Adventures in Writing

No one is more surprised than I am that this story has turned into a series. It came about a little backwards, and it wasn't anything I'd really planned, but like most things I write, it's taken on a life of its own.

I started Legacy, the major story in this series, back in the spring. I wanted to look ahead, to see what Nick's life was like at some future point. The thing I was most curious about was whether or not Nick would have children. He's been mostly ambivalent about his gift thus far, feeling a bit like he's lost at sea, so I got to thinking that maybe he wouldn't want to inflict this on anyone else. Which would mean that he'd probably remain childless, possibly forever. It would mean one less Grimm out there, but I think the big picture would be less important to him than the idea that his child might one day have to face the monsters like he did.

Legacy actually started out as a far different story than it ended up being. The relationship dynamics between Nick and Captain Renard weren't the same as they ended up being in the final draft. Suffice it to say that I had a change of heart about what I wanted that central relationship to be and had to go back and rewrite the story to fit that revised idea. It didn't take much, thankfully, and it also didn't put me off of finishing the story. At 25,000 words, I'd have been royally pissed off if I'd hit a major block and couldn't finish it.

The first season of Grimm ended before I'd finished writing Legacy, and I found myself writing The Price to Be Paid, about Kelly Burkhardt and her past. I was as surprised as anyone when the Muse presented me with the idea that Nick and Sean Renard are [spoiler alert!] half-brothers. I have no idea where that came from. I was just planning on writing a story that gave a little background as to why it appears that Renard is protecting Nick, and suddenly, it morphed into something a whole lot more complex than I'd expected.

After I posted TPtBP, I got a lot of positive feedback, with more than one person asking for more. Needless to say, I was thrilled that my story was so well received. But I had absolutely no plans to write more. Then the idea hit me square between the eyes: why not turn Legacy into a sequel to TPtBP? I'd already rewritten it to be a gen story, so with a few well-placed edits, I could very easily adapt it as a sequel. So, I dove back in and made the necessary changes, and that's now the Legacy that you see today.

At its heart, it's a story about Nick learning he has a son he never knew about. Juliette was pregnant when she left Portland, and now that his son is grown, he's seeking out his father. But just when they start to form a relationship, something else happens that puts all that in jeopardy, and introduces Remy (Nick's son) to the family business. It's a little bit angsty, but I like to think it's also a little hopeful.

I was able to fit in all our favorites: Hank, Wu, Monroe and Barry Rabe in minor roles, and mentions of Rosalee, Adalind and the Beavers. But this story really focuses on—and is told from the POV of—Sean, Nick and Remy.

Again, I've gotten lots of great feedback, and more readers asking for… well, more. /headdesk/ I should really know better by now. And Muse is quite interested in writing more, so I dare say, there will be one more story in the Legacies 'verse. I won't say no to more than that, but for right now, that's all I have planned.

So, the next story in the Legacies 'verse will likely be the prequel, which will fit in between The Price to Be Paid and Legacy. It's tentatively called The Coming Storm, and it'll tell the story of how we got from the events of Season 1 (in slightly altered form, because why write it if I can't make it how I wanted it to go?) to the events in Legacy, some eighteen years later. I have no idea when I'll write this epic—and I'm assuming it'll be epic, probably larger than Legacy, and that one topped out at over 25,000 words. But, I promise I'll write it someday. Someday soon, I hope, but it all depends on the Muse and when she wants to work on it.

So, for now, this is the world of Legacies. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Price to Be Paid
Legacy