A little of both. The first book I was originally going to focus on an entire group of friends before I narrowed the scope to just one, which then naturally led to the second books focus. The third book I wanted to be family well ahead of time, but I had no firm plans until finishing this one.

It's more I go into each book with a certain character dynamic in mind. Book one focused on the narrator Nightingale and her harpy friend Rak'sha. Book two is meant to focus more on her and her human friends. Whichever relationship I'm focusing on determines how things go sideways in that book.

And I forgot to show off the table itself... that was the whole reason I thought to post in the first place.

Yeah, the artist did a really good job. Gargoyles are fun to write and not often explored. A large goal of my writing is xenofiction and exploring more than the usual mix of humans, dwarves, and elves.