C Murry

I’ve got to add that I ADORE a fake or presumed death! That’s precisely what Caleb’s arc turned into, and the whole story is better for it. It explores what the absence would mean, lets characters grieve and grow, but avoids the abject tragedy.

(I do find myself rather cornered whenever I write prequels, though, because my backstories are often littered with deaths, haha) 3/3

has more character death than I’m likely to ever write again. This is largely due to my influences around the time I was first drafting it, but it also suits the story and its themes. Though Caleb’s tragic death has been canceled for many reasons, most of the others will stay.

I dislike them, generally, when writing and reading. I find it far more compelling to see how characters carry on living.

There are exceptions ofc—ideally with a lasting impact, and we love a haunted narrative! Simply, it must be worth the loss.

I’ve reflected that Fault Lines, incidentally, 1/

against the impact/meaning of their death, and I find it difficult to sacrifice the former for the latter. It’s so much more compelling to see how characters go on living.

Characters as “the main reason I am reading (or writing)” sums up my feelings PRECISELY. Even when I can acknowledge the merit or appropriateness(?) in a death, I very rarely find them satisfying.

I also heard it said once that all a character’s future potential in the story needs to be weighed

“Messy characters who are trying their best” are so often my favorites, both to write and read! I sent in a query for Wanderlust and the Sea earlier this month—hoping some amazing work comes your way this MSWL Day!

Most everyone ends the main story Profoundly Tired, so I’m confident no one’s gone on any grand adventures since 😂 but life goes on, and interesting things are bound to happen! Plus the WORLD has changed dramatically in that time, so it’s tremendous fun to puzzle out how and why that’s all occurred.

I have pretty solid plans to pick up the story thirty or so years afterwards, with a mostly new cast, but Sachial and several other characters will still be very present. I look forward to finding out what they’ve gotten up to in the interim.

book, and—probably, rewrite pending haha—23-ish by the end of the last. We stick with him as the MC the entire time, although Faultverse is a true ensemble—we get glimpses into 20 or so lives throughout. Caleb is a frequent POV character, as are Mara, Kit, and a couple others.

which would cover a number of earlier years. It would be Clarence Ward’s youth, when the main cast were just children. Those were very formative years for the city of Deuceridge itself.

For Fault Lines, the series covers years. Sachial is 17 the first time we meet him, 19 for most of the first

For Deuceridge, the 1st book—WatS—happens over approx a week (a very hectic week indeed!). The 2nd, conversely, spans about a year; there’s a two year gap between. We see the most of Conrad, Kade, and Asher POV in the 1st, and more of Kade, Miriam, and Anaya in the 2nd.

I have a prequel planned, 1/

A snippet of conversation from fairly late in WatS, hence the redaction, but too perfect not to share for this!

Kade and Conrad are foils in countless ways—the “hero” and “villain” roles they choose to play, and the authenticity of those roles, among them.

#SFFChat

This “you need to trust me; you trust me, right?” conversation is turning out FAR thornier than I anticipated, which is /great/ because I know it’s going to feel earned by the end of it, but also RIP my word count estimate.

One snip from each book; forgive me, I couldn’t decide!

for Fault Lines—Caleb thinks about Sachial’s eyes a LOT

for Deuceridge—Conrad has complicated feelings about the ocean

#snippetshare #WritingCommunity

two small to-go cups of coffee in front of a bag that reads “Lokum, Turkish Delight & Baklava”

Having a darn near religious experience with this Turkish coffee ✨☕️

“What’s your book about?” is understandable, at least; “When are you going to get published?” should be ILLEGAL 💀

archetype. He’s the real deal. Two others have limited knowledge of future events—one through personal experience and the other through second-hand memories. The former is actively trying to change how things play out. The latter is honestly just trying to live.

#FebruaryWorldbuilders

In Faultverse, there is a prophecy or two running around, but how real they are is HIGHLY circumstantial. More immediately relevant is how various people might USE such things.

In Deuce, there’s one character who does have the gift of prophecy, very much a mad seer 1/2

Something from my WIP Embers! I’m so very excited about what it’s becoming.

Wheston IS human—just not the standard base model.

#WIPSnips #SF #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

means throwing himself into research or pestering someone nearby to teach him.

Caleb handles boredom just fine. Sachial calls him “simple”—mockingly, with all the affection in the world—and it’s true. Physical activity is a bit more compulsory. He’s the type to do push-ups if he’s feeling restless.

idleness well. It’s tortuous enough for him to stay in one place—he HAS to stay active, busy, or he might go literally mad.

Sachial LOVES a lazy day (or two, or three) but he’ll get restless sooner rather than later—not physically, but intellectually. He’ll seek out things to learn, whether that

#AwesomeCharacters

Kade can and will cause problems for pure entertainment value—weaponized whimsy, if you will. It’s mostly harmless, and often genuinely fun. He likes a quiet moment with a good book, too, but only on his own terms, and if he’s otherwise comfortable.

Asher does not handle 1/3

My short fiction WIP, Embers, is also set on a desert world. The nights on Agraive are long, and extremely cold; even for the mc Wheston, who’s highly adapted to the environment, survival is challenging. “Man vs nature” conflict is a favorite of mine, so I’m having the time of my life with this one.

(Faultverse cont.) Navigating/surviving this desert isn’t a huge obstacle for characters, but it does impose a hard spatial limit on the action, and it could be called an antagonist for Civilization as a whole. A couple of times characters do need to traverse it, with varying rates of success.

#FebruaryWorldbuilders I love desert settings—not to mention live in one!—so absolutely yes!

Faultverse takes place in a desert—the acquisition of water from underground reservoirs is a huge factor in the plot and worldbuilding. Rain is rare to the point of being mythologized.

1/3

Just hit 10k with this piece—calling it Embers, for now—and I’m DELIGHTED to report that I have an ending in mind but only vague ideas as to how I’m getting there.

Characters who are each other’s “home” are EVERYTHING 🥺😭

Conrad is a bit more tied up with plot spoilers, so 🤫

but he cultivates the feeling in his relationships with Kade and Conrad.

Miriam is also rooted in Deuceridge. She’s built herself a home in Channis and Co., her entertainment and escort service. She’s tremendously proud that this home is also a place of safety and comfort for others.