The Series as a Trigger
2020 has really been a weird year, hasn’t it? Outside of being active on my Facebook Group I haven’t really made any public updates. Sorry about that.
Writing slowly progressed throughout the year, but on top of the COVID stuff, I’ve also bought a house and moved, had to establish a new family unit, left my job, finally finished my degree, started another position, and struggled with crippling mental health issues. None of that is an excuse, of course, because writing is an escape for me. But it was extremely hard to get into a good mental space this last year.
I get a lot of questions about my characters, series, and their motives. I write because I enjoy it, and because I believe in my characters and their stories. As my readers know, The Grimm Cases covers a variety of serious topics, and I knew I’d lose a certain readership over this. But I do want to make something perfectly clear: Bianca’s past is not something that has been thrown in to dramatize the plot or follow trends.
There are eighteen books in this series, not including spin-off worlds and novellas, and I’ve plotted things far, far in advanced. Nothing is random. Everything in the series has been leading up to the reveal of Bianca’s past in Hidden. In Origins, it’s even stated:
Terrifying shadows swam along my peripheral vision. The suffocating sensations. Feeling as though I perpetually hovered on the edge of a cliff. The sense of being hunted, never safe. I had to work through all of this myself. I had to get better. Despite what Finn believed, I had to learn to survive on my own.
Origins (Book one, Chapter one)
Bianca, while overly dramatic even at the best of times (not to mention prophetic), isn’t just referring to her ability to see ghosts in this statement. I am deliberately and consciously covering such topics as human trafficking, childhood sexual abuse, and the long-term impact on its victims in my writing, and I refuse to apologize for that. Childhood sexual abuse impacts many people, and every victim has a different way of coping. If you’re looking for a series where it’s brushed off as a plot device and nothing else, then Grimm is also not the series for you.
Onward to Balance. In the upcoming book (which is to be released on January 19th), we continue to explore the impact of Bianca’s past and how it affects her current and future relationships. Specifically as, as a character, Bianca’s best defense is avoidance.
Posted To: Author's Notes
Lyla Oweds is an Amazon bestselling paranormal romance and urban fantasy author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. She grew up near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and has a deep appreciation for the paranormal, hauntings, and Edgar Allan Poe. As such, she loves all things fantasy, mystery, crime, and horror.
When not reading, writing, or working as a web programmer, Lyla can be found doing adult-y things such as being a mom to small children, cleaning, and gardening. She also frequently enjoys makeup videos, massages, wine, and coffee.
