The path forward and behind

As I have worked on this series,  I have discovered several things I have wanted to integrate in. From changing Lorelei from a passive character to the incorporation of Reagan Dawn to the development of Taft high, I have strived to make a better story.

Each story has been better I feel than the last. Holes have been filled. Gaps in the narrative that have been filled with stories that illuminate paths. I feel that each has been a journey that is a destination leading to another.

Yet, as I continue I discovered the is no established order you all know. If you go to Barnes and Noble or Amazon (Sorry, that print bound is so high that’s them not me.)  I have 3 books for sale that are in a specific order. That’s not really the order I wanted, I discovered today.

So here is the order I have settled on. This won’t change. I will make a total of nine books/slash stories. Some won’t be for sale in bound form, others will. The current order is for bound form. So to begin:

First set of three is: Songs of the fall

1. Midnight train song
2. Song of the Gyre
3. Heartbeat Song

These songs revolve around Lorelei. How she mets Tom, her life at Taft High, her opposition and ultimately her sacrifice which is fulfills part of the ‘Restorer of the breach’ prophecy.   Midnight train song is available now. I am currently working on Song of the Gyre. Its a version of the glee fan fic ‘Center cannot hold’ however it doesn’t follow the same plot. Center Cannot hold is a wrapper for episode 2 of glee. This isn’t.

Song of the Gyre deals with Shae Nyx and her opposition of Lorelei because she is jealous of her. She has Kent but treats with contempt. She sees her a queen bitch who has everything and doesn’t care about anyone. Shae figures that if she topples her and steals Kent she will get want she wants.

Lorelie on the other hand, sees Kent as a small minded person polluted by the lies of the warriors of Dagon and needs to separate from him. Its hard because she wants a boyfriend to lean on. When Shae challenges her, she uses that to her own advantage and lets her take Kent. During all this she gets the first sides of the coming attack on the school however she has no clue what part she will play.

HeartBeat Song deals with the actual attack on Taft High. In later books like Song of Betrayal and Homecoming song this is refernced at the Taft High massacre. (which happened 4 days before Virigina Tech making it the worst week for school deaths in US history.) This story starts with Lorelei in first person POV but finishes with Tom’s POV. You see how he meets people he associates with in later novels including Brad from Faking It.

It will be the darkest book I will write. It will detail how truly bad the warriors of Dagon are and how they came to be. It will have some lovecraftian elements in them but I decided that there is no Cthulu in my reality at leats not in the sense of a sentient deity. A sentient being yes. Even the dolphin are sentient in my reality so why not octopi?

I have several pages of it done, but put it on pause to do song of the gyre which I though would simply be an edit of Center cannot hold. It took a life of its own which ultimately is a good thing.

The second set of three: Siren songs

1. Song of Betrayal
2. Song of Restoration
3. Homecoming Song

These set of stories revolve around Gwen who hasn’t been a main character in the first group. In fact, what you see of Gwen is her pre-massacre personality which as mix of grace and raw force. She’s much more aggressive and harsh because she feels everything can be solved with a song.  She has yet to see the error of this path as her mirror, Aria, isn’t in her life yet.

All three of these books have been written. Song of Betrayal and Homecoming Song are available to read now. As for Song Of Restoration, it is awaiting the final edit which I will do once I finish writing HeartBeat Song.

The third set of three: Songs of Hope

I actually haven’t settled on the titles for these yet so I am not going to pull up titles that eventually won’t be used. Nevetheless, these stories will revolve around the fulfillment of the ‘restorer of the breach’ as well as the final end to the warriors of Dagon. You will see Gwen as a successful musician on par with Taylor Swift & Ella Fitgerald. These are also the stories that will reveal the differences between this world and ours.

There are significant differences outside of Gwen’s path and the fact mermaids exist. I have elaborated on several. There are more I haven’t. Once I publish Song of Restoration, I will have a better idea exact what changes are doable without making the general stream hard.

Sadly, ceratin individuals I would like to remove would alter the timeline too much for my taste so I have to leave them be. Others aren’t so lucky. As I have said before, There is no Kayne West, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Justin Beiber or Miley Cyrus in my 2016 for various reasons I have established. All have had opportunies that have led them to success or survival. Flip the coin (rescue the label or apply a little more impact in the car crash) and they aren’t there.

Another example is NWA. Without Gerald E. “Jerry” Heller, they wouldn’t have formed. He served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam meaning he was drafted in 1958 when he turned 18. If he was killed while serving, there you go. Eazy-E would have founded Ruthless records alone and it wouldn’t have survived. Eventually him and dr. Dre would end up in jail.

As of this point, I haven’t settled on NWA. They don’t interfer with Gwen’s path. I perfer to not deviate if I dont have too. Besides Heller early death doesn’t just affect Eazy-E, it effects  Elton John and Pink Floyd too.

Also, there are several other stories that are outside this group of 9. Like the stories involing Aria’s mother, the ones involving Amy and Karma and those in previous eras. These build the background and bring lit to other areas.

I hope you are looking forward to these stories as much as I am. Thanks for all of you who are stopping by, whether to support ‘Faking it’ read other items or simply support Mermaid fiction. Enjoy.

 

Reagan and Malcolm ‘Before the coronation’

I know I promised some though but life always seems to happen right after I promise things, so here is a short. (the Taft High News blurb is coming)

As Malcolm came too, he saw the familiar figure of his friend over him. He saw sweat glimmer on Reagan’s face in the dim light of the closet. He blinked slowly to chase away the blurry vision and he slowly sat up. His head was throbbing and he tasted the metallic ting of blood in his mouth. He groaned and closed his eyes again, the world spinning.

“What happened…?” He asked in a weak and wavering voice. She sat on her knees and bit her bottom lip, tears dripping down her cheeks slowly.

“Jordan was. . .” she gulped, eyes wide. “I-I don’t even know what happened! The room went dark and then there was something with us,” She took a shaky breath and her hands curled into fists. She wiped away a tear and tried to compose herself.

“There was this THING that oozed in through the walls. Small with sharp teeth and claws. It was like looking at a shadow, every time you moved the thing distorted and seemed to change shape. The only light was their eyes, they were glowing but there was no light…” She swallowed past a lump in her throat and her hands seemed to be trembling now.

“Everybody ran out, but I saw what happened. The thing climbed on top of her and just bit down. She screamed, and I felt something on my face. Like walking in mist at night. I didn’t know what it was, but the sound . . . It sounded like blowing bubbles in milk through a straw. Gurgling! It was like gurgling. I think it was her. It sounded like she was drowning . .”

“So where is she now?” He asked, leaning in to comfort her.

“Gone. After the horrible sound, it just melted away into the night. Do you think Dagon has such…” she gasped, covering her mouth in horror as she saw all the blood splattered on the ground.

“We have to leave.” He turned his face to her kneeling as she stared downward. “Reagan, we can tell Princess Gwen when we see her.”

“When we see her she will be minutes from being ‘Queen Gwendolyn of the house Istan.’ I can’t interrupt it for that, even if its from Dagon.” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she turned the knob, opening the doorway to the Regal Colonnade. Malcolm glanced around the empty bedroom one last time, grim and shaking his head.

Mirrors of life reflected back

As we all know there was a shooting in Lafayette last night done by John Russell “Rusty” Houser who methodically shot 11 people in a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater on Thursday night using a handgun he legally purchased from an Alabama pawn shop.
Normally, I don’t use this blog as a commentary on the news unless it relates to my novel so this, considering where and when sadly fits.
While I am deeply saddened by the events and am reminded that certain people should never have access to firearms, I find myself in the unusual position of being able to use this tragedy to help define my world.
So there will be various news reports about the Taft High school Massacre using the source material provided.
Don’t know what the Taft High school Massacre is or when?
Its one of 2 fictional events that is the underpinning of the Song of the assembly series. More about it specifically is in the Gwen Breton Wikipedia entry.
Gwen and Aria would both be horrified and angry. Each would invest money into the situation. However, this event would have happened really close to Gwen’s coronation day. This is Gwen’s 25th year and a princess is made queen at age 25.
You see where I am going? So Mr Houser will be folded into the history of my story universe as another Warrior of Dagon.
While the media will chew on this for a while, this is the only post I will make regarding the reality of the situation.
As for the Novel, nothing new. I am a quarter way through. Reagan who you met in Homecoming song is now a full character and her story will connect from the novel to there.

So until the morrow, may your waters be warm and full of life.