Starting to sketch characters. I think I’m doing it right.
Started something new tonight, provisionally called Undertaken, though that might change. It’s a novella I conceived with Jack, a long-time friend and longer-time drinking buddy, about an undertaker who sifts through the memories of corpses, usually with the intention of providing touching tributes for the recently-bereaved to ogle. Then a miracle drug that turns humanity into a race of immortals enters the market, effectively destroying his consumer base; meanwhile, the memories of one unknown client lead to a race against time to prevent the end of the world. It’s tense, blackly comic, and actually deals with Biblical prophecy (which is not a thing I ever saw myself covering, but there we go).
I’m very excited about this. I’m dedicating my current book to Arden, because without my fiancé I would never have mustered the motivation to get Dystopolis together, but the spark for this one currently lies solely with Jack, who had the initial idea and helped flesh out the full plan over a bottle of this. I’m being a little mischievous, getting started on this without him, but my aim is to make sure that it’s suffused with the original spirit through and through: funny, occasionally silly, and deliciously dark.
Starting a new project.