Today, we welcome Camille Duplessis to the blog! They’re here to talk about their latest release, Of Valentines and Visions, and what happens when things don’t go as planned.

I had an entirely different ending planned for my latest release, Of Valentines and Visions. Then, as it became obvious that this year was not really my year—due to a lot of things out of my control—the planned ending didn’t feel right.

The one it actually has feels better, as well as more poignant. You’ll have to read the whole series to understand why it hits the feels hard, so just trust me.

I won’t explain too much about the original ending because I’m using it elsewhere, but it was dark. I was going to kill off Bertie Calder; I didn’t kill off Bertie Calder. I’ve been obsessed with horror since I was little, and I was that diabolical kid who built houses in the Sims without doors and windows merely to see what would happen. My spouse finds this funny because I’m a vegan who also won’t let stuffed animals stay on the floor.

Regardless of any animal cruelty issues or various stuffies’ finer feelings, though, I still can’t help myself from straying into creepier, or darker, territory when ideating and writing. (Even when ideating and writing historical romance, which I presently am. Love a happy ending as much as an operatic bloodbath.)

An eerie undertone is still in Valentines despite the new ending. That undertone is shared between Of Flint and Fortune and Of Valentines and Visions. Some elements were pulled back and reshaped, but there’s still a folkloric, dark feel. I even set events in October-November, and any good goth will remind you it’s an uncanny time of year right now.

Overall, Threads of Wyrd is a gothic romance series, not a gothic horror one. So my first plan wasn’t the most macabre ending, but it still could have done Guillermo Del Toro or Bryan Fuller proud. In truth, what changed my mind wasn’t even a set of private circumstances. The world changed my mind.

To put it nicely, I didn’t have the heart to make a queer main character suffer a violent end. At least, not in this story. I’m unspeakably tired of us being vilified and experiencing awful things because of that wrongful, hateful vilification. It felt weird to go through with what I had planned for Bertie, although it took me a bit to understand why. (Of course, it wouldn’t have been because he’s not straight, but…all the same, I couldn’t go through with it.)

My lad Bertie is petty. He makes awful choices. He’s not meant to be particularly redeemable. I don’t like him much at all, really, though readers will find him very engaging! (Some may even find him likeable, or sexy in a trainwreck way.) In theory, it should have been satisfying to kill him off.

Yet, due to my spiritual exhaustion or penchant for endless optimism, he survived. So what do you do when the plan changes?

Not to sound too much like the devil’s advocate…it just depends. I listened to my characters and had hours of productive, if imaginary, dialogue.

My friends, sorry to disappoint. Speaking as a professional editor and author, every story is different, as are our reasons for changing course. My advice would have to be tailored to the situation. It’s the first time something like this has happened to me with a work of fiction. If it does happen to you: don’t panic. And don’t force it. To be honest, surrendering what I thought would happen made the overall series arc so much better and satisfying. You might find fate (or your subconscious) has more elegant plans than you do.

And if you ever find yourself wanting an elegant, romantic, seaside gothic delight—well, have I got the series for you. Step into The Shuck and stay a while; you’ll be entranced by what you find.

Want to know more about Of Valentines and Visions?

The second son of a wealthy family, Bertie Calder is used to getting both everything and nothing he wants. His upbringing meant reserve and repression alongside stability. As long as he was discreet, he was able to get up to all the mischief he fancied, including dalliances with Alastair Gow—who is, at present, vexingly enamored with Cromer landlord Paul Apollyon.

Will Lucas is Bertie’s opposite, at least when it comes to their social standings. Brought up by a mad butcher, he came of age in criminal circles where survival meant denying all finer feelings. By chance, Bertie befriended him when they were boys and Lucas has spitefully nursed a tendre ever since—even as Bertie manipulated him into a pointless chase for lost gold.

Too bad Bertie is determined to have Alastair, and has again coerced Lucas into helping him achieve a mad goal.

Yet Bertie’s deeply held secrets pose more of a threat than any hired muscle ever could. If Lucas wants to discover whether his tendre will become something more, he’ll have to collude with Alastair to protect Paul from Bertie’s own demons…

Meet Camille Duplessis:

Camille is a thalassophile who sadly spent too long residing in Chicago, where there’s just a very large lake and no sea. An enquiring and possibly over-educated mind, they’ve been described as “the politest contrarian.” Though everyone believes Camille’s tall, they’re not. Likewise, they don’t dress in all-black.

You can find Camille on Instagram, BookBub, Bluesky, and Threads, as well as on their own site, where you can also sign up for their newsletter.