Thoughts on reactions to Burn…and what comes next

It’s been a big month for the Rephaim series, with the fourth and final book, Burn, released in the US and Canada (following its release in Australia and the UK in 2015).

It’s been gratifying to see the continued love for the series, and its conclusion, over the past 12 months.

One thing that’s fascinated me has been the reaction to the revelation of what happened between Gaby and Rafa all those years ago. (No spoilers.)

For me, the event itself warranted a strong reaction from Gaby (trust and respect are critical in any level of relationship ). But as important, is the way she – and Rafa – react to it. They deal with it badly: a total lack of emotional maturity, despite the number of years they’ve lived and their long shared history. And their response has serious ramifications for the people they care about, many of whom make bad decisions because of pride and ego.

The Rephaim series, aside from the sword fights and sexual tension, has always been about the complexity of relationships (family, friends and lovers) and what it might take to heal the rifts between the Rephaim.

A big part of that is owning mistakes. For me, writing the series has been an exercise in taking each major character to a point where they have to make choices about whether they can do that or not.

Whats next for me?

Since Burn was released in Australia last year, a number of bloggers and reviewers have asked for/suggested a spin-off series. I love that readers care about these characters and this world so much.

While there is resolution to the big questions of the series by the end of Burn, I never intended to wrap up the story in a neat bow, mainly because life doesn’t work like that. And maybe I wanted to give myself an opening to return to that world at some point in the future. I’ll admit, there are characters who fascinate me and stories still to be told.

BUT.

Right now, I have other characters and other stories I want to explore. One of those stories is a stand-alone novel that’s been contracted by my Australian publisher, Text Publishing, and will be published in 2017. It’s speculative fiction, is set in Australia, and is probably best described as a YA thriller. I’m writing the final chapters of the first draft at the moment and it’s a tad intense. 🙂 I’ll be able to share more in coming months (title, synopsis, release date etc.).

North American blog tour

A massive thank you to the generous bloggers who participated in last week’s North American blog tour for Burn. And a huge shout-out to Sylvia Chan at Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada for again coordinating it all.

Here are the four covers of the North American editions (with unique taglines for each book that you won’t find on other editions):

As always, the Talking With Tundra blog has recapped the blog tour beautifully, so this time around I’m going to totally cheat and replicate the summaries and links from that site:

Monday 13 June 2016

  • “I don’t get to binge read books too often anymore, but this book demanded that I not leave it for too long.” – Lee at Rally the Readers
  • “If you have the option of reading the entire series (Shadows, Haze, Shimmer, and Burn) this summer, do it.” – Jillian at centre of the universe: the dreaming
  • “Everything was there – the crazy climaxes, the shocking secrets, the angsty arguments, and the steamy smexy scenes – and Burn was a finale I couldn’t pass up for anything.” – Michelle at Undeniably Book Nerdy

Tuesday 14 June 2016

  • Burn has cemented the Rephaim series as one of my go-to recommendations for anyone who is looking for an action packed story with multi-layered characters and relationships” – Lynne atWords of Mystery
  • “Answers! We finally get answers in the conclusion to the Rephaim series. Woohoo!” – Laura atIf It Has Words
  • “Paula Weston delivered – a kick-butt female protagonist, sizzling sexual tension, and action-packed battle scenes. Burn has everything that Shimmer offered and more.” – Leanne at Author Leanne Dyck
  • “If you like a series filled with kick butt characters, swoony males, slow burn romance, and action I would definitely check this one out. The Rephaim Series is one of my favorites and the books just got better and better as I read them. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this series.” – Crystal atBookiemoji

Wednesday 15 June 2016

  • “The entire Rephaim series comes highly recommended from me. I dare you not to become addicted from the very beginning of Shadows to the end of Burn.” – Lauren at Love is not a triangle
  • “But two chapters in, I knew I was going to have a life-long relationship with Paula Weston’s Rephaim series.” – Joy at Joyousreads
  • “The prologue in Burn is powerful and I feel like it really set the pace for the rest of the book. It was captivating and Paula Weston was daring you to stop reading. ” – Krystal at Krystal’s Stellar Book Blog

Thursday 16 June 2016

  • “While all the other books tended to leave me on a cliff at the end, this one wrapped everything up fantastically. All of the questions I had were answered and I had plenty of Gaby and Rafa swoons.” – Jaime at Fiction Fare
  • “My heart couldn’t stop racing, fueled with adrenaline and fear whenever the Gatekeepers were near. I raced through Burn, desperate to discover what would happen next, even as a part of me screamed to read slower, knowing it meant another page closer to the end. Paula Weston’s Rephaim series comes to an epic, action-packed finale with Burn! I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.” – Liz at Midnight Bloom Reads
  • “The story is just brilliant. I have said that with each and every installment and this last one doesn’t disappoint at all. It was filled with so many twists and turns and I just loved every minute of it! Paula Weston is a genius and I have to say this series is by far the best angel/demon series I have ever read and I can guarantee nothing will ever come close to it. Yes that is a bold statement but I mean it with every fiber of my being. The Rephaim series is pure perfection and is amazeballs!!” – Crystal at Winterhaven Books

Friday 17 June 2016

  • “I can’t believe it’s over! I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters. Not even Mya.? I’m pretty damn satisfied with this conclusion…with the answers we got, with how the memory loss happened and how it was resolved, with who the Rephaim are and what their purpose is. That said, I don’t often read spin-offs but I would SO read one set in this world.” – Jen at The Starry-Eyed Revue
  • “I’m completely new to this series. I wish I wasn’t so late to jumping onto The Rephaim fandom because I would have loved to gush about each book with readers as they released.… I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED, the character growth/development with Gaby, Jude, and Rafe. Especially Gaby!” – Patty at Bookish Wanderlove

Thank you all again.

Burn blog tour promo

4 Comments

  1. Emily Walton says:

    I just finished devouring this series. I will cry if you never write another Rephaim book! Although, I am excited to reading your newest book. 🙂

    1. Emily Walton says:

      *read GAH! This is what I get for not being asleep at nearly 1 AM my time!

  2. hmscat says:

    So beautiful to read all of those comments 🙂

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About Me

I’m the author of the Rephaim series and The Undercurrent.

For my day job, I’m a writer-journalist-professional communicator, where my writing involves a lot less profanity.

I grew up in regional South Australia and now live in the Scenic Rim with my husband and a retired greyhound.

If you’re interested in how I came to land a publishing deal, you can read the short version in this post from August 2011. There’s a longer version (in a guest post) here.

Paula Weston

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