Putting together projects, building narratives through different structures or platforms, is one of the best parts of writing. I absolutely love toying with a formula, messing with a genre, and tweaking expectations just a little when coming up with my next book or series.
This week alone, I am outlining a book with a split narrative. It’s incredibly challenging in terms of pacing and I hope it pulls together, but part of the fun is in seeing where it works and where it deters from a reader’s enjoyment.
Which brings me to my upcoming Greystone serial.
Why a serial?
I’m a comic book nerd. That format, the 22-page (now 20-page) chapter of a larger story, is pretty much soaked into my bloodstream. Creating a piece of a story and having a thread carry that narrative into the next chapter, then again and again until the end of the arc was a challenge I wanted to take with this Greystone project.
12 parts. 8 chapters each. Go.
The Army in the Obelisk
That’s the title. It is the largest Greystone project to date, by at least 15,000 words. It’s a Soriya/Loren adventure ripped right from the beginning of their partnership. Readers can place it between the events of Gremlins and View from Above (both found in Tales from Portents).
Egyptian mythology and history is at the heart of this one. Doing the research was one of the real treats for this serial. All the elements needed to connect, either through fact or thematically.
There is more in the serial as well. Different creatures, different threats, different ways to move the narrative ahead. There will be Soriya and Loren moments. There will be solo Soriya parts and solo Loren parts. Standish is back as well.
All the hallmarks you’ve come to enjoy will be present. The title is only the start of the reveals.
You keep teasing this one, Lou. When can I read it?
That’s a tricky question to answer. I wanted to have it set to launch in May 2020. That was my original deadline.
Then the world imploded.
So did my writing schedule.
With my lovely family in isolation with me, I’ve let drafting take a backseat to outlining and scripting. Those tasks are less intensive (believe it or not) and give me the wiggle-room I need to be with my kids during this incredibly trying time.
My current plan is be back on Army in the Obelisk in September, no matter what happens with the world.
I want you to read this one. I want you to come back every month for a new part of the story, dying to find out what happens. (Wait, Osiris from Pathways in the Dark is in it too? How cool is that?)
You will be the first to hear about the launch date. That is my promise to you.
Maybe a nice Christmas present for you after the nightmare of 2020. That sounds nice, doesn’t it?
