Variant Book 3, aka Falcon
Update:
So, I'm writing again, which is GREAT. I have a novel with my agent (Tartarus Deep) that we're in the process of revising in hopes of getting it out to publishers later this year.
But I'm also deep into writing the third book in the Variant series, which is tentatively titled "Falcon."
This is what Jane looks like. Did you know that? Probably not! But now you do: this is Jane.
And I am so happy with how this book is going. Since it's been 15 years since I wrote Variant, this is really like reaching back into a different version of myself. Fortunately for all involved, I keep very detailed notes during the drafting process, so I have easy access to a lot of information that I would have otherwise forgotten--things like "what's Curtis's last name?" and "What city did Jane come from?" So, that's nice.
The two main characters in the book. Who are they? Who are they related to? Have we met them before? Is one of them Keyser Soze?
The book will not be what you expect it to be--it's going to approach the story from an ENTIRELY weird direction, but we will see many characters from Variant and Feedback, as well as revisit some of the locations. More importantly, we will get answers to things such as "What was Maxfield Academy for?", "Why did they have the president's daughters?", "What the HELL was that thing in the tank at the end?", as well as lots of little fan servicey things.
(That's a fun thing about writing this book: since I'm revisiting it after such a long time, I feel more like a fan than I feel like the original author, and there are questions that I, also, want the answers to: "What happens to Becky and Benson after they get away? Do they end up together? But what about Jane? And what about some of those other characters who are peripheral but well-liked (Carrie, Harvard, Shelly, etc)?)
Now, CLEARLY, I took some liberties in Variant and Feedback. But this is the style of architecture for Maxfield Academy. It’s just four stories tall.
The big thing to know is that none of what I'm writing in this book, in terms of Maxfield's motives and origins, differ from my original vision for the books. I've known since very early on what that big thing in the tank was, and why it was there, and where Maxfield Academy came from, and ALL THE ANSWERS. So this new book is not a reinvention of the wheel. It's the original vision, just seen through different eyes.
What you will get in this book, however, are some NEW and engaging characters who I absolutely love. There will be fear and explosions and death and romance and a satisfying ending.
The Nageezi Trading Post
(The other thing that this book is: a love letter to the Four Corners area. Yes! They're not always stuck in one location, and they move around and talk about a lot of places that probably mean absolutely nothing to YOU, but mean a lot of things to me. Like, one big thing takes place in Nageezi, New Mexico. You know what's in Nageezi? NOTHING. It's barely a place. But I like it, so it's in the book.)
Lest any of this makes it sound like the process of writing this book is just me screwin' around, let me assure you that it most definitively IS me screwin' around. But it's, hopefully, me screwin' around in a way that is good for the overall narrative with a satisfying character arc and answers to all* of the mysteries.
*New mysteries may arise that need to be answered. We'll see.
But the Big Thing About Variant Three:
You will be able to read it.
I know the realities of the publishing industry, and they are this: publishers don’t usually pick up a series halfway through the series, so my options for publishing this are 1) to get HarperTeen to pick it up and relaunch the series (doubtful, but possible), or 2) to indie publish the thing.
It is my pledge to you, my faithful readers, that this book WILL be available, someway, somehow. I don’t know what format, but ideally in print and ebook.
You’re gonna get to read this thing.
(It would probably be bad form to not try to point you to where you can buy the rest of the series: Variant, and Feedback.
