Originally written on 25 July 2016, 29 July 2016, and 06 August 2016

Novella description/blurb

Adam wants you to know that he really, truly has no idea what’s going on. He’s just as freaked out as you are. One minute, you’re reading about him here, and the next, he’s standing right beside you. Something about him seems wrong, but those emerald eyes of his make everything seem okay. Do you even wonder how you know his name is Adam?

He’s impossible. No one can leap from the page. But there Adam stands, real as life. More real. He insists he’s just as confused, and his emerald eyes make him all the more believable. But, wait, he never said his name.

Julia called out to the pool hall’s regular. He waved, smiling for all he was worth. He had every right to be happy; Julia had saved him from a rabid werewolf last Tuesday. She grabbed a menu and set it on his usual table. She’d gotten this job after she drove off some angry ghosts for the owner. Julia was an accomplished witch, and really liked her little corner of Detroit. Then Coll brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

Julia waved to the pool hall’s regular. He waved back, smiling for all he was worth. He had every right to be happy; she’d saved him from a rabid werewolf last Tuesday. She grabbed a menu and set it on his usual table. She’d driven off a couple of angry ghosts from the place, and the owner had given her this job. She was a pretty good witch, and really liked her little corner of Detroit. Then Coll brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

Julia waved to the pool hall’s regular. He waved back, smiling for all he was worth. He had every right to be happy; she’d saved him from a rabid werewolf last Tuesday. She grabbed a menu and set it on his favorite table. A while ago, she’d driven off a couple of angry ghosts, and the owner had given her this job. She was a damn good witch, and really liked her corner of Detroit. Then Coll brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

Julia waved to the regular as he walked in the door. He waved back, smiling for all he was worth. He had every right to be happy; she’d saved him from a rabid werewolf last Tuesday. She grabbed a menu and set it on his favorite table. She’d loved the pool hall long before she’d driven off a couple of angry ghosts, and landed the server gig. She loved her little corner of Detroit, and was a good enough witch to take care of it. Until Coll brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

Julia waved to the regular as he walked in the door. He waved back, smiling for his worth. He had every right to be happy; with her help, he’d survived his first werewolf change. She grabbed a menu and set it on his favorite table. She winked at her boss as she picked up drinks for table three. Julia had cleared out a couple of angry ghosts, and the owner had given her this job. She loved her little corner of Detroit, and did what she could to take care of it. Then Coll brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

FINAL VERSION

Julia waved to the regular as he walked in the door. He waved back, smiling for all he was worth. While he was picking a pool cue, she set a drink menu on his favorite table. Her boss waved her over to the bar.

“Listen, about those ghosts you cleared out…”

“Pat, don’t even worry about it. Happy to help.”

“Thanks. These drinks need to go to table three.”

Julia loved her little corner of Detroit, and did whatever she could to take care of it.

Then Coll walked in, right as her shift ended, with a look on his face she’d never seen before. He brought in that gun, and everything fell apart.

Originally written on 23 January 2016, 26 February 2016, and 7 March 2016

What am I trying to accomplish in the next chapter?

• Susan will unearth Walter’s search pattern, and use her ties and Sight to locate the gun.
• Nat will go shopping for clothes. For Grace. Her eyes will turn green. Officer Juan will chaperone, and will notice.
• As Susan and Adam approach the gun, and are negotiating with the scavenger vampires that have it, Susan is summoned to the one who turned her.
• They ready to leave the treasure behind, and are confronted by Walter’s demon.
• Vampire/Demon fight ensures.
• Adam eventually sends the demon back to its home, breaking the pact, and signaling Walter to his presence.

Questions that will need answering:

• How will Susan unearth Walter’s search pattern?
• Will Nat speak to Susan again before she disappears?
• Will Nat have a greater control over her slide out of the story?
• Should Adam get the gun so soon? Is it as soon as it feels?
• What, exactly, is Walter’s search pattern?
• How will he eventually find the scavenging vampires?
• How does Susan react to the scavengers?

Answers:

• Yeong-cheol doesn’t like debts. When Susan’s info proves reliable, despite its crazy, they meet so he can do something for her.
• Nat should show up again in the next chapter, and Susan should get to see her one last time.
• Walter knows he’s inside a story, and might even know details about the story, like genre. He won’t be surprised or taken aback by vampires, but he may not expect them, either.
• Walter is a researcher. His search pattern isn’t physical, it’s a paper trail of coincidence and unlikelihood that echo the Cavern’s influence upon the fictional world.
• The CPD has the reports filed by Nat’s partners, which had pieced together Walter’s trail, enough to find the demon. Yeong-cheol has someone in the CPD, and after discovering that they have the same info he does, he gets the reports to pay Susan back.
• When this is all laid out for her, Susan will have an additional appreciation for her sister’s brilliance. It’ll make her possible disappearance that much more painful.
• Do I switch POV for Nat’s shopping? I haven’t switched POV yet in three chapters, so there’s no established pattern. Will the work be long enough to begin switching POV in chapter 4, or is it too late? How else would I show that?
  • Officer Juan will call Susan and run down the experience of being asked to accompany Nat clothes shopping, and then helping her while she purchased several changes of clothes for someone who is a size sixteen.
  • This needs to come after the pattern is discovered, when she’s tweaking about Nat leaving.