Measure of Strength
The following is an abridged version of the April 23, 2013 post from the author's blog relating to the writing of Measure of Devotion:The Story Behind the Story: Measure of DevotionIt all started with Kale.Inspiration comes in many forms. Sometimes a story develops slowly over time, inspiration trickling in. Other times, it comes in a flash. With Measure of Devotion, it came as an image.I was standing outside my bedroom closet when, as clear as day, I saw Kale in the last scene of Measure of Devotion. I instantly forgot what I was doing. There was something about him that drew me in. The anguish on his face was so compelling. I had to know how he got there. What had happened to him?Over the next few days, Kale told me his story. I was instantly in love with him, and getting to know him and Jason was like connecting with old friends. I even found myself feeling for Renee and the difficult situation in which society had placed her. All the characters came together to form the story of Measure of Devotion.The first person who ever read Measure of Devotion was my best friend. I actually read the end to her while she was driving and I was positively giddy to see that she cried. I was elated that she felt so close to the characters that she was brought to tears by their pain. The very first thing she wanted to know was what happened next."That's the end," I told her."You can't do that," she said.From the beginning, I had intended Measure of Devotion to be the story of this particular slice of Kale's life. Nothing more. I was happy with the ending. Kale got what he wanted, and that was that."Well then, write a sequel just for me." As if novels are the product of a long weekend.This argument went back and forth and ended with me conceding that I would remain open to inspiration for a sequel, but I wasn't going to force anything.Life continued.Work progressed on getting Measure of Devotion published, but there was that nagging voice of my best friend demanding a sequel. I spoke to Karen, my editor, about it and she liked the story as a standalone. She understood that I liked it as it was: a beautiful, bittersweet story of a man who experienced true love instead of the selfish love that is so rampant. However, she did think that a sequel would certainly be welcome if one came to me.Meanwhile, I moved on to other stories while Measure of Devotion was being prepared for publication.And that's when it happened.As soon as I turned my attention to another story, inspiration struck again. Only this time, it was Jason who called to me. I saw him sitting in the bar at the beginning of Measure of Strength. I needed to know where he was going from there.It didn't take long for Measure of Strength to take form after that. Additionally, I knew what would happen in a third book, although I didn't think at the time anyone would ever be interested.Why do I tell you this now?Mainly because several people have stated that I only wrote Measure of Devotion as a cliffhanger and setup for Measure of Strength. The truth is, the sequel wasn't even a thought until right before Measure of Devotion was released. I'm sure after reading this, those of you who thought I was mean before will think me doubly so now that you know I was willing to let Measure of Devotion stand.Also, my best friend wanted credit for the sequel.So there you have it, the story of how Measure of Devotion came to be.