Boom
Last time I did a post with a title like this, it was about a sequel to Second. This one will get there, but I’ve got some other explanations to get out of the way first.
I haven’t been very active on here, and for that, I apologize. I haven’t gotten much writing done either, what with my husband’s back injury and my father’s two brain surgeries in February, life getting turned upside down in March, then again in April, and again in May. I had originally planned to work hard on River’s End in March and finish it. That didn’t happen. June was still crazy busy, but at least I was starting to see where I could make a little free time for myself. So I moved the March goal of finishing River’s End to July. I even posted about it. Then I was in a car accident and was still just as busy, but had to figure out how to do everything without the use of my left arm and without a car, how to get another car, and to fight for my right to work so I could get paid.
I wrote half a chapter.
Now it’s September already. Things are still busy, but my left arm is doing much better. NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to use it for finishing River’s End. I am determined to finish that book this year, and I’m not going to wait for NaNo to actually start. I’ll be working on it all September and October, so who knows, maybe fortuitous lightning will strike this time, and I’ll actually get it done before NaNo. Maybe I’ll only have a sliver left come November 1. Whatever the case, there’s a second story writhing within me, waiting for River’s End to get out of the way so it can be my NaNo project.
It’s another Synth dialogue-only story, following Second and Haze. Its title is Feral.
Five years have passed since the Haze was discovered and Segun’s code was “fixed.” Exploring this vast place with its puzzles, traps, and treasures has become a staple sport of the Synths. One day, the treasure they find at the back of a deep cavern is another Synth in suspended animation and identical to Segun before her code was altered.
She is a copy made by the Server. For Nil, now the same age as this copied Segun, she is the friend he lost when she was changed. For the older Segun, she is the embodiment of a past she competes with. For the world, she is a novelty currently up for grabs.
Wouldn’t it be grand to own the famous glitch? Lock her up, put her on display where she can’t hurt anything, but you can say she is yours. Others want her to wreak havoc. Still others want to ensure she is destroyed. Because this copy is a Feral Synth with no designated master and set to be deleted if she doesn’t get one.
The Server sets up a competition with Copied!Segun as the prize. Death Matches. If Nil wants to keep her out of the hands of collectors and extremists, he’ll have to step into the ring, and among the challengers are ones he never wanted to face.
While Death Matches were mentioned in the first two books, we haven't seen them firsthand yet. I fear this story might be a bit darker than the other two, but what are your thoughts? If I tagged you on this post, it’s because you read the first two. Would you be interested in this one?
Last note: I haven’t forgotten about Pearl Before Swine or that as of December 2019, my plan was to write the second half of it for NaNo this year. But I had also planned for River’s End to be done in March. Pearl’s story will have to wait just a bit longer. I am looking forward to getting back to it (and the edits for Alliance ) but right now I need to focus on one goal at a time. (Okay, I realize this is still technically two.)
Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this post and my long months of silence. Any sharing of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.