Behind the Scenes Look at Boomtown Craze Book 3

Book 3 in the Backworlds series. So, things happened in Book 2. Now Craze has the chance to turn his vengeful dreams into reality. Will he get what he wants? Maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t even know what he really wants.

This book is all about change. Boomtown Craze is where Craze starts to live out his dreams of prosperity and success, but just like in our world, those dreams don’t always turn out how you expect. Craze’s bar gets fancier. His friends get fancier. His life gets fancier. But, sometimes, the more you chase the shiny, the more you realize you might’ve been better off staying more grounded.

The challenge: Writing this one was all about showing Craze growing, but without losing the gritty part of him that makes him who he is. And, spoiler alert, he’s going to make new friends. Some of those new friends will change his world for good, and some will turn it upside down.

This book really expands on the Jixes. In the previous books, I only had the one Jix, Gatt. In Boomtown Craze, I had to create their planet and their society. Their purpose was to always hold a mirror up to Craze’s dreams and values. It’s possible Craze starts to see the light.

The themes: My favorite stories are about regular folks who’ve been dealt a rough hand in life and come to realize their power. This theme is front and center in Boomtown Craze. It’s about growing, evolving, and becoming more than ever imagined.

A chain of terrible events: The expansion of Pardeep Station starts off well, but starts a chain of terrible events that will rock Craze’s world and the galaxy. His friends have secrets that should’ve stayed in the shadows, shaking the very foundation of their relationships. A bad guy, a really really bad guy, is hinted at, but Craze brushes off the warnings unaware the bad guy is no thug or criminal mastermind. Oh no, things are much darker and much worse. This sets the stage for the rest of the series, and the revelations are just getting started.

Fun fact: Verkinns, the type of Backworlder Craze is, have living hair. This trait was inspired by a bad hair day. I wish my hair could style itself. Lucky Verkinns.

What’s next for Craze? Pardeep Station is becoming the busy hub he wanted it to be. People and places grow, but they also change, and not all change is good. Craze is going to have to face a few hard truths, and that’s what makes this book one of my favorites.