I swore up and down, mostly to myself, that I wouldn’t write another novel, having gone through the wringer with Danger Peak, both in terms of crafting the story and getting it published, but a lot changes over time. For one, I already have a publisher, so that solves half the equation. For another, I actually missed the act of writing (if you don’t count these blogs). The art of creating something out of nothing and getting lost in my imagination make all the anguish of trying to find the right word worth it. So here I go again with Book 2 (title forthcoming).

As I mentioned in a previous blog, this will not be a sequel to Danger Peak (I promise there are no dead siblings in this one!), though I would classify it as a “spiritual sequel,” if that makes any sense, in that it takes place around the same time as my first book. (Do the Wild Boars make a very brief cameo in it? Maaaaybe…) The new book also covers similar themes. This time, however, I take the themes to the Nth degree.

A major theme of Danger Peak is about growing up, which makes sense since the tale is a coming-of-age story, but I’ve always felt I only lightly touched upon this subject. I wanted to really push myself and ask what happens when everything you’ve known in life—basically, your childhood—is more or less obliterated? Especially from a main character who, unlike Robert Kin, refuses to grow up? How do you adapt while remaining unadaptable? Also, something truly INSANE happens halfway through the book. Have I piqued your interest yet?

If you’ll excuse my love of alliteration for a moment, this next book is a cavalcade of contradictions and conundrums:

1. The title, which I’m not revealing yet, is simultaneously unique yet similar sounding to a bunch of other books. (I checked on Amazon.)
2. It takes place over a much longer period of time than Danger Peak (the events cover the course of a year and a few months, while Danger Peak only covered a few weeks, if you don’t count the Epilogue), and yet the book is only slightly longer.
3. It’s more autobiographical than Danger Peak and yet also more supernatural (the aforementioned insanity).
4. Overall, there isn’t as much action in the book as Danger Peak, which makes sense since Danger Peak is very much an action-adventure novel and this one very much isn’t, but the finale of the new book has tons more action than the finale of Danger Peak. In fact, there are two finales.

I’m sure none of this makes any sense, but it will once you read it, especially if you understand my writing style. What I’m worried about, however, is that it’s an experimental book and not as commercial as Danger Peak (not that Danger Peak made me rich). There is a lot of ground I need to cover in the first half of the book because this story requires a big setup worthy of its huge payoff. For those who don’t have the patience to wait for the action, I’m afraid you might abandon the book before giving it a chance (or getting to that insane part). Without giving too much away, much like my first novel, the setup is there for a reason. The major theme of this book is the death of childhood, so each chapter in the beginning is either a celebration of a specific part of childhood or a sign of it dying. Again, all of this will make much more sense when you read it.

Finally (and this part might be giving too much away), a major difference of this book from the last one is that at the end of Danger Peak (Spoiler Alert!), Robert more or less gets what he wants, and it’s considered a good thing. In this book, I tried challenging myself by asking, “What would happen if the hero got what he wanted, but it was a bad thing?” Needless to say, the new novel will be darker and a little scary at times. The tone is tricky; it can be both silly and spooky, like a classic “Twilight Zone” episode or a good Halloween story. Also, as my Fifth Grade teacher might complain, it’s “a little violent,” but it has to be. It’s about growing up.

MTP

P.S.: Next blog: The Major Announcement I Was Talking About (It’ll happen this month, but I don’t know exactly when.)

P.P.S.: Danger Peak is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

• Amazon