I know it’s too soon to be thinking about this. Deep down, I know it for certain. And yet…

I’m coming up on the end of The Darkening Gate trilogy, and I’m wondering what’s next on my plate. You see, I want writing to be my profession (it already is, though), and if I want to keep it up, I have to keep writing.

I’m not a writer that has hundreds of ideas, though. They’ve never come to me easily. I have a vague concept brewing in my mind right now, and I want it to be at least a trilogy again, but so far it seems to only come across as a standalone, which doesn’t perform well as series do.

I don’t really have a plot yet to speak of, either. I will share, though, that it’s inspired by the “gourmet” concept from the manga and anime Tokyo Ghoul. That, and my brother came up with an interesting development for it that I will most likely use.

So, it looks like I’ll be doing a dark fantasy again…but only if I have some sort of actual story!

I know it’s too soon to be worried about this, but I’ll be finished with The Fear and the Flame by December or so (though I hope even earlier). If The Darkening Gate does well enough, readers are going to want to know, “what’s next?” And I think my publisher will be asking the same question.

In a perfect world, I’d have a complete idea and be able to write out a treatment for it that I could file away on my PC and come back to later when it’s time to work on the next project. Alas, my brain isn’t coming up with much.

Again, I know that I’m jumping the gun with this, but I can’t help but feel a little worried about my future and my ability to keep pumping out stories.

I’m sure with the passage of time, something clearer will appear in my mind. In the meantime, I’ll be working on Book 3 of The Darkening Gate, The Fear and the Flame.