Harmony Black (27 page)

AFTERWORD

My readers know that I have a thing for playing the long game. It’s not uncommon for me to plan a story arc several books in advance, or leave tiny seeds that don’t pay off until much, much later. When I introduced the character of Harmony Black in
Redemption Song
, the second Daniel Faust novel, I knew she’d be more than the straight-arrow adversary for Faust and his gang; a spin-off series would come about eventually, opening up my fictional world and showing it from a new perspective.

When 47North gave me the opportunity to do just that, I had a whole slew of challenges to face. Could I write a new series that both stood on its own for new readers and had lots of fun nods to the original books for the Faust fans? Could I take a character so straitlaced she “makes Joe Friday look bent” and turn her into a relatable and interesting heroine? Could I maintain the general feel of my other stories while treading new ground?

Could I? No, that’s not a hypothetical: I’m asking you. I mean, you just read the book, so you tell me.

It’s been a blast working on the new series so far, and I hope you enjoyed reading this first installment. There are some exciting adventures coming down the pike, and new mysteries to unravel. (And while Harmony may think she’s left her experiences in Las Vegas behind, there’s a shadowy man with a Cheshire smile who might have a different opinion on that subject . . .)

If you want to be the first to know what happens next, head over to
craigschaeferbooks.com/mailing-list/
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@craig_schaefer
, or just drop me an e-mail at
[email protected]
. I always love hearing from my readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2014 Karen Forsythe

Craig Schaefer’s books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow through the Daniel Faust series; to a world torn by war, poison, and witchcraft by way of the Revanche Cycle series; and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies in the new Harmony Black series. Despite this, people say he’s strangely normal. He lives in Illinois with a small retinue of cats, all of whom try to interrupt his writing schedule and/or kill him on a regular basis. He practices sleight of hand in his spare time, although he’s not very good at it.