So You Wanna Write a Paranormal Fantasy Series? Here’s Why It’s Utter Chaos (And Why I’m Doing It Anyway)
Let me tell you a secret that’s not actually a secret:
Writing a single novel is hard.
Writing a series of novels — especially in the bloody, bitey world of paranormal fantasy — is like juggling flaming chainsaws while blindfolded and emotionally compromised. And yet… here I am. Doing it. Willingly. For fun.
Why?
Because I’ve officially lost control of my life and I’m currently deep in the trenches of plotting my upcoming series: Babylon City Hunters.
🧛 What’s Babylon City Hunters About?
Glad you asked. It’s about a rookie vampire hunter who really just wants to do his job right, make his weirdly attractive mentor proud, and not completely humiliate (or accidentally kill) himself. So naturally, his very first assignment ends with him accidentally releasing a centuries-old vampire with a suspicious past, a moral compass that’s… bendy at best, and a personal interest in our poor hunter that’s somewhere between stalking, eating, and flirting.
And instead of running away screaming, what does our hunter do?
He tries to fix it. Like an idiot. Because at least one person in this whole mess needs to have a moral compass, right? Right?
Cue chaos, bloodshed, awkward team-ups, unexpected sexual tension, and the realization that maybe the “monster” he unleashed isn’t the worst thing in the city after all.
Babylon City Hunters is dark, messy, queer, a little romantic, and full of characters with great cheekbones who make terrible decisions.
🧠 Plotting a Multi-Book Paranormal Series: Why It’s a Nightmare
So here’s the thing: when you write a standalone book, you can fake a lot of it. Patch holes. Plant a few plot twists. Slap on an ending. Move on.
But with a series?
Oh no. The gods of continuity demand blood. And spreadsheets.
Here’s what makes it so hard:
1. You Need to Know Where You’re Going — But Also, Not Too Much
If you don’t have some kind of roadmap, you’re going to end up in Book 3 realizing you gave a character a dead sister in Book 1… who is now apparently alive and dating the villain.
But if you over-plan? You risk writing something stiff, joyless, or trying to force characters down paths they no longer fit. Paranormal fantasy thrives on vibe, and vibe cannot be charted in Excel.
2. You Can’t Publish Book One Until You Know Book Three Doesn’t Implode the Timeline
Ask me how I know this.
Seriously. Ask me.
The temptation to finish Book One and just throw it at Amazon is real. But you hold back because maybe Book Two needs a character you accidentally killed off. Or Book Four reveals something that reshapes the entire narrative arc. Or maybe that vampire who was supposed to die in Chapter 5 just won’t.
Welcome to Hell. We have unsorted, out-of-date lore bibles.
3. Every Plot Thread Is a Loaded Gun
That little throwaway line in Chapter 7? It’s not “just flavor.” It’s Chekhov’s cursed artifact. It’s the romantic betrayal five books down the line. It’s the beginning of the end and you didn’t even mean to do it.
Series writing turns you into a long-term schemer. You’re not just writing for the now — you’re planting bombs that won’t explode until 2028.
☕ So Why Write a Series At All?
Because there’s nothing like it.
You get to build an entire world. You get to let characters grow over years. You get slow-burn romances that smolder for 300,000 words. You get enemies-to-lovers arcs with actual enemies. You get pain. And healing. And emotional payoffs that hit like a truck in Book Five because you earned them.
Also, I am personally obsessed with broken men who make bad decisions in cities that smell like old blood and neon (which, according to my most recent vampire crush, is a real scent).
So. Here we are.
📝 If You’re Thinking of Writing a Paranormal Fantasy Series Too…
First: I’m sorry this happened to you. Second: You’ll need:
- A loose plan for at least 3 books
- A note app (or twelve)
- A character bible you actually keep updated
- Some kind of possessed app, word file, or white board that helps you keep track of not one, but multiple plots that interact and overlap
- Friends who’ll scream with you at 2am when you realize your vampire boyfriend arc now requires a moral redemption arc and a secret twin (this one is optional by the way, if you’re a little antisocial like me)
And most importantly: the patience to let the story reveal itself at its own pace. Like a vampire crawling out of a coffin you maybe should’ve left shut.
Babylon City Hunters is in the works. It’s messy. It’s ambitious. It’s full of disaster gays, morally gray vamps, and one very tired rookie who just wanted to be a good hunter and now has a supernatural problem he may or may not be falling in love with.
I don’t have a release date yet, even though book 1 is actually finished. Because I’m still wrestling the plot into submission, and you never know.
But I promise you this:
It’s gonna be worth the wait.
~ Hannah