Bone Walker

Determined to write a couple hundred words for Bone Walker tonight, I lamented to that I had a logistics problem to solve as I started the new chapter. The issue with writing several characters who don’t normally drive, you see, is that when I have a situation that requires them to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible and magic is not immediately an option, and I’ve sent what members of the cast who are established to have vehicles off to do off-camera things, I’m kind of screwed!

I explained to Dara that I needed to get Christopher and Kendis from her house in Sand Point over to the East Side, and that time is of the essence for reasons on which I shall not elucidate, because of spoilers. She wryly suggested that in the Faerie Blood universe, maybe we do actually have the Mosquito Fleet of boats on Lake Washington, or that I could make a faerie/ferry pun of some sort, which might bear investigation later if certain long-term plans come to fruition for the future of these characters. More immediately, though, the best solution seemed to be just have them take Millie’s car.

Those of you who’ve read Faerie Blood may note that at no point in that book did I ever mention that Millicent Merriweather actually owned a vehicle. So when I mulled what sort of vehicle she might drive, Dara promptly started throwing me all sorts of amusing suggestions about cars for a woman of her age and history. As a result, I have decided that Millie has a 1982 brown Volvo, which used to belong to her husband and which she now drives as little as possible because 1) a Warder should walk her city’s streets, not drive them, 2) the car makes her miss her husband, and 3) driving is annoying in general. Especially in Seattle. 😉

This will explain why the hell Kendis has spent the last two months in Millie’s company and never realized she had a car at all. It will also give me an excuse to have her and Christopher get into her car and take enough of a moment to double-take over how wait, what, Millie listens to Nirvana?

I’m tellin’ ya, Millie just keeps unfolding like a flower. Also, character brainstorming with your spouse rocks.

Ladies and gentlemen, Bone Walker just broke 30K on the word count! Chapter 10 is done, and features the worldview of a young Warder and an old Warder getting rattled all to hell. However, this ain’t going to stop Christopher or Millie or least of all Kendis from doing what needs to get done.

Before I go any further, though, I think I’m going to have to take a few tomorrow and update the story’s outline. I need to flesh out some idea of what the heck happens next.

Written tonight: 683
Chapter 10 total: 3,080
Bone Walker total (first draft): 30,001

Chapter 8 of Bone Walker is well and thoroughly underway, and for the first time as I’ve gotten into this chapter, I’ve come to realize that this book’s definitely setting a different tone than Faerie Blood. For one thing, the world’s already established, so I don’t have to spend much time at all on introductory exposition. For another, there’s hopefully going to be more action overall just because this is two months later than Faerie Blood, and Kendis and Christopher both have had some time to practice their new skills under Millie’s tutelage.

For a third, and this is probably the most important difference, I’ve got more characters in play here and therefore more ensemble cast fun going on. Chapter 8’s the second big scene involving most of the cast–and it’s a lot more tense, because I’ve got both Melisanda and Elessir on hand. Tonight, I’m finding this is also an opportunity for Kendis to establish a bit of dominance that she doesn’t normally have around Millicent, given that Millie’s usually the one in charge. But these are the Sidhe Ken’s dealing with–and they’re going to look to her first. Especially Elessir. Of course, Kendis ain’t terribly thrilled about this:

The tension that had vanished from the room ratcheted right back up again, this time with an even more hostile bite to it than Melisanda had provoked–for this time, the Seelie was not only part of the reaction, she was its furious heart. She surged forward from her place by the front door, past both of the Warders and Jake, and only my outthrust hand kept her from going for Elessir’s naked throat. “I pledged to obey my Queen,” she snarled, “and make amends for my trespasses. But that does not include consorting with this treacherous worm!”

Something close to Elessir’s devilish grin slid across his mouth, but there was no mirth in it, and it didn’t reach his eyes. “Ah’m jes’ thrilled to death to see you again too, darlin’,” he rasped. After many hours of sleep he was no longer the deathly white shade he’d been before, but this wasn’t saying much; his voice was weak, and he was still haggard, disheveled, and looking far too pitiful for my comfort.

Which, no doubt, was why I clocked him across the jaw.

Yeah. That’ll do nicely.

Written tonight: 543
Chapter 8 total: 2,058
Bone Walker total (first draft): 23,096