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

Resurrectionists Commentary Part 1

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We’ve made it to the last story in the collection at last! My hope with these author commentaries 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.

Resurrectionists

resurrectionistsIt took awhile to get here but we have finally arrived at the largest story in Tales from Portents.

The idea behind the collection of short stories was always to put one out ahead of the release and offer it to readers for free. Generating interest and gauging the audience with no strings attached is, in my opinion, the best way to see what clicks with readers.

There are challenges with such a release. Some readers want more. The full story. The answer to every question asked. Or, because of the narrative structure, they are put off by the short story.

I am always conscious of this last fact. Every worry I carry for my work is that there isn’t enough meat to the story. Telling a rollicking tale with blockbuster-esque explosions and battles is nice, but the emotional core has to be there as well.

Resurrectionists was my attempt to do both. Offer a shorter work, a more straightforward plot, but really dig into the characters. Without scenes like Soriya in the Bypass Chamber with Mentor or Loren talking things out with Ruiz I think all the heart in the telling would have been lost.

But it would have been a helluva zombie story, wouldn’t it?

Why did it come first?

This is something I continually come back to, especially with the recent release of The Greystone Saga Volume One box set.

Every other story in the collection is in chronological order. Why the hell would I screw that up and put resurrectionistsResurrectionists first?

In typical fashion, I argued the point with the only other person involved in the process. Myself. (Very awkward…)

I wanted to keep things simple. Do things that made sense from a story perspective and have Resurrectionists take its rightful place after View from Above.

That would leave The Great Divide as the frontrunner for the collection and as the preview readers could download for free on Amazon and other retailer sites.

A Ruiz/Mentor story.

Now there is a time and place to showcase supporting cast members. Having them take the lead on the book and possibly be the first experience for new readers to discover the series is not one of them though.

Greystone centers around Loren and Soriya. Always has and always will. (maybe…) For a true experience, to really showcase the series for new potential readers I wanted to put my leads in the forefront.

Spoilers…

This might seem like a cheat to some but I also didn’t want an entire story spoiled by the Look Inside feature on Amazon and other sites. If The Great Divide led the pack then the entire story could be read (and hopefully enjoyed) for free in the preview of the collection.

Not the worst thing ever, but coupled with the idea that neither lead character was present in the tale, I felt the shift of Resurrectionists made the most sense in the long run.

Another benefit.

My other thought (SO MANY THOUGHTS) was that if a reader took advantage of the freebie version of Resurrectionists and then bought Tales, they could then skip right over the first story and dive right into the other five.

Convenient, right?

I could be wrong though. What do you think? Did I botch the experience by putting Resurrectionists first? Was it upsetting to see Resurrectionists in the collection when it is available separately for free?

Talking to myself about it over and over again only goes so far, so you tell me.

Next time:

More on Resurrectionists including pulling threads from Signs and the face of the Founder.

Thanks for reading.

Tales from Portents Connecting Factors 3

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Connecting Factor

Stories grow in the telling. They also grow in the editing phase and that tends to happen quite often with my own work. Ruiz and his relationship with his wife, Michelle, for example is one such instance of this. At the start Ruiz was little more than an ear for Loren. A minor character that assisted when he could but basically served to give Loren someone to talk to other than Soriya.

That sure as hell changed quickly.

Editing Signs of Portents, I realized how much I enjoyed Ruiz. His personality. His depth. And his relationships, both with Loren and with his wife.

When plotting The Medusa Coin, I knew Ruiz’s role was expanding with each pass. He was a vital component of the series, as much as Soriya and Loren.

Michelle started out much the same. A potential element of conflict for Ruiz but little else in terms of a character. When I explored her further, when I pulled apart their relationship and examined their family closely, I realized the potential to really build a strong background character.

Someone that helps drive Ruiz to be a better person, but also causes him to stumble because he wants to do so much for her.

The Great Divide

connecting factorWith Tales published between Signs of Portents and The Medusa Coin, I had the opportunity to put this marriage on display. I also had the chance to show the strengths and weaknesses of it from the beginning and compare it to the present day.

The Great Divide offered a glimpse at the happiness of the Ruiz family to be. How they shared all and Ruiz avoided the traps his parents fell into during his childhood. Of course, it crashes down on him.

But how to show the difference compared to the present?

Enter: The Consultant.

In the original outline, Soriya heads to the Central Precinct for information on Russell Kerr and hides at the approach of Ruiz. The focus here was more on how Loren’s absence had affected Soriya’s ability to do her work, the same as the previous chapters but that didn’t feel right to me for this moment.

And it would have been a missed opportunity.

By changing it and having Michelle call him, the reader easily recognizes the shift in their relationship from The Great Divide. It serves as a bridge, not only through the whole collection but also to The Medusa Coin where the divide comes to a head.

Resolutions are coming your way in September so get ready…

The final connection

Endings are tough. Just ask Stephen King. But they always come, some to more satisfying conclusions than others but they always have to arrive at some point.

And some are just so perfect you couldn’t ask for anything else.

Tales from Portents served as a prelude to Signs, so why not dovetail right into the first book in a natural way?

The final chapter of The Consultant does this perfectly. The text from Vlad about the missing women and the possible God involved. Soriya’s leap into the morning light of the city, ready for more fun connected the final moments of the collection to the first novel.

I tend to be overly critical with my work. (I know. Big surprise…) Not so much here.

Tales from Portents, to me was the easiest project to put together. Every piece, every connection, flowed from one story to the other naturally. Nothing was ever forced on the reader or the characters. Everything happened for a reason, every connection layered from the story itself, not shoved into the mix by my own hand.

If only every book came together so nicely…

Next time:

The BIG ONE. Resurrectionists! The whys and wherefores!

Thanks for reading.

 

The Consultant Commentary Part 2

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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.

Final messages.

When I write I don’t try to put personal philosophies over the story itself. I think that is the downfall of a strong narrative. The author has his own role but it should remain the invisible hand, not the idiot jamming rhetoric down your throat at the expense of the narrative.

Which made The Consultant stand out for me.

In the tale, there were three victims of the Cerberus. All were tied to the villain and the reason for his vengeance. They either played a direct role in tricking the guard dog of Hell or were rescued because of the trick.

There was the baker, the singer and the hero.

Two were young and vital. The baker and the singer appeared to have their whole lives ahead of them and a successful career on the way.

The hero (Heracles), however, was old and at the end of his life.

Why?

It wasn’t intentional. Believe me. I didn’t even consider what I was trying to say until I was in the editing phase. While putting the finishing touches on the narrative I realized it was a viable question to ask.

There are many answers I could offer for Heracles’ age and infirmity when the singer and baker remained at the peak of their lives.

I could brush it off as a simple fact as to how things turned out for the characters. (A cheat, for sure.)

I could speak to the irrelevance of heroes in the world today. Or their stance in the modern world. Heroes, the good people that strive to make an actual difference in the world are berated and prodded from all sides. If their morals don’t match 100% of the population they are mired in scandal, pulled apart and torn down for the all to see.

Heroes aren’t allowed in the modern world. A sad state of affairs and one I truly hope we move away from as quickly as possible.

A reflection of Soriya.

Putting aside all personal preference, the truth behind the infirmity of Heracles, is that he offered a mirror for Soriya. To see how her journey might end.

He dies alone, something she has always assumed would be the case.

It also offered a thematic tie to The Medusa Coin and its inclusion of a physical manifestation of Death. It is the ultimate test for Soriya and her encounter with the fallen Heracles plays a role in it.

Then again, maybe it means nothing at all and I’m just trying to find relevance in a simple artistic choice. That’s the fun of it all.

Thanks for reading.

The Consultant Commentary Part 1

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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 Consultant – Evolution of a tale

story researchEvery story comes from character. That is the lesson I take from everything I put together. I might start with a scene in my head, a discussion, an event, a premise, but until it connects to a main character and an arc is present it means little to me.

A story doesn’t have legs until someone can carry the load.

When putting together The Consultant, I knew it was a Soriya tale. In the absence of Loren I wanted to explore how she operated in the city. The early drafts focused on the lack of trust between her and the police and how it hampered her work.

But it wasn’t enough.

The introduction of Russell Kerr started the ball rolling in the right direction. Kerr as a surrogate to Loren offered insight into her process and her need to have someone at her side.

It also showcased her weakness, something explored further in The Medusa Coin in September. (plug, plug…)

Adding depth through story research.

Story research is great. It can add certain layers to stories you never considered. Or it can completely suck the life out a story and read more like a college paper instead of a thriller.

I enjoy the research aspect and dread it at the same time. Mostly because you can never know every angle. If I read four hundred pages on Cerberus there are still four thousand more out there that I will never get to because I have to eventually write the story.

What if I read the wrong four hundred pages? What if I take away the wrong conclusion?

A fear for sure when putting your work out into the world but there is also this:

Research builds a compelling narrative.

Having Russell Kerr, Cerberus, in the story gave me a starting point.

Until I had Cerberus in place I didn’t have a connection to the deaths involved. And they had no connection to the killer. BORING.

Research gave me my victims. What would Cerberus hunt? Who would piss off the guard dog of Hell so much that they would reach into the mortal world for revenge?

Delving into the lore of Cerberus offered me insight into its history, into its failures, and those failures gave me my victims.

The Consultant is one of my favorite stories because of the extra mile I went to include these small details. They never derailed the story, they never had to be explained by Soriya or other characters. They simply exist and add that touch, that flair, that if a reader was interested in knowing more of what was going on in the background they could do the research as well and find the answers.

I absolutely love that about the story.

Each element pulled from the research added details throughout The Consultant, and it all stemmed from character.

Easter eggs –

Russell Kerr’s name – Kerr or “cur” = dog. (Aren’t I a stinker?)

Barking at Hady Ronne – What the hell was that all about? All I can say is wait until you read The Medusa Coin! It will all make sense, I promise.

Thanks for reading.

Eyes in the Storm Commentary Part 2

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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.

Naming Characters

Finding the right name for each and every character in your novel is a difficult task. Stretch that out into dozens of novels and it can be downright frustrating. Sometimes I find it is my biggest hangup when outlining a draft.

Series can actually help because for the most part the principal players remain consistent. New characters come and go but the majority of the cast is already in place. This held true for Greystone…

Until Loren decided to move to Chicago for three months in Eyes in the Storm.

Loren’s New World

With his return to Chicago there came a need to introduce an entire new world to the Greystone series and to Loren himself. Colleagues, family, neighbors, threats… anyone that had an interaction with Loren suddenly needed a backstory (some more extensive than others) but also a freaking name!

The secret behind the names in Eyes…

I could not for the life of me figure out how to name anyone in this story. It took days to figure out a theme behind them and it only came to me while taking my kiddos out for a morning stroll.

Street names.

I know, ridiculous, right?

Kendra GIRARD, Noah SOMERTON, Blake EISEMAN, Martin SHEPPARD – all are nearby streets. Once I settled on one, I believe Eiseman was first, it just clicked for the rest and became a lot of fun to insert that connection in the story.

If I’m being all literary I could also say it played into the theme of Loren returning home and not knowing anything about his old neighborhood, something I feel as well when I walk down the streets waving to perfect strangers. But that would be a happy coincidence to the whole thing.

Name resources

I have used a few nice resources since then to come up with names in my work:

Oh, Baby Names – I was on here anyway a few years ago so I bookmarked it and have since come back time and again to find a name (and appropriate meaning) for any new or recurring character introduced. The site has a great directory, including unique baby name ideas and the most popular names.

Behind the Name – This is important, especially when trying to tie theme or a character’s arc to their name and this site offers a unique search into different thematic categories that names fall into.

Alejo was one such name I pulled from a site like this when coming up with the character and I’ll be talking more about that next year in more detail. I will say, that the meaning shaped how Ruiz’s role turned out in the series so I’m very glad sites like this exist.

A special thanks to The Write Life for posting the original article where these resources came from. They also give other great tips for coming up with names.

My important takeaway is this: naming characters is a tough racket but, thankfully, there are plenty of different avenues to explore when coming up with the perfect name for your characters. (Get it? Avenues? Street names? No? Yes? Maybe?)

Next time

The Consultant begins. A look at the research side of things when developing a plot.

Thanks for reading.

Eyes of the Storm Commentary Part 1

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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.

Greg Loren, lone wolf.

Greg LorenThere is such a thing as getting too comfortable with a series. Too formulaic. Too stuck in one mode of thinking. Every chance I get to create a new tale in the world of Greystone is a chance to tell something new and I am very much aware of the been there, done that factor.

So when I was outlining the different stories presented in Tales, I knew there were many ways to take the characters. There were no limitations on timeline or specific events so it really opened the door for new looks at each of the principal players in the cast.

Soriya’s solo appearance in The Consultant came together first. It snapped together like a giant jigsaw puzzle pretty quickly from the onset. It was clear from writing that piece when it took place. It ends right where Signs of Portents picks up, dovetailing directly into her investigation into the Night Owls bar.

So what was Loren doing during this time?

That question alone started the ball rolling on what became Eyes in the Storm.

Cases, especially those handled by these two characters are typically handled together. Greg Loren is a man out of place in the true city of Portents. So what happens when he has to fly solo? How does he handle things on his own? How does the world look to Loren from outside the influence of Soriya Greystone?

That was my starting point.

Comfort zones

It isn’t only about breaking away from my comfort zone when plotting new tales in this world to keep the series fresh when creating. It’s about pushing the characters out of theirs as well.

Eyes in the Storm offered a chance to do that by putting Loren in a situation on his own, away from Soriya and away from Portents. Yet completely entwined on some level.

At a time when he wants nothing to do with anything from his past. He’s left it behind, fallen so far he can’t afford another mistake, just as it pulls him right back into it. Forcing Loren to face the world introduced by Soriya on his own, without the safety net of the Greystone in the mix, was the ultimate test for Greg Loren as a character and one I was very happy to see come together.

The Chicago way.

Eyes in the Storm also answered one of the main points on display throughout Signs of Portents. Loren’s time in Chicago. He ran away from Portents, hoping to reconnect with the city of his birth and the family he left behind. He mentioned it several times in the first novel of the series.

It felt wrong not showing it off, at least for a moment.

Connecting to Portents

Another important element for this story was keeping it connected with everything else going on, especially the city of Portents itself. These are tales FROM Portents so having that connective tissue, those threads in place, was something I was very cognizant of when outlining.

The idea that the staff of Chaac traveled through Portents first became that thread. Did something happen to the staff during this trip to allow it to possess Owen Chase? Was it like this prior to its visit to Portents? If you were left with these questions, that was intentional. I wanted to keep it vague, to keep the mystery of Portents and the true city very much in the background for both the reader and Greg Loren.

Portents, in my mind, is the center of this series. It plays as much a role in the way events occur as any character in the book. Just as it plays an important role in who Greg Loren is as a character.

Next time –

Eyes in the Storm continues next week.

Thanks for reading.

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