Transitions

It has now been nearly three months since Lucas Black was first published.

Having the first set of feedback come in has caused me to see the work with a new set of eyes. My attention has been drawn to the leitmotif of transitions in the novel; the shifting scenarios, time settings and even characters that run throughout.

Still something knits them all tightly together, and in transition and change there holds continuity and integrity. It has been delightful for me as the author, to hear which aspects of the story jump out at people, which lines, themes or concepts most impacted them. It's nice to hear, "such and such was an innovative concept, I like that perspective." Of course at other times what I hear is, "I don't believe you paired this up with that other, I did not expect that."

One of the great aspects of fiction production is the sensation of discovery, of traversing a nebulous path that you know must lead somewhere. All across the board the reviews have been phenomenal for David's masterful performance in the audiobook. As we speak my wife is on the last hour of the narration and she is duly impressed. I was also scolded by what she perceived to be a not so subtle parody of her person in the book.

My uncle Greg and I were discussing the freedom of being a fiction writer, and he was fascinated by the power inherent in it. He said, "so if you want to you can make characters appear, and just as easily you can make them disappear, right?" To which I replied, "it's all a work of fiction, uncle Greg. Everything you see and all the people around are just something Somebody else made up."