There’s always been an outline for the entire series, once I
figured out how the story connects. I knew what would happen in each
installment (book) and how each book would lead into the next and leave a
breadcrumb trail of clues pointing toward things to come. In the final stages
of editing for Brooklyn’s Lilac Brew,
coinciding with a lot of note writing and reviewing for Book III, I’ve found
myself rewriting dialogue and scenes so that something introduced down the way
doesn’t seem too random. I also don’t want the ‘breadcrumb’ of information to
sound forced. I try to make it sound as conversational, and as pertinent to the
story at hand as possible. How the ‘breadcrumb’ plays into the larger story is
played down, given a passing mention. That’s been the tricky part, but I found
a way around that [secret ingredient withheld…sorry]. One subject in
particular, by book’s end, becomes a topic of discussion, which is an obvious
lead-in to Book III. But in the final scenes of an installment to an on-going
story, of course that happens.
Though history is often explored in Brooklyn’s Lilac Brew, the goal is to move forward, pushing the
story ahead and into the future and toward its and the Fable Avenue saga’s conclusion.
The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn does this, but there’s a slightly didn’t outcome in
the mechanics of the story. The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn takes place between
1917 and 1957, not including the past lives of characters that arc back to the
1700s, expressed in the epic poem The Son Dial Tone. The main story itself is
not told in chronological order, starting off in 1957, arcing back to 1917 and
moving up to 1938 and then jumping back to, and concluding the story in 1957. Doing
this allowed the story to reference itself. For example, in ‘57 we see the
character Curly Burneside state that Sarinda has gotten impatient, no longer
appreciating the drawn out battle and fight. He states that this wasn’t always
the way. Arcing back to 1917 and going up to 1938, we experience Sarinda’s more
patient side, but we also get to understand the experience that may have worn
on her. As for future series events, there are small hints of what’s to come
laid down throughout the book, even in the Epic Poem The Son Dial Tone. The
obvious stuff comes from Joseph Pepper IV’s dialogue, but that still rings into
time periods that the rest of the saga will cut back to.
Brooklyn’s Lilac Brew
will show Joseph Pepper IV’s London adventure, taking up his story from when he
said farewell to his beloved, sultry jazz singer Theresa Amat. It will also
tell the tale of his excursion with legendary mystical outlaw Thunder John and
The Brother Dogs, as well as delve further into their mythology and origin. Brooklyn’s Lilac Brew will also
explore Joseph Pepper’s conspiratorial claims on what started World War I, what
was found in the German occupied colony of Tanzania that spurred The 1884
Berlin Conference and jumpstarted the politics that culminated into WWI.
For the most part, Brooklyn’s
Lilac Brew and the rest of the series will be set in contemporary times. The
biggest clue about the modern Fable Avenue culture comes in The Ghost of
Gabriel’s Horn, expressed in Theresa Amat’s prophetic words as she gives
birth to her daughter Philomena. “Dooley
is a lilac flame…”
As the series moves forward, editing goes through its final
stages for Brooklyn’s Lilac Brew, and
as the outline for Book III thickens, I’m getting to know this second
installment more, and seeing exactly what it needs to lay the groundwork for
the rest of the series. I’m finding myself jumping back into BLB and saying, “I
need to flesh this idea out enough to be accepted when its story really comes
out.” or “I need to pull this back a bit, it’s a little obvious.”
I’m sure readers will inquire about some of the concepts,
and I can answer “yes” or “no” on whether they will play a greater role in the
larger story. But how they play out is a whole other story. I’m just making
sure that all things have a proper connection.
Stay tune for some quotes from new characters from the Fable Avenue series...
b write black
