Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Saying Goodbye to Old Friends

By

In March 2016, I sat down with a plan in mind. The Greystone Saga. Five books telling the sprawling tale of Soriya Greystone and Detective Greg Loren. The mystery of Bethany Loren’s death at the center of it, the pair faced the mysterious threats hidden under the surface of the city of Portents.

This week I put the final touches on book five. For the first time since this crazy journey began, I was able to put the words – The End – on the page. To say goodbye to old friends that have been with my every thought for the last two years is something I never imagined would be possible. Let alone bittersweet.

The Road Taken…

When I first pitched the series (to an audience of me, myself and I) Soriya was a stay-at-home mother who fought crime with her pal, Loren, while the kids were at school.

Portents existed but it held none of the mystery, none of the secrets, it would eventually come to know.

How it grew, how it changed, is the best part of this wonderful process. I don’t have the answers, I don’t know where my sense of direction stopped and the characters took the wheel. I am damn lucky they did, though.

Soriya has been my strength, my guiding light. Loren has been my resolve, my need for answers. Ruiz, my truth and the parent needed to keep the children in line. Without these three watching over me, driving the story forward, Greystone would never have existed.

As edits wind down on A Circle of Shadows, I find their voices quieting. Never leaving, not completely, because I will never be able to leave Portents for long. There is another story to tell, a larger one yet to be explored with questions that have barely been posed let alone answered.

For now, though, it is time to say goodbye to my old friends.

I am incredibly grateful they have allowed me to tell their story for as long as they have and if I never do get back to Portents, I know I’ve told the best story possible because of who they are as characters, because of the challenges they faced.

The lessons learned during the last two years have made me a better writer. They’ve opened the door to new ways of crafting stories. Character over plot. Not being afraid to upend a scene to find a better way. Questioning everything until the answers speak for themselves in the narrative.

Greystone made all of that possible.

The end for now…

Tom DeFalco was the master of ending his stories like this. Nothing truly ends. There are threads that remain, lives that continue even after we close the book.

That is certainly true for Greystone. Loren, Soriya, Ruiz and all the other players that have grown from that initial pitch have more stories to tell.

As I write this, there are no less than four short stories I’ve added to my schedule that take place in Portents. Some flashbacks, others a bridge to where things are headed in the second half of the series.

Like I said, their voices will never truly leave me. I wouldn’t want them to.

For now, there are new stories to tell. A new series to plot. Another to edit. New worlds and new dramas. But none would be possible without Greystone.

Goodbye old friends. See you soon.

The Great Divide Commentary Part 2

By

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.

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.

Mentor
Tales from Portents is only 99-cents!

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.

The Great Divide Commentary Part 1

By

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.

The rise of Alejo Ruiz

Alejo RuizThere were a number of initial notes made when putting this project together. If you’ve read my previous posts on Tales from Portents you know the idea was to create a prequel for Signs to offer readers as an added incentive to bring them into the Greystone fold. One story and only one.

It kinda blew up from there. It happens.

From those initial notes I realized the chance to add depth to the major and minor players that exist within the city of Portents. The Great Divide served as a vehicle to showcase one of my favorite characters in the series; Alejo Ruiz.

The focus for Signs of Portents was strictly on the journey of Greg Loren and Soriya Greystone. Ruiz was involved, for sure, but kept to the side for a large chunk of the narrative. I wanted to give him some space to shine.

Why?

Two reasons (and very important ones at that).

  1. Building up the cast – Supporting characters should be strong and layered. They bolster the main leads and the world around them, so by offering some time to Ruiz I hoped to make him more integral to the story as a whole.
  2. The Medusa Coin – Plotting ahead is SO helpful sometimes. Ruiz plays a huge role in The Medusa Coin. Knowing the events coming up, his inclusion as the lead for The Great Divide was a no-brainer as well as some of the story beats that ended up in the final draft of the tale. EVERYTHING has a payoff down the line. That is the fun of writing a series.

A thematic bridge

There were a number of places this story could have gone. As a prequel the door was open for a tale from any time Alejo Ruizbefore Signs of Portents. No other restriction. I settled on two notions that get right to the heart of the character, both creating a thematic bridge between novels.

The first, and the initial thread, I wanted to pull was Ruiz’s hatred of the world Soriya represents. He is one of the few people that knows about the true city and what is out there in the darkness of Portents. That is a heavy load to carry and I wanted to play with that responsibility.

More than that, I wanted to play with his anger toward it. His reaction is so different than that of Soriya and Loren when it comes to the monsters lurking around every corner. He hates it and wants nothing to do with it.

Why? That was my jumping off point and how I landed at the beginning of his journey with The Great Divide.

The second thematic element ran in line with the title of the piece. The great divide is about Ruiz and his wife. Ruiz’s childhood is hinted at several times, including the trouble between his parents. He has done everything possible to avoid those missteps, but in learning the truth ends up falling into the same trap.

The great divide started in this tale plays out fully in The Medusa Coin. Knowing that blowup was coming and seeding it here, allows the end of his arc to be that much more powerful.

Tidbits

The monkey decoration adorning the nursery at the Ruiz home is taken from the nursery for my children – who might actually be monkeys the way they bounce through the house.

The story of the yellow eyed bird monster is not over. There is something coming I am very excited to share about this menacing figure and his relationship with Alejo Ruiz.

Next time

Mentor’s presence in The Great Divide. How it evolved as the story came together.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Links throughout this site may be affiliate links. All commission earned through these links go to Eleven Ten Publishing to produce more books for your reading pleasure.

You can view our privacy policy here.

Recent Posts