Riley Parra: The End

In February of 2009, I started writing a story based on several different inspirations that somehow turned into an urban noir thriller detective story in which a hard-edged police detective teams up with an earthbound guardian angel to defend a city against the forces of evil. In other words, four years ago I started a story I would never in a million years expected to write. I had such little faith in where it would go that I called each story “episodes”, and I bundled them together in seasons so I could quit writing them when I got bored.

Four years, five seasons, and 725,000 words later, I am putting an end to the Riley series. Not because I was bored of it or I was finished, simply because I loved the characters so much that I felt as if I owed them an ending. It’s a bittersweet ending, and I’m not saying everyone ends the story in one piece (have a hankie ready), but I finally gave them closure. It’s sad for me, too, because I’m really going to miss writing these characters. The relationship between Riley and Gillian is one of the favorites I’ve ever created. Caitlin Priest is probably one of the characters I’m proudest of having created. And this world was epic, and so much fun to play with. Like Claire Lance before her, it’s hard to say goodbye but I know I would feel worse if I just kept putting them through the wringer.

Without spoiling anything, there is a chance I could come back and pick up the story a year, or two years, or a decade into the future. The city would be vastly different, but it could be interesting to see where the story is after the Reign of Riley.

So settle in and get ready for the end. Season 5 is up at Smashwords right now, or you can wait until tomorrow to buy it through the Amazon link in my store (so I can get a little kickback from your purchase ;D). And once you’ve read it, good bad or indifferent, please leave a review! Reviews are of the good. And if anyone wants to leave a review for Season 3 on Amazon, it’s lonely out there. But it’s not really that important since Seasons 1, 2, and 4 all have glowing reviews. People can extrapolate that the third season is more of the same ;D)

I hope everyone enjoys the final chapter of Riley’s story!