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View from Above Commentary Part 2

May 1, 2017 By Lou

The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.

Soriya in the spotlight

View from Above offered a very unique situation when coming up with the plot, something I hadn’t come across before when putting together a Greystone tale. A story solely from Soriya’s perspective. When I originally thought of the series, Soriya was the lead. There was no story without her and to an extent that remains true.

Soriya's perspective When I received the edited version of Signs of Portents from my editor, Kristen Hamilton of Kristen Corrects Inc. so many moons ago, she also wrote up the back cover description. When I read it I flinched, I balked, I couldn’t believe it. The whole thing centered around Loren.

And she was absolutely right in that assessment.

Loren was our window into the city of Portents and Soriya’s world. Unlike something like Dresden Files where we follow Harry Dresden and his view of the world including his relationship with the police and Detective Murphy – a relationship I was very cognizant of when developing the Greystone series – we only learn about the city because Loren has to learn about it at that moment.

Sure, there are chapters from Soriya’s perspective and her own arc in Signs, but the driving force of the initial novel was Loren.

Tales offered a change. And I took it and ran with it.

How best to show Soriya in a solo setting?

This was my first question. How did she fit in the world without her connection to Loren, her seemingly only normal connection to the city of Portents? How did she go about investigating on her own?

Soriya, at the time of View from Above, is 20. She’s barely out of teenager mode or, if she’s like I was, still caught firmly in its clutches. Emotional. Quick to anger.

Pretty much angry in general. And that little tidbit was my starting point with her for this story.

Once I had her anger, her need to punch, kick and maim whatever the hell was behind the latest insanity in Portents, I had my starting point.

And I had Soriya Greystone down.

Playing her off Vlad

Soriya's Perspective Soriya doesn’t play well with others. And when she does they typically come from a place of authority. Mentor. Loren. Ruiz.

Vlad offered a change. He’s around her age. He carries a burden he can’t really share with people, outside the Corwell family. They both share that connection.

His presence also allowed me to graze the subject of romance with Soriya. It hasn’t really come up with readers so far but I always worry about falling into the Moonlighting (dated reference!) or Friends (somewhat better, old man) dynamic of “will they, won’t they” when it comes to a male and female led narrative.

I get it. Romantic tension is a great tool, one seen hundreds of thousands of times before. I made Loren slightly older than early drafts to escape some of that thinking. Soriya’s encounters with Vlad and even Russell Kerr in The Consultant to some degree, allowed me to somewhat wipe that notion away completely.

Will it stay that way? Will there ever be a time when Soriya and Loren can evolve to that next level? Have they even considered it?

I don’t know. I’d like to say no way, no how, but I can’t say definitively one way or another how the entire series plays out.

Not yet.

Easter Egg

Soriya’s need to punch something, that burning desire at the start of View from Above, actually came from the first draft of The Medusa Coin. Back in my heyday, dreaming of using Greystone as a potential comic book franchise I outlined the four issue mini-series that became the spine of the third novel of the series.

In it, I soon realized there was little action in the first quarter and that stood out to me as something Soriya would not stand for. Ever.

I dropped the idea when putting together the latest iteration of The Medusa Coin as it didn’t fit with her arc through the novel. But I was happy it circled around to this tale and fit so wonderfully with the approach to her character here.

Next time:

Insight into the Kitsune and her role in the narrative for View from Above.

Thanks for reading.

View from Above Commentary Part 1

April 24, 2017 By Lou

View from Above

I had a note early on about Vlad when coming up with a list of potential stories to tell in this collection (once it became clear it was going to be a collection). Out of all the players in Signs of Portents, Vlad was the guy that made the cut.

Why Vlad?

He played the perfect counterpoint to Soriya, something I didn’t even realize when crafting his backstory. Here was a guy that wasn’t born into his role. It was thrust upon him by outside forces. “Hey, I totally just bit you. You’re wolfen now. Deal with it.”

Because of that act he lost his family. Then he lost his second family. Only after running away for years did he settle in Portents thanks to the help of the Corwell’s.

Yet, through it all he maintained his innocence, his youth. The only difference in their shared tragedy. Where Soriya was forced to learn to become the Greystone, Vlad went to school (rarely) and had a life.

I liked that split between them and how it pulls her up when she needed it.

Pulling the thread from Signs

I kept going back to the autopsy theater with Soriya staring at Vlad’s dead body. The connection between them was deep for her to feel that way at his passing. With View from Above it felt right to honor that relationship and really flesh out its origins.

Adding the backstory really amped up the emotion in that scene felt with his death.

Guilt trip

The third and most powerful reason for the focus on such a bit player like Vlad is simple –

I FELT BAD FOR KILLING THE GUY IN CHAPTER ONE!

When I finished the first draft of that chapter a million years ago, Vlad was a nobody. He was fodder for the mysterious killer hiding in the shadows. With each subsequent draft, with each layer peeled back on the mystery behind his death, I realized there was more to this character, much more than I had been able to show.

There you go. The truth. I am a pathetic romantic that has trouble letting go of his imaginary friends.

Why not Urg?

A good friend e-mailed me recently about his love of Urg and how he hated to see the lovable orc die so quickly in Signs of Portents. At the time I thought nothing of it. More fodder.

But as I wrote this missive, I realized –

I totally should have brought Urg back for Tales from Portents!!! WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF HIM?!

There could have been a call back to the 1961 Yankees baseball Loren found in his apartment. We could have seen Urg at Woodstock or in Vietnam and do this totally insane Forrest Gump Orc Style thing! So many possibilities.

Damn.

Next time –

View from Above thoughts continue next week. (May, already? WTH CALENDAR?!)

Thanks for reading.

Gremlins Commentary Part 2

April 20, 2017 By Lou

Gremlins – A new batch?

I like monsters. Is that weird? Probably. But really, I have a blast trying to pin down the threats faced by Soriya and Loren in the Greystone series. It can be nerve-racking but when something clicks into place it is the most satisfying feeling in the world.

For Gremlins, I knew I wanted a very creature based threat. Something that had history to play with and could easily fit into the narrative I was building around it.

Stumbling upon the old World War II stories about pilots blaming gremlins for their engine troubles was perfection. And yes, I know there have been films about the critters, but Warner Brothers doesn’t own a monopoly on the creatures!

Reading those old stories about the spanner in the works thanks to little unseen pests, I started thinking more about the meaning behind them. What if they weren’t trying to sabotage but were fixing instead? What if gremlins were the mechanics of a lost age, the general contractors of their time?

And what if they were super pissed off when they didn’t get the credit they deserved?

Soriya’s whole back and forth during the narrative over the gremlins’ motivations came from these thoughts and my own paranoia when I misplace something in my house (CONSTANTLY).

The unseen threat

With the vast majority of tales told in the series, Soriya and Loren typically confront the threat in some crazy, action packed climax with fisticuffs and bullets flying and all kinds of fun stuff.

I didn’t want that here.

Sure, there is an incredible climax and one of my favorite moments in the collection where Soriya wipes out the gremlins in a single blow from the mysterious Greystone.

BUT, that resolution only comes after the personal dilemma of the narrative is taken out of the equation. That was key for me. Keeping the focus on Loren and Soriya’s trust issues (mostly Loren but still) was the key to making the story succeed. To me, nothing is more important than the personal conflict between characters and that needed to be shown here in full.

Not only that, by taking the gremlins out of the forefront as this dark cloud devouring the officers in the precinct it really amped up the creepy factor for the story. That served the threat much better than having a single gremlin or small number of gremlins walking and talking on their quest for revenge.

Next time:

View from Above kicks off with a note about the dearly departed Vlad.

Thanks for reading.

Gremlins Commentary Part 1

April 17, 2017 By Lou

Starting point

starting point As I pieced together the lineup for the collection, I realized I was missing something. I had solo stories with the main leads, a focus on our main supporting cast member in Ruiz and another with Vlad. There was Resurrectionists at the heart of it all but I needed more.

I needed another Loren and Soriya adventure.

It is the central dynamic to the series and without it, the collection felt incomplete.

But where to take it? Since I was in prequel territory I could have chosen any moment to explore their relationship. I knew I wanted something different than that seen in both Resurrectionists and Signs of Portents but not exactly sure what that meant.

Then I remembered the cut dynamic of Ruiz and Mentor, the much more aggressive point/counterpoint to Loren and Soriya’s relationship. That was the starting point.

Why this moment exactly?

starting point At six months into the start of their partnership both characters are still feeling each other out. On Loren’s side it is much worse, his anger clouding any sense of trust in the pairing. That level of tension, that lack of comfort between the two leads compared to where they are presently in Signs was very interesting to me and something I wanted to explore fully.

It offered a natural conflict, instead of a manufactured device filtered through the narrative.

Why not their first case?

This came up early when I was plotting out Gremlins. If I had the opportunity why not start from the beginning? Why not turn the clock back completely?

Honestly? I’m saving that one. Their first case, their first chance to pair up after the arrest of the Kindly Killer, is a bigger story than I could fit into the collection. Not only that but it serves as the perfect bridge into the second half of the series. Might be years away from telling it but it’s coming and it is going to be great.

The Ronnie Phillips Factor

I had this glaring plot point when working on the draft for Gremlins. Loren is hunting down another potential criminal that he believes may have had a hand in Beth’s fall. But then I did nothing with it. He gets the call to head to the Second Precinct for the main thrust of our adventure and nothing is ever mentioned about Ronnie Phillips again.

Not cool.

Changing the original ending with Soriya and Loren to help resolve this omission is one of the best changes I made during the editing process. It fit perfectly with Soriya’s attempt to bridge the gap between the pair and really sell the point of their trust for one another. Or more trust than had been there at the beginning, I suppose.

Next time

More about the threat of the Gremlins tale. Psst, it’s in the title.

Thanks for reading.

The Great Divide Commentary Part 3

April 10, 2017 By Lou

The importance of minor characters

Protagonists stand or fall by the world around them. Depth comes from interactions with other characters. Perspectives comes from this interplay and each piece, each character, adds a little more to the overall feel of the work.

Minor characters bolster the leads. Each, with their own unique flair, offer new insights and perspectives into the drama unfolding both physically and emotionally for the leads.

The Great Divide, and Tales from Portents in general, was designed not only to inspire more depth in the backstories of the principle players of Greystone, but also introduce new minor characters to the mix or flesh out the smaller roles from Signs of Portents.

Edgar Rusch

I know, I know, this seems like a cheat. Edgar Rusch isn’t even in the story! True, but by offering that small glimpse at Ruiz’s relationships including the unseen Mr. Rusch we learn how connected Ruiz is to his world. That short exchange with his wife ABOUT his friend, gave more insight into Ruiz than a 2,000 word scene WITH his old friend.

The bonus of introducing Edgar here is that it left less to be explained when he pops up in The Medusa Coin. Again, planning ahead helps incredibly when putting together a series. I cannot emphasize that enough!

Julian Harvey

I wrote about Harvey last time and the luck at his introduction to the series. With a tale like The Great Divide, I was able to have a situation where Ruiz wasn’t the elder statesman in the room. He’s the newbie, the immature member of the duo. Who would he turn to for help?

Enter Julian Harvey, old curmudgeon. (and how I see myself turning VERY soon…) If I could have fit in one more rant of his about young people and the lack of ambition or the dangers of acid reflux! (Maybe I’ll start a whole new series of him hating on millennials…)

Harvey, while lost in his own opinions, played a crucial role in ushering Ruiz into the world of Portents. The true city. How did he come by the knowledge? Oh, wouldn’t that be a fun story to tell. Hmmm….

Honestly though, Harvey is the most important first appearance in Tales. Keep a lookout for when he pops up again.

EASTER EGG – Did you catch who Harvey is related to at the Central Precinct? Check out the little snippet from Chapter 3 below:

“…Most of the grunts here remind me of my good-for-nothing nephew. Happy to sit and zone than think for himself. He’s actually thinking about applying to the academy but I’ll be damned if I see a Pratchett in this department in my lifetime.”

It was just a throwaway line I had tossed in there. I figured it would be fun to make a small connection to our favorite giant of an officer, John Pratchett. Little did I realize where we were headed….

Michelle Ruiz

When I was making my list for this entry, I almost forgot Ruiz’s wife. Shame on me. I forgot The Great Divide served as her first appearance. It took a long time to piece together who Michelle was as a person. Her role in The Medusa Coin helped (again!) and offered a vision for this strong-willed woman that basically became a single mother of three daughters since her husband is never home.

Here, she has a little more innocence, a little more joy, as the divide comes after. Another crucial player filling out the world and playing off Ruiz to create tension and support with each interaction.

Hady Ronne

Another vital component in The Medusa Coin, which is actually why she shows up here. How Ruiz sees her at this moment in their relationship is crucial to what happens down the line.

Hady also gives this creepy vibe every time she shows up. She’s so off-putting to be around the only way Loren can handle it is with sarcasm bordering on meanness. I wanted to see how Ruiz acted in Loren’s place.

EASTER EGG – There is a reason behind Hady Ronne’s name. You’ll find out why in September.

What’s next?

Next week I’ll be taking a closer look at Gremlins. Be sure to stop by on Thursday for some awesome FREE BOOKS!

Thanks for reading.

The Great Divide Commentary Part 2

April 6, 2017 By Lou

Mentor’s Role

The initial thought when constructing The Great Divide was a buddy cop story between Ruiz and Mentor. Ruiz’s introduction to the world of Portents came during his first encounter with the enigmatic Mentor. The two would then, reluctantly, join forces to battle the big bad of the tale with resounding success.

Why did it fail to take off from the initial notes phase? Simple. Loren and Soriya already have that relationship. The similarities between the two dynamics cropped up early and often, which immediately turned me away from the concept. If I can’t show something new, some new wrinkle in the way Portents works, or how characters interact then there is no point in moving forward.

I did like the animosity between the two players. Think Lethal Weapon to the extreme. I didn’t want to lose that concept so I tucked it away for a rainy day, one that came sooner than I thought in the form of Gremlins. Using the angry buddy cop motif there fit much better with the story I wanted to tell and left The Great Divide open for something new.

How Mentor’s presence evolved

Once I knew I didn’t want Mentor to be the driving force of the narrative things progressed rapidly. Ruiz became the central figure of the story so it became about finding a way to add Mentor into the mix more than anything else.

That was the basis for how the story fleshed out. Mentor was the ghost in the machine, acting from the shadows.

Why it worked?

It ratcheted up the tension. Instead of getting bogged in exposition with Mentor explaining everything to Ruiz with each step, Ruiz is thrown in the deep end without help. His life is in jeopardy. There is a chance he won’t make it out, until Mentor steps in from the shadows.

There is also their actual meeting at the end. I wanted Ruiz scared, on edge, and unsure which way to turn. Putting the two at odds was always the goal but this added to the tension that would serve as the basis of not only their relationship but Ruiz’s time with Soriya as well.

Having the truth of the city thrust upon him in a dramatic display instead of calmly explained at the beginning added more to Ruiz’s anger at the truth than anything else. His decision to not only hate the truth but refuse to accept it or publicly acknowledge it lined up more smoothly with what we knew about the character.

The final reason, and I am so happy it came together this way, was that by not having Mentor as a central player in the story it opened the door for someone new to enter the stage. Julian Harvey filled that role, a default mentor to Ruiz. Harvey’s role allowed for a new dynamic to be introduced and showcased Ruiz’s immaturity with the city.

Harvey’s role has become critical to the overall story being told in Greystone and it almost never came about. That little shift with Mentor, turning him to almost a wraith in the background, ended up being one of the most important in the series.

Very glad it happened that way.

Next time

Introducing minor characters to the world of Portents and their importance to the series. Why Edgar Rusch, Julian Harvey, Michelle Ruiz and Hady Ronne are crucial to the success of Greystone.

Thanks for reading.

Soriya in the spotlight

How best to show Soriya in a solo setting?

Playing her off Vlad

Easter Egg

Next time:

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View from Above

Why Vlad?

Pulling the thread from Signs

Guilt trip

Why not Urg?

Next time –

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Gremlins – A new batch?

The unseen threat

Next time:

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Starting point

Why this moment exactly?

Why not their first case?

The Ronnie Phillips Factor

Next time

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The importance of minor characters

Edgar Rusch

Julian Harvey

Michelle Ruiz

Hady Ronne

What’s next?

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Mentor’s Role

How Mentor’s presence evolved

Why it worked?

Next time

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