There's a Lot More Creepiness Below

Have you read Children of the Mechanism? It seems to be one of my more consistently read and appreciated novels. When I created the weird, dark factory world of the novel, there was a lot I thought about but didn't have a reason to delve into during the story. There's some very strange stuff going on throughout that mysterious factory.

Well, I'm slowly working my way through the sequel. It doesn't even have a title yet. It's just called Children of the Mechanism 2, and I'm going rather slow because I have another full-time job that gets in the way. However, I've churned out five solid chapters. Maybe you'd like to read the rough opening paragraphs? Okay, why not? Here you go:

Children of the Mechanism 2

Chapter One: The Bones Under the Bed

“Never open that door,” the old father said, tipped to one side on his chair, the loose skin of his jowls quivering as he struggled to sit up. “Never open that door, Gis, not for any reason, not for anything in the world.”

The incessant, rhythmic tapping from the end of the hall continued unabated, every metallic clank climbing Gis’s spine and settling at the base of his skull until he could scarcely stand it. The sound had begun in the middle of lunch and continued now long after he’d tossed the residue of the old father’s food into the Refuse Hole. Would it never end?

“But, Father, who is doing this?” Gis asked. “Who is making the terrible sound?”

The old father finally managed to sit up, flopping back against the high headrest of the chair. With a shaky hand, he pushed his wispy white hair back against his skull. His robe hung loosely these days, like a big blanket draped over his shoulders. Gis was tempted to believe the old father changed clothes at night while the children slept, gradually putting on bigger and bigger robes, but he knew this wasn’t the case. The ancient food stains on the front of the robe were the same as ever, years of dribbled meat juice soaking into the gray fabric.

“Listen to me carefully, Gis,” the old father said, dragging his bent fingers through the wild spray of his white beard. “There is something very dangerous on the other side of that door. That’s why we never open it. That’s why we never even touch it.”

“But, Father, you told me the door can’t open,” Gis said, lingering in the entryway of the old father’s bedroom, idly dragging his heel against the smooth carpet. “You said it’s not a real door. You said it many times.”

“I’m just trying to keep you away from it, Gis. I will say whatever I must say to keep you away from it.”

The tapping stopped for a moment, and Gis breathed a sigh of relief. It was like the sudden end of a long nightmare. But then it started up a moment later, and all of his nerves were immediately on edge. He wanted to claw at something, to dig into his own skin, to bite the carpet, or break one of the old father’s dainties on the shelves. 

Tap-tap-tap, like metal against metal. Gis couldn’t stand it. He hated it more than he’d hated anything since the Many Deaths.

“But what if this sound never stops?” he said. “How will we…?” How will I not go crazy? How will I not pull the rest of my teeth out and throw myself into the Refuse Hole?

+ + +

There you go. One of these days, the sequel will be ready. In the meantime, if you haven't read the original, check it out by clicking the image: 

Everyone Loves a Nice Mechanism

Of all my novels, this particular bleak little tale has been selling most consistently the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure why, but I figured I'd talk about it a little bit.

It's one of the bleakest things I've written, set in one of the more evocative settings--a sprawling, windowless factory filled with massive oily machines. Picture it. Smell the grease and the warm metal and the mysterious grimy filth. Within the factory, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of rooms, most of them sealed behind locked doors. And within these rooms, you'll find the saddest child slaves you've ever imagined, rag-draped Dickensian wretches doing endless menial tasks day after day. 

Cruel robots called Watchers guard them, punish them when they fail to work, and feed them hideous gray food bricks once a day. Doesn't that sound uplifting? I actually think it is one of the more uplifting things I've written.

The book introduces us to four main characters.

Bik, a mostly hairless, tiny thing in the filthiest scrap of a robe you've ever seen. He spends his days polishing mysterious purple rocks using a harsh chemical polish.

Hen, an emotionally disconnected girl who does her best to avoid personal interaction, she spends her days climbing up and down a towering contraption called the Mechanism, like a little bug.

Ekir, a bent-backed boy, much abused by an older supervisor named Ous, he spends his days preparing and serving meals on a nice table in a lush dining room and then cleaning up afterward when nobody eats the food. Nobody ever eats the food.

Kuo, a damaged and possibly disturbed young man who spends his days climbing up and own the enormous fat folds of a headless monster called the Grong, feeding it meat paste from a bucket. He might be losing his mind.

These four eventually cross paths and descend into the bowels of the factory, uncovering secrets and horrors beyond description.

If you've never read the book, let me encourage you to do so. 

For a deeper look at the meaning behind the story, check out this luscious article!

To check out the book, click on the book cover above.

Embrace the Sadness

I am of the opinion that the best and most effective stories need a few truly sad moments. I don't mean the dainty kind of sadness with a sigh and a single tear. What I'm talking about is a soul-crushing moment of hopeless despair, where we peer into the void. Work a few of those into your story, and people won't soon forget the experience of reading it.

For example, there's the testimony of the ghost from The Vale of Ghosts:

“It happens to all of us. As time passes, everything we ever knew or saw or heard, every person we ever touched or loved, they all drop away, leaving us with nothing but the vague and choking need to escape.”

That's not nearly the saddest moment in the book. Of course, what affects the writer deepest might not affect readers in the same way. For me personally, as I wrote the thing, the saddest moment comes in the basement of a cathedral in Tilieth. Not to give too much away, but it involves our protagonist making an emotional confession.

The bleakest thing I ever wrote is Children of the Mechanism. It's got a few of those horrible, hopeless moments, along with some truly wretched, miserable little characters who suffer far more than they deserve to.

The sad moments start early on. I'd be curious to know which bleak moment of despair hits readers the hardest. For me as the writer, it involved the character of Hen and her tragic interactions with a girl named Tag. And this thought:

I told you to wait, one thought resounding over and over. I told you to wait.

Actually, there's possibly a sadder moment, and it involves a character saying this:

“You were so brave and so strong. I have to do something now, Bik, and don’t you follow me.”

So what is your opinion on sad scenes? Do you enjoy a story with some truly heart-rending bleak moments? What are some scenes from various novels that have deeply affected you?

By the way, the paperback giveaway is still going on! Check out the previous blog entry for details.

The Mechanism is Complete

Okay, I finally finished the first draft of Children of the Mechanism. It wound up being a little longer than I thought it would be (by about 10,000 words). Some quick stats, in case you happen to care. The novel is 102,980 words (roughly the same length as Mary of the Aether), comprised of ten parts (each of which has three chapters). The titles of the parts are as follows:

1 – Stick Boys

2 – Bugs on the Mechanism

3 – The Master’s Shadow

4 – Feeding the Grong

5 – Mice in the Corridors

6 – Breakers on the Move

7 – Strange Doors

8 – Monsters with Fat Stomachs

9- The Bottom of the World

10 – A New Light

There you go. More importantly, what is it about? It's about slaves living and working in the bowels of a massive and mysterious factory, watched over my cruel robots. We are introduced to four different slaves whose destinies will slowly converge as strange things begin to happen in the factory.

This is a story and these are characters who have been with me a long time. Remember, the original short story, "Stick Boys," goes all the way back to 1994. It's a world I have wanted to fully explore for a long time, and I hope it works. Time will tell, as the long process of rewriting begins.

Just you wait for parts four, eight and nine. Oh my goodness. If you thought Shadows of Tockland was too mild, you'll really like this one. It has no clowns, of course, but it does have the Grong. Oh, that Grong. He doesn't do much, but he's a lovely little thing. Just you wait and see.

Images and Mechanisms

Well, progress has slowed somewhat with my latest novel, Children of the Mechanism, in the last couple of weeks as I was in the middle of relocating to a new city and involved in job hunting and such. However, I am but three chapters from the end now. I just wrote what has to be one of the most personally troubling scenes I've ever written. It was a scene drawn very much from nightmare images in my own head, and I hope it is as effective for readers as it is for me. Whenever you get the chance to read the book, and you come to "Part Nine: The Bottom of the World," you'll know what scene I'm talking about.

Bear in the mind, though this book is filled with some troubling images, it is meant to be a hopeful story. I am no fatalist. If I had to summarize the theme of the novel, I would say it is about transcending the world we are born into. And when you read it, perhaps you'll understand what I mean by that.

In other news, Shadows of Tockland, my post-apocalyptic adventure (which is also about transcending the world we are born into), was featured on the Kindle Boards Book Discovery Day for May 31, so do me a gentle favor and go check that out right here.

The Mechanism is Growing

Despite being smack dab in the middle of moving to a new city and new house, I am still finding time to work on Children of the Mechanism. If I keep pace, the first draft will be done by the end of the month. We're standing at roughly 72,000 words in the saga of Bik, Hen, Ekir and Kuo. Although I believe it is ultimately a hopeful story, it is also, in some ways, my bleakest and saddest. Not sure how people will react to it. We shall see.

Here is the preliminary book blurb:

Children of the Mechanism is the story of slaves living and working the bowels of a massive factory. Most of them have never seen more than one or two rooms in their entire lives. They spend their days in harsh manual labor, underfed, dressed in rags, guarded by ruthless robots called Watchers, little understanding the purpose of their work. Life is short and cruel and unhappy. But then one day things begin to go wrong, and some of the slaves catch a glimpse of doors they never knew existed. Gradually, the true nature of the factory is revealed. 

There you go. That's it. And it should be coming to you in the near future. Certainly by about the middle of June. In the meantime, here are some other appearances (both present and upcoming) of my various novels.

First, Shadows of Tockland was mentioned at a blog called Great Indie Reads.

Second, Garden of Dust and Thorns was mentioned on a blog called Awesome Gang.

Third, a blog called Tess Three in the Morning will be doing a feature article on Mary of the Aether with a follow-up on the sequel, Mary of Shadows, on June 6, so look for that.

Finally, I will be the featured fantasy author of the day on Reddit on June 12, so look for that. Specifically, for the uninformed, that will be reddit.com/r/fantasy.

So that's about it for now. Bloodstone and A Whisper in the Void got reviewed at Amazon recently, so let me just make a quick plea that if you have read one of my books, I would greatly appreciate it if you'd take a minute to give me a review at the appropriate website.

Alrighty, that's all for now. Back to packing and cleaning up the house. Yikes.

Words. That's What It's All About

Well, I've managed to write just a smidgen over 51,000 words in 23 days. That's an average of just over 2217 words a day, which is about the average I was hoping for. I did read a blog the other day where some professional indie writer mentioned that he writes 4000-7000 words a day, which made me recoil. How is it even possible? Well, I suppose I could do it if I wrote eight hours a day, which maybe someday I will.

Anywho, Children of the Mechanism is coming right along. We're about halfway through, maybe a bit more. I just wrote one of the creepier scenes I think I've ever written. Look for it in Part Five, if and when you get hold of the book. You'll know it when you read it. Maybe I'm a touch claustrophobic, but I creeped myself out. And that's what it's all about, right?

As I close this blog post, let me remind you to subscribe to my newsletter. Click Here and Live the Dream

Thankee sai and good night.

Writing until My Fingers Melt

I'm pushing that daily word average a little higher. It's now hovering at just above 2,600 words. Children of the Mechanism has reached 31,400 words. I've got more free time than usual these days, because I am technically no longer employed, though I was paid through the end of May. I am taking advantage of those empty hours to melt my fingers on the keyboard.

It's funny because I remember a time when writing was a chore. I loved it. I had a constant compulsion to write. But it felt like work. I wrestled with the prose. Sometimes I had to pause and think about the wording. That no longer happens. I just breeze along without ever really stopping to think. During the downtime when I'm not writing, I spend time thinking about the next part of the story and where it needs to go, so that when I do sit down at the computer, I already know what's coming up.

And there you go. Now you know more about my writing techniques than you ever wanted to know. Live the dream!

The Mechanism is Growing

Well, I've written 28,800 words in 13 days. That's roughly 2,215 words per day, which is about double what I've averaged over the last three years. Even with a weekend trip to Silver Dollar City, I've still managed to peck out over 2,000 words a day since I started Children of the Mechanism. Not too shabby. It helps that I am already so familiar with this story and these characters. It's a story and a world that has existed in my mind for many years now, and I already know these characters so well.

I can't wait for people to meet Bik, Hen, Ekir and Kuo. I can't wait until they come face-to-face for the first time with the Grong. That may be the loveliest thing I've ever created in a story. And by "loveliest" I mean "kind of the grossest." At this pace, the first draft should be done in about another 27.6 days. As I said before, not too shabby.  

Children of the Mechanism

Okay, I'm going to do something crazy. I am going to link you to a story I wrote fifteen years ago. Folks, it is not well written, and that's putting it mildly. It is a story called "Stick Boys." Now, this story appeared in a couple of places. First, it appeared in print in a now-defunct magazine called Lost Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy (circa 1997). I still have a few copies of it in a box somewhere. It later appeared in an online magazine called Aphelion (circa 1999), where it can still be seen to this day. Yes, I am going to give you the link to the Aphelion page where it appears, but I warn you to lower your expectations:

http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/shorts/stickboys.htm

Now for some history about that story, and I only remember this history because I happened to be keeping a journal during the time when I wrote it. Fall of 1994 is the time, Reid Hall is the place. According to the journal entry, I watched a documentary about children in the Holocaust on CNN one evening. I don't remember the documentary, but I can only imagine it was bleak and sad. Anyway, affected by the documentary, I went on to write this short story, which I turned in as a Creative Writing assignment.

It was a revised version of the Creative Writing story that wound up in print and online. After the story appeared in Lost Worlds, the editor contacted me to say that readers had really liked it and wanted to see more stories set in the same world. So I attempted it. I wrote a second story (called Bugs on the Mechanism), but by the time I was finished and ready to submit it, the magazine had folded. Nevertheless, the world of Stick Boys stuck with me. Over time, I wrote other stories set in that world. The stories, in order, are: Stick Boys, Bugs on the Mechanism, The Master's Shadow and Feeding the Grong. Eventually, I took those four separate stories and attempted (back in 2007 or so) to craft them into a novel. I was not up to the task. I think I got about a third of the way through and gave up and later went on to write Mary of the Aether.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am now up to the task, and it is the next novel I am working on. I call it Children of the Mechanism, which is a title derived from the second of the four stories. I am writing approximately 2,000 words a day, so I should be done in another month and a half.