After finishing Echoes of the Past and Underneath it All, the books four and five (the first two volumes) in the series (not to mention a side adventure fan-fictionesque full length novel The Experience of Being Alive) it was time to write the final book in this first trilogy, book six – The Madrona Heroes Register – Nothing as it Seems.
The goal was always to make sure that each book had its own satisfying ending and that there were arcs that spanned all three books that kept the story growing, evolving, and becoming (hopefully) more and more interesting. This last volume was by far the largest and the trilogy was super satisfying to finish.
Writing a novel (at least for me) is basically creating a big puzzle. You start at the end with where you want to finish it and work your way backwards to everyone’s starting place. I would usually write a chapter in a day – somewhere between 2500-3500 words. But in the final few chapters of each book, and moreso during the end of the trilogy, I was writing incredibly fast because it was all so satisfying. Even though I knew how it all ended, actually getting to see it happen as it jumped from my imagination onto the page was kind of thrilling. I always wrote these books thinking of them in my mind visually – almost as movies. I even included soundtrack listings at the end of each book showing which song would play in each scene. (Totally free btw – no licensing fees required when you just name the song you would play.) And watching this trilogy end was fun!
Here’s the logline for book six: It’s been two summers since a group of children in a Seattle neighborhood manifested super powers, and for the moment, their secret is safe. Nine-year-old (almost ten!) Cassie Jordan still feels misunderstood – especially when it comes to her older sister Binny. But Cassie knows more than she lets on. Cassie knows in her heart that she’s more grown up than everyone gives her credit for and can make her own decisions about what’s right and wrong, and who’s good or evil. Will Cassie’s choices be good for the Madrona Heroes, or will she put her friends and siblings in more danger than ever before?