Status of the novel:
I have rewrites planned that will keep me busy for the next few months. Protests about police actions in the last couple of years inspired a rethinking of what police departments might evolve into in a few hundred years.
To get myself motivated for the rewrites, I'm working on short stories set in the world of this novel. One has been posted to Wattpad as the Mentors chapter of Wattpad Contest Plot Bunnies. The other is in progress and will be posted as the next chapter.
What the novel is about:
It's a futuristic story where the main character has a paranormal ability known as psychometry. That's an ability to "read" information from objects by touching them. Suppose you could touch surfaces at a crime scene and get a feel for who was there and what they were thinking. He also experiences visions of the future.
Suppose there'd been claims of psychic abilities in the past, and those claims were proven to be fraudulent. Would you hide the truth of your talents to be taken seriously by your family and friends?
At its core, this novel is about accepting what makes you unique.
Characters:
The main character is Zach, a college student studying to be an investigative journalist. He adopts a purple duckling when she's abandoned by her flock, and names her Amethyst. Not only does she provide a fluffy reprieve when the story gets angsty, but she also acts as a reflection of Zach. Amethyst was abandoned because of what made her different, and Zach helps her embrace those traits.
We also get the POV of Zach's mother Zinnia, who is a cop. They clash over Zach's powers. There's a lot of love and a lot of hurt.
Supporting characters include Zach and Zinnia's extended family, Zach's college roommates and advisor/mentor, Zinnia's colleagues and the doctor she's dating... I do love a sprawling cast.
Setting:
The story takes place on a planet named Arden. Most of the inhabitants live on a continent that was terraformed, giving them the plants we know from Earth. I took the name Arden from Shakespeare and envision an English garden and mild weather. Zach lives on Arden, and that's where his mother's family hails from.
Zach's father came from Arden's neighboring planet: Prime. When I imagine Mitch's home I think of deserts and adobe, hot winds and iced tea. The people of Prime have developed psychic abilities. They are also secretive and distrustful when it comes to sharing their abilities with their neighbors on Arden.
Plot:
When someone tries to kill Zinnia, Zach's psychic abilities give him advance warning and he's able to save her life. However, Zinnia disagrees with Zach's ideas about who's behind the attempt, and he takes a big risk to prove he's right. That leads to an even bigger disagreement, and Zach storms out, leaving for college early.
While he's in college, they both continue their own investigations, and uncover a conspiracy. There's a shadowy group out there that isn't just targeting Zach and Zinnia.
Then Zach learns about alien artifacts that act as a shortcut to psychic powers. If anyone can become psychic, that's a good thing, right? Psychic becomes normal and he wouldn't have to hide that part of him. But it also means he isn't so special anymore...
See the "Novel Progress" posts for snippets and updates about the novel.
Here's the Prime Pinterest board, for some of my visual inspiration.
Find posts about Prime.
What the novel is about:
It's a futuristic story where the main character has a paranormal ability known as psychometry. That's an ability to "read" information from objects by touching them. Suppose you could touch surfaces at a crime scene and get a feel for who was there and what they were thinking. He also experiences visions of the future.
Suppose there'd been claims of psychic abilities in the past, and those claims were proven to be fraudulent. Would you hide the truth of your talents to be taken seriously by your family and friends?
At its core, this novel is about accepting what makes you unique.
Characters:
The main character is Zach, a college student studying to be an investigative journalist. He adopts a purple duckling when she's abandoned by her flock, and names her Amethyst. Not only does she provide a fluffy reprieve when the story gets angsty, but she also acts as a reflection of Zach. Amethyst was abandoned because of what made her different, and Zach helps her embrace those traits.
We also get the POV of Zach's mother Zinnia, who is a cop. They clash over Zach's powers. There's a lot of love and a lot of hurt.
Supporting characters include Zach and Zinnia's extended family, Zach's college roommates and advisor/mentor, Zinnia's colleagues and the doctor she's dating... I do love a sprawling cast.
Setting:
The story takes place on a planet named Arden. Most of the inhabitants live on a continent that was terraformed, giving them the plants we know from Earth. I took the name Arden from Shakespeare and envision an English garden and mild weather. Zach lives on Arden, and that's where his mother's family hails from.
Zach's father came from Arden's neighboring planet: Prime. When I imagine Mitch's home I think of deserts and adobe, hot winds and iced tea. The people of Prime have developed psychic abilities. They are also secretive and distrustful when it comes to sharing their abilities with their neighbors on Arden.
Plot:
When someone tries to kill Zinnia, Zach's psychic abilities give him advance warning and he's able to save her life. However, Zinnia disagrees with Zach's ideas about who's behind the attempt, and he takes a big risk to prove he's right. That leads to an even bigger disagreement, and Zach storms out, leaving for college early.
While he's in college, they both continue their own investigations, and uncover a conspiracy. There's a shadowy group out there that isn't just targeting Zach and Zinnia.
Then Zach learns about alien artifacts that act as a shortcut to psychic powers. If anyone can become psychic, that's a good thing, right? Psychic becomes normal and he wouldn't have to hide that part of him. But it also means he isn't so special anymore...
See the "Novel Progress" posts for snippets and updates about the novel.
Here's the Prime Pinterest board, for some of my visual inspiration.
Find posts about Prime.
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