I started with Xposed the first book in the Code Raven Series. I had so much fun creating Luke Raven, Samaar and their cohorts (billionaire patriot, spies, ex-SEALS, ex-Mossad agent, a brilliant techie)that I wanted to keep on writing! My readers loved it and it was really their comments “What’s next?” “I can’t wait to read more!” “I’m addicted to Luci/Samaar” that determined the direction of the stories.
I thought it would be a one-off book (Xposed) but by the third one, I knew I needed to do a Prequel. So I wrote the background story, how Raven made his billions and the horrific event that propelled him to form his Raven Group.
The series started as novellas, morphed into full novels because that’s what my readers asked for. Now I use this prequel for anyone new to the series to set the stage. With the prequel, a reader can start anywhere in the series and still enjoy the exciting ride. There’s a link to the free prequel on my Bio.
If you click on my profile you will find a link to my Amazon page for 16 books that I’ve written. I also found in my contemporary romance books that one was not enough. I think today’s market is accustomed to series, episodes like Netflix and Prime and they want more than a one-off book. I also wrote a memoir about the time in my life in 2008 when I was given 6 months to live! And in the past month, I’ve written a second memoir about the last 14 months of my life! I sold everything I owned in Mexico and bought a one-way ticket to multiple destinations in the world. I thought I might settle and write in Bali. I never made it there. I fell in love with a guy and a city, Istanbul, and here I am!
Whatever you decide to do, if you would like your work to be commercial, think about your audience. Who are your writing for and what will they expect from your genre?
And most of all, have fun!
Lynda Filler 