#AmericanHellhound - Debriefing

Just a few of the reviews that have completely stunned me in the best way possible.

American Hellhound went live last Friday, and let me tell you, I wasn't prepared. The reader response has absolutely blown me away. I keep saying "thank you" and it continues to feel like an inadequate response to what has been the most encouraging, kind, and enthusiastic response. Long reviews, short reviews, Tweets, private messages, emails - I'm hording them like a greedy dragon with a pile of gold. Please know how touching and wonderful it's been. Please know how much I appreciate it. After an unprecedented six months between releases, and this being the sixth book in the series, I was convinced there would be a fading of interest in Dartmoor. So I can't thank you all enough for the stunning reception of Ghost and Maggie's story.

This debrief will be as spoiler-free as possible, since I know not everyone's had a chance to finish the book yet. Some post-publishing thoughts on what turned out to be the second-longest installment in the series thus far.

Ghost and Mags. Back in the beginning with Fearless, it became apparent that Ghost was a big ol' hypocrite. I like to see it as one of his more frustratingly realistic and charming qualities. His reasons for rejecting Mercy and Ava's relationship are directly related to the life he knows he stole from his own too-young old lady. Like all parents, he wants better for his children than he had for himself...all the while knowing that what he had was amazing. He's been at times infuriating as he juggles his roles as father, husband, and outlaw president, and I've loved discussing his flaws and merits with everyone along the way. In many ways, he's my favorite, because he seems to condemn the very things he does, hard to pin down and define as one thing or another. With this book, more than anything, I hoped to peel back the façade and show what makes him tick. Highlight the ways in which he's been forced to be a hypocrite from the very first, back when he hated everything about Duane...even when he had to carry on some of the darker, more illegal aspects of the club in his place.

Before I started the book, I was hesitant to write it at all, because I knew we'd be rehashing the age gap scenario that some readers have found so repulsive. I didn't really want to go there again with this series...but that's what it demanded. And so with Maggie, I hoped to show that - just like with Mercy and Ava - hers was a case in which age was just a number, that it had no bearing on her strength, maturity, and her ability to make up her own mind. And in an attempt to parallel Ghost's upbringing, the skills that had been forced upon her - that she didn't at first appreciate - became the very things that enabled her to survive and find a place within the club. Theirs was a taboo romance on the surface, but I wanted to show that what seemed unhealthy to the rest of the city was actually a loving and supportive union between the two of them.

The Series. In very early drafts, this book was just supposed to be a 200ish page novella about a particular plot twist that's revealed in chapter one. It was going to be light and fluffy, more a companion piece than a real installment. But then a whole bunch of plot happened, and by the end, there were more side stories than I could possibly unpack all in just one book. So now we have a whole host of spinoffs coming down the pipeline. Kristin, and Reese, and Roman, and even Ian. Expanding the world of the series while maintaining an intimate feel is an ongoing goal, so I'm thrilled to hear that everyone's looking forward to those spinoff stories.

The Fan Factor. My whole life I've been obsession-prone when it comes to fiction. Be it books, movies, TV shows, I'm the kind of fan who ties herself in knots waiting for the next installment, stomach tight with worry when a beloved series takes a turn that feels less like organic development, and more like a ploy for shock, outrage, and ratings. I think we've all been there: that moment when a favorite show does something unforgivable because it's Sweeps Week. Or when an author caves to the pressure of critical voices and the series shifts in an irretrievable direction. When a movie studio scraps the original fan-preferred plot of a film in favor of bringing in a bigger budget actor. When you're a hardcore fan, you're  at the mercy of the decisions of others. That show you love might finally win an Emmy...but meanwhile, you no longer feel compelled to watch it.

I don't ever want to do that to my readers. You won't ever write something that everyone loves -  so I want to write for the people who DO love it.

When I say that I'm writing these books for the fans, I really mean it. You guys have helped my childhood writing dreams come true. I'm beyond privileged to be able to share my stories with you, and it's my sincerest hope that the adventures of these crazy Lean Dogs can provide you with a few hours of reading enjoyment. It's been an honor to share Ghost and Maggie with you all.

Kindle

Paperback

Nook

Kobo

Some Final Thoughts

Some final thoughts about American Hellhound as I wind down with the final polishing and get ready to turn it loose into the wild.

What they say about assuming is always, always, always true. I feel like that old adage pulls double duty here - for me personally, and for the story itself.

When I started piecing together ideas for AH last year, I thought this would be a very straightforward and simple book. Most likely a novella, barely breaking 200 pages. Throughout the course of the series, I'd spent so much time narrating from Maggie and Ghost's POVs that it seemed there wasn't much material there for a novel solely focused on them. Six months later, that assumption has been shattered several times over. This is the longest book in the series after Fearless. Turns out those kids had a lot to say. And in the process of uncovering their true story, I realized that Maggie was somehow stronger than I thought...and Ghost weaker.

Weaker is a poor choice of word. More vulnerable, we'll say.

For me, the most fun aspect of the novel was the juxtaposition of the way people viewed Ghost and Maggie Then - as screwup kids ruining their futures - with the way people view them Now - as the undisputed leaders of their club/family. True, this is fiction, and also true, this is an outlaw society that doesn't closely resemble regular suburban life, but I like to think there are nuggets of truth embedded within the narrative. The cast of this book is plagued by assumptions, on both sides of the scenario, and that's a theme I play with throughout. The contrast between what we think, and what we actually know...and the frustration of the things we will never know.

It goes without saying that this book handles situations of questionable morality. I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my brain around the idea that certain readers enter a book about outlaw bikers with expectations of reading about impeccable morality. Some questionable and depraved stuff happens in these books, yes. That isn't a reflection of who I am as a person, or who my readers are - there we go with those assumptions again. This book, like every book in the series, was written with the fans in mind. It is my greatest hope that you'll all enjoy Ghost and Maggie's book, and that you'll look forward to the upcoming spinoffs.

I can't wait to share it with you! (And then sleep for about a week.)

In answer to some questions I've received: Yes, there will be paperbacks. And yes, I will be giving some away! Along with swag. So stay tuned to my various feeds so you can enter to win some Dartmoor goodies.

Thank you, readers, love you lots. We are ALMOST THERE!!

#AmericanHellhound Song List

Most of these tracks I've shared previously in the writing process - you can check the Music Monday tag - but I wanted to compile the unofficial-official American Hellhound Song List.

These are the songs that inspired me while writing:

"Heart of a Dog" - The Kills

"Run" - AWOLNATION

"Way Down We Go" - Kaleo

"Heart Like Mine" - Miranda Lambert

"Believer" - Imagine Dragons

"I Can't Go On Without You" - Kaleo

"Let Me Know" - No Wyld

"Future Starts Slow" - The Kills

Highly recommended for getting in the mood to read the book very, very soon...

Friday Check - In

556 pages.

That's how long the book is.

When I get really frustrated about the time this whole process is taking, I remind myself that this thing is 556 pages. A bit of consolation.

I'm getting ready to start my final computer read-through, so that then I can order a proof and do a physical read-through. If I say "almost there" one more time, I might scream. But. We're almost there.

*Throws teaser at you and slinks away*

From

American Hellhound

Copyright © 2017 by Lauren Gilley

#MusicMonday 5/8

Another American Hellhound track for the day:

"Diamond Eyes" - Shinedown

There's a specific scene from Fearless that I wanted badly to echo in Hellhound. I think I've just about pulled it off, so that's exciting! For me, anyway. You take the little victories on the long slog through the process.

While writing this weekend, I tried to pinpoint why exactly this book seems to be taking so long - it actually isn't taking any longer than any other book, it just feels that way, each word count goal painfully met, with none of my two a.m. manic writing sprints, fingers flying over the keys in moments of rabid inspiration. It feels slow and careful, like a school project on a complicated subject. Loverboy felt this way, too, so I think it boils down to this:

A desire to up the ante.

The urge to echo without repeating myself, without dragging out something in the same way, at the same pace, with the same layers of character realization. The need to go bigger, better, more explosive - while simultaneously maintaining a level of intimacy that keeps the story personal and relevant, and not just an array of special effects. So to speak.

The first book in a series of books is just that, the first. Everything is fresh and new. And you want to maintain that freshness through each consecutive book, while keeping things familiar and cozy, taking the characters to deeper places, pressing just a little harder each time. It's a balancing act. Juggling with raw eggs, and it comes with no small amount of pressure.

Sometimes I look at it and think "it shouldn't be this hard." And sometimes I think the opposite, that maybe the fact that it's hard means it's a worthwhile effort.

At the end of the day, my main driving force behind each new installment in a series is my readers. Having been on the viewing end of beloved media that went astray, I always want to deliver to you guys on an emotional front. I don't want that horrid moment of "WTF is this??"

Because upping the ante is only worthwhile - for me - if it's done in a fulfilling, rewarding way. There are enough stories out there that end in disappointment; I want to be one of the creators who delivers the kind that makes you smile.

Music Monday 5/1

Happy Monday and happy May! I miss blogging - when the book's done, I look forward to getting back in the habit.

Last night, I had my iTunes library on shuffle while I was writing - which I love, because a song pops up you haven't listened to in a long time and you think "hey, why don't I listen to this anymore?" - and this song struck me as very present day Ghost and Maggie, perfect for a montage of their greatest hits as a couple, so to speak.

"Best I Ever Had" - Gavin DeGraw

"...

If she pressed in a little harder, she thought they might just fuse together into one creature, something with fangs, and claws, and blood on its hands, and a tender heart. All this painful love for the family they’d made together: a family made of their children, and of the lost souls they’d invited into the club together. Her eyes searched them out in the crowd: Walsh, Michael, Tango, Mercy. All the young ones Ghost had brought up in the new tradition. When she’d met her man, the club had been a den of angry, snarling strays…but it had become a sanctuary for the misplaced and unloved, somewhere where they could finally find what had always been missing in their lives.

They’d done that. Ghost had done that. Taken a crippled club and turned into a multinational powerhouse, the strongest and most infamous MC in the world.

..."

Friday Links and Such

It's me, your epically boring author, checking in to say I'm still writing. Big surprise. I'm so sorry for the long wait - we're getting there, we really are! Imagine my disappointment when I think back on this time last year, when I had TWO books out already. The self-loathing, it's real.

Reminders and links for the wait:

- If you didn't catch it at the time, I wrote some Dartmoor Christmas fluff at the end of last year.

- The teaser above is from my Instagram. Mostly farm and book stuff, including links to the talented candle maker who crafted my Mercy-themed candle (I'll be ordering more for a release day giveaway!)

- There's new Dartmoor merch up at Redbubble.

- If it's reading you're after, don't forget that there's Dartmoor cameos, and plenty of Southern vigilante justice in the Russell Series, which I'm currently reformatting for Kobo.

- Don't forget about December's standalone release, Walking Wounded, part love story, part historical fiction, and my favorite project.

- My ongoing romance Dear Heart is available to read for free on Wattpad.

- I'm currently reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Thank you, everyone, for your patience while I work on Hellhound. Here's hoping it's worth the wait.