My Novel's Journey: Gapman: Getting back on the horse

It seems oddly appropriate that with the Avengers movie coming out, I would finally be starting my own superhero novel, Gapman.  Like Live and Let Fly, Gapman is a spoof set in the DragonEye, PI universe.

Ronnie Engleson, a mild-mannered entertainment reporter, visits the set of a superhero play happening in Faerie, where he falls into a vat of magically created toxic waste, gets bitten by a radioactive pixie, and is struck by lightning while crossing the Interdimensional Gap.  The next day, he wakes up with superpowers.

Superpowers, of course, do not always mean super-effectiveness, and Ronnie wrecks a lot of havoc trying to do good for the city of Los Lagos.  The Chief of Police finally calls in Vern to catch the superpowered pain-in-the-behind, but Grace has a better idea.  Someone has put out a contract on Vern and she thinks a superhero could be the back-up he needs.  She convinces Vern to train him instead.  So Vern is stuck with a superpowered pain-in-the-tail for a padawan.

Things are heating up in Los Lagos between the Mundane Purists and the Faerie.  When the secret leader of the Pure Humans comes to town just as the Faerie Pope makes his first historic visit, Vern and his new padawan discover a conspiracy to tear the city apart--and Faerie-Mundane relations with it.  Can Gapman hero-up in time to stop a raging tide of bigotry from destroying his beloved city?

This is an off-the-cuff summary, as you can tell, and reflects my pantster nature.  The characters have not fully revealed their intentions or the evil plot.  (No supervillain this time; Gapman needs time to train up.)

My first challenge this time is simply getting started again after a long break of not writing fiction.  In February, I finished Old Man and the Void, and then had to stop to prepare for the Catholic Writers Conference online and the Live and Let Fly book tour; then I edited Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco, and polished Old Man for crits.  So it was nearly three months before I started Gapman.  I had about 9000 words from a previous start, plus scenes I'd played with in workshops.

First, I read the scenes and start to familiarize myself with the characters.  Then I got some cards and brainstormed more scenes.  I thought it might push me into knowing the book, but after adding a few, I felt like I was shooting blindly, so I stopped.  I finally reverted back to the old standby: BICHOK.  (Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard.)  I had to make myself just write and trust the characters to lead me.

So far, that's working.  Ronnie led me to his first super-hero adventure (in which he gives a guy a concussion, messes up evidence, and gets Vern and Grace in trouble) and gave me a new angle on the evil plan.

Here's a snippet from that scene.  Ronnie doesn't have a superhero costume yet, and is using a tarp as a cape. (It was raining.)  Vern and Grace are at the police station getting grilled by Detective Vialpando after the adventure:

I wondered briefly if that's why the guy I saw was hanging around.  There was something weird about that bum, but I couldn't put my claw on it.  As a result, I didn't mention him to Vialpando.  Thorough detective he was, he'd probably go find the guy and rough him up for answers he didn't have.  Vialpando stayed just enough on the side of lawfulness and good that he stayed in Captain Santry's good graces, but he was a bully at heart, and lately, he'd been pushing it.

"And that's what I don't get," he voice, though level rang with accusation.  "You say they kidnap the retarded redcap kid--some kind of gang thing, you said--"

"That's what Jose thought, and the boys are Real Humans," Grace replied with insufferable calm.

Vialpando exploded out of the chair and slammed his hands in front of her.  "Then why the hell are the only injured people some John Doe, the three Real Humans on the floor and another kid up on the balcony?"

Grace didn't even blink at his outburst, although her tone took on just a bit of scolding.  She'd battled demigods and demons--and more to the point, had taught Catholic school.  "Perhaps asking them would produce some answers?"

"Maybe when the kid from the balcony wakes up, I will.  What'd you do to him, Grace?  I've got a specialist that says he was knocked back twenty feet and slammed into a concrete wall."

My story is in Corrupts, Absolutely?, a superhero anthology!

We interrupt My Novel's Journey to announce that my story, "Illusion" is in the anthology, Corrupts, Absolutely? from Damnation Books.  

ABSOLUTE POWER…

The only family member to survive the 9/11 attacks. A sidekick-turned-construction-worker. The teenaged products of an institute for unwanted metahuman children. The man who can make anyone do anything. Are they heroes? Are they villains? Sometimes they’re both. Often, even at the same time.

Corrupts Absolutely? collects twenty brand-new stories from veteran authors and newcomers, each with a unique perspective on what it might really be like to be superhuman in today’s day and age. In the center of such a roiling mass of uncertainty and excitement lies one important truth: the fight against good or evil is never as important as the fight for or against oneself.

Contributors: Weston Ochse, Jeff Strand, Joe McKinney, Cat Rambo, A.D. Spencer, A.S. Fox, Andrew Bourelle, Anthony Laffan, Edward M. Erdelac, Jason Gehlert, Jason M. Tucker, Jeremy Hepler, Karina Fabian, Kris Ashton, Lee Mather, Lincoln Crisler, Malon Edwards, Tim Marquitz, Trisha J. Wooldridge, Wayne Helge, Wayne Ligon, and William Todd Rose.

As you can see, I'm in good company, which is always exciting.  My own story, "Illusions," is about Deryl Stephens from Mind Over Mind.  It takes place years before the book when he first gets his telepathic abilities and has no control over what thoughts enter his head.  It's pretty harrowing.  Here's an excerpt:

Even before he opened his eyes, the assault began: discontent about leaving a warm bed to put on the chilly school uniforms, dread at another day of facing bullies and disapproving teachers; eagerness to hang out with friends, fear of a math test, excitement about the math test, eagerness for the week to end and see parents, sisters, girlfriends.  So many thoughts.

None of them his.

Think about the sheets: soft and warm, the blanket nice and heavy over me, like a cocoon.  Smell the laundry soap.  Laundry soap, not deodorant.  Cotton sheets, not polyester blend pants.  Dark and dry, not echo-y and steamy.  My name is Deryl Stephens…

He pulled the covers over his head and fought against the dizzying onslaught of thoughts as his dormmates prepared for the day.  This early upon awakening, the chaos of their minds brought nausea more than pain.  He'd learned that if he breathed slowly though his mouth and concentrated on physical sensations and his mantra, he could usually stay calm and fake sleep until the room cleared.  It didn't matter if he missed breakfast; he'd be too sick to eat, anyway.  Later, when his waking mind had better control, the queasiness would leave and the headaches would start.  Enough medicine, and he could bear those.  Besides, if the Master had taught him one thing, it was how to handle pain.

There'd be less pain if I did what the Master wanted. 

He felt himself scowling, even though no one could see him.  If disobedience meant pain, he'd deal with the pain.  He was not going to attack other humans, not even in his dreams.  He'd already learned how easy it was to lash out at others--how much he could enjoy it if he let the Master lead him down that path.  He couldn’t always keep track of who he was anymore, but he knew one thing:  he was not a killer.

The distant hum of thoughts told him the room had emptied.  At last, he could get up, shower and steel himself for the day.

 You can get Corrupts, Absolutely? in e-book or print direct from Damnation Books or Amazon.  And if you enjoy "Illusions," I hope you'll read about Deryl as older, stronger and more cynical in Mind Over Mind.