How to Sustain a Long-Running Series with J.A. Merkel

In episode 7 of Inking Neon we sit down with author J.A. Merkel to discuss sustaining energy in a long running series, and techniques for building emotional realism. J.A. Merkel is the author of The Fall Gauntlet, a gladiatorial science-fantasy series.    Pick up your copy of Bear by J.A. Merkel here: https://store.jamerkel.com/products/the-fall-gauntlet-book-1-bear-ebook   00:00 Introduction to JA Merkel 03:01 Reading from Bear - Book 1 of The Fall Gauntlet 16:59 Short Stories As Strategy for Finding a Market 21:41 Turning a Short Story Into a Series 24:50 Planning for a Long Series 31:35 Merging Old and New: The Deeper Themes of Science-Fantasy 46:40 Writing Emotional Realism 53:34 Game Design Informing Fiction 57:55 Final Thoughts on Writing and Market Awareness   Follow us!   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InkingNeon Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories/id1838329557 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qSplbBX4oYmd2pYoSAzOF Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c7826f91-085a-4509-9c69-d90fef1bdb5b/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-inking-neon-light-up-your-294206954 PodBean: https://inkingneon.podbean.com/ Cullen McHael: https://cullenmchael.com  Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XW3G4WG/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-of-Story/dp/B08JL6GJBR/ J.A. Merkel: https://jamerkel.com