Vote in My Poll

The Truth About the Spin-Offs

I recently read this fantastic post by the fabulous Kristen Ashley, in which she describes why it’s okay to read outside the genre or subgenre you usually read.

I LOVE this post. I don’t just mean I love brilliant Kristen Ashley (which I do, and whose books I absolutely adore and own in ebook, paperback, AND audio because I love them that much). I love this post and urge you to read it.

I love writing royal romances. My Vallerian royal family is one I’m not giving up any time soon, but I get inspired by so many different things, even my own characters. When I wrote about Hector, Prince Lorenzo’s friend in Royals 8, I didn’t know that would lead me to writing a separate spin-off series. But Hector – the sexy, alpha badass he is – wouldn’t leave me alone, and the Seaside Valleria series was born.

Along those same lines, other things inspire me, too. The Seaside Valleria series won’t be the only spin-off series I write. I’ve got at least 7 (yes, SEVEN) other spin-offs I want to write at this point. I’ll still keep writing about our favorite Vallerian royals, but I’ll be writing other things, too.

Want a sneak peek? Here we go…

I’ll start with the sort-of royal spin-offs:
Brazenbourg. I adore Finn. If you’ve read through at least Sarah’s book (Royals 9), you know something’s up in Brazenbourg. I’d love to do a small spin-off featuring them where this storyline gets resolved.

Gabriel and Genevieve. I love hearing from readers who want to know the love story of our current king and queen. BUT if I wrote this, it would a semi-historical book (since it would take place around the 1970s) which would involve a lot of research and take me more time to write. I’d love to do it one day, but I’m not sure when I’ll have the time just yet.

Royal cousins. You met several of these in Royally Ever After, including Zinnia. I’d love to write a series centered around them, too.

Chames. A lot of you love Eddie/Bash and Cat’s story. I have some stories swirling in my head for their spin-off series, which would center around Eddie’s security team.

Ready for the non-royal spin-offs? Here are a couple:
Vollywood. I love romances featuring movie stars. I’ve mentioned Valleria’s version of Hollywood – Vollywood – in several books so far and would love to do a spin-off.

Vallerian Sports. I also love sports-themed romances. I’ve got some ideas here, too, for a three or four book series.

You’ll notice that only comes to six ideas but I mentioned seven. I’m saving the seventh idea as a surprise down the line.

All of these spin-offs would have a finite set of books. Seaside Valleria, for example, is only planned as a five-book series. The Royals will keep going in the meantime (and they’ll pop in to many of these books, even the non-royal ones), so you’ll still get your royal fix. In the meantime, I hope you’ll follow my books, no matter which genre or subgenre I choose to write in.

Spin-offs like this are always a risk. I haven’t sold as many of the Seaside Valleria books as I would have liked, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on them. I’m going to keep going, keep writing, keep publishing, and keep letting inspiration guide me, and I hope you come along for the ride.

Which spin-off interests you the most? Vote in the poll below and let me know (you can only pick one). I may not write the one with the most votes next, but it could be written sooner rather than later. 🙂 (P.S. – if you’re getting this post via email, just click “Read More” to navigate to the post to vote and comment).

~xoxo Marianne

[socialpoll id=”2515258″]

22 thoughts on “The Truth About the Spin-Offs”

  1. Hi Marianne
    I wish we could have more than one vote because any of the ideas except the Vollywood one would be great. I really enjoy your books and can’t wait for New releases.
    Thank you
    Sara

  2. I have to agree with the other post anything you write is great but I also do enjoy the Royals and their cousins and… Well just about anything you write!

  3. I got hooked on your Valleria series with a free book offer. Since then I have bought all series available one books. Catching up with characters from past books is a treat. Then Seaside Valleria came out and I want more ! I know you can only write, edit and publish so much a year but I believe in miracles. With your talent and busy braini know I won’t be disappointed in your future books. Thanks for many happy hours of adventure, suspense and romance while I recuperated from total knee and hip replacement.

Leave a Reply to Marianne Knightly Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.