And with this final update, vol//002 of the City of Angles trilogy is now complete. Read the big finale and the aftermath of //016 right here, then come on back and let’s talk about it…
This was a pretty crazy ride. The first volume was, by and large, planned out extensively; I had a couple of specific story ideas, a specific start and a specific finish, and everything happened SORT OF how I planned. There were a few wrinkles along the way, of course. The stories became an ongoing saga rather than a series of standalone one-shots, with characters I had no further plans for returning later on. Kelsey was an eleventh hour addition, unexpected, and nearly threw my ending plans out of whack. But by and large, it went according to plan.
The second volume was… wow. Gonzo. I was improvising every week, changing my mind about what story I would write next, how they would resolve, how they’d link into the finale. I completely tossed completely written scenes and subplots. In the end I think it came together and became the story it had to be… but the ride was bumpy, indeed.
When the published ebook and print book version of vol//002 comes out (soon!) I hope you’ll consider buying it. Not only will it include the bonus stories “Dogs of War” and “Rain of Terror,” but it’ll also include deleted scenes from Inside Man and What Goes Around. You’ll see ideas I toyed with and then dumped, alongside writer’s commentary about the entire process. I hope you find it enlightening.
I’d love to hear your overall thoughts on vol//002, as I move into preproduction on vol//003. Any characters you eagerly want to see return? Any you feel could be left by the wayside? Subplots you’re waiting with baited breath to see development on? Any predictions on how things will go down? My writing improves through feedback; any you can offer, any at all, would be helpful.
We’ll be on hiatus for a few weeks while I plan out vol//003. You may notice that there are some temporary tiles for those chapters up on the City of Angles page… VERY temporary, plans shift, especially as I hear your words. Now’s the time to make your voice be heard. Each week I’ll come back to the blog to chat with y’all, new story content or not, so let’s open the floor. Because once it hits the fan in the next volume… it might be hard to hear anything over the screaming.