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Written by Paul
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Wednesday, 17 April 2013 00:41 |
In between major sequences of a story like this, you have to take some time and make sure all your ducks are in a row. It can be difficult, especially since this book is so tightly plotted and has a few too many characters - but it has to be done. You have to take time to get the major players together and let them interact. You have to make sure everyone is up to speed on the plot, so you aren't stuck later explaining how so-and-so knew such-and-such. Plus, it serves as a decent vehicle for exposition, because while it is important for the sake of continuity to make sure the characters understand what's going on, it's even more important to make sure the readers do. If a character is not getting it, that can be a slip, or the basis for a joke. If the reader is confused, you done goofed.
Everybody wave to Regina, as this is her walk-on appearance (the first of three) as Zenobia's dinosaur wrangler. I made that suggestion and she jumped at it, so I hope she likes it. :)
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Written by Paul
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Sunday, 14 April 2013 22:28 |
Eden's real problem in this chapter is that she is too smart to be a pirate. Or rather, she is too smart to really enjoy it because she understands it is fleeting. Piracy and other kinds of outlaw existance can only live and breathe where there is not enough power or will to snuff them out. Criminality exists upon the sufferance of the societies it preys on, and Eden is smart enough to realize this, and it causes her problems. Because the pleasure of being a pirate - the real joy of it - is the devil-may-care-just-say-fuck-it attidude that comes with it. Piracy is not really a job, or a profession, or even a real way of life. It is the desperate existence of the marginalized, the maladjusted, and the outcast. They steal everything they own, they wear grand clothes and call themselves grand names to hide the ephemeral nature of it all, to rail subconsciously against the inarguable fact that pirates have very short careers and don't tend to retire. Most historical pirates had done all they were going to do in a year or less, then they were caught and hanged. It's the reason why defiance is the signature characteristic of the pirate - the battle-cry flung in the face of man's fate, the shrug of the shoulders at the enumeration of how bad the odds are, and the answering of any sort of attempted control with swearing and cutlasses. Pirates defend their freedom with their lives, because it is literally all they have. Eden's trying to see a way around that, and it remains to be seen if that can be done.
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Written by Paul
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Sunday, 07 April 2013 22:45 |
So here are the rough pitches for the 3 novels we could do next. I'm having a hard time choosing because I am pretty much equally excited about all three and can think of awesome shit I would love to do in each one. So we thought we would set up a poll and let our readers help us decide. Note that we are not promising to abide by the will of the masses, but we're interested in what ya'll think.
Imperial Blood
Dystopian Steampunk Goth Fantasy set in a world of vampire overlords. A young girl is sent off for an arranged marriage with a powerful and feared vampire who must slowly transform her into one of his kind before she can be his. Meanwhile her human lover pursues her across the sea and falls into the clutches of a pale, red-haired vampire pirate who flies her smoke-belching death ship along the borders, waiting for her chance to strike at the Vampire Lord - her sworn enemy. Slowly the young girl becomes more and more like her immortal lover, and by the time her human would-be savior arrives, will she even want to be rescued? This book would have a lot of bondage, blood-play, and B&D of both genders.
Pros: Dark and fetishy, kind of a way to piss all over Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey
Cons: Darker and more serious than our usual. Would require more extensive world-building.
Throne of the Depths
Steampunk Undersea Adventure, like Jules Verne with lots of fucking. The brilliant and eccentric Professor Graves sets off in his submersible in 1894 in search of the secrets of a long-lost energy source. Along for the ride are his government liaison, the beautiful and flamboyant Vivian Roseblade, his thuggish assistant who may not be entirely trustworthy, and his young daughter Miranda who stows away when she is refused permission to come. Together they brave dangers across the ocean floor to find the submerged remnants of the Lost City of Atlantis and the power to still be found within. Mermen, sea monsters, and the intrigues of a lost empire all collide in the struggle for the Throne of the Depths!
Pros: Really into this idea, and would be a great Edisonade-styled romp. Less world-building needed.
Cons: Another steampunky romp? I'm afraid this might seem too much like more of the same.
Masks & Madams
The sequel to Pride & Prostitutes! With the Black Lash involved in trouble around Century, Delilah sends Dolly in her place to the International Gathering of Procuresses in San Francisco. At the famous Chantilly Rose she and Hawk meet great madams from all over the world, as well as Delilah's old friend Doctor Socrates, the science-hero of California. But their vacation turns deadly when they are confronted with the threat of Professor Von Draco, and back home Delilah discovers that her own troubles are tied into the Professor's plot to hold the nation hostage with his Giant Organ. Much Wild West sex and violence ensues.
Pros: Sequel to a well-loved book, a lot of the characters already established and minimal world-building required.
Cons: Will be hard to top the original.
Log in to Vote!
Let us know what you think in the comments! |
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