I write deep and complex fiction, I research every layer (hands on, where I can) and include twists and turns wherever and whenever I am able, which means surprises for my readers – Now, the only way I can be sure these surprises work is if they catch my Official Reader (my husband, Greg) out once I have handed over the final draft, and that means, folks, that I must not previously tell him anything that will give the plot or those surprises away.

Sometimes, however, I have a problem with the manuscript that I would like to talk out, so I have to employ a sort of code where I make all the right sounds and hedge around the issue without actually telling him the detail of what it is I am talking about.

A bit like I do here, really.

A case in point: Va’el (yes, again).

You know a bit about Va’el. If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you’ll know he’s a ten year-old obnoxious brat prone to throwing tantrums. You know he’s the bastard son of a bastard son of an emperor and he has his mind on a crown of his own. You know at some point he’s going to clash with Sevi and that it will be (hopefully) fun. You also know he’s also got some nasty stuff coming up which is going to twist him up in some unexpected ways and play into his future. You know it likely involves blood and also that I’m disinclined to go there (which means it must be pretty bad because I am not shy when it comes to my writing).

[Continue reading…]