

Never in all the years had I been writing did I even once consider a series. The more I chewed that bone, the more I liked the idea. Having read series, I know the appeal of seeing your favorite characters grow over a long period of time, revisiting friends from past books, continuing a thread. I didn't want to focus on one character but a group, and each book would feature a new romantic lead.

I also didn't want to have a series arc that spread over all the potential books in the series, thus leaving new readers coming in at book 3 or 6 stupefied with all the history. I went with the KISS method, creating an arc that is wrapped up in four books, leaving the rest of the books as connected but more stand-alone.

Once I'd come up with the arc and general plotlines, I thought, "Hey, this is going to be easy compared to stand-alone books. No new entire cast of characters to create, no need to hunt for a new setting." Easier in reality? In a way, yes. In a way, no. Of course, new characters come into every book, though not a whole cast. The setting does change, though their hideout remains the same. But that cast of characters…they don't remain static. They grow and change through the story, even if it's not their story. Their relationships to each other change, too.

I love the dynamics of a group of people thrown together, but the tough part is keeping it straight as I go from book to book. The details…isn't that where the devil resides? Oh, my, yes. I have character charts, tattoo charts, timeline charts, hair color charts, and people who've died charts. I'm always referring to the charts or searching in previous books for conversations about a subject to see what's come before. The trickiest part is catching up new readers without an information overload.

It's been fun watching the series grow. I confess, I didn't fully map out the entire arc. I knew where the first three books were heading, and I had a few mysterious characters who popped in from time to time, though I didn't know who they really were. You see, the series is about a group of twenty-somethings who all have extraordinary psychic abilities, like telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and seeing the future. Someone in the government is hunting them down because my group is beginning to see the truth about who they are and why they have these abilities. Each one had a parent who was involved in a classified program twenty-five years ago, and that parent died soon after the program was terminated. Their parents were given something that enhanced their abilities but had a nasty side-effect: it also made them crazy. So if the offspring inherited the ability, did they also inherit the side effect?

I only recently figured out what the substance was and what they really are. For a writer who usually plans, it was great fun to let things play out, and the truth was even neater than I'd thought it would be.

TOUCHING DARKNESS is book three of the series. Nicholas Braden, a psychic spy in a covert government program, suspects he's a pawn in a mad man's quest for justice. His boss's stunning assistant is too loyal to give him answers, but Olivia's secret, wild side bends his mind and fires his body. As they edge closer to the darkest truth, good and evil blur, threatening their very survival.

I love writing a series, as it turns out. Who'd have thunk it? It's why shows like Lost and Friends gained such popularity. My books are less complicated than Lost, more complex than Friends, with some X-Files thrown in. You get to hang out with your friends for as long as you like, and that's pretty cool.

What are your thoughts on book series? Do you prefer stand-alone books? Do you like following the same protagonist through the jungle or having a new character/couple to meet in every book? And what's your fave series? I personally love both Ilona Andrews's series and Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series.

And for something fun! I've been running my Kick Butt First Line contest for every book I release: Shocking, suspenseful…make us want more! Cash prizes! Contest runs from May 1 through June 1, 2010. It's open to readers and writers. The entries are entertaining to read, even if you don't enter. For details on that and my books, go to www.jaimerush.com.

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES:

Jaime is offering TWO copies of Touching Darkness. The books will be shipped directly from the publisher but signed bookplates can be sent to the winners upon request.

1. To enter,comment your response to Jaime's questions in the interview -- What are your thoughts on book series? Do you prefer stand-alone books? Do you like following the same protagonist through the jungle or having a new character/couple to meet in every book? And what's your fave series? I personally love both Ilona Andrews's series and Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series..
2. Open to US and Canada.
3. Leave a way to notify you if you should win.
4. Blog, tweet, post on Facebook or other social network sites for an extra entry. Leave a comment here to let me know.
5. Giveaway open until Midnight, May 10, 2010 EDT.