It took me two weeks to write the “V” book, eighty thousand words. I called it Diana Pursued. They changed it to The Pursuit of Diana, which I felt was clumsy phrasing. 

I hated the book, and I hated writing it. The stress of meeting such a short deadline gave me a sharp ache in my left shoulder. For years the ache would come back whenever I got tense and stressed. But I was paid — it was a work for hire — and I got royalties for as long as it was in print. It sold more than ninety thousand copies in paperback (it’s not my fault), which made it an official best-seller. So, when you see “by best-selling author” on any of my traditionally published books, it’s true. Technically. Sigh.

I was asked to write a sequel, which was The Crivit Experiment, then another, Below the Threshold, then the show folded and that was the end of that. I got lots of remaindered copies very cheaply.

Another editor, at another time, asked me to write a sequel to Jewels of the Dragon. I did, and then a third, then I outlined seven more books. My editor cancelled the series after book three, and that was the end of that.

This is relevant to The Black Ring, I’ll get to it later.