I know I’m probably not the only one who does it, but I often wonder just how common it is.

I start with a story, and as I write, scenes that aren’t part of that particular story keep coming to me. Many of them are so intense I have to write them just to get them out of my head. I’ve learned to keep them because in those little vignettes are the hidden aspects of the characters, the small moments that make up their life outside of what I share with those who read the books.

With HLOAS, I have so many of these scenes. I have the scene where Lucifer met his wife, Suki. I have another where Caleb saves Shamiel (Sham) just before the end of the war in Heaven. I have a poem from Lauren to her granddaughter, Dani.

Then I have the scenes that aren’t even ready to happen yet. There’s a scene here where Sham shows just how important Amymone is to him and how far he’s willing to go for her even though she doesn’t return his affection. That won’t come until the final book. Oh, and Lucifer… no, wait, that would be a spoiler.

But here’s some of the tidbits these scenes share about the characters. Caleb values friendships more than which side of a war people end up on. He also knew something was different about Lauren before he seduced her. I think he was already falling in love with her, but he’s a little slow about recognizing his feelings.

Lucifer’s guilty pleasure is reading romance novels. He’s especially fond of those without sex. Oh, and tabloids. They make him laugh.

Sham hasn’t been truly dedicated to Heaven since the war, but wasn’t sure how to break free without losing his life. He has been keeping a low profile ever since, waiting for a chance to start anew.

The shadows (a form of punished angel) aren’t actually evil, and hate what they do, but are too beaten down to object.

I mean, there’s so much content in here. I keep it all in a folder called “Story Bible” because I can go back and use it as references later. The heartbreaking part is, all these tiny peeks into the characters and world are so rich, so brilliantly colorful, and I want to include every last one in the books. I can’t though. They don’t fit.

I did find a way to share them, though! I’m sharing them exclusively with my newsletter readers. I just hope that someday this series performs as well as I hope it will and I can release an official compilation with all the maps, details, charts, and so on for it!

In the meantime, I keep working on the series and pin my eyes on the goal of seeing Lauren and Caleb sweep the living world just as they do the afterlife.

(P.S. If anyone knows who the artist for this picture is, please tell me? I’d love to give credit/purchase usage rights but I can’t seem to find the person!)