The Idea Behind the Origins
In February 2026, shortly after releasing The Night of One Thousand Lanterns, I began thinking about another way to introduce readers to the Crimson Alliance Universe (CAU).
At that point, A Demon’s Rebellion was the primary novel introducing the central characters and bringing them together. However, at more than 100,000 words, it represented a significant commitment for someone discovering the CAU for the first time.
I wanted to offer readers another option.
My idea was to create a collection of shorter, affordable, standalone stories that would introduce the main characters individually. Readers could choose a character who interested them, explore that character’s background, and get a feel for the universe without needing to read a full-length novel first.
This is what I thought of when I considered superhero movies and their origin stories. I thought this would be a great idea for my universe, too.
These stories would take place primarily before the events of A Demon’s Rebellion, during a time when most of the characters had not yet met one another.
The Origins would provide a glimpse into the experiences that shaped them before their paths eventually crossed.
What started as a relatively simple idea would eventually become a much larger project than I anticipated.
Writing Eight Origin Stories
Initially, I envisioned writing seven Origin stories, one for each of the central characters. However, Freija’s twin sister, Frigid, presented an interesting opportunity. Although she wasn’t one of the original seven, their shared upbringing on Icelandia and the different paths they followed made her story worth exploring.
With Frigid included, the collection grew to eight Origins.
Each character brought a different background, culture, and set of experiences to explore. Some stories involved personal challenges, others centered on dangerous assignments, and still others focused on decisions that would help shape their futures.
While Freija and Frigid naturally appeared in each other’s stories, the remaining Origins followed characters whose paths had not yet crossed. This allowed me to explore their individual journeys before the events that would eventually bring them together in A Demon’s Rebellion.
With the concept established, I began writing.
Eight Stories Completed… Or So I Thought.
Around May 2026, I had completed all eight Origin manuscripts.
The stories varied considerably in length.
Freija and Frigid were the longest, each approaching 12,000 words. The other six were generally around 6,000 to 7,000 words.
At the time, I was comfortable with those differences. My original goal was to create shorter introductions, and each manuscript accomplished that.
I formatted the books and ordered physical proofs.
For an author, there’s something satisfying about holding a printed copy of a manuscript you’ve spent weeks or months developing. Seeing the covers, turning the pages, and knowing that the stories have moved beyond documents on a computer creates a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Now I had eight Origin stories sitting in front of me.
I had accomplished what I set out to do.
Or so I thought.
The Audiobook That Changed My Plans
Audiobooks have become an increasingly important way for readers to experience stories. Some people prefer listening during their commute, while exercising, or while doing other activities. Others simply enjoy hearing a story performed rather than reading it on a page.
I wanted to make the CAU available in that format as well.
When I began working on the audiobook for Freija: The Living Storm, however, something unexpected happened.
As I began narrating the manuscript, I noticed several inconsistencies that I wanted to address.
That prompted me to return to Freija’s Origin and examine it more closely. Since Frigid’s story overlapped and was closely connected to Freija’s, I revisited that manuscript as well.
What began as an effort to correct inconsistencies became an opportunity to improve and expand both stories.
I added material where I felt it would strengthen the storytelling, refined existing scenes, and made adjustments to better reflect the characters and their experiences.
By the time I finished, both Origins had grown considerably.
I was pleased with the results, but the revisions brought something else to my attention.
Freija and Frigid had already been considerably longer than the other six Origins. After the revisions, some of those shorter stories were barely one-third the length of either twin’s expanded edition.
I began wondering whether those shorter stories were giving readers the experience I really wanted them to have.
Six Stories That Deserved More
With Freija’s and Frigid’s Origins now considerably longer than the other six, I decided it was time to revisit those stories as well. I wasn’t trying to make every book the same length, but I wanted each to offer a more substantial reading experience.
Initially, I thought this would primarily involve adding scenes, expanding dialogue, and providing more background information.
In some cases, that’s exactly what happened.
Nefertari: Birth of a Chantress and Tala Redhawk: Vision Quest were expanded while preserving the foundations of their original stories.
Others required considerably more work.
Adrian: I Guess I’m Part of a Team, Again and Kimiko: A New Path were essentially rewritten from scratch. Both developed into significantly longer stories, with new directions for their characters. Even their subtitles changed, becoming Adrian: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? and Kimiko: Pushing Boundaries.
Lilith: Rebirth is still being rewritten, incorporating some of the original ideas into a much larger story.
Grilka’s Origin took another interesting direction.
In Grilka: Tuff Enuff, the original story became the second half of the expanded edition. I created an entirely new first half that explored who Grilka was before she faced the challenges of the original adventure. This gave readers a better understanding of her character before the events that followed.
As I worked through these revisions, something unexpected happened. I found myself enjoying the new versions even more than the originals.
The additional storytelling opportunities allowed me to explore characters I thought I already knew quite well. What began as an effort to make six shorter books more substantial became an opportunity to tell stories I enjoyed even more.
Of course, all this additional writing came at a cost.
Time.
What I initially thought would be a relatively short project had now extended several months beyond my original plans.
Six Months Later, Was It Worth It?
When I began writing the Origins in February 2026, I never imagined that nearly ten months later, I would still be working on them.
What started as a collection of eight relatively short stories became a much larger undertaking than I had anticipated. Even now, as I write this, I’m still putting the finishing touches on the final expanded Origin.
Looking back, I could have left the original versions alone. They were written, formatted, and ready for publication. I had already accomplished what I originally set out to do.
Instead, I spent another six months expanding and rewriting stories I thought were finished.
Would I make that decision again?
Absolutely.
Not simply because the books are longer, but because I believe they’re better stories.
Along the way, I discovered new opportunities to explore the characters, develop their experiences, and take their stories in directions I hadn’t originally considered. Some of those changes surprised even me, and I found myself having more fun writing these versions than I had the originals.
And that’s something I hadn’t anticipated when I decided to revisit them.
The purpose of the Origins hasn’t changed. They’re still affordable, standalone introductions to the Crimson Alliance Universe, allowing readers to discover the characters and their worlds before the events of A Demon’s Rebellion.
What has changed is how much of those characters’ journeys readers get to experience.
I originally set out to give readers a glimpse into their lives. Now, I believe I’m giving them something more.
And after six additional months of writing, I couldn’t be happier with that decision.
