Real life can be TOO real

The reason I've decided to write 3 more stories instead of 2 is because, to put it simply, Hope and Jake have more to do!

If you've ready The Network, story 5, you'll know that it ends on an ominous note: Where are they going?

Story 6 -- as yet unnamed -- shows where they go, and why they're there. And it does a whole lot more.

Hope is also facing a dilemma around how much of the truth she shares with Jake right now. She knows deep down inside what her future must be. How can she possibly share that with Jake? Their unspoken feelings for one another have made it difficult for her to tell him the truth.

On top of that, there's still the spectre of Pandora out there. How quickly will it figure things out? Fast enough to get its way? With the knowledge it now has, it could be a dangerous force.

Stay tuned for Story 6. I do apologize for the delay! Sometimes my "real" life gets in the way of the life I'm creating inside Arcadia and Cerulean -- which is, to be honest, a place I'd much rather be right now.

Because real life can be, well, a little too real sometimes.

I'm still here! And so are Hope and Jake

I got sidelined for two whole weeks this month with two viruses stacked on top of one another. So Story 6 had to be put "on hold" for a short time.

But I'm back to plotting and writing ... and there are going to be at least 8 stories in this series! I thought there might be only 7, but Hope and Jake had more story in them.

So please stay tuned for Story 6 as soon as possible, but not before it's as good as it can be for my readers.

:-)

A character's weaknesses

If you've been reading The Pandora Chronicles, you know that Hope has a few weaknesses. First, she doesn't always say what she's thinking or feeling, especially in regards to Jake. He's much more open about how he feels and what he thinks -- almost to the point of annoying Hope.

Why does Hope keep things inside most of the time?

I think she knows there's something serious that she has to do, and she doesn't want Jake to suffer any potential consequences along with her.

The other weakness Hope has, of course, is a physical one. When she nearly died of The Paralyzing as a young girl, she was left with fainting spells that -- pardon the pun -- plague her. She never knows when one will happen, so she carries ammonia pellets in her pocket all the time.

Do you notice any other weaknesses in Hope's character? Let me know in the comments!

OK, back to writing and plotting Story 6 ...

Episodes 6, 7 ... and possibly 8?

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. It's been drizzly here in NYC so far, but the sky is a little brighter today (Sunday). Still not quite enough to warm up these native-California bones of mine, but I'll take 40 degrees over 30 (or 20 or 10) any day.

I'm plotting Story 6 of The Pandora Chronicles and am starting to write it today, and something dawned on me: I might need 8 episodes for this series!

If you're a fan, I suppose that won't upset you too much. ;-) And as the author, I can tell you that it definitely doesn't upset me at all! I enjoy spending time with Hope and Jake and all the other characters we've grown to know and love.

March will be a busy writing month for me. If only I didn't have a 9-to-5 job, I could write even faster ... but I'm going to make a promise, which is that Story 6 will definitely be published this month. And if I can find the time, Story 7, too.

That's the goal: Stories 6 and 7 published in March. With possibly an 8th episode coming in April.

Send good writing vibes, OK? More like, send good vibes that I don't have to work overtime at my "real" job so that I can spend time with Hope and Jake.

I mean really, which is more important? My "regular" job, or my job of creating all the thrills and chills of Pandora?

OK, here I go ... Diving head first into writing Story 6!

Story 5 now has a name

No longer do I have to refer to Story 5 as, well Story 5 in The Pandora Chronicles.

Now, it's called "The Network."

And it's with the editor. Wahoo!

Stay tuned! And sorry for the loooong delay in getting this one finished and out there to you. It's been a hectic time in my life outside of writing, but all is OK now. Stories 6 and 7 are mapped out and ready to rumble under my fingers.

Next post: the cover for "The Network."

If it's Sunday, I must be writing

I hope you're all having a great weekend.

Today, I have a to-do list a mile long, but it definitely includes writing. Here goes:

- Buy cat food and litter
- Go to gym
- Start packing for upcoming trip
- Write for 2-3 hours on story 5 of The Pandora Chronicles
- Have a freshly made juice at some point in the day (I love our new juicer, I really do)
- Go to bed early

What does your Sunday look like?

5 reasons I like writing "Pandora"

I am really enjoying writing The Pandora Chronicles. Here are my top 5 reasons, in Dave Letterman-style order.

Number 5: I'm having great fun incorporating the science I read about every day where I work (at a major medical center) and twisting it into a futuristic vision.

Number 4: Designing the landscape of Arcadia and the suburbs makes me feel like an architect.

Number 3: Writing the action scenes is like watching an action movie over and over again in my head, and I can make the characters do anything I want -- at just the right moments to heighten the tension.

Number 2: It's exciting for me to know the ending and then decide exactly how I want to get there.

And the number 1 reason I enjoy writing The Pandora Chronicles: Writing the character of Hope is allowing me to explore some deep emotions, like grief and determination.

Are you having fun reading The Pandora Chronicles? We learned something BIG in story 4, Blood Line Zero. Story 5 -- not yet named -- takes it to the next level. Can't wait to share it with all of you.

Next episodes being plotted

With the publication of story 4, Blood Line Zero, I've begun plotting the next episodes -- there will be at least three, possibly four more.

It's exciting for me to reach this point in the series. In Blood Line Zero, I revealed a major plot point on which the rest of the series will turn. It's like being in a maze, only I know how to get to the end (and the audience doesn't, hee hee).

Since I work a 9-to-5 job, I need to learn how to write faster (according to a couple of my fans!). So I bought a book about how to do just that.

I'm starting story 5 over the Thanksgiving weekend coming up. If I follow the formula for writing faster, I'll make quick work of it and have it ready to roll very soon.

So if you haven't started reading The Pandora Chronicles yet, join us -- and have some fun!

"Blood Line Zero": the most challenging so far

Of all the stories I've written so far in this series, story 4 -- "Blood Line Zero" -- has been the most challenging.

Why?

A few reasons:

First, this series, as a whole, is challenging to write because it's told entirely from Hope's point of view. That means that unless she sees, hears, tastes, smells or touches something, it can't be in the story. We read her thoughts, and hers alone.

Another interesting aspect is that each story is told in the present tense. It's all happening right in this very moment. If anything is written in the past tense, it must be in the context of Hope remembering something.

So why has "Blood Line Zero" been challenging, in particular?

I wanted to reveal a major plot point in the thriller/mystery aspect of the series. Figuring out how to do that, in a way that was consistent with Hope's character, took quite a bit of effort.

I won't give away the ending of this story, of course, but I rewrote it five times -- and I stand by the decision I made. It will push the plot, and Hope, to new lengths in story 5.

The Pandora Chronicles will have at least a total of 7 episodes. So with story 4, "Blood Line Zero," we're about at the halfway point or just past it.

There's no turning back now: not for Hope, nor for me, not for you.

It will be published soon. The editor is giving my rewrites one more once-over before I hit "publish." Want to know the second it's on Amazon Kindle? Provide your email in the sign-up form on this web page. I promise, no spam -- just announcements of new stories by me. :-)

First few lines of story 4: Revised!

The story came back from the editor, and I did some reworking ... so here you go! Look for "Blood Line Zero" to be published later this week, fingers crossed. This was a tough one to write, because something major happens to our favorite character of Hope.

BLOOD LINE ZERO

“Hope, listen. Do you hear them?”

I do. 

And I can see them.

The Wailers are here. 

Through the fog and light snowfall, Jake and I walk across our suburb’s main square. It’s so dark at this early hour that the blue streetlights are still illuminated, casting a watery glow over everything -- including the Wailers.

Void of emotion, the Wailers’ faces appear inhuman. It’s like they’re in a hypnotic trance, their eyes wide open and unblinking. They’re always women, never men.

With their black coats and long hair swirling in the snow and wind -- they’ve vowed not to cut it until the end of the plagues --  the Wailers draw plenty of attention. Although the police always stand by, the government has instructed them not to interfere with the Wailers unless things get unruly. So far, they’ve never endangered anyone but themselves.

"Blood Line Zero" is with the editor!

Oh yeah, baby! Story 4 of The Pandora Chronicles, called "Blood Line Zero," is now with the editor for a review before it's published ....

which also means the cover will be posted soon ...

and then I will get the whole shebang up on Amazon for you ...

and I'll start writing story 5!

Right now, I know there will be at least 7 stories, total, in The Pandora Chronicles. Possibly 8.

So you have a few more episodes to go with Hope and Jake. :-)

And the title is ... (drum roll, please)

The title of short story 4 in The Pandora Chronicles is ...

BLOOD LINE ZERO

Stay tuned for a sneak preview of the cover, coming soon.

Another sneak peek at story 4 (still untitled!)

That day at DataTrackers set off a wave of new security measures. The government has sent fleets of flightcycles into the suburbs for random patrols -- unheard of before now. The talk of it being a terrorist attack hasn’t subsided, either, and the media have fueled that fire. Whenever the TV or Internet, Inc. start the news broadcast, it always begins with some new theory on who Flex and Eden worked for: the government, a private spy agency, a terrorist group, with the latter being the most talked about. Speculation has even raged about which terrorist group they belonged to.

...

As much as I wish I could forget that day at DataTrackers, winter won’t let me. This season has gripped Arcadia and the suburbs with more ferocity than ever, with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees, and lower at night. The sun rarely shines, with most days bringing nothing but snow, clouds and darkness.

First few lines of Story 4 ...

“Oh. My. God. The Wailers are here. Why do they have to be here today, of all days? They give me the creeps.”

Jake’s words hit me as hard as the winter wind that is still haunting us. This season has been cruel, with record cold temperatures and more snow than we’ve seen in a decade. Through the fog and light snowfall, Jake and I walk across our suburb’s main square. It’s so dark at this early hour that the blue streetlights are still illuminated, casting a watery glow over everything.

I’m sure everyone is proud of their suburb, but I really love Cerulean. Even in this season, our city square is beautiful. Gardens that during the spring and summer are filled with flowers now rely on the bare trees for beauty, but there are so many of them that it looks like a winter wonderland. Each branch glistens in the cool light of morning. The cleaning crews do a good job of clearing the snow off the walkways, which lead to small, secluded nooks decorated with benches and art -- places where people can find a few moments of peace and privacy.

Although our neighborhoods and units might be somewhat drab and gray, our sparkling city center brings all of us together. Even the Wailers are welcome here.

Survived Hurricane Sandy (with electricity)

First of all, my heart goes out to anyone who lost a loved one during this storm or who is facing any sort of devastating property loss or other hardship.

We came through it just fine in our area of NYC, although the damage all around us is great. The transportation chairman said Sandy is the "worst disaster in the 108-year history of the subway system in NYC." That about says it all, right?

I'm spending the day writing since my 9-to-5 workplace is still closed. It's definitely not safe to walk around outside, so I won't be doing that. Where I live -- as with much of NYC -- there are lots of big trees, and I fear falling tree limbs. So I'll just stay indoors and type, type, type.

Storming and writing

Today I'm riding out Frankenstorm and working on story 4 ... I think Hurricane Sandy is really going to hit us hard here in NYC in about 6 hours (it's 1 pm as I post this).

I do apologize for the delay in publishing the next story in the Pandora Chronicles series. October was a tough month for me in a lot of ways -- I won't bore you with the details -- so I've only had snippets of time to work on story 4.

But now I'm back on track and should have it up on Amazon before you know it.

In the meantime, re-read stories 1-3 so you can be on the edge of your seat when story 4 begins.

Thanks for all the support!

Frankenstorm is coming ...

Looks like we're in for a whopper storm coming through NYC soon. Which means tomorrow morning I'm going to the store to stock up on a few things -- like cat food and litter -- and make sure we have enough water and canned food, just in case.

Last year's Hurricane Irene didn't do a whole lot of damage to NYC, except for the lower sections of the city. But this storm, nicknamed Frankenstorm, is supposedly going to be far worse than Irene.

I'll be battening down the hatches and writing ... and hopefully not eating canned food. (I hate when the power goes out!)

How much gore is too much gore?

No offense to the presidential candidates, but I'm debating right now ... about how much horror to include in story no. 4.

These aren't horror stories, per se, but they do contain a bit of gore ("bit of gore" sounds weird, doesn't it?). And certainly the circumstances under which these people are living are horrific, with the annual plague killing thousands of people and leaving those behind with emotional scars.

Decisions, decisions.

What did you all think of the level of gore in The Hunger Games, for example? I really liked the books, especially the first one. But I was kind of shocked at the violence in it, especially since it was child-on-child violence.

So how gore much is too much gore?

Writing story 4: I need chocolate

One of my favorite things about writing fiction is that I'm in charge of everything that happens.

As I've been writing the stories in The Pandora Chronicles, I've started with the end: Where do I want Hope and Jake to be at the end of each episode?

I make a decision. Then I write a bullet list of scenes that will get them there. And then, I fill in the blanks. That's the really fun part.

You may have noticed that so far, each story takes place in Hope's life in real time. There may be sections in the stories when Hope is remembering past events, but the action itself takes place often in just one day.

This situation presents a writing challenge that I find endlessly fun to tackle, because everything is immediate.

And we all want instant gratification, right?

Like chocolate ... crap, I don't have any in the house right now! Time to end this post so I can walk to the deli and get some. :-) Then it's back to writing Hope and Jake's next episode ...

Write faster!

I received a very nice email from a fan who kindly told me to Write Faster! :-) She said that she doesn't want to wait so long in between episodes. I thought that was really nice of her to say, although I do wish I could accommodate by publishing one story per week instead of one or two stories per month. Alas, not possible right now because I still have a "real" job (but I could dump that 9-to-5 if I get a bigger fan base, folks!).

This month, I'll only be publishing one story because as you know, I've been driving the length of the state of California these first two weeks of October.

But never fear: The moment I get back to NYC, I'll work on story no. 4 -- as yet to be named -- and will publish it before the end of the month (hopefully WAY before the end of the month).

Keep those cards and letters coming: maggiewatersbooks@gmail.com. And feel free to join my mailing list (fill out the form on the right side of the page), so you'll hear before anyone else when the stories go "live" on Amazon.