The Devil’s Playbook was my first novel, though it will not be my last. There are a few ideas knocking around in my mind, so I will use this page to provide updates on any of them that start to unfold.
Cyber Noir 2020: Collaborating writing/blog project.
A new journalling exercise for 2020, with a touch of creative flair. Working with a couple of friends, we will be adding a daily post to CyberNoir2020.com. Here, we our taking our real lives and adding ‘cyber noir’ focus on tech and grit.
This is part for venting, part acknowledgement of the year, part flourish, and in no small amount a deliberation counterpoint to the saturation of ‘perfect lives’ on social media.
We are swapping out the names for things, and focusing on certain aspects of life, but we are not making anything up or inventing anything. If something seems futuristic, well, that’s because we are already in the future.
Come on in, and enjoy the ride.
Second novel: working title “Love’s Lost” (updated 07/02/2019)
In November 2016, as part of Nanowrimo, I started the above titled second novel. I didn’t get too far into it before I became little unstuck. The idea is sound, and I really liked some of the character developments that were planned, but the 12,000 or so words I put down at the time felt a bit ugly. I restarted the novel during the 2017 Nanowrimo, and this time was able to find a much better flow. The target word count was hit on 28th November, and by the time the holidays rolled around it was finished as a first draft, allowing me to gift copies of it to family, as was done with The Devil’s Playbook in 2015.
There, however, it got stuck. I wasn’t too thrilled with the end result and think it too closely mirrors the beats of its predecessor. It needs work, and I spent parts of 2018 mulling over it, but didn’t get anywhere. But there is a story there, and I will get it to a second draft this year (2019). What I mostly think it needs is a shift in the chronological start point, and development of a better sub plot.
The new story follows on from The Devil’s Playbook, in sorts. It is set in the same world that was built for the first novel, but explores different characters, and a different angle. It is set about fifteen months later, and follows two main characters; one human and one an ex-angel, searching for the entity that they assume, correctly, is called Cupid. In The Devil’s Playbook, Luke, The Devil, was trying to get a rise out of God, via means of a human character, Andy. In Love’s Lost, Katie and Steve are searching to find Cupid, who they know is off his game, but don’t know that he’s dealing with his own personal issues. Dating, in London, can even dishearten Cupid. While they don’t know it at start of the story, they are on a time limit. Someone else has worked out Cupid must exist, too, and is also closing in on him. And this someone is carrying a knife.
So that’s the general idea. There is a lot of work needed to build up the characters, as neither Katie nor Steve are as likeable as I need them to be, yet. Nor is Cupid.
But it’s been fun. I enjoyed writing the story, and I think it has the potential to be something good.
More soon.
Anthony Le Sueur 