I’ve written a number of books over the years in several different genres. While mysteries are currently my focus, I’ve written romantic and supernatural stories, as well. All of them have had the primary purpose of highlighting gay protagonists, but I wanted to make sure that the overall story is fascinating and not just a gimmick to promote the nonexistent “gay agenda.”

In recent years, most of my focus has been on the Zachary Gagewood Mysteries, pursuing the fascination with mysteries I’ve had since I was a child. Writing a lengthy series of books has been the most ambitious writing effort I’ve ever engaged in, and with the 10^th book in the series nearing completion, it’s safe to say that I’ve come far in my writing.

However, I believe I might also be hitting a wall in terms of drive and creativity. For the most part, the turnaround for each of the mystery books has been eight or nine months. That seemed to change about a year ago, and I think I’ve figured out why—I’ve been driving down the same road all this time, and the world I’ve created has become too familiar, therefore discouraging any ambition to pursue the stories that come with it.

That’s when I realized it might be time to give the mystery series a hiatus. After I finish Dine Out and Die! I’m going to let Gresham, Wisconsin, be peaceful for a while. For one thing, keeping up with a series rooted in one of my loves has meant neglecting other passions. For another, you can only have so many murders in a village of almost 600 people in a certain time period before it becomes unbelievable—even to the author.

In the meantime, though, I think I have a way to continue writing fiction. Most prolific writers have more than one series under their hats, and I’m thinking it’s time for another series of books to emerge.

This one I’m thinking will come from the supernatural genre, the fantasy realm, if you will. A couple of years ago, I wrote Hex of the Dragon Fruit, a novel that allowed me to create and invent more things than a run-of-the-mill mystery would. The book made me realize how much I missed writing about ghosts and werewolves and other things that go bump in the night, so why not try focusing on strange creatures for a while?

After all, if you were to take a look at my DVD collection, you’d see complete series for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Sliders, Sanctuary and other series that bend reality to the writers’ will and create fascinating stories for people to enjoy. I’ve always had a fascination with the bizarre, so it makes sense that I’m drawn to it again.

My new series, which I have yet to name, will involve three guys in a committed relationship—already an alien concept to many—where one discovers he has magical powers he inherited from one of his grandparents. Trent, the fellow with the magical heritage, has traveled with his partners, one a shapeshifting Navajo (AKA a skinwalker) and the other a bounty hunter that chases after supernatural creatures like vampires and monsters.

The first book in the series will involve a creature that has become legendary in northern Wisconsin—the hodag. Granted, the name sounds like something that would commit mass murder at a country music festival, but it’s fascinating to hear all the stories about the hodag and even how one community has embraced the creature as a mascot of sorts.

Facebook friends have seen some of the photos I’ve taken of the hodag statues and sculptures in place in Rhinelander recently. Besides being an opportunity to get out of town for a day at a time when everybody is screaming “Stay home!” it also helped to stir my creative juices, a feeling I haven’t felt recently like I did when I was writing other books.

Interesting little sidebar—when I made my pilgrimage to the land of the hodags, I had a basic list of businesses and locations that boasted statues and sculptures. The list didn’t tell me some of them were inside, not outside, so when I was looking around a grocery store parking lot for a hodag, there wasn’t one to be found. I’ve since found a more updated list and learned there are also murals and other art dedicated to the mythical creature.

My excitement for studying stories about hodags is similar to how I felt about 10 years ago when I was writing the A Cure For Hunger trilogy, particularly the second book, Howl of the Wendigo. It was fascinating to learn about where the creatures came from and then adding a twist or two to make them integral to one of my tales.

Maybe the fascination comes from feeling that I am not normal. I’ve never felt like I’m normal, even growing up. Besides being gay, I’ve always felt just enough outside the circle of normal people, which means having regular friends who seem, not to repeat myself, normal but still feeling like I don’t fit perfectly into the mold.

That might be why writing the mysteries doesn’t have the same thrill as it used to. I know I’ll eventually become excited about mysteries again, but for now, diving into the pool of unknown things seems to be the way to go. I’m hoping it jump starts my imagination again and keeps me writing like I have for years to come.

I’ve also come up with a basic concept for the second book in the series. With the recent media hype over mysterious seeds being sent to Americans from China, I’m toying with the question of what would happen if someone dared to plant them. Let’s just say my idea takes the concept of an invasive species to a whole new level.

Of course, first I need to write about the hodags. I’m not sure how prolific the legends are outside northern Wisconsin, but it could be fun to introduce the creatures to my audience. Stay tuned.