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I have not only entered the Lei Crime Kindle World, I have been exploring it deeply from a number of perspectives.

I missed blogging last week because I was busy traveling and writing, but I can now announce that my newest book is finished and the manuscript is in the hands of my editor, the redoubtable Gary Henry.

The new book is called Torn Roots, and it’s a part of the Lei Crime Kindle World.

A little explanation

The Kindle World concept is an Amazon initiative, where writers can publish stories and longer works based on another writer’s creation—a type of professional fan fiction. With Kindle Worlds, however, the original authors retain some control by setting parameters for the works from other authors, and get some of the royalties for the use of their concepts and characters. Amazon also performs a quality control function.

Toby Neal is the best-selling author of the Lei Crime series of nine (so far) novels that chronicle the personal and professional development of Leilani Texiera. In the first, Blood Orchids, Lei Texiera is a rookie police officer in Hilo, Hawaii. In later books, Lei is promoted to detective and moves to other Hawaiian islands, does a brief stint in the FBI on Oahu, and eventually settles down on Maui as a sergeant in the Maui PD. She makes friends, enemies and rivals, as well as an important love interest, gets reunited with some family members and loses others.

Author Neal takes great care in detailing her characters’ emotional and psychological journeys as well as solving mysteries. We learn about Lei’s traumatic childhood as well as the personalities of her secondary and tertiary characters. She also describes the social background of Hawaii, the setting of her novels.

Neal is the only popular author I can think of today who deals seriously with ethnicity. In most popular fiction, especially in the mystery/thriller genre, main characters invariably have English, Scottish or Irish last names, and their ethnic background is not a factor in the story. Leilani Texiera is the only protagonist I can think of with a multi-ethnic family background that has an impact on the character’s development as well as the story.

So yes, I’m a fan.

And that’s why it was such a thrill in January when Toby asked me, among a small group of other writers, to participate in her Kindle World by writing a novella based on her settings and characters.

And why I was so torn at the time, because I just could not meet her original deadline of April 1, 2015.

Eight other authors did publish excellent short stories, novelettes and novellas in the Lei Crime world:

• Eden Baylee—A Snake in Paradise
• Christine Nofli—The Shell Keeper
• Emily Kimelman—Warrior Dog
• M.J. Doyle—Hidden Poppies
• Craig Hansen—Fireweed Trail
• J.L. Oakley—Saddle Road
• Corinne O’Flynne—Never Again
• Julie C. Gilbert—Half-Moon Girls
• Some authors wrote mysteries, some stories in other genres. I’ve read several, and they’re all excellent.

That’s just another reason I’ve been kicking myself for not getting my act together and publishing by April—to be associated with such a stellar group of excellent, and best-selling authors.

Thus, in late March, I resolved to get going and write a story in time for the second wave of Lei Crime books. I will be joined by some of the same writers who were working on second entries in the World, as well as some new people. I incorporated a few of Toby Neal’s characters, such as FBI Special Agent Marcella Scott.  I promoted Lei’s former police partner, Pono Kaihale, to Acting Lieutenant temporarily in charge of the police station in Hana, Maui County, Hawaii. And I created some new characters, including FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm, geologist and PhD candidate Sam Boyko and environmental activist Rowan Fields.

I decided to set the story in the Maui town of Hana, in the rain-forest, because the Haleakala National Park comes down to the ocean shore near there, and that’s an important element in the plot. But as I started writing my story about a geologist working in the rain forest, I realized something crucial: I know absolutely nothing about the geology of Maui.

I convinced my lovely and very patient wife, Roxanne, to alter our vacation plans to Maui. (It wasn’t that hard. “Honey, how would you like to take a vacation in Maui?”) I wrote a complete draft of the story, about 35,000 words, and sent a copy to Toby Neal, the original author, as well as to my editor (Gary Henry).

When I got to Maui, I realized I would have to make several changes to the story.

I realized, as I drove the twisting, narrow, spectacular, breath-catching and death-defying Hana Highway, that I would have to restrict the action to a much smaller geographic area. There is no way I could have the characters zipping back and forth between the towns of Hana and Paia or Kahului, even though they’re only 40 miles apart, less than an hour’s drive on a regular highway. I spoke with Lieutenant Hankins of the Hana police detachment, who explained that “it’s not realistic to commute two to three hours every day on the Hana Highway.” The police department provides a “Lieutenant’s Cottage” as well as accommodation for seven other officers in Hana. I had to move Pono and his family there, at least temporarily, for my book.

My lovely wife read the manuscript and made a number of suggestions. I am indebted also to Toby Neal, who read that same draft and recommended other changes to the characters’ dialog, use of idiom and to details about Hawaiian geography, flora, fauna and society. I’m so glad I got to meet her on Maui to talk about my book, her books and many other things (although we didn’t get to cabbages and kings).

Gary Henry made more changes and corrections to grammar, expression and punctuation, and pointed out some areas that were unclear or made little sense in terms of the story.

I made all these changes during my two weeks on Maui, and I think I have a strong story now. When Gary gets through the second draft, I’ll reveal some of it in previews.

Meanwhile, I put my cover designer, the matchless David C. Cassidy, through hell with ideas and suggestions for a cover image. I’m sure he has pulled out much of his luxurious hair by now, but we’re very close to a cover design. I’ll reveal that in an upcoming post.

It’s been a blast

working on this story. I’ve written it in near-record time for me, a little over a month for the first draft and two weeks for the second. Working in someone else’s established universe has actually reduced the amount of work I had to do. And what could be better than doing on-the-ground research in Hawaii?

Thanks again to Toby, Gary, David and, of course, Roxanne for helping me to make Torn Roots a better book.

The next world

Just as I was getting into writing Torn Roots, another independent author, the force of literature that is Russell Blake, announced his Jet Kindle World and invited me, among several others, to write for it. That’s my new project. It’s going to be hectic producing a Jet work for the end of July, but I have committed to it. This one is called Jet: Stealth, and is set just before the action of the first Jet story. I’m incorporating only the title character, and have created two new people for this: Van and LeBrun. It’s going to be yet another departure for me, yet another genre, but I’m looking forward to it.

I have outlined the plot, developed the characters. Now to write it.

Onward!