One night not so dark and dreary (actually it was about 101 degrees F. at 9 pm on a Wednesday night) in popped an idea/character I couldn't push back into a 'Maybe I'll Look At It Later' memory file. The first thing to pop into my head was a name. A character who called himself Agnastas Hoolia.
Agnastas Hoolia. A four hundred year old field agent for the Inter Dimensional Magic Bureau. A generic cross between a Jason Bourne spy and a quasi-Harry Potter like wizard.
Overlapping genres of YA Adventure and a Spy Thriller. A character who would appeal both to young readers and to adults. Throw in some genuine adventure, some magic, some nifty Steampunk era gadgets (thus making it a kind of Sci/Fi hybird) and some truly outrageous characters . . . and maybe, just maybe . . . voila! A novel/potential series that might stir the interest of a large reading audience.
Agnastas is a wizard. A Class II wizard working for a inter-dimensional bureau composed of a number of wizard clans dedicated in protecting the multi-universe from Dark Magic. Yes, Maynard; I said multi-universes. Like in multiple Earths . . . multiple Mars, etc. Of course each Earth, for instance, looks remarkably like the Earth we all are familiar with. But each is not exactly a copy of Earth. So (hint, hint . . .) there is the aspect of Time Travel involved.
The idea idea is to write the novel as a four-part serial. Each one that can be both independently read and yet be related to the previous one. Each comes out as in ebook format, but in in the end, maybe offering the completed novel both as an ebook and as a paperback.
Ah . . . but more! What I have in mind is to have each segment of the overall novel including artwork within the text. Black and white ink drawings illustrating a scene or two from out of the current segment. We (the artist and me) are working on the ink drawings as we speak. I've got six images in mind. As with most of my other projects, the Spanish brothers Javier and Jesus Carmona are the talented artists working with me on this project. Good men both. And brilliant artists as well.
Jesus is working on the pen and ink drawings. Javier did the color work (well, to be truthful, being as close as these two brothers are, I'm sure ideas for each piece of work have flowed back and forth like a fast moving river).
We're very close getting the first segment ready to go. My idea is to bring a serial part out every three weeks. Doing it this way might generate some interest for the segments to come. Each segment will be roughly 22,000 to 25,000 words in length.
Gee, it would be nice to find a publishing house interested in this project. (sigh, writers always bitch about this. Always.) And maybe one will drop by as the series progresses. Or not.
So tell me what you think. Think maybe this project has legs? Maybe it's a dead duck on the drawing board and needs a quiet but honorable death?
Hmmm . . .
It has legs. Many legs. I'd read it. It sounds fun, fresh, and I love the pics here. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Li. The first part should be out in a few weeks.
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